Almost all the NHL awards are voted on based on the regular season…Except for this one.
“The GM of the Year… award is an outlier in that it voted on after two playoff rounds.
But that’s not the only thing that makes it odd. While I truly believe Brian Burke was right saying GMs needed to be acknowledged, the position is truly not a job that can be look upon as “yearly.… Team building takes many years and the success a team sees one season may result in anything from slowly developed draft picks, UFA signings, trade deadline pickups, waiver wire grabs, clearing of cap space, coach hiring and firings and even team culture on the ice and away from it….and of course since this is a “what did you do for me yesterday… world….current success is always used to benchmark everything…
It is for al these reasons that this year’s choice fot TOP GM is probably the easiest since this award was first handed out:
Bill Zito. Florida Panthers
It may be hard to imagine, but this is only Zito’s third season in Florida since coming over from the Columbus Blue Jackets Associate GM job.
Results in Florida? Check. He’s only been GM for three years, but all three were incredibly eventful.
• Zito was a finalist for this award as a rookie GM, bringing the Panthers to The playoffs. •The next year the team won Florida’s first President’s Trophy and a playoff round. Now, in his third season, the Panthers find themselves in the Final Four after knocking off a Boston Bruins Team that had the best regular season in NHL history, and a Maple Leafs team that finally got over the hump of winning a first round series.
Whats a GMs Goal?
Last year the Panther’s won the President’s Trophy and a playoff round…in hindsight impressed. Most teams would be fine with those results…but through his actions Zito made it very clear this past offseason that the goal was far from met. Thinking Stanley Cup or nothing, Zito went out and made a huge trade, trading away two players considered a big part of last year’s success in order to get a character guy named Matthew Tkachuk. He also replaced a Jack Adams finalist coach in Andrew Brunette with a guy who has proven he can teach a team how to win in the playoffs with Paul Maurice.
The Tkachuk Trade.
It was perhaps the most shocking trade of the summer when it happened. But the brilliance of the way Zito functions was all over it. Huberdeau and Weeger combined would demand way more money long term and despite their great regular seasons the team would not be better by staying the course. Also, both players were solid but not very unique.. Tkachuk was younger and quickly signed for 8 years, (age 25-33) for $9.5M per year. Huberdeau and Weeger each signed for 8 year deals for a combined 16.75..and both are older then Tkachuk. As one scout noted: When you can get a Tkachuk, you get a Tkachuk. They are unicorns.
Looking back at the trade now, Zito clearly got the best player in the deal..Tkachuk is a Hart Finalist AND could be mentioned in the Conn Smythe discussions….plus Zito got $7.75 in Cap Space moving forward. That could equate to another top player or the ability to keep this Florida team together.
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— Michael Augello (@MikeInBuffalo) January 5, 2021
Prior Moves/Steals:
Florida had a very tough regular season. It could have easily been viewed as a “one step back to take two steps forward… season given the new coach, and completely new systems geared towards playoff success… Add to this Hornqvist’s season-ending injury, Barkov and Ekblad each missing extended time due to injuries..losing Spencer Knight..
Zito didn’t have much space to play with (around $8M in dead space) but did make a few sneaky moves that have paid off BIG. He went out and got Cousins for only $1.2M (and for next year as well)
Full Culture Change.. (aka: Rebuilding an NHL team in 1000 Days or Less)
Zito was hired on September 2, 2020. There are only three players left on the Panther’s team that Zito took over just three years ago…So we are looking at a total reversal in three seasons from a team in turmoil to a team in the conference final. In 985 Days.
How did he do it?
The Fab Four he brought in….Verhaeghe, Bennet, Reinhart, and Duclair are all COMBINED signed for less than 20M per season. All are signed at that number next season as well, with Carter Verhaeghe and Sam Bennet signed for THREE more years at a COMBINED $8.5M.
Carter Verhaeghe scored 42 goals this season, and in 32 career playoff games has 29 points.
Oh and maybe the best player on the team this post-season…Brandon Montour… is signed for on 3.5 for yet another season after this one. And it is easy to forget where Montour was before he came to Florida….Who in Buffalo saw this guy turning into this?
Zito should run away with this award..
What else is there to say really? If you can make an argument for ANYONE else to win this award this season….please do so in the comments… And