Mortivore
Registered User
Very good list. Thanks for sharing your insight, I learned a lot from reading it!
Ranking the NHL's GMs
- Thread starter Wayne Primeau
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Paris in Flames
Registered User
- Feb 4, 2009
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Lou feels to high. He's definitely done some good things for Toronto, notably bringing in Andersen, but 80% of the Leafs core was gifted to him.
Oneiro
Registered User
- Mar 28, 2013
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I put Shero ahead of Lou.
He took the most barren forward group in the league and turned it around in two summers. Stole Hall, Palmieri and Johansson. Acquired real scoring depth. Drafted Bratt, signed Butcher, traded for Vatanen. Stayed away from most UFA mistakes. And so far, the coaching staff has taken two project players in Zacha and Wood and developed them the right way. Their improvement is exponential. And finally, there are more young players incoming.
Lou came into a team that failed its way into competence. He didn't have to do anything but augment a good situation.
He took the most barren forward group in the league and turned it around in two summers. Stole Hall, Palmieri and Johansson. Acquired real scoring depth. Drafted Bratt, signed Butcher, traded for Vatanen. Stayed away from most UFA mistakes. And so far, the coaching staff has taken two project players in Zacha and Wood and developed them the right way. Their improvement is exponential. And finally, there are more young players incoming.
Lou came into a team that failed its way into competence. He didn't have to do anything but augment a good situation.
Frolov 6'3
Unregistered User
Good work but aside from Blake’s ranking (new GM), i do not understand your review at all.
Gaborik was signed by Lombardi and was sitting in the press box. Blake traded for Phaneuf to play 18 minutes a night. You blame him for another one’s mistake.
Iafallo and Folin were good signings.
I didnt understand the Cammalleri trade but perhaps he asked for more playing time but who cares.
Blake has done nothing wrong so far, or something extremely positive aside from drafting Vilardi.
Gaborik was signed by Lombardi and was sitting in the press box. Blake traded for Phaneuf to play 18 minutes a night. You blame him for another one’s mistake.
Iafallo and Folin were good signings.
I didnt understand the Cammalleri trade but perhaps he asked for more playing time but who cares.
Blake has done nothing wrong so far, or something extremely positive aside from drafting Vilardi.
Channelcat
Unhinged user
I'd have Chevy at the top, Chayka at the bottom. The guy is living proof you can land a great job with nothing but buzz words and a slightly below avg IQ.
The Great Weal
Phil's Pizza
- Jan 15, 2015
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Toews2Bickell
It's Showtime
- Nov 24, 2013
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I don't get the hype for Chevy. The guy has drafted inside the top 10 for like 8 years and has barely made the playoffs and not once advanced beyond the first round (at least not that I can remember). I'd hope after 8 drafts he would finally accumulate home grown talent that can compete for a playoff spot. Mediocre list by OP. Poile at #1 is fine, then the rest is up for debate. Yzerman has missed the playoffs a few times during his tenure and landed quite a few top 15 picks. Lou was part of a tank job that saw Toronto land a couple top 5 picks, Shero was hated a few years ago, even after a year in NJ. Then someone like Bowman gets punished because for ten years his team went deep in the playoffs and they never selected higher than 18th during that time. Again, just a meh list.
This list isn't about "a few years ago", though -- it's about today. And the Blackhawks are going to miss the playoffs this season largely because of Bowman's cap mismanagement. I get that he's won three Cups, I really do -- but man, some of his recent decisions have just been baffling. The Seabrook contract is just terrible, the Toews contract is a ridiculous anchor, and the Hossa deal is hard to swallow, skin condition aside. The Blackhawks are sliding and much like the Oilers, they have little depth and too much money tied up in too few players.
eternalbedhead
Let's not rebuild and say we did
Except no consistent success is infinite. Eventually, you'll have to jettison guys due to cap space and even though your core might still be fairly young, they'll have no one to play with. Cap mismanagement or not, it'll happen to any team that has that much success.
OTOH, Dale Tallon arguably had a bigger role in building that contender, and it can be argued that Bowman was just there to put the polish on and reap the rewards.
OTOH, Dale Tallon arguably had a bigger role in building that contender, and it can be argued that Bowman was just there to put the polish on and reap the rewards.
I'n not seeing what Chayka is doing to get as high as 24th. And obviously, higher than Tallon, and with a bit of cushion in between too.
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
Bowman being so low reeks of an immediate recency bias. He was the driving force behind two of the three Cups, was a major player in the first one, and the situation we're in currently stems from his attempts to put together an elite contender for as long a possible, the result of which was a level of success that every team except maybe the Penguins and the Kings would gladly trade their last decade for.
That's how the system works. A team gets great through smart management and remains great while mortgaging the future for the present. The present now appears to be up, and that makes Bowman a bottom third guy? Please.
That's how the system works. A team gets great through smart management and remains great while mortgaging the future for the present. The present now appears to be up, and that makes Bowman a bottom third guy? Please.
Sweeney is way too low. Great signings, made difficult trades and got good futures in return. Fired the franchise's all time winningest coach and his replacement is at a .700 winning percentage. Drafted McAvoy, debrusk, Carlo (1d, 4d and top6 winger all in thier rookie seasons).
Made some win-now mistakes but never veered from his restock, reload vision.
So refreshing after the last few years of chiapet.
Made some win-now mistakes but never veered from his restock, reload vision.
So refreshing after the last few years of chiapet.
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Not sure how you can say he can't take credit for the defense. 4 of our everyday top 6 dmen where brought in by him.
He drafted our top pair in back to back drafts in Trouba and Morrissey, traded for Myers and signed Kulikov as a FA. Only Buff and Toby remain from Atlanta.
AmericanDream
Thank you Elon!
This.
Bowman outside of the top 5 GMs in the game is a joke.
He has made a few mistakes like the Leddy trade and Seabs contract, but he has managed a cap hell given to him by Dale Tallon only to win 2 more Cups after it, and a game 7 OT loss in the Western Conference Finals.. he has drafted amazingly well considering our position year in and out...landed college free agents, snagged Panarin, resurrected some careers...but he is somehow in the bottom 3rd because the Hawks might miss the playoffs this year? I don't get it either.
Kcb12345
Registered User
- Jun 6, 2017
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Kinda surprised Nill doesn't crack the top 10.
His best things (no specific order)
1. Acquiring Seguin
2. Signing Radulov
3. Acquiring Spezza
4. Drafting/Signing Klingberg to a 7-year, $4.2 million AAV contract.
5. Jamie Benn's contract
6. Hiring Hitchcock
7. Acquiring Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns for nothing
8. Acquiring Janmark
9. Signing Pitlick
10. Drafting Faksa, Point, Heiskanen, Honka, Robertson, Dickinson, Hintz
11. Dan Hamhuis signing
12. Many more things..
His bad things (no specific order):
1. Hanzal contract (AAV is too much, term is fine)
2. Spezza contract (planned perfectly to end when Seguin needs one, safe contract)
3. Bishop Contract (too early to tell, but I don't like the term)
4. Prospect Development (Dickinson, Honka, Oleksiak, Nemeth, etc) not getting developed properly. Dickinson and Honka still look like they will be good but there's no room in the lineup)
5. Not drafting Barzal, Tolvanen, and DeBrincat. Instead drafted Gurianov, Tufte, and Oettinger.
6. For some reason Brett Ritchie is still on the team
7. Horrible management of defensemen in past years.
8. The Kris Russell trade (not that big of a deal)
His best things (no specific order)
1. Acquiring Seguin
2. Signing Radulov
3. Acquiring Spezza
4. Drafting/Signing Klingberg to a 7-year, $4.2 million AAV contract.
5. Jamie Benn's contract
6. Hiring Hitchcock
7. Acquiring Patrick Sharp and Stephen Johns for nothing
8. Acquiring Janmark
9. Signing Pitlick
10. Drafting Faksa, Point, Heiskanen, Honka, Robertson, Dickinson, Hintz
11. Dan Hamhuis signing
12. Many more things..
His bad things (no specific order):
1. Hanzal contract (AAV is too much, term is fine)
2. Spezza contract (planned perfectly to end when Seguin needs one, safe contract)
3. Bishop Contract (too early to tell, but I don't like the term)
4. Prospect Development (Dickinson, Honka, Oleksiak, Nemeth, etc) not getting developed properly. Dickinson and Honka still look like they will be good but there's no room in the lineup)
5. Not drafting Barzal, Tolvanen, and DeBrincat. Instead drafted Gurianov, Tufte, and Oettinger.
6. For some reason Brett Ritchie is still on the team
7. Horrible management of defensemen in past years.
8. The Kris Russell trade (not that big of a deal)
I respectfully disagree. I think that it was a mistake to promote Stevens, to keep Forbort over McNabb and to do nothing to try to improve the offense but sign a 35-year-old Cammalleri (who didn't work out and was soon traded for a player who ended up being waived a few months later). It seems like he thought that the team was good enough that it could be a contender again with just a little tweak to the system and an added bit of fringe depth, so he placed his faith in the promises of the then-Associate Coach and the quality of the existing roster. It's hard to argue that it was the right call when they're in exactly the same spot (10th in the West) that they finished last season and which got his predecessor and the old coach fired.
Blake hasn't done anything bad enough to be in the bottom 5 of GMs, but he hasn't done anything good enough to warrant being higher than 25th, IMO. His performance has been mediocre, much like his team, which still hasn't beaten an opponent higher than 1 point more than them in the standings since December 1st.
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stampedingviking
Registered User
David Bruce Banner
Acid Raven Bed Burn
Personally, I think that a large amount of what we think of as good GM'ing comes down to luck.
GM's of good teams, or teams of the upswing are perceived as being "good GM's". GM's of bad teams, or teams on the down swing, get tarred with the "bad GM" moniker.
Case in point... back when Jim Rutherford was stewarding the Hurricane to season after season of mediocrity, he was seen as a joke. At the same time, Ken Holland had guided the Wings year upon year of unprecedented success. He was seen, arguably, as the best GM in the league. Now Rutherford's a genius, slotted in on your list at #3... and Holland is a dinosaur at #29. I'd argue that neither of these ratings is accurate... and perhaps, by extension, none of them are.
That is not to say that poor or good GM'ing doesn't exist. There is a trick to keeping a good team good. Success does breed success, but keeping the system running smoothly is an art. Holland was a good example of this. Poile looks to have a good handle on the Preds situation currently. Really bad GM's tend not to last long, unless there is some kind of institutional malaise undermining the whole structure. See Waddell and Chia.
GM's of good teams, or teams of the upswing are perceived as being "good GM's". GM's of bad teams, or teams on the down swing, get tarred with the "bad GM" moniker.
Case in point... back when Jim Rutherford was stewarding the Hurricane to season after season of mediocrity, he was seen as a joke. At the same time, Ken Holland had guided the Wings year upon year of unprecedented success. He was seen, arguably, as the best GM in the league. Now Rutherford's a genius, slotted in on your list at #3... and Holland is a dinosaur at #29. I'd argue that neither of these ratings is accurate... and perhaps, by extension, none of them are.
That is not to say that poor or good GM'ing doesn't exist. There is a trick to keeping a good team good. Success does breed success, but keeping the system running smoothly is an art. Holland was a good example of this. Poile looks to have a good handle on the Preds situation currently. Really bad GM's tend not to last long, unless there is some kind of institutional malaise undermining the whole structure. See Waddell and Chia.
Flyers1928
Registered User
flyers have been one of the best drafting teams long before hexy showed up actually, especially in late first round
kuzy
Registered User
So your metric for what makes a good GM is whether or not they make the playoffs this year, as evidenced by the majority of the GMs for the lottery teams being the bottom half of your standings? Seriously?
I won't even try to hide my homerism
- The blackhawks missing the playoffs this year is not largely due to Bowman's cap mismanagement. Certainly partially, but we still have a talented roster. Our main issues have been playing with AHL goalies in the net since December, Q's horrible system and baffling roster management, and just about everyone having an off year at the exact same time for whatever reason.
- Seabrook's contract is truly awful which we all knew at the time, but it has been compounded by the fact that his play has fallen off a cliff about 3 years before we thought it would be a problem.
- Toews contract was about a million more than I would have liked at the time, but I can forgive it since you don't play hardball with your 1C that just led you to 2 cups. Also no one expected the canadian dollar to tank the following year and mess up the cap, or for Toews to start playing like a third line center during what should be the prime years of his career.
- Also how is the hossa deal hard to swallow or even remotely the fault of Bowman?
- And for the love of all that is good in this world please don't compare us to the Oilers
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Tonka
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- Apr 8, 2007
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Just commenting a Lou...I think he has a high possibility of being lower on the list this upcoming season depending on how he handles Bozak and JVR.
- Personally, I think now that we have a good standing in the playoffs, we should let Bozak and JVR go for prospects and picks, if they are not in our longterm plan. You are right, that would be the smart and tough decision to make: let them walk.
- The Big Three are gonna get paid. Big. This is where his GMing experience will need to come out.
- The Marleau deal was a terrible signing. Not saying he is not a good player, but it is too much to sign for a veteran leadership. Marleau should be a 4-5 million player.
- Andersen was a huge gamble that paid off. But in reality, no GM should sign a goalie with such little experience to a 5 year deal. High risk, high reward. Fortunately, it was high reward.
- Zaitsev deal, horrific. I might have been a fan earlier in the season, but reflecting on it...7 years, for one year experience. It's mind boggling.
- Leaf fan
kittiecarlyle
Registered User
- Nov 1, 2016
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That's a really inaccurate statement. A post like that pretty much eliminates what you have to offer on the post.
ColdSteel2
Registered User
- Aug 27, 2010
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Andersen needs to prove it in the playoffs. He looked a dear in the headlights against Chicago. And Zaitsev was them trying to get cute and create a value cap hit player. It was a risk. I love the Leafs young talent and some of the moves they have made but they should be going for it now. They need to get a 1st pairing D. Trade draft picks and prospects.
Flames GM hasn't won a single playoff round in his tenure there, largely coasting off Jay Feaster's draft picks, and if they miss the playoffs this year they forfeit their 1st rounder to the Islanders ... lol, he gets put into the top 10, but the Blackhawks GM who's won multiple Cups is graded way down the list.
Yeah I would say that's just a wee bit of homerism. Gaudreau contract is good for now, but don't think he and his agent will magically forget being strong armed into that deal and demand the moon next time out or go play back home in the US as a UFA.
Yeah I would say that's just a wee bit of homerism. Gaudreau contract is good for now, but don't think he and his agent will magically forget being strong armed into that deal and demand the moon next time out or go play back home in the US as a UFA.
