5 NHL Teams That Need a Complete Front-Office Overhaul in the 2026 Offseason
Changes in an NHL front office don't occur as frequently as coaching changes, especially during a regular season. Nevertheless, it's not uncommon for a team to shake up its management if things aren't going well, especially if trades and coaching changes have already been made with little improvement to show for it.
The Buffalo Sabres were the most recent team to go this route. On Dec. 15, they replaced Kevyn Adams as general manager with former Columbus Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekäläinen.
That move was the result of the Sabres' ongoing struggles to end their NHL-record 14-season playoff drought. Thus far, the move has had a positive impact on the players, as the Sabres won 14 of 18 games (as of Jan. 22) since Kekäläinen took over.
Usually, most major front-office changes don't result in such an immediate productive result. It can take weeks, months, or several seasons before a turnaround occurs. Nevertheless, there are five other NHL teams we believe could benefit from such an overhaul.
New Jersey Devils
1 of 5
Three years ago, the New Jersey Devils seemed poised to become a Stanley Cup contender. Led by forwards Jack Hughes, Nico Hischier, and Jesper Bratt, and defenseman Dougie Hamilton, they finished with the best regular-season record in franchise history (112 points) before bowing out in the second round of the playoffs.
Fans and pundits heralded general manager Tom Fitzgerald's efforts in turning this struggling team around. Since taking over as GM full-time on July 9, 2020, he added Hamilton, Timo Meier, Jacob Markstrom, Luke Hughes, Dawson Mercer, Brett Pesce, and Šimon Nemec via trades, free agency, and the draft.
However, the Devils have had difficulties trying to replicate their promising 2022-23 performance. Injuries to key players and inconsistency contributed to their disappointing 2023-24 campaign, and have once again become factors as they try to remain in playoff contention in the Eastern Conference.
Fitzgerald has been unsuccessful in his efforts to address his roster's need for another scoring forward and an experienced third-line center. Meanwhile, Hamilton, Bratt, Markstrom, and Meier are struggling, while youngsters like Luke Hughes, Mercer, and Nemec are facing pressure to meet expectations.
From Nov. 18 to Jan. 23, the Devils won 14 of 33 games, sending them tumbling in the standings. That's sparked criticism of Fitzgerald among Devils fans that had been simmering since last summer.
On Jan. 12, NJ.com's Ryan Novozinsky reported Fitzgerald still had the confidence of Devils ownership. Two days later, he took full responsibility for the Devils' woes this season, insisting that they could reverse their fortunes. If they don't, a front-office shakeup could be in the cards this summer.
St. Louis Blues
2 of 5
A change in management for the St. Louis Blues will occur at the end of this season. General manager Doug Armstrong is expected to hand over the reins to Alexander Steen, but he'll remain as team president for three more years.
Armstrong has been the Blues' general manager since 2010, making him the longest-tenured active NHL GM. Over that period, he garnered a well-earned reputation as one of the savviest executives in the league. From 2010-11 to 2021-22, they reached the playoffs 10 times, winning their first-ever Stanley Cup in 2018-19.
Since that championship season, the Blues have been in decline. They made the playoffs in four of the last six years, advancing to the second round once. They're currently in danger of missing the postseason for the third time in four years.
During that stretch, the Blues parted ways with core players such as Alex Pietrangelo, Ryan O'Reilly, Vladimir Tarasenko, Jaden Schwartz, and David Perron. Armstrong has attempted to retool the roster with younger players like Robert Thomas, Jordan Kyrou, Jake Neighbours, Dylan Holloway, Jimmy Snuggerud, and Philip Broberg.
However, the Blues are currently near the bottom of the NHL standings. Die-hard fans will point to the club being in a similar position midway through 2018-19 before rallying and winning the Cup, as well as their successful stretch run last season. However, another rally seems unlikely this season.
A change in management is coming at the right time. The Blues have an expensive core of underachieving talent, including Thomas and Kyrou. They're the lowest-scoring team, their defense is porous, and their special teams are among the league's worst.
Toronto Maple Leafs
3 of 5
From 2016-17 to 2024-25, the Toronto Maple Leafs have been among the NHL's better regular-season franchises. They've made the playoffs in each season during that period, reaching or exceeding 100 points in six of those campaigns.
That stretch has been among the most successful in franchise history, except for the fact that it never translated into postseason success. They only advanced to the second round twice, and were eliminated from those rounds by the Florida Panthers.
That led to the Maple Leafs replacing Kyle Dubas as general manager with Brad Treliving in 2023, followed by team president Brendan Shanahan's departure in May 2025. No replacement was named for Shanahan, as Treliving reports directly to Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment President and CEO Keith Pelley.
So far this season, the Maple Leafs have struggled to remain a playoff team. They stumbled through most of the first half of the season. By Dec. 1, they were last in the Eastern Conference before a mid-December turnaround put them within range of a wildcard berth.
Since taking over as general manager, Treliving has been busy in the trade market trying to find the right piece to turn the Maple Leafs into a champion. Many of those moves have come at the expense of their future, trading away draft picks and prospects for veterans that failed to get the Leafs any closer to Cup contention.
The last time the Maple Leafs won the Stanley Cup was in 1967. They've never been back to a Cup Final since then. If they fall short again or even miss the postseason, it may be time for Leafs ownership to consider another management change.
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Vancouver Canucks
4 of 5
On Dec. 9, 2021, the Vancouver Canucks hired Jim Rutherford as team president and acting general manager. They added Patrik Allvin as their full-time GM on Jan. 25, 2022.
These moves occurred following a sputtering rebuild by their predecessors that saw the Canucks miss the playoffs in five of the previous six seasons.
Rutherford and Allvin worked together in Pittsburgh, turning the Penguins into Stanley Cup champions in 2016 and 2017. Given their experience, it was expected they would get the Canucks back on track with promising youngsters such as Quinn Hughes and Elias Pettersson on the roster.
By 2023-24, their efforts seemed to be paying off. The Canucks finished with the third-most points in franchise history (109 points), sitting third overall in the Western Conference. They fell to the Edmonton Oilers in the second round, but not before pushing the eventual Stanley Cup finalists to seven games.
Since then, however, things have quickly derailed. A feud between Pettersson and center J.T. Miller led to the latter getting traded to the New York Rangers last January. A combination of injuries and inconsistent play led to a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Western Conference.
During the offseason, Rutherford let slip that Hughes might one day like to skate alongside his brothers, Jack and Luke, who play for the New Jersey Devils. The Canucks struggled through the first half of this season, culminating in Hughes getting traded to the Minnesota Wild.
The Canucks are on their third coach since Rutherford and Allvin were hired. They inherited Bruce Boudreau as head coach, but replaced him with Rick Tocchet in Jan. 2023. Tocchet won the Jack Adams Award in 2023-24, but quickly departed after last season for the rebuilding Philadelphia Flyers.
Team owner Francesco Aquilini appears supportive of Rutherford, who has promised a quick rebuilding process for the Canucks. Nevertheless, this club has more often looked more like a soap opera than a hockey team. A management overhaul this summer seems unlikely, but that doesn't mean it isn't necessary.
Winnipeg Jets
5 of 5
Kevin Cheveldayoff has been general manager of the Winnipeg Jets since 2011, when the franchise was relocated from Atlanta. The second-longest-serving active NHL GM, he built the Jets into a regular playoff club, with seven postseason appearances in the last eight years.
The pinnacle of Cheveldayoff's tenure was last season, when the club won the Presidents' Trophy for the first time in franchise history. However, that success didn't result in a deep playoff run, as they were eliminated from the second round. The furthest the Jets have reached was the Western Conference Final in 2017.
Winnipeg may be the least-favored destination for NHL players, but Cheveldayoff has successfully maintained a solid core of talent. In recent years, he re-signed stars such as Connor Hellebuyck, Mark Scheifele, and Kyle Connor to long-term contracts.
However, the Jets' struggles this season have raised criticism of Cheveldayoff's management. On Jan. 5, Paul Friesen of The Winnipeg Sun observed that the franchise has had modest playoff success. He also denounced Cheveldayoff's lack of action to address the club's issues this season.
Friesen noted that Cheveldayoff gambled and lost on signing aging veterans Jonathan Toews and Gustav Nyquist. He also noted that the Jets GM had few decent prospects in the system and lacked sufficient draft picks to make trades to bolster the roster.
The criticism of Cheveldayoff could fade if the Jets can climb back into the playoffs this season. However, that could postpone an overdue front-office housecleaning and an opportunity for a new vision, one that could turn the Jets from being merely good into a true Stanley Cup contender.
Stats (as of Jan. 24, 2026) via NHL.com and Hockey-Reference.com.
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