Ranking the Best Active NHL General Managers in Free Agency

The 2015 NHL free-agent market opens July 1. As that date approaches, there will be growing speculation over which general managers could pursue the best available talent. As per NHLNumbers.com, there isn't much depth in this year's free-agent pool. The GMs will have their work cut out for them. 

Because of the salary cap, most teams tend to re-sign their best players rather than lose them to free agency. That's made it difficult for general managers to sign quality players. Over the past decade, however, a handful of current GMs have succeeded in signing free-agent talent that bolstered their respective rosters.

The following is a ranking of active NHL general managers who've done well via unrestricted free agency, listing their notable signings and providing analysis of how they helped their teams. As always, feel free to weigh in with your opinion in the comments section.

8. Garth Snow, New York Islanders

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Years active: Garth Snow went from the New York Islanders' backup goaltender role directly into the general manager's chair on July 18, 2006. 

Notable signings: Center Viktor Kozlov (September 2006), defenseman Mark Streit (July 2008), left wing Matt Moulson (July 2009) and right wing Pierre-Alexandre (P.A) Parenteau (July 2010).

Analysis: Kozlov's 51 points helped the Isles reach the 2007 playoffs. Streit became their captain in 2011 and remained in the role until his trade to Philadelphia in June 2013. As Islanders, Moulson tallied three consecutive 30-goal seasons while Parenteau had the best numbers of his NHL career.

7. David Poile, Nashville Predators

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Years active: David Poile was named general manager of the Nashville Predators in June 1997.

Notable signings: Left wing Paul Kariya (August 2005), center Jason Arnott (July 2006), right wing J.P. Dumont (August 2006), right wing Joel Ward (July 2008) and center Mike Ribeiro (July 2014).

Analysis: In the early years of the NHL salary cap, Poile was quite active pursuing quality talent via free agency. Kariya, Arnott, Dumont and Ward were key contributors during their respective tenures in Nashville. In recent years, Poile has avoided expensive free agents. He landed a bargain in Ribeiro, who became one of Nashville's leading scorers this season.

6. Glen Sather, New York Rangers

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Years active: Glen Sather became general manager of the New York Rangers on June 1, 2000. 

Notable signings: Left wing Brendan Shanahan (July 2006), centers Chris Drury and Scott Gomez (July 2007), right wing Marian Gaborik (July 2009) and center Brad Richards (2011).

Analysis: Even in a salary-cap world, Sather hasn't been afraid to make a big splash in the free-agent pool when he can afford to. His notable additions helped the Rangers stay competitive in the short term, but they didn't have long futures on Broadway. Gomez and Gaborik were traded, Drury and Richards were bought out and Shanahan departed via free agency.

5. Chuck Fletcher, Minnesota Wild

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Years active: Chuck Fletcher became general manager of the Minnesota Wild on May 22, 2009. 

Notable signings: Left wing Martin Havlat (July 2009), left wing Zach Parise and defenseman Ryan Suter (July 2012) and left wing Thomas Vanek (July 2014).

Analysis: Havlat enjoyed two productive seasons with the Wild. Parise and Suter were expensive additions, but they've been invaluable to the club's improvement over the past three seasons. The jury is still out on Vanek, who struggled in his first season in Minnesota.

4. Dale Tallon, Florida Panthers

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Years active: Dale Tallon became general manager of the Florida Panthers on May 17, 2010. Before that, he was GM of the Chicago Blackhawks from 2005 to 2009.

Notable signings: As Blackhawks GM, Tallon signed defenseman Brian Campbell (July 2008) and winger Marian Hossa (July 2009). As GM of the Panthers, Tallon inked goalie Jose Theodore, defenseman Ed Jovanovski and left wing Tomas Fleischmann (July 2011), winger Brad Boyes (September 2013) and forward Jussi Jokinen (July 2014). 

Analysis: Campbell and Hossa helped the Blackhawks win the 2010 Stanley Cup. Hossa remains an important part of their roster. Theodore, Jovanovski and Fleischmann were among several additions who helped the Panthers reach the playoffs in 2012 after a 12-year absence. Boyes and Jokinen were key contributors to the Panthers this season.

3. Ken Holland, Detroit Red Wings

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Years active: Ken Holland became general manager of the Detroit Red Wings on July 18, 1997.

Notable signings: Goalie Dominik Hasek (July 2006), defenseman Brian Rafalski (July 2007), right wing Marian Hossa (July 2008) and left wing Todd Bertuzzi (August 2009).

Analysis: The additions of Hasek and Rafalski helped the Wings win the Stanley Cup in 2008. Hossa was a key contributor in their return to the Stanley Cup Final in 2009, while Bertuzzi became a valuable part of their checking lines. Unfortunately for Holland, his recent signings (Mike Modano, Daniel Alfredsson, Stephen Weiss) didn't pan out.

2. Peter Chiarelli, Edmonton Oilers

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Years active: Peter Chiarelli was general manager of the Boston Bruins from May 26, 2006 to April 15, 2015. On April 24, 2015, he was hired as general manager of the Edmonton Oilers. 

Notable signings: Defenseman Zdeno Chara and center Marc Savard (July 2006), left wing Shawn Thornton (July 2007), right wing Michael Ryder (July 2008) and right wing Jarome Iginla (July 2013).

Analysis: The additions of Chara, Savard, Thornton and Ryder contributed to the Bruins' rise to Stanley Cup contention by the dawn of this decade. All but Savard played key roles in Boston's 2011 Cup championship. Iginla helped the Bruins win the 2014 Presidents' Trophy. If Chiarelli achieves a similar level of free-agent success in Edmonton, the Oilers could see a swift turnaround.

1. Steve Yzerman, Tampa Bay Lightning

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Years active: Steve Yzerman became general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning on May 25, 2010. 

Notable signings: Defenseman Matt Carle (July 2012), center Valtteri Filppula (July 2013), center Brian Boyle, left wing Brenden Morrow and defenseman Anton Stralman (July 2014).

Analysis: Yzerman cut his management teeth in the Detroit Red Wings' front office. That experience is reflected in his free-agent signings. His notable signings contributed to the Lightning's swift rise from non-playoff club in 2013 to Stanley Cup finalist in 2015. They're also among the reasons Yzerman is a finalist for NHL General Manager of the Year.

Player stats and general manager info via NHL.com. Salary information via NHLNumbers.com.