The New York Islanders will be casting a wide net when searching for their next general manager.
The ownership group is focused on hiring the best candidate(s) available, no matter their background or gender.
For any job, especially one like this, experience is clearly crucial. But how much experience is needed?
Of course, hiring Joe Schmo off the street isn't happening, but is giving an assistant general manager the GM title good enough for a team that needs major improvements?
Some may say decades of experience is needed, and I'm not here to tell you that's right or wrong.
However, let me share with you a fact that was just shared with me the other day.
Of the last 30 Stanley Cup champions, 25 of them were first-time general managers.
Don't get that confused with first-year general managers.
That statistic is certainly something to keep in mind, and, as with every statistic, other factors contribute to the overall result.
This statistic illustrates that a team can hire someone with little to no experience as a general manager and still build a Stanley Cup winner.
Bill Zito, who was named general manager of the Florida Panthers in 2020-21, won the Stanley Cup in 2024.
Kelly McCrimmon, who was named general manager of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2019-20, won the Stanley Cup in 2023.
The Colorado Avalanche won in 2022 with Joe Sakic at the helm, a first-time general manager.
The Tampa Bay Lightning won in 2020 and 2021, with first-time general manager Julien Brisbois at the helm.
Doug Armstrong, who won the Stanley Cup with the St. Louis Blues in 2019, had previously served as general manager with the Dallas Stars.
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