Being an NHL GM is a high-stress position. Your every move is examined by fans and media, and one big mistake could spell the end of your time running a team in hockey’s best league. And when new Hockey Hall-of-Famer David Poile was out there setting a record for the most wins by an NHL GM – he’s got 1,639 regular-season and playoff wins to his credit – other GMs are doing their utmost to have that type of longevity at the NHL level.
To that end, some GMs figure out how to handle the pressure and thrive in their high-stakes profession year in and year out. Here are one writer’s picks as the top four NHL GMs of the past five years. In no particular order:
Jim Nill, Dallas Stars
The reigning, defending, back-to-back GM of the year, Nill has put together an outstanding Stars team that’s as balanced and dangerous as any in the game. Nill cut his chops as a manager in his time as an assistant GM and director of player development with the Detroit Red Wings, with whom he won four Stanley Cups.
Since coming to Dallas in 2013, Nill has led the Stars to nine playoff series victories, as well as three conference final appearances (including the past two Western Conference Finals) and one Cup final appearance. Along with his excellent drafting and development team, Nill has built a thoroughly above-average operation in Texas, and if the Stars do win their second Cup in franchise history, it will be because of Nill’s brilliance in building a consistently competitive organization.
Bill Zito, Florida Panthers
Zito took over the Panthers in September of 2020, and asset-by-asset, he’s built Florida into a Cup-winner and a win-machine. He took notable risks – including dealing star left winger Jonathan Huberdeau and MacKenzie Weegar in return for Matthew Tkachuk, acquiring lethal scorer Sam Reinhart from Buffalo, and plucking defenseman Gustav Forsling off the waiver wire.
Zito also wasn’t afraid to make major coaching moves, replacing highly-touted bench boss Andrew Brunette with Paul Maurice. All in all, Zito has hit home run after home run, and Florida is locked in as a force to be reckoned with in the Atlantic Division and Eastern Conference for many years to come.
Kelly McCrimmon, Vegas Golden Knights
Some people think the Golden Knights have shown no mercy in moving out players that may have fit in one season, only to find no fit for them in the long haul in Vegas. But whatever you think of McCrimmon, you have to give him his due as a team architect, as he’s won a Cup with this franchise in 2022-23. McCrimmon also has won one Western Conference title, two division titles and has only missed the playoffs once since he took the Golden Knights’ GM job in September of 2019.
Somehow, McCrimmon has been able to land big-fish talents both via trade (including deals to land star defenseman Noah Hanifin from Calgary, star center Jack Eichel from Buffalo and star center Tomas Hertl from San Jose) and via free agency (including D-man Alex Pietrangelo). The Golden Knights are off to an excellent start to the current season in large part because of McCrimmon’s vision, and he’s bound to keep his team competitive for the foreseeable future.
Tom Fitzgerald, New Jersey Devils
The Devils have undergone all sorts of changes in recent years, but the man at the top has been Fitzgerald, who has been running things in New Jersey since January of 2020. Fitzgerald has completely made over the Devils’ defense corps and goaltending, and added core pieces and supplemental pieces to the forward group, including Timo Meier, Stefan Noesen, Tomas Tatar and Paul Cotter.
Fitzgerald is in a tough division, and the Devils’ arch-rivals in Manhattan have a GM in Chris Drury who also deserves credit for the job he’s done with the Rangers. But Fitzgerald has spent his salary cap space wisely, traded for veterans (including star goalie Jacob Markstrom) without depleting his NHL talent base, and hired an above-average coach in Sheldon Keefe. There’s very few missteps we’ve seen from Fitzgerald, and he’s why New Jersey is one of the best teams on the planet, for the short-and-long-term.
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