The Hockey News 2008 GM rankings

Anaheim's Brian Burke tops THN's list of the best GMs in the NHL. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

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Anaheim's Brian Burke tops THN's list of the best GMs in the NHL. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)

In the April 1 edition of The Hockey News magazine, senior writer Ken Campbell, after speaking with several industry insiders and experts, ranked each NHL GM 1-30. Below you will find the rankings and the cover story from the issue on the No. 1-ranked Brian Burke. For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

There was a time when Brian Burke was one of the primary architects of the collective bargaining agreement. These days, however, his command of the document is so suspect he has to have others decipher the finer points of it for him.

And therein lies the genius of the Anaheim Ducks GM, ranked No. 1 in the NHL by The Hockey News this season. Burke believes a GM’s role is far too demanding to be preoccupied with the minutiae of the CBA, particularly when he has a Stanley Cup to defend.

“You don’t need to master the cap because I really don’t think it’s a good use of a GM’s time spending hours poring over a CBA and spreadsheets to see where things fit,” Burke said. “Get someone to do that. Just like I don’t drive the Zamboni, either. I have someone do it. It’s a fairly important part of our game production, but I don’t do it.”

We don’t know who the Zamboni driver is at the Honda Center these days, but when it comes to surviving in the salary cap world, Burke leaves that to assistant GM David McNab. It was McNab who navigated the Ducks around the whole “tagging” phenomenon when they were fitting Scott Niedermayer’s salary back into the equation this season.

They did, and somewhere along the line, the Ducks got even better. When it looked as though Niedermayer might retire, Burke boldly went out and got Mathieu Schneider to replace him and worried about the ramifications later. He replaced Teemu Selanne with Todd Bertuzzi. In bringing back Niedermayer and Selanne, he managed to get both future Hall of Famers into the lineup without losing, with apologies to center Andy McDonald, any key components.

“We’re lucky we have an owner (in Henry Samueli) who was willing to step up to replace those guys when they came back,” Burke said. “We’re way over budget, but Henry stepped up. I thought Teemu was going to retire. When he hugged me on the ice after we won, I thought he was going to tell me right there. Scotty, I wasn’t ready for. It was nice they both came back, but we felt we had to replace them.”

It was basically assumed the Ducks were going to lose Schneider once Niedermayer returned. But Burke is a firm believer that defense wins championships, so he set out to find another way. That’s when he and his staff began working their way through the “tagging” concept, which is predicated on creating cap room by having expiring contracts.

And it was in that area McNab and the league office were godsends for Burke.
“I’ve read the agreement and I knew the concept as far as how it worked,” Burke said. “But I didn’t know (the specifics). I think any GM who tells you he did going into this season is lying.”

It’s no coincidence the top three GMs both last season and this season have a track record of surrounding themselves with good people and giving those people the latitude to do their jobs. Instead of feeling threatened, Burke, Lou Lamoriello and Ken Holland are secure enough with their own skills that they aren’t worried one of their employees is clandestinely undermining their efforts.

For Burke, it’s McNab and hockey operations director Bob Murray upon whom he leans. Both men have a very strong background in player personnel matters.

Their work allows Burke to do his, much of which is encompassed by working the telephones constantly in an effort to see if there can be anything done to enhance his roster.

But Burke said his most crucial move was one he made fewer than two months into his tenure in 2005. That was when he pulled Randy Carlyle out of the AHL instead of recycling another coach from around the league.

“The single most important thing a GM does, and it’s miles ahead of anything else, is hire a coach,” Burke said. “You need to find a guy who can get the team to where it needs to be and then get out of the way. If I talked to Randy Carlyle 10 times last summer, that would be a shock to me. The one decision that will get you famous or get you fired, is who will coach your team.”

While a GM’s career body of work carries significant weight, our rankings focus more on performance over the past year, including at the recent trade deadline.

RANKINGS

1. Brian Burke, Anaheim

The only thing missing from Burke’s portfolio was a Stanley Cup, which he accomplished last season with the Ducks. Burke has helped build one of the NHL’s top teams, but what’s even more impressive is how he took a very uncertain Scott Niedermayer situation and made his team better. Instead of waiting to see whether Niedermayer would retire, he went out and signed Mathieu Schneider, then managed to juggle his payroll. Burke is unafraid to make big, high-risk moves if he thinks it will improve his team. In Vancouver, he managed to cut payroll, make the Canucks better and fill the building. Burke can be confrontational and brash, but he’s also terrific at what he does.

CAREER 375-305-132 (.543)
CUPS 1
PLAYOFFS 7-5 series record


2. Lou Lamoriello, New Jersey

Pat Quinn once referred to Lamoriello as a “coach killer” and for a while, it was difficult to argue with that description. But when Lamoriello needed another coach last summer, instead of recycling a retread, he went out and hired the best one outside the NHL in Brent Sutter. Lamoriello initially had trouble managing his salary cap, but he has stickhandled around it quite nicely, all the while providing more fodder to those who believe he actually runs the league. Lamoriello oversees a ruthlessly efficient operation and can be difficult to work for, but the reward is you get to be part of an organization singularly dedicated to winning. How the Devils are winning after losing Scott Gomez and Brian Rafalski is one of hockey’s enduring mysteries.

CAREER 816-552-223 (.583)
CUPS 3
PLAYOFFS 22-14 series record


3. Ken Holland, Detroit

One great story about Holland occurred when he was GM of the Red Wings’ farm team in Glens Falls, N.Y. He was at the AHL governors’ meetings and the board was considering awarding zero points for a tie. “Let me get this straight,” Holland said. “We’re telling people, ‘What you just saw, nothing happened. (Expletive) off, go home. By the way, we play again next Tuesday.’ ” Holland doesn’t have the academic credentials of GMs such as Burke and Lamoriello, but there might not be a brighter mind in the game. His player-procurement abilities are legendary and he continues to keep players in Detroit for less than market value. Trading terrific prospect Shawn Matthias for Todd Bertuzzi last season is one of his few clunkers.

CAREER 485-210-115 (.670)
CUPS 2
PLAYOFFS 13-7 series record


4. Bob Gainey, Montreal

Gainey took a considerable amount of heat for not landing a big-name player at the trade deadline and for dealing away No. 1 goalie Cristobal Huet for a second round pick. But Gainey doesn’t take his morning coffee without ruminating on what effect it will have, so he didn’t take his actions/non-actions at the deadline cavalierly either. First, he decided Huet would never carry the Habs to a championship and dispatched him. It’s called being decisive. He also realized Marian Hossa wasn’t worth the package Atlanta was demanding. Gainey surrounds himself with competent people and, while a consensus builder, he also allows them the freedom to do their jobs without meddling. He remains one of just seven current GMs to have won a Stanley Cup.

CAREER 546-380-149 (.577)
CUPS 1
PLAYOFFS 12-8 series record


5. Darryl Sutter, Calgary

Having Jarome Iginla, Robyn Regehr, Dion Phaneuf and Miikka Kiprusoff under contract for the next five seasons at a combined salary cap hit of $23.3 million ensures the Flames will be a force and also have enough cap room to fill out their roster with a good balance of players. Hiring Mike Keenan last summer was a bold move fraught with the potential for disaster, but Sutter also had the good mind to hire a coach he knows shares his values and philosophies. The only problem is, aside from the Flames’ unlikely run to the Stanley Cup final in Sutter’s first year as GM, Calgary has underachieved in a big way and must make a playoff push now.

CAREER 167-108-41 (.593)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 3-3 series record


6. Doug Risebrough, Minnesota

Risebrough is another GM who would be ranked even higher if his teams ever had a long, successful playoff run. But you cannot diminish the job he has done with the Wild from the ground up. In Jacques Lemaire, the Wild has one of the best coaches in the NHL. They have drafted well and are not afraid to let their young prospects develop in the NHL as evidenced by Pierre-Marc Bouchard, Brent Burns and James Sheppard. Risebrough has assembled a very good roster – with a lot of cap room to spare – and has emerging young stars in Miikko Koivu, Nick Schultz and Burns committed long-term for reasonable money.

CAREER 387-341-141 (.528)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 2-5 series record


7. David Poile, Nashville

If there is any man better at building an organization than Poile, let us know where to find him. All Poile has done throughout his career is draft incredibly well, quietly make blockbuster deals and maintain franchise stability that is almost impossible to find in today’s NHL. Because of circumstances beyond his control, Poile lost Peter Forsberg, Paul Kariya, Tomas Vokoun, Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell over the summer, but plugged the holes, mostly from within, to keep his team competitive in the ultra-tough Western Conference. The lack of a Stanley Cup remains a huge void in his portfolio. Not only that, with a couple of rare exceptions, his teams have not been built for success in the playoffs.

CAREER 912-758-197 (.541)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 7-17 series record


8. Brett Hull/Les Jackson, Dallas

A tandem that had potential for disaster when it replaced Doug Armstrong earlier this season has worked out splendidly for the Stars. Not only have Jackson and Hull changed the culture surrounding the team, they’ve also worked a number of young players into the lineup without sacrificing victories. Jackson and Hull won the day at the trade deadline with the acquisition of Brad Richards; they were clear winners of the sweepstakes because they weren’t afraid to step up and offer market value from the start. Jackson is pensive and thoughtful, while Hull is brash, outgoing and quotable, but both men are intensely competitive. It will be interesting to see whether they can co-exist under the current arrangement over the long term.

CAREER 35-18-5 (.647)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS N/A


9. Doug Wilson, San Jose

When Wilson acquired Brian Campbell at the trade deadline, he finally got a player with a significant post-season pedigree. For the most part, however, Wilson has yet to address the major flaw in his organization – the lack of a bona fide winner with a successful history who can help the Sharks’ young players through the adversity the playoffs always bring. Getting a first round pick for Vesa Toskala was a good transaction, but the best move in the deal was convincing the Leafs to take $2-million fringe player Mark Bell as well. The Sharks continue to have a lot of young assets, which gives Wilson a certain amount of latitude to make deals without damaging the future of the franchise.

CAREER 179-95-42 (.633)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 4-3 series record


10. Paul Holmgren, Philadelphia

For all of the changes Holmgren has made to the Flyers’ roster, they still might not make the playoffs this year. But that is light years removed from the colossal morass he inherited when he took over the team early last season. His return on the Peter Forsberg trade alone gives him high marks, but he also showed some real ingenuity this summer when he traded the first-rounder in that deal back to Nashville to obtain Kimmo Timonen and Scott Hartnell. Some have justifiably questioned the wisdom of signing Daniel Briere, Mike Richards, Hartnell and Timonen to such long deals at guaranteed money and Holmgren’s stock will drop significantly if it turns out the Flyers are saddled with a bunch of bad contracts.

CAREER 81-112-29 (.430)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS N/A

11. Jim Rutherford, Carolina

Say what you will about Rutherford, but the man is not afraid to make significant changes if he sees a weakness in his roster. However, he’s constantly having to plug holes by making trades to make up for his organization’s spotty drafting record. The man who traded Chris Pronger and ultimately turned him into Rod Brind’Amour has never been afraid to make a bold move at the trade deadline – or any other time. Getting Matt Cullen back from the Rangers in the off-season was a good move. He also has the core of a pretty good team under long-term contracts.

CAREER 441-428-152 (.506)
CUPS 1
PLAYOFFS 7-3 series record


12. Francois Giguere, Colorado

Giguere inherited a franchise on the decline more than a year ago and while he hasn’t exactly vaulted it back into contender status, he has done an admirable job of righting things in Colorado. Despite his inexperience, he showed a certain amount of veteran savvy last summer when he identified Ryan Smyth and Scott Hannan as the two unrestricted free agents he wanted and proceeded to go out and get them. Getting Forsberg and Adam Foote at the deadline were easy moves given their history with the Avs. Giving Brett Clark a $2-million raise and making him a $3.5-million-a-year defenseman was the mother of all head-scratchers.

CAREER 81-58-13 (.576)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS N/A


13. Ray Shero, Pittsburgh

Opinions among hockey people vary wildly on whether or not Shero overpaid at the trade deadline for Marian Hossa, a player he has almost no chance of signing long-term if he wants to keep the rest of his current roster intact. It says here he did not overpay, but even if he did, you have to admire the gumption he showed in committing so much to a rental player. Unless, of course, you believe ownership or other outside forces were driving the bus on this deal. Shero obviously inherited a very good situation, but GMs with bigger egos would have been determined to put their stamp on the team and risk ruining a good thing. Shero has not done that, all the while tweaking things for the better.

CAREER 87-47-18 (.631)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 0-1 series record


14. Peter Chiarelli, Boston

Chiarelli has done a credible job of rebuilding the Bruins and has iced a team that many (all right, The Hockey News) picked to finish last overall in the Eastern Conference. Even though Chiarelli signed Zdeno Chara as a free agent two summers ago, his best moves have been behind the bench. First he hired Claude Julien as coach and, in a very good, but underrated move, hired Craig Ramsay as an assistant coach. The Manny Fernandez signing can’t be properly evaluated until Fernandez gets healthy, but so far it has been a washout. Trading Brad Boyes for Dennis Wideman…not such a great move. But picking up the useful Glen Metropolit was a coup by Chiarelli.

CAREER 71-66-14 (.517)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS N/A


15. Darcy Regier, Buffalo

How can we rate Regier so highly when he has: a) failed to come to terms with his team’s three best players?; b) let two of them get away and got nothing in return?; c) traded his best defenseman while his team was fighting for a playoff spot?; d) dismantled one of the best scouting staffs in the league?; and, e) has presided over the Sabres as they’ve gone from Stanley Cup contender to barely middle-of-the-pack? Because he’s taking the bullet for an owner (Thomas Golisano) who refuses to spend money despite the fact the Sabres have essentially sold out every game the past two seasons and have gone on long, lucrative playoff runs. Regier is a good hockey man and it wouldn’t be a surprise to see him leave at the first opportunity.

CAREER 390-299-120 (.556)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 10-6 series record


16. David Nonis, Vancouver

Through his entire tenure with the Canucks, Nonis has been unable to address the team’s most glaring weakness – secondary scoring beyond the Sedin twins and Markus Naslund – and it may cost the club a playoff spot this season. But Nonis has had his brilliant moments, too. His acquisition of Roberto Luongo for Todd Bertuzzi will go down as one of the greatest ripoffs of all-time and his defense corps is solid (too bad about Mattias Ohlund’s late-season knee surgery, but you can’t blame the GM for that). Not getting Brad Richards at the deadline was bad enough, but not getting him because Nonis was unwilling to part with Ryan Kesler and Alex Edler borders on inexcusable.

CAREER 125-83-25 (.590)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 1-1 series record


17. Glen Sather, New York Rangers

What to make of Sather? He had a Hall of Fame career followed by a hall of shame career during his tenure with the Edmonton Oilers. When he got the unlimited budget with the Rangers he had been craving, he very nearly ran the team into the ground. Now that he has to work within the confines of a salary cap, Sather has built a good roster largely from within and has still managed to sign big-time players in Gomez and Chris Drury without getting into cap trouble. He has also exhibited the patience and acumen for player development he had in his early days with the Oilers. Getting Christian Backman from the Blues on deadline day was a very underrated deal.

CAREER 1,011-850-276 (.538)
CUPS 5
PLAYOFFS 32-13 series record


18. Don Maloney, Phoenix Coyotes

Maloney doesn’t have a huge body of work with the Coyotes, but the fact they were competing for a playoff spot and not the No. 1 overall draft pick is nothing short of amazing. Of course, much of that has to do with the acquisition of goalie Ilya Bryzgalov from Anaheim, which he simply did by putting in a waiver claim. Not a very difficult decision. But Maloney also signed Bryzgalov to a three-year deal and, for the first time in a while, there are signs of hope in the desert. Look for Maloney to insert 2007 No. 3 overall draft pick Kyle Turris into the lineup after the college season comes to an end. Turris ranked No. 2 in our Future Watch 2008 issue of prospect rankings, behind only Carey Price.

CAREER 133-148-32 (.476)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 2-2 series record


19. Garth Snow, New York Islanders

Snow gambled and lost at the trade deadline last year when he dealt for Ryan Smyth, only to win one game in the playoffs and watch Smyth bolt as an unrestricted free agent in the summer. Snow has made some pretty solid moves, although it wasn’t as if Bill Guerin, Mike Comrie and Ruslan Fedotenko were flooded with free agent offers last July. He had nothing to do with the hiring of Ted Nolan as coach and the signing of goalie Rick DiPietro to that 15-year deal. Aside from the DiPietro contract, however, Snow has done a reasonably good job of giving himself latitude by keeping his players on short-term contracts, particularly veterans who can sometimes become albatrosses.

CAREER 72-62-19 (.533)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 0-1 series record


20. Jacques Martin, Florida

Martin continues to clean up the wreckage left by Mike Keenan, but the feeling is his personality is such that he’ll never do anything that carries much of a risk to it. Center Shawn Matthias, whom Martin got in exchange for Todd Bertuzzi, is showing signs of being a great prospect. He ranked No. 12 in Future Watch. Martin gave up a good chunk of the Panthers’ future in the form of draft picks when he acquired Tomas Vokoun from Nashville. He and his people acquired Chad Kilger from Toronto without doing much of a background check, then were forced to suspend Kilger because personal issues prevented the winger from reporting to the team. Martin has the Panthers going in the right direction, just not quickly enough.

CAREER 67-62-24 (.516)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS N/A

21. George McPhee, Washington

McPhee’s Capitals went to the Stanley Cup final in 1998, the first season he was GM, but have yet to win a playoff series since and could miss the playoffs this season for the fourth straight year. McPhee has spent much of his energies keeping payroll at a reasonable level and building for the future, but sooner or later this group is going to have to achieve something tangible. Getting Mike Green 29th overall in 2004 is one of those renowned draft selections. McPhee was bold at the trade deadline, picking up Cristobal Huet, Sergei Fedorov and Matt Cooke. He fired Glen Hanlon as coach and was lucky with Bruce Boudreau. If McPhee and all the other GMs knew Boudreau would be this good, Boudreau wouldn’t have coached 1,000 games in the minors.

CAREER 344-345-120 (.499)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 3-4 series record


22. Dale Tallon, Chicago

For all of the positive changes the Blackhawks have made since the death of owner Bill Wirtz, they find themselves on the outside looking in for a fifth straight season when it comes to the playoffs. Sooner or later, all of those high picks in Chicago – 17 first- and second-rounders in the past five drafts – are going to have to start delivering instead of just showing promise. The decision not to send Patrick Kane back to major junior was a good one, as was the move to get Jonathan Toews out of college and into the NHL. We like Patrick Sharp and all, but he looks like he might be one of those good bad-team players who isn’t worth a $3.9-million cap hit for each of the next four seasons.

CAREER 90-116-29 (.445)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS N/A


23. Cliff Fletcher, Toronto

Fletcher inherited the mess left by deposed John Ferguson and while he was marginally successful at doing some surface cleaning, no-trade clauses prevented him from making the sweeping changes the organization needs to get back on track. There are a number of theories on how Fletcher could have handled the no-trades and one of them would have been to play hardball with those who refused to be dealt. That, however, isn’t Fletcher’s style and he’s still stuck with some overpaid veterans. Even though he was brought in as a custodian until the new GM is hired, doubling the salary of an underachieving Alex Steen was a curious move to say the least.

CAREER 1,011-851-325 (.537)
CUPS 1
PLAYOFFS 15-20 series record


24. Bryan Murray, Ottawa

There is little recent history upon which to judge Murray, but his handling of the Sens’ goaltending and coaching situations has been the target of well-deserved criticism. First, he signed Ray Emery to a three-year deal worth $9.5 million and allowed Emery to bring in his own goalie coach. Murray could have, instead, allowed Emery to take the team to arbitration and the award would have only been for one season. Then, despite the fact there is little history to suggest promoting an in-house assistant to the head job results in success, Murray handpicked John Paddock as his replacement, then was forced to fire him after the trade deadline. Murray’s entire body of work as a GM is respectable, but his recent performance has been spotty.

CAREER 471-393-157 (.538)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 7-8 series record


25. Scott  Howson, Columbus

The 47-year-old former Oilers assistant GM, who took over a Columbus club seemingly in constant turmoil, will undoubtedly grow into his role as the boss. His inability to get Brad Richards at the trade deadline hurt his cause. There have been varying opinions on the Adam Foote deal to Colorado in which his team received a first round pick. In some corners, Howson has been applauded for getting so much for a veteran who, depending upon whom you believe, probably wasn’t going to stay in Columbus beyond this season. Others have vilified Howson for trading such a heart-and-soul player with the Jackets battling for a playoff spot. “He cut the ba--- off his team,” one NHL source said. All he could get for Sergei Fedorov was a marginal prospect in defender Theo Ruth.

CAREER 31-28-11 (.521)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS N/A


26. Larry Pleau, St. Louis

Team president John Davidson has become so involved in player personnel decisions that none of Pleau’s latest work can be scrutinized without including Davidson. Davidson and Pleau continue to rebuild the Blues, but when all is said and done, this team won’t be much better than it was last season. Hiring Andy Murray to handle the Blues’ young players was a smart move. Trading a first round pick for Keith Tkachuk and signing Paul Kariya to a three-year deal worth $18 million? Not so much. The management duo received some criticism for how it handled Doug Weight’s situation – basically telling him to waive his no-trade clause or go home – but it took a certain amount of courage and it made the team better.

CAREER 404-335-149 (.539)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 5-7 series record


27. Dean Lombardi, Los Angeles

Lombardi is a good GM who is having a bad run lately. In San Jose, he built a very good organization and was moderately successful, but his foray into Los Angeles has seen him struggle mightily to try to bring the Kings back to respectability. It didn’t help that all of his off-season acquisitions with the possible exception of Tom Preissing – Kyle Calder, Michal Handzus, Ladislav Nagy and Brad Stuart – have been very expensive disasters. He placed his faith in Jason LaBarbera, which wasn’t a totally bad idea considering the promise the goaltender had exhibited. Failing to get Rob Blake to waive his no-trade clause so he could get some youth in return was a blow.

CAREER 292-318-116 (.482)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 2-5 series record


28. Don Waddell, Atlanta

When people thought Waddell overpaid for Keith Tkachuk at the trade deadline last year, he said, “Talk to me after the playoffs.” Then his Thrashers bowed out meekly in four games in the first round and won’t make the playoffs this season. Unfortunately, the future doesn’t look terribly bright in Atlanta, though Waddell did manage to get a good return for Marian Hossa at the deadline. Tobias Enstrom is turning out to be a steal – the Swedish defenseman was drafted 239th in 2003 – but there are just far too many holes in the roster and far too little has been done to fill them. With very few notable exceptions, the Thrashers’ record at the entry draft has been dismal.

CAREER 234-319-92 (.434)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 0-1 series record


29. Kevin Lowe, Edmonton

No, you bunch of wisenheimers, Brian Burke was not doing these rankings. It’s simply a coincidence that Lowe’s stock has plummeted in part because of the Dustin Penner signing that Burke so resented. But Lowe’s offer sheets to Thomas Vanek and Penner did little more than drive up the cost of doing business, something the Oilers railed against for years. The Oilers lost Smyth over a difference of $100,000 and Lowe later admitted he regretted the move. He also wildly overpaid for players who got hot at the right time and brought the team to the Stanley Cup final in 2006. His return on the Chris Pronger trade, particularly since he dealt Joffrey Lupul last summer, was negligible.

CAREER 256-213-93 (.538)
CUPS 0
PLAYOFFS 3-3 series record


30. Jay Feaster, Tampa Bay

With the demise of the Lightning almost complete, there have been few teams in history that have gone down the sinkhole faster than Tampa Bay. Of course, none of them had to deal with a salary cap, but the Lightning’s mismanagement of the cap has been spectacular. It all started when Feaster let Nikolai Khabibulin go and put his faith in John Grahame. The dominoes fell at a furious pace after that. Tying so much money up in three players was a death wish, particularly since the Lightning has done such a terrible job of drafting and developing players. The Lightning just finished dead last in THN’s Future Watch rankings of prospects for the third straight year.

CAREER 205-163-57 (.549)
CUPS 1
PLAYOFFS 5-3 series record

For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.

Chris Wassel (Posted 2008-04-29 12:41:40)
Okay folks...I challenge you to come up with a rankings for this year and then as a body of work because what you have here looks to be all mixed up with no place to go. Anytime you want a challenging discussion by all means come to The NHL Arena. I understand the striving for being able to rank these GM's and it is hard work but how Nonis is middle of the pack for example well is beyond me. Thank you.

michael Harris (Posted 2008-04-09 08:11:55)
Martin ahead of McPhee. What are you smoking? Shawn Mathias,who you note, never came back the last 6 or 7 games when the Cats were out of it after sparkling in his call up early in the year. A typical bonehead move. yes Mike Keenan was awful.. trading Luongo, picking Horton over Eric Stahl etc. But the Cats missed again. To quote Jacques, "for sure" he must go.

vasil (Posted 2008-04-08 13:56:45)
Fletcher is way past his prime. He's out of touch with reality. Please Leafs hire Burke, Holland or Lamariello(as long as no draft picks have to be summoned as compensation)

FREDERICK PYE (Posted 2008-04-06 22:13:51)
To all the experts at the Hockey News who predicted the Habs to finish....12 0r 13th, nay nay nay, hey hey

Ron Petralia (Posted 2008-04-04 17:58:47)
Lowe is way to low on the list based on actual team performance. He has drafted very well compared to GMs rated above him. The Oilers played very well this year despite a rash of injuries. Burke is a self promoting b.s. artist who took over Ducks at right time. Anaheim had a nice roster in place due to Bryan Murray. Burke is horrible at drafting and eventually this will be the demise of Ducks. He drafted horribly in Vancouver and left that team in shambles. As a Duck fan I hope the egomaniac Burke takes Maple Leaf job so he can be exposed as the fraud that he actually is.

Cary (Posted 2008-04-04 15:37:27)
Why is Gainey not in the top two? Why is Brian Burke so great? There were after all several pieces left over from the Stanley Cup visit a couple of years before. There were draft picks that matured while he was coming into the job. Wow, he made a fantastic move in signing Bertuzzi for the contract that he signed him for. Total brain there! Bertuzzi is a has been. Doug Wilson, in my opinion, trumped Brian Burke anyhow. The Sharks are the best in the west now. bostnbruin, your team is toast if the season finishes as it is, Montreal will close a series with the bruins in 5 games. Ken Holland should be number 1, with Gainey and Lamoriello fighting for number 2.

bostnbruin (Posted 2008-04-04 07:23:49)
peter chiarelli should be the number one gm. boston has not made the playoffs since 03-04 and they have an honest chance at going deep into the playoffs. Boyes for Wideman was an underrated move, wideman is and continues to be a great defencemen for the bruins.

Ryan Stephens (Posted 2008-04-03 21:00:25)
This doesnt make sense at all. And not just because of Kevin Lowe's place in the list, but the top 3 are good, and after that it doesn't make sense. You gotta put some thought into this. You can't just pick out of a hat after the top three.

Greg McManus (Posted 2008-04-03 17:44:06)
How does Jay Feaster end up last for signing Brad Richards to a big contract but the Dallas GM's make it into the top ten because they gave up good value and took on Richard's contract. What's wrong with Tampa investing in 3 big players - seems to have worked for Ottawa - oh, and Khabiluan hasn't been anything special in Chicago so Feaster should have kept him? But yes you are correct that the Lightning haven't drafted well for the past decade but then again Feaster had them in the playoffs so often they weren't having many high end picks.

D G (Posted 2008-04-03 14:39:52)
And yes please while explaining to me how Calgary and Toronto have better GMs than Edmonton, explain to me as well how Regier from Buffalo, after losing his top players last season for nothing and letting them walk away, and then being stupid enough to pay a ludicrous amount for Vanek when he could have easily got 4 first round draft picks from a team who before this season was projected to be a terrible team for atleast 2 years, be a better GM than Lowe? They say that he was handcuffed by the owner to not allowed to spend too much money, so explain why he signed that ridiculous contract when he could have easily kept atleast one of his top players for that money and signed Vanek before it was too late to a smaller contract. Agreed that the offer sheet to Vanek was a dumb move by Lowe (not because of driving the cost of contracts up, which is ridiculous because there is a cap to limit how many players can get those kinda contracts) but because if Regier had let Vanek go, Lowe would have been robbed in a major way. And we would not have gotten Penner for a much more reasonable deal as we did. But as dumb as that offer sheet was, I must reiterate how ridiculous the move was by Regier to match that offer.

D G (Posted 2008-04-03 14:30:37)
Jeremy I couldn't agree with you more... infact many of your statements are exactly what i have said. To those who say the Souray signing is a dumb move, lets not forget that MANY teams were after him and it was expected that Souray would sign with a big name team like Anaheim or San Jose. Edmonton's aquisition was a huge surprise to the hockey community. And it wasn't some crappy 1 year deal to make it look like he was doing something. It is a solid front loaded contract for a good veteran player who is a major presence on the blue line. People complained all season last year about how we have no good defensemen, so Kevin Lowe addressed that by getting not one, but two solid D-men, Souray and Pitkanen. Souray is that power play, breakout pass, and veteran blue line presence, while Pitkanen is the young puck-moving quarterback able-to-join-the-rush defensemen. Lowe has done an amazing job and anyone who attempts to look at only his small mistakes and label him a bad GM frankly does not know enough about hockey to make those calls.

jeremy H (Posted 2008-04-02 22:54:12)
It really amazes me the garbage that is heaped on the Oilers, are you guys so blinded by your hatred of the success that they have had that this is your only "off" or are you guys that plain stupid. Lets look at some of your garbage "arguments". First Ryan Smyth - when in gods green earth is he worth 5 mill let alone 5.5 or 6.5 a year of FIVE YEARS ? The man has NEVER shown he is an elite player and at the most successful playoffs in years for the Oil he was AT BEST the 6th or 7th most important player on the team, that is sure not worth "elite money" never mind the fact that he is a below average hockey player that only is good infront of the net. Then you talk about Chris Pronger and the return on that trade, lets start by first looking at something called history and how many times has a superstar has been traded for "fair value" ? thank you, then how about you address the fact of what the Oilers gave up for him which brings me to my next point. Since you want to rain down on the negative trades how about you address the the fact that he got Pronger, Peca, Tarnstrom, Spacek, and Roloson for basically NOTHING, and before you whine about that being one year how about him getting Pitkanen for a player whose is on his last legs and will be asking for "make up money" on his next contract and a player the fans ran out of town. Also tell me how many other GM's would get Gilbert and Grebeskov for players that were also run out of town and made goats ? Finally you talk about contracts and such well tell me was it you bias that you forgot to include the best player the Oilers have had since Weight is signed for 4 more years way under market value starting next year and their number one centre who is also signed under market value. As well how is Steve Staios overpaid at 2 mill per year ? You talk about the Roloson signing and how dumb it was well tell is it not more stupid to let him walk at the end of 06 and the oilers are back searching for a goalie ? You also forget to mention that in Jan of 07 the Oilers were on top ofthe division and much of that was due to Roli, sure he has lost a step but he has done his job as a back up this year and the Oil were lucky he was still here, tell me what happens if Luongo or Kipper go down ? who do those teams have ? Oh sorry I forgot that injuries never happen in the playoffs to starting goalies right. I would like to add with all this talk of offersheets and such why is it forgotten that the Oilers were victims of it in the 90's but there sure in the heck not this much uproar. I also love how the GM's of teams that have done NOTHING to address their weaknesses for years in some cases (like Calgary, Vancouver, and Ottawa) are ranked so much higher yet Lowe addressed in 06 goaltending and depth at defense and this offseason when people said the Oilers needed a relaible back up, a puck moving d man (he got three of them), a PP qb, toughness on the back end, a top line winger, and a big name player he got all of them. The Only thing he did not get was a second line winger but yet guys he drafted and traded for have filled that role in perfectly. With my last point I will remind you that since the lock out (when Lowe said we will be able to compete in) he has been able to sign: Pronger ( who had to agree to come here first), Penner, Souray, Vaneck and Nylander (who both had to sign the sheets) traded for Roloson, Peca, and Pitkanen and has gone to the Stanely cup final, rebuilt at team that damn near got to the playoffs with thier starting goalie, top centre, captain, and top d man out - can you tell me what other Canadian GM or GM PERIOD has been that successful in the first couple years of the "new NHL", but you guys are right he is a crappy GM.

Fred Bartsch (Posted 2008-04-02 17:22:14)
PLEASE give me a BREAK! Fletcher @ 23, definately last, for NOT making any firm decision on his NO TRADE players either waive or go home or to minors. Now as a Rangers fan, Sather @ 17? No way he should be LOWER say somewhere in the bottom (8). To rate Regier @ 15, definately bottom(8). To rate Tallon @ 22 and McPhee @ 21, definately higher, somewhere in top (15).

Kurt (Posted 2008-04-02 16:59:07)
Paul Domanski (Posted 2008-04-02 09:53:01) Holland should be first. and Burke third or lower. Holland's move for Bertuzzi might be the only blemish on his record, and then only because Matthias is developing beyond what ANYONE expected. Burke, OTOH, continues to make his team worse. From last season to this season, he has lost Andy McDonald, Dustin Penner, and Ilya Bryzgalov and replaced them with Doug Weight, Todd Bertuzzi, and Mathieu Schneider. Schneider has been the best defenseman on the Ducks this season, but that is only due to the fact that Pronger and Beauchemin have had HORRENDOUS seasons and Scott Niedermayer sat out half the year, which has led to disappointing numbers in fewer games played. Meanwhile, Ken Holland upgraded on Schneider by signing the younger, more talented Brian Rafalski. Holland's ability to find gems like Dan Cleary and to retain his star players with contracts that are, if not right away then within two seasons, huge bargains (Datsyuk, Cleary, Lidstrom, Kronwall, Osgood, Zetterberg, etc) make him the best GM in the league. Lou Lamoirello would have gotten my vote in 2004, but he has horribly mismanaged his cap and would be missing the playoffs this season if he didn't have Martin Brodeur, who should walk away from this season with more nominations for the Vezina and Hart trophies. New Jersey's roster is no better than many teams that are on the playoff bubble, save for the goaltender. ^ Yeah....this guy couldn't be a biased red wings fan now could he? :roll eyes:

Kye (Posted 2008-04-02 11:21:07)
I read this article with great anticipation, unfortunately I ended up disappointed. I am by no means familiar enough with all the teams in the league, a thirty team league where West rarely see East both on the ice and in the media. I am, however quite familiar with teams in the West and a few in the East and can not say I agree with the perspective offered in this article. The few I do know well, lead me to wonder about the accuracy of the rest. Sorry my friend but this article gets the Jim Rome manual buzzer. EEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR.

Paul Domanski (Posted 2008-04-02 09:53:01)
Holland should be first. and Burke third or lower. Holland's move for Bertuzzi might be the only blemish on his record, and then only because Matthias is developing beyond what ANYONE expected. Burke, OTOH, continues to make his team worse. From last season to this season, he has lost Andy McDonald, Dustin Penner, and Ilya Bryzgalov and replaced them with Doug Weight, Todd Bertuzzi, and Mathieu Schneider. Schneider has been the best defenseman on the Ducks this season, but that is only due to the fact that Pronger and Beauchemin have had HORRENDOUS seasons and Scott Niedermayer sat out half the year, which has led to disappointing numbers in fewer games played. Meanwhile, Ken Holland upgraded on Schneider by signing the younger, more talented Brian Rafalski. Holland's ability to find gems like Dan Cleary and to retain his star players with contracts that are, if not right away then within two seasons, huge bargains (Datsyuk, Cleary, Lidstrom, Kronwall, Osgood, Zetterberg, etc) make him the best GM in the league. Lou Lamoirello would have gotten my vote in 2004, but he has horribly mismanaged his cap and would be missing the playoffs this season if he didn't have Martin Brodeur, who should walk away from this season with more nominations for the Vezina and Hart trophies. New Jersey's roster is no better than many teams that are on the playoff bubble, save for the goaltender.

Patrick (Posted 2008-04-02 08:43:47)
One P.S., It also takes a determined owner to make any G.M. or coach sucessfull.

Patrick (Posted 2008-04-02 08:39:36)
I have 2 exceptions 1. Burke should be 3rd not 1st and I agree David Poille is great at building teams but not great at Playoffs, I think he should be down around 15. Look at what he did in Washington.

Kevin Murphy (Posted 2008-04-01 20:40:25)
Chris (Posted 2008-04-01 00:15:13), I agree with you about holland moving down, I dont think Brian Burke should be number 1 because they arent in first place and i think he made a mistake in trading Andy Mcdonald. I think that mcdonald would have really come on when Selanne returned

rob morse (Posted 2008-04-01 20:12:55)
do you want to rate gm's on win/loss record or getting fans into the stands???? I would put lou lamirello at the top for wins but at the bottom for getting fans into the area. As I heard one fan talking about his team (wisconsin) on the radio during the start of march madness, he said his team was great defensively but thought nobody would want to watch them because they are extremely boring to see. And so go the priorities in the NHL.

Steve Smith (Posted 2008-04-01 19:28:56)
It just occurred to me that "He also wildly overpaid for players who got hot at the right time and brought the team to the Stanley Cup final in 2006" might actually refer to the contracts given to Pisani et al _after_ the run, in which case your writer is excused (although "wildly" seems a bit harsh even in that case). But he still demonstrates a complete ignorance about even the concept of a salary cap that's tied to league revenues, which pretty well eliminates any credibility in assessing GMs.

Steve Smith (Posted 2008-04-01 19:21:14)
I'm not Kevin Lowe's biggest booster, but I have to agree with many of the previous comments. His performance between the lockout and the 2006 playoffs was masterful. Things started going south when he managed such a feeble return for Pronger, and the Vanek offer was bad too (three first round draft picks for the privilege of overpaying the guy? Blech). He also gave some inflated legacy contracts to guys like Roloson, Pisani, Moreau, and Staios (good players, all, but they also all seemed to get the reverse of a hometown discount), and made an indefensible move with the Souray signing. On the other hand, I still like the Penner signing (although there's a case to be made either way on that one), the draft record's been pretty good, the Garon signing was inspired, and the Pitkanen trade was nigh on highway robbery. And then there's Tarnstrom for Glencross, which was a damned good deal even if Glencross walks as a UFA this summer (although I'm thinking he won't). But I'm not so much here to defend Lowe as to express disgust with the author of this article. As Garnet points out, the RFA offers don't increase the cost of doing business (that's why it's called a "cap", stupid), and as others have pointed out every deal made in the runup to the 2006 playoffs was, objectively speaking, a bargain.

Garnet (Posted 2008-04-01 19:03:32)
How, exactly, does the Vanek signing "drive up the cost of doing business" in the salary cap era?

D G (Posted 2008-04-01 18:34:54)
I almost forgot to add: The signing of Garon in the offseason as an UFA. He might be an All-Star goalie next year. He more than once stole the show while playing for what was a lackluster team for 3/4 of the season. Another brilliant move by Lowe.

D G (Posted 2008-04-01 18:24:55)
As for the other GM's, While there can be a case made that Roloson is overpaid at 3.5 mil this year, what about Kip at 8 mil! Kip is not worth 8 mil. I think he is a great goalie (this means alot coming from an Oil fan) but please, getting paid more than Luongo? If he was consistent (just as if Roloson were consistent) then yes I would consider 8 mil for him. But he is not. The Iginla deal was amazing, agreed, and the Phaneuf deal was still respectable. The fact is though, you have 3 players who make up about half the payroll of the team. Calgary is going the way of Tampa Bay with so little depth and a few big names. How does Toronto have a better GM? There is no way that a team that seems to refuse to go through a rebuild phase has a better GM.

D G (Posted 2008-04-01 18:00:14)
In response to the ranking of Kevin Lowe, as other people have mentioned, homework has not been done. Let's break down what Lowe has done in the 2 years. First off, he got Pronger and Roloson for the playoff run, those two were probably the most key players in the play off run. It is unfortunate Pronger did not want to stay here but these things happen and Lowe managed to get something from him in the form of Lupul, Smid, and a pick. Granted Lupul wasn't that great for us, but in turn we got Pitkanen as a part of the deal when he got dealt away. It would be hard to complain about getting Pitkanen and Smid for Pronger, 2 solid young defensemen, plus a pick, considering the position that Lowe was in. As for the overpaid players, Pisani had ulcerative colitis, and since he has been back, and keep in mind he is still recovering, he has been doing much better. Torres I will admit that he is a bit overpaid because of his inconsistency, but if Torres plays good he brings the whole package (the two way game, the big hits, the nice shot etc) While I liked Bergeron, getting Grebeshkov for him is definately an improvement seeing the capabilities of Grebeshkov. For Smyth we got Nilsson, O'Marra, and through a draft pick Alex Plante. Even if Plante and O'Marra do not pan out, which I think atleast O'Marra will (Plante because of injuries is looking iffy, but if he recovers then he will be a definite force) regardless we still have Nilsson, who by all standards will be atleast a top six forward and in all probability a first line left wing when he comes into prime. Now compare that to 7.5 mil that Smyth is getting paid now. Smyth is not worth it, and as much as I loved Smyth when he was here, it is almost better we got rid of him so we could remake our strategy, which is showing to be much better for us. And the hole that Smyth left has a tipper and screener will be filled by Penner very easily, very quickly Leading into Penner. 4.5 mil is definately overpaying him now, and maybe even next year, but probably not. But at the very least, for the final 3 years, people will look back and realize that Penner is underpaid. There are not many players as physically big as Penner who have the same hockey skills that he has. He is very difficult to knock off the puck in the corners, very hard to fight out in front of the net, a very big screen for the goalie, and he is projected to be a pretty good tipper. So yes he is overpaid for now, but not for very long. Now let's look at the Glencross for Tarnstrom deal. Seems like a very minor deal, but Lowe effectively traded an veteran for arguably one of the most effective fourth liners. And keep in mind, Glencross is a rookie, his skills will only go up. I attribute a large percentage of the Oiler's recent success because they have the best fourth line in the league, and a huge part of that comes from Glencross. Simply puy, I do consider Kevin Lowe in the top 10 for managers. If you look at the moves he has made, really it is quite amazing how intelligent they are. We have every type of skill (tipping, puckmoving defence, stay at home defence, an abundance of playmakers, finishers that Horcoff and Cogliano have proved and will prove to be, a solid all-star starting goalie in Garon and a good back up goalie in Roloson, a hard forechecking-momentum changing fourth-line etc) we need in our current roster and still, we have one of the best rated prospect pools in the league.

Dennis W. Lowe (Posted 2008-04-01 16:21:47)
I disagree with Patrick Belitski who says "Lowe had to trade Pronger". Had to? Had to? Really, here in Ottawa we call it the Yashin Contract effect where you sign for 3 years, then guess what, you play for 3 years. If you don't like it then quit. Some of these atheletes are babied way too much and while the rest of us worry about holding on to our jobs and house as a "slowdown" occurs, players and GM's continue to pass on their mistakes onto the public's ticket price increases. Soon we'll all be back to where we were before the infamous strike that was supposed to bring things back into line.

bernie (Posted 2008-04-01 15:07:24)
the blues did not trade a number 1 pick for tckuck they received a number one pick when he was traded all they gave up was a conditional pick they would only have received if atlanta resigned him after last year which was improbable

Adam M. (Posted 2008-04-01 12:58:13)
The placement of Lowe is a joke. Wildly overpaying for players to get to the 2006 Stanley Cup? Which was the overpayment trade, because I've missed that one. Was it Pronger for Brewer, Lynch & Woywitka, Peca for Mike York, Spacek for Salmelainen, Tarnstrom for Cross & Rita, Samsonov for Reasoner and Jan Stastny, or Roli for a first rounder that's no where near playing for the Kings yet? As for the offer sheets, it changes the way money is allocated, meaning RFA contracts go up, but all that will have an effect on is how much UFAs get. It means that good players will get their money sooner, and teams will have to be more responsible when signing older players, because it may impact their ability to sign their own younger players. Penner has more points than Bertuzzi, and is likely to be around a lot longer. Which player would you rather have? While the return on the Pronger trade is a bit disappointing, if you look at the other deals Lowe has made since then, they're all improving the team. Grebeshkov is a big step up from Bergeron. Nilsson is outpointing Smyth this year and we have two more prospects to boot from that. If Lowe really did regret that trade, I think he'll get over it pretty soon. The team is better off for it. Lupul was better this year, but we're better off with Pitkanen as he adds an element the team was missing, and based on the players we have in the lineup now, there isn't a place for the butter-soft Lupul to play. The author just didn't do his homework. Middle of the pack would be a much more reasonable place to put him. Fletcher's 30 games of service and lack of move, Snow's lack of any control over his own team, Waddell's inability to do anything with that franchise, Hull's half a season, Pleau's continual 4 year rebuild...I just don't see how Lowe is ranked behind any of those guys.

Patrick Belitski (Posted 2008-04-01 10:28:39)
The placement of Kevin Lowe is a joke! He had to trade Pronger and while he doesn't have Lupal anymore, would he have Pitkanen. No. If a G.M. is responsible for injuries during a season, I would like to know how? what if Pronger, Getzlaf, Kunitz and pahlsson were all hurt for the season? does that move Burke down. Not likely cause if he was then he would get mad and it would be the last time he talked to the Hockey News. as far as the Penner signing, The Quackers might get a 12-13 pick. Yes it could be a gem or a dud. at this point Penner has 23 goals and 46 points. Should more be expected? Sure. But he is young and the potential is still untapped. what about Bertuzzi. Burke signed him to about the same money. He has 14 goals and 38 points and you are never quite sure when the next injury or act of stupidity is coming. So having the two G.M.s ranked apart by 28 spots? Really now, show some hockey intellect.

Dennis W. Lowe (Posted 2008-04-01 08:47:40)
It would have been fairer to see Chicago ranked higher as cleaning up the legacy of Mike Smith (drafted only comrades from Russia) and Wirtz will take time. You comments are right on the mark with respect to Kevin Lowe who continues to overpay for mediocure "one season wonder" players. He is the worst manager and concurrently the biggest critic of the system that he alone is destroying. He needs to park his overinflated ego at the unemployment office sooner rather than later.

Scott Glynn (Posted 2008-04-01 08:23:06)
These rankings need a variable factor taking into consideration the ownership groups they work for. Holland wouldn't be nearly as successful in Detroit if the Norris family still owned them. I am also guessing the Toronto situation wouldn't be nearly as glum if they had owners willing to loosen up the purse strings

Shimmer (Posted 2008-04-01 06:53:36)
Wow. Hate Chicago much?? Why are you jumping on Patrick Sharp? He's got 36 goals so far!! The ranking is probably right but some the criticism is a little harsh. The Hawks are going to be just fine next year. They're going to miss the playoffs by a couple of points this yr, unlike previous years. Bill Wirtz dessmemated this franchise for years..you don't turn that around overnight. A 19yr old is leading this team in points this year and hopefully wins the Calder. The future is bright in Chicago..open your eyes and see what 20,000+ strong at the United Center are seeing these days.

Chris (Posted 2008-04-01 00:15:13)
Ken Holland shouldn't have drop from 1st to 3rd this year, the Wings are leading the league in points and he's continued to make smart moves to improve the team, plus he still has the highest win percentage of any GM. He signed Cleary and Osgood to multi-year contracts for way less than market value, and the edition of McCarty could be huge in a likely playoff series with the Ducks and other physical teams in the West.

whatsthatsmell (Posted 2008-03-31 21:46:52)
btw.... If JFJ didn't get the boot (finally), he would have been dead last right? If you guys do an ownership rating, I do hope you put the Leafs at the bottom. Let's face it, this is the worst team they have ever iced - in comparison to their contemporary peers - no fair comparing them to teams 60 years ago.

whatsthatsmell (Posted 2008-03-31 21:43:21)
Lombardi is a good GM who you have completely underrated. The guys he brought in have all underachieved, with the exception of Calder who is crap anywhere he plays. His performance in San Jose was very good - upon taking over the San Jose Sharks, he was widely criticized for signing veterans. This move proved to be beneficial as Lombardi acquired veterans while stockpiling the team's farm system with homegrown talent. This is the exact same thing he is doing in LA, but with a lot more talent in the young stars. If the people he brought in at the beginning of this year manned up and done their job, LA would be a contender right now. Now if he can only do something about that goalie situation.

James Finney (Posted 2008-03-31 20:48:13)
George McPhee of the Caps deserves to be higher than Chiarelli of Boston at least. Sure the Caps stunk for awhile, but the whole time they were rebuilding, and now that they have the pieces there to be good he's out getting the team what it needs. Kozlov and Poti were great pick-ups at the end of last season, Federov and Huet and Cooke were all great pick-ups at trade deadline day and he got them all cheap. Nylander will be great to have when he's healthy. Boudreau is an amazing coach who has made the entire team work harder and play better. Chiarelli has signed Chara and Savard, so one tough defender and a softy playmaker, but then makes no trade deadline moves, gets rid of Bochenski who was turning into a great defensive forward, and overall does nothing to truly help the team. Also, why is the Pens GM so high? He's just set it up so that Pittsburgh will be like Tampa Bay in 3-4 years!

Craig (Posted 2008-03-31 18:41:44)
Actually, Burke inherited much of that Canucks team that ran roughshod over the Northwest. Naslund was here thanks to Quinn prior to his dismissal, Bertuzzi and McCabe had been acquired by Keenan, Ohlund was already here. jovanovski was a toss in for Bure, because Florida wanted Hedican, Burke himself stated that Dave Gagner was the Key to the trade because he though he was gettign the centre the Canucks deperatly needed. Jovanovski was an afterthought at the time, a biline at the press conference. Sure he get's credit for that spectacular draft maneuvering that landed the Sedins, but every GM knew about them, just liek every Gm knew to try and sign Neidermayer or trade for Pronger. And the trade was only possible because Burke had Mccabe to unload. Other then the Sedins, Burkes best draft move was RJ Umberger, the Flyers thrid line center, who never played in Vancouver. Other vaunted draft picks were Nathan Smith, Kiril Koltsov, Brett Skinner, and Fedor Federov. As for plucking Morrison from New Jersey was really just a fluke in what was esentially a grab bag aproach to finding a center. After Gagner bombed, Burke auditioned, Cassels, Zezel, Pederson, Muckalt and Sharifjanov before he got lucky and landed Morrison. And then there was Goaltending. Before landing the "starter they always wanted" in Cloutier, Burke had brought in with no measure of success, Essensa, Potvin, Brochu, Weekes, Snow, Sean Burke, Legacy, Hedburg, Skoudra, Irbe and Hirsch. Does that sound like the descisive action for which he is known? Burke deserves credit for being able to repeatedly pull of the big, challenging trades that have been key to his teams succeses, but his inability to make the small integral moves that shape champions longterm has always been overlooked. Burke is smart in that he puts himself in situations to succeed, and he will often put the big pieces in place, but to suggest he can build an entire house, over looks his horrendous record for filling out a roster, or developping for the future and longterm competiveness of a franchise. Gm's like Lacroix, Holland or Lamoreilo deserve far more credit for building teams that can remain consistantly competitive. Gainey probably belongs in that company as well, it was his foundation that set up Dallas for the last decade. Even the much chastened Lowe, has done a beter Job of balancing the needs of his team now with the needs of his team in the future. Burke might have Lowe's pick this year, but he'd de well to ask Kevin's advice on who to draft, if he wants that prospect to contribute to any future success in Anaheim.

Alan Beaulieu (Posted 2008-03-31 18:31:34)
I knew, as soon as I ran through this list, that the main criticism of the article would be Oiler fans who can't handle anyone knocking their team in any way. Adam Proteau got ventilated from furious Oiler fans at the start of last season for (correctly) picking the Oil to miss the playoffs. Same deal here.

Batalla (Posted 2008-03-31 17:04:54)
I have to agree with the majority of this post. Burke has done a fantastic job. Yes, he inhrited a team that was one or two "tweaks" away from being a serious contender, but he made those tweaks and they were significant (Niedermeyer? Pronger? Wow). As a Habs fan, I love that Gainey is so high in the list. But as a realist, I have to wonder if he shouldn't have been lower. Although his thought process along makes him one of the best, his inability to sign UFAs is a blemish. That being said, the Gong Show that is the Toronto Maple Leafs organization probably should have been ranked lower. Featers and Lowe are bad, but JFJ was something else. That's what prompted this, actually: http://habsbros.blogspot.com/2008/03/tips-for-playoffs.html

Jonathan (Posted 2008-03-31 14:46:39)
Now what has Brett Hull done to prove he deserves he should be in the top 10? Brad Richards hasn't done that much, it is unknown how his team will do in the playoffs, and he still hasn't been in the GM position during a draft.

Doug (Posted 2008-03-31 14:12:43)
Those are some interesting rankings, I am not saying that Lowe should be the top GM or even in the top ten but you have to use some common sense when evaluating him. Not signing Smyth to that long contract is one of the best moves Lowe made last year. Our power play actually works this year because it is not based around a glorified plugger tipping pucks in front of the net, The Penner signing wasn't even close to as bad as you or your boyfriend Burke say. He will be a 30 goal scorer and is a huge presence up front and a lot better of a signing than Bertuzzi? Burke had a successful team in Vancouver and failed to put them over the top year after year ( couldn't figure out Cloutier would never do it) He went to Anaheim where Bryan Murray had allready drafted all the key components of the team added Niedermayer and got Pronger handed to him. Oh right he traded for Brad May at the deadline ( Genius!!)

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