Is this the year for Bill Zito?

On Friday morning we learned that Zito has been named a finalist for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.

It’s the fourth time in Zito’s five seasons in Florida’s front office that he’s been named a finalist for the award.

He’s been more than deserving, as Zito has overseen the biggest shift in success that this franchise has ever seen.

Before Zito was hired in September of 2020, Florida had not won a playoff series since 1996.

In the five seasons since, the Panthers have made the playoffs in each year.

They won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2022 as the league’s best regular season team.

Over the past three seasons, Florida has reached the Eastern Conference Final each year, advancing to the Stanley Cup Final in both 2023 and 2024.

Oh, and they won the whole thing last June.

The roster that Zito has built is one of the absolute best in the league, featuring a combination of high-end talent and solid depth players that comprise arguably the tightest, friendliest and most cohesive locker room in the NHL.

Zito has signed much of Florida’s core to long-term extensions that will keep the team together for the foreseeable future, including Panthers Captain Sasha Barkov and team leader Matthew Tkachuk.

Team-friendly extensions were signed by key players Sam Reinhart, Anton Lundell, Carter Verhaeghe, Gus Forsling and Dmitry Kulikov.

Via trade, Zito has acquired Tkachuk, Reinhart, Sam Bennett, Seth Jones, and let’s not forget players who have since departed like Brandon Montour, Kevin Stenlund, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Anthony Stolarz.

To his credit, Zito has told THN Florida that he cares about winning the “big silvery trophy” than the GM of the Year award, but still, if anybody is deserving of recognition for the job he’s done in the front office, its Zito.

Also nominated this year are Dallas GM Jim Nill, who has won the award in each of the past two seasons, and Winnipeg GM Kevin Cheveldayoff.

Voting for the award is done by NHL general managers and a panel of league executives.

The winner will be announced during NHL Awards later this summer.

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Photo caption: Jun 7, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito speaks to reporters during media day in advance of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images