NHL Power Rankings: Ranking All 30 General Managers
Being a GM for any sports team is not an easy job.
You're responsible for dealing with hiring and firing the coaching staff, and bearing most of the responsibility for player transactions.
Since it's such a high profile job with such big decisions, there is a high level of scrutiny from the fans.
Have a string of losing seasons or bad draft picks, and fans might not be satisfied with the average head coach firing.
This list takes a shot at ranking each current NHL GM.
30. Garth Snow: New York Islanders
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Of all NHL teams of recent history, no team has been as bad as the New York Islanders. Snow has been the GM since 2006 where he won NHL Executive of the Year by Sports Illustrated and earned New York a berth in the playoffs, but lost in the first round to Buffalo.
They wouldn't return to the playoffs thereafter.
Snow told fans that there was going to be a rebuilding process in hopes to make the Islanders into a Stanley Cup contender in the few years to come.
Snow signed Bill Guerin to two-year contract, as well as bringing in free agents Mike Cromrie, Andy Sutton and Jon Sim.
Early on the Islanders looked like another playoff team, but injuries plagued the team, and would for years to come. The Islanders finished with the fifth-worst record in the league, missing the playoffs.
The next year head coach, Ted Nolan, was fired and replaced with Scott Gordon. Near the trade deadline, Snow traded Mike Comrie and Chris Campoli to the Ottawa Senators for Dean McAmmond and San Jose's first round pick in 2009.
McAmmond is currently a free agent and accumulated 16 points in two years for the Islanders.
New York's season in 2008-09 resulted in the league's worst record.
Since then, it's never gotten better. Another coaching change ensued, bringing in Jack Capuano.
One has to wonder when there's going to be a GM change.
29. Steve Tambellini: Edmonton Oilers
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Tambellini's first season didn't start as bad as thought, but his team only garnered enough points for an 11th spot in the Western Conference standings.
But Tambellini decided it was time for a change. He fired long-time head coach, Craig McTavish, and hired Pat Quinn.
The Oilers singed free agent Nikolai Khabibulin after Dwayne Roloson left. Tambellini tried to bring Dany Heatley to the team, but Heatley refused a trade.
Due to these offseason blunders, Edmonton had its worst NHL season ever, finishing 13th place with a 27-47-8 record.
Another coaching changed happened, bringing in Tom Renney, but that has helped very little.
The Oilers, as of Thursday, are dead last in the Western Conference standings with a 15-27-8 record and 38 total points.
28. Scott Howson: Columbus Blue Jackets
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Howson's first season started out with promise.
Though the Blue Jackets didn't make the playoffs, things were looking on the upside.
The Blue Jackets earned their first playoff berth. Sadly, it was cut short by the Detroit Red Wings in the first round.
Among draft picks, Nikita Filatov stands out as the biggest bust. Turmoil ensued after Filatov expressed his unhappiness with his role on the team. Filatov went back to his Russian team for the rest of the 2009-10 season.
Since then, Filatov has been next to non-existent on the ice for the Blue Jackets.
Howson has had some success though, especially with trades.
Forward Jason Williams and center Anotonie Vermette were both traded for and have been great for the Blue Jackets.
Yet, Howson has failed to bring the Blue Jackets back to the playoffs. Fans want success in the bigger sense than smaller sense, and with this season over halfway done, it looks like Columbus will miss the playoffs by a long shot.
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27. Glen Sather: New York Rangers
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Sather came into the GM position of the Rangers in 2000 and immediately traded away Adam Graves and Brian Leetch, two good players and fan favorites.
His first four years as GM went unfulfilled with zero playoff appearances.
He has brought in high-profile, yet unsuccessful players, such as Eric Lindros, Pavel Bure and Bobby Holik. He hired Bryan Trottier as head coach in 2002, who had no coaching experience, only to be fired 54 games into the season.
He's had to coach the team on two occasions because of coaching failures.
The team has since made the playoffs on four occasions, but all yielded no positive results.
After the Rangers failed to make the playoffs in 2010, some fans rallied in hopes to try to get Sather fired.
I don't know if there's a more hated NHL GM than Sather.
26. Chuck Fletcher: Minnesota Wild
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Chuck Fletcher took the reins on May 21, 2009 and has since made some acquisitions that have yielded the results he was hoping for.
Martin Havlat started off slowly once signed in 2009, and was having a terrible defensive season, finishing with a minus-19 rating.
The Wild failed to make the playoffs in 2009 and the 2010 season looks better, but things are still shaky as players aren't fulfilling their full potential.
25. Doug Armstrong: St. Louis Blues
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The Blues have consistently been the talk of the league as possibly the next best team. With all their young talent and hope, you'd think so.
But the Blues' talent and potential has remained unfilled.
After barely missing the postseason last season, St. Louis looks like it's on the decline rather than the upswing.
They are currently second to last, only in front of Edmonton, in the Western Conference with 51 points and a 22-20-7 record.
It looks like St. Louis being a dominant team is another few years away, if ever.
24. Dale Tallon: Florida Panthers
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Tallon was responsible for the Chicago Blackhawks rise and Stanley Cup victory in 2010, but he was also responsible for the salary cap problem they were forced to encounter, making new GM Stan Bowman make some tough trades and releases.
Everyone knew that when Florida hired Tallon, the Panthers hoped he would bring their team back to par with the rest of the league. Playoffs in his first season was not on the agenda. All the Panthers wanted from Tallon was a steady increase in skill.
Since his hiring in May of 2010, Tallon's moves haven't showed an increase.
Florida is still in the bottom half of the Eastern Conference standings.
23. Jay Feaster: Calgary Flames
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Darryl Sutter's resignation earlier this season led to the hiring of Jay Feaster as the new GM.
Feaster was brought in a time of turmoil. The Flames failed to make the playoffs last season and look like they're going to do even worse this season.
The team has been plagued by inconsistencies, whether it be from the offense and defense.
Always a reliable goaltender, Mikka Kiprusoff is now faltering, and it's costing the Flames.
Fans remain hopeful in the wake of the new GM, but things are not looking good.
22. Bryan Murray: Ottawa Senators
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When Murray first took office, Ottawa went to the Stanley Cup Finals.
But since then, Ottawa has been in and out of the playoffs, and has changed head coaches multiple times. The constant changing and switching around has to be a pain for the players and fans.
Murray's draft picks, Zach Smith and Erik Karlsson, have underperformed both offensively and defensively. Ottawa has struggled as defensive team, and that's what causing the back-and-forth seasons.
Right now, things are not so hot for the Senators. They're at a dismal 13th place with only 42 points.
21. Dean Lombardi: Los Angeles Kings
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Lombardi has the Kings on the right track.
Last season, they made it back into the playoffs amidst a rebuilding stage, and earned over 100 points for only the third time in franchise history.
Despite the early exit, the team was considered a great success. They had youth and what looked like a promising few years.
This season, the Kings find themselves fighting for one of the final spots in the Western Conference.
20. Brian Burke: Toronto Maple Leafs
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Toronto hasn't come close to making the playoffs since Burke took office in 2008. The Leafs have struggled to find the right man for them offensively, as well as in the net.
I really can't see Burke lasting much longer, even though he does have three more years left on his contract.
The Maple Leafs are, again, having a forgetful year.
They're 10 points out of the playoffs. A playoff-less GM means a spot on the lower half of the rankings.
19. Greg Sherman: Colorado Avalanche
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You have to assume that once you take office, and your only known team captain retires and your top scorer leaves, it has to end badly.
That's exactly what happened with Greg Sherman.
The Avs made the playoffs, but lost in the first round to San Jose. The offseason was very, very quiet when it needed to be the exact opposite.
Because of that, Colorado is struggling.
They're 12th in the Western Conference with 56 points. Not all is lost, but there isn't much to look forward to.
18. Steve Yzerman: Tampa Bay Lightning
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Detroit Red Wings legend Steve Yzerman took control of the Lightning in May of last year. Since then, it's been all gold.
Yzerman has been busy all year long. He hired Guy Boucher for the head coaching position. He drafted Brett Connolly in his first draft as GM and singed star winger Martin St. Louis to a four-year extension.
All these moves are working wonders for Tampa Bay.
The Lightning are in first place in their division, five points in front of the Capitals, and in second place in the Eastern Conference.
17. Rick Dudley: Atlanta Thrashers
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Rick Dudley became the GM in April of last year. He immediately took advantage of the Blackhawks' salary cap problem and traded for three players from the Stanley Cup Champion team, as well as the Hawks' former assistant manager, John Torchetti.
Andrew Ladd, Dustin Byfuglien and Brent Sopel have been great signings.
The Thrashers have improved enough to hold an eighth seed with 57 points.
Though it's going to be a battle, Dudley has the chance of taking the Thrashers to the playoffs because of his offseason signings.
16. Bob Murray: Anaheim Ducks
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After the Ducks managed to miss the playoffs for the first time since the lockout, Murray signed some players in the hopes of having another successful season.
During the 2010 offseason, Scott Niedermayer announced his retirement, Saku Koivu was re-signed, Toni Lydman was picked up from free agency, Cam Fowler was drafted and veteran Andy Sutton signed with the team.
So far, the Ducks are in the hunt in the Western Conference, stuck in the very close race for the last playoff spot.
15. Joe Nieuwendyk: Dallas Stars
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The 2009-10 season was a season to forget for the Dallas Stars.
They never won three games in a row, finished last in their division and placed 12th in the Western Conference.
To make matters worse, they were limited in their spending because of salary cap problems. Nieuwendyk decided it was time for some new faces.
He let go of Marty Turco for youngster Kari Lethonen, who has a 22-13-5 record as of Friday.
Dallas has made a huge jump to third place in the Western Conference with 65 points.
14. Jim Rutherford: Carolina Hurricanes
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Jim Rutherford has had some success. He did take the Hurricanes to the Stanley Cup Finals in 2006.
Since then, though, Carolina has been pretty quiet.
The Canes haven't been able to match the success they had that year until 2009.
But, as of now, Carolina is looking at two straight years of playoff drought, unless it can create a surge in the second half of the season.
13. Don Maloney: Phoenix Coyotes
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Despite the much publicized money problems that had the NHL funding the Coyotes directly, and the firing of head coach Wayne Gretzky, Phoenix was still able to make the playoffs in 2010, giving a scare to the Detroit Red Wings.
The Coyotes had their first 50-win season in franchise history.
This season the Coyotes remain a playoff team, currently owning the eighth seed in the Western Conference.
How long that will last is still in question.
12. Pierre Gauthier: Montreal Canadiens
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Since taking office in early 2010, Gauthier is on track to take the Canadiens to the playoffs twice.
There's nothing more you can ask a new GM to do than keep a winning track record.
Montreal hasn't been a dominant team in awhile, but it remains consistent, and is almost always in the playoff discussion.
Things are improving in Montreal despite not winning a Stanley Cup in all of the 2000s.
11. Darcy Regier: Buffalo Sabres
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Buffalo had its best season in five years last season when it placed third in the Eastern Conference.
The five years in between haven't been the best, playoff-wise, but the Sabres were playing in the much more competitive Eastern Conference.
Consistent 90-plus point seasons are something to be proud of, and should be awarded with a playoff spot. But that's not always been the case for the Sabres.
Still, the consistent winning ways must have Sabres fans hopeful.
10. David Poile: Nashville Predators
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Poile has built a tough, defensive-minded Nashville team.
The outcome is Nashville's most successful season in years. The Predators are fourth in the Western Conference and second in their division.
The future looks bright for the Predators, who I believe will be a force in the NHL for years to come.
Nashville is a prime example of how a defensive team with a gritty edge can work wonders in the NHL.
The Predators may be a sleeper pick in the playoffs.
9. Stan Bowman: Chicago Blackhawks
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Bowman took the GM position right after the Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup.
He had his hands full immediately.
The Hawks had some serious salary cap problems, and would have to let go of some beloved players. After the storm, Bowman managed to keep the core players, as well as fan favorite Patrick Sharp.
Bowman's mistake came when he re-signed Nikals Hjalmarsson, a young defender with what looked like a bright future.
Hjalmarsson has struggled all year, and has attributed to the defensive woes. The new defenders Bowman brought in have mostly failed, except Nick Leddy, who has a bright future.
The Hawks are fighting for a playoff spot, but things are finally in check and looking optimistic.
8. Doug Wilson: San Jose Sharks
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Wilson has made the San Jose Sharks a top team in the Western Conference.
They came closer than ever last year to winning the Stanley Cup, and have, for the past years, made the playoffs.
Besides last season, the Sharks had been criticized for underperforming in the playoffs, and there were truths in those statements.
But the fact that Wilson has built a team that can get 100+ points every season is astounding and deserves recognition.
7. Lou Lamoriello: New Jersey Devils
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Forgetting this season, the New Jersey Devils have been a work in progress as a top team since Lamoriello became the GM all the way back in 1987.
He brought in Martin Brodeur, who will be considered one of the best goaltenders since Patrick Roy, and maybe even the best ever.
When a GM lasts for 23 years, you must have the feeling that he's doing something right.
Three Stanley Cup appearances in four trips is pretty impressive.
6. Peter Chiarelli: Boston Bruins
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Since Chiarelli took office in 2006, he's made a last place team into a NHL powerhouse and a top contender for the Stanley Cup every year since.
Bringing in Tim Thomas and coach Claude Julien may have been the best moves in modern Bruins history.
Since then, the Bruins have regained their nickname as the 'Big Bad Bruins", made the playoffs every year and have, at least, been considered a Stanley Cup-caliber team.
We saw a whole new Boston team in a matter of a year.
5. George McPhee: Washington Capitals
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Since McPhee took office all the way back in 1997, he's instilled a system dedicated to winning. So far, he's been successful.
But only in the regular season.
Even with Alexander Semin and Alexander Ovechkin, the Capitals have never made it past the second round of the playoffs.
Still, the work McPhee has done to make Washington a top contender every year cannot be understated.
4. Paul Holmgren: Philadelphia Flyers
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Just three short years after taking office, Holmgren had the Flyers in the Stanley Cup.
Best yet, they are experiencing no slump afterwards.
The Flyers are on top of the Eastern Conference with a 34-13-5 record and a total of 73 points. To maintain this level of play after losing the Stanley Cup should be applauded.
The players are obviously hungrier now more than ever.
The Flyers are going to get a second chance.
3. Mike Gillis: Vancouver Canucks
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Over a span of three years, Gillis has created a monster of a team, and, possibly, the most feared team in the league.
Led by twins Daniel and Henrik Sedin, as well as goaltender Roberto Luongo, Vancouver has evolved into the most explosive NHL team right now.
Year after year, Vancouver gets closer and closer to the Stanley Cup Finals, but something always does the Canucks in.
No longer will that be the case.
If they keep this play up, it's hard seeing any team beating them.
2. Ray Shero: Pittsburgh Penguins
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In his first year in office, Shero traded for Jordan Staal, which payed dividends immediately. He's made a mature player out of Evgeni Malkin, which has helped in making Sidney Crosby a better player. The two are a great duo.
Shero also made sure his talent remained in Pittsburgh, re-signing Ryan Whitney and Crosby to six- and five-year contracts.
All of this would add up to a Stanley Cup trip in the 2007-08 season and a win in the 2008-2009 season.
1. Ken Holland: Detroit Red Wings
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It's no surprise the most successful GM in the NHL is number one on this list.
Holland has brought three Stanley Cup to Detroit: 1998, 2002 and 2008.
Detroit has won its division eight times under him and the President's Trophy four times.
With 493 regular season wins and 67 postseason wins, the Red Wings have more games than any other NHL team since 1997.
Detroit is still a top team, and has a really good chance at winning a Stanley Cup in the near future.
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