Zito has been nominated for GM of the Year twice during his three years with Florida
Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito is excellent at his job.
That’s a fact, and there are plenty of receipts.
Zito was hired in September of 2020 as a first time GM who had long been among those considered for open jobs but never hired.
That has worked out quite well for the Panthers.
In the less than three years since Zito was hired, he’s completely reshaped Florida’s roster while taking the team from a bubble playoff Qualifying Round squad to one that has made the playoffs in four straight years.
No Panthers GM, not ever, has led the team to that kind of sustained success.
That’s why it’s no surprise whatsoever that Zito has been nominated for the 2023 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.
Also nominated for the award this year along with Zito are Dallas Stars’ GM Jim Nill and Boston Bruins GM Don Sweeney.
It’s the second time in three seasons that Zito has been recognized. He was also nominated during his first season with Florida in 2020-21.
It is the opinion of this hockey journalist that he should have won that year over Islanders GM Lou Lamoriello and Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin.
Lamoriello ended up winning while Bergevin was fired the following November.
What Zito did that year, transforming Florida into team that won 37 games and logged 79 points, fourth-most in the NHL during the COVID-shortened season, was remarkable.
He hadn’t been on the job for much more than a month when Zito brought in Patric Hornqvist, Radko Gudas, Carter Verhaeghe and Ryan Lomberg.
A couple months later he signed Anthony Duclair. A few months after that, Florida traded for Sam Bennett and Brandon Montour at the trade deadline (Montour was two days prior, but that’s still a deadline deal).
That summer came the draft day trade that brought Sam Reinhart to Sunrise.
Zito also signed Sasha Barkov to his contract extension that will keep Florida’s captain in Panthers red through 2030 and found defensemen Gus Forsling and Josh Mahura on the waiver wire.
He also helped complete the NHL’s first sign-and-trade deal: the blockbuster move that brought Matthew Tkachuk to South Florida last summer.
Being the kind of guy that he is, Zito is quick to point out all things that were done by others to help Florida’s situation.
The Panthers had already drafted foundational pieces like Barkov, Jonathan Huberdeau and Aaron Ekblad, all of whom are now in the prime of their respective careers.
Even the moves made during his tenure with the Cats, Zito passes the praise to his colleagues in Florida’s front office and the scouts they trust to study and analyze hockey players across the globe.
THN asked Zito recently what winning General Manager of the Year would mean to him. His answer was exactly what you’d expect.
“I don't think it means a whole lot, but…it's an honor, and it's an honor for our staff and for our guys and our pro scouts,” he said when asked by THN last week. “I know that the GM sits in the chair, but I don't go out and scout all those players. You have guys who are really (involved) and have the arguments, 'We have to get this guy, no, no, this guy, but I like that guy,' and it's hard. It's really hard, but our staff is outstanding.”
Wednesday night at the NHL Draft we’ll find out if Zito, and his team of executives, coaches, and scouts, will be properly recognized for the work they’ve done in South Florida.