The Executive of the Year award has been announced. Following up the Awards article you can find here: http://brightsidehockey.com/2016/05/07/awards-nominees-snubs-and-winners/
The three GMs who are contending for this years awards are:
Jim Nill (Dallas) who I correctly predicted.
Jim Rutherford (Pittsburgh) – who I didn’t predict but with the Penguins recent success it makes sense.
Brian MacLellan (Washington) – who, again, I didn’t predict. This one makes less sense to me.
Snubbed were Doug Wilson (San Jose) – I got it wrong in the first article – and Stan Bowman (Chicago)
Jim Nill deserves this award, because he was able to steal Patrick Sharp, Stephen Johns and Johnny Oduya away from Chicago for what currently amounts as a cap headache. He was able to build around a core of players he helped bring in – Jamie Benn, Tyler Seguin, Jason Spezza, and John Klingberg. Despite problems on defense, the defense vastly improved from last season – it’s the reason one Dallas team made the playoffs and the other didn’t. He was able to trade for Kris Russell at the deadline, a steal compared to other deals (cough cough Andrew Ladd). Nill’s downfalls are not doing anything about his goaltending – both Antii Niemi and Kari Lehtonen struggled all year, and he did nothing to replace them or to bring in a new star. It ended up being part of the reason the Stars lost to the Blues in 7 games.
Jim Rutherford fired his coach half way through the season. He’s getting a nod here for this decision alone – Mike Sullivan has led the Penguins to the Eastern Conference Final, made decisions that other coaches would not have made that paid off, and has re-inspired one of the best players in the game in Sidney Crosby (again, I will not say that Crosby is the best player in the game because Patrick Kane and Carey Price exist). Rutherford’s other numerous accomplishments this season include trading next to nothing for Phil Kessel, Carl Hagelin, and Nick Bonino, three players who were not on the Penguins roster before the season but have been crucial to their success in the postseason. Rutherford also drafted Mike Murray, the current goaltender for the Penguins who has come up huge in this postseason and looks to be the Penguins goalie of the future. Rutherford, even if the Penguins lose this series to the Lightning, is our predicted winner.
Brian MacLellan makes less sense to me. He’s made a few good moves this season – trading for TJ Oshie, acquiring the talents of Justin Williams and Mike Richards – but not much else. The League has also awarded a nomination to Barry Trotz, and from where I’m standing this season has more to do with his smarts and skill than MacLellan’s. The Capitals were unable to acquire anyone before the deadline, and somebody on depth for the defense or a net front presence would have made the difference in the Pittsburgh series. MacLellan is the name I would remove to make room for either Wilson or Bowman.
Our snubs:
Stan Bowman continues to be unrewarded for building and maintaining the League’s premier team, and the only post-lockout dynasty. He’s been a manager of the cap, a constant tinkerer, and has provided enough smart moves that have led to three cups that he should have an Executive of the Year award already under his belt for the 2012-2013 season as well as a few more nominations. The fact that he has never been named for this award shows how rigged this voting is, and how they don’t reward the successes they should. Was this a bad year for Bowman? Yes. Did he do enough to beat MacLellan – acquiring Artemi Panarin and Artem Anisimov, trading players who were only headaches in coach Joel Quinneville’s system, and having gotten the defensive depth the Blackhawks relied upon in the postseason – Erik Gustaffson and Trevor Van Reimsdyk, as well as David Rundblad – would argue yes. Failing to acquire a defenseman (who actually played in the postseason, thus discounting Christian Ehrhoff) at the deadline and re-signing Michal Roszival after an awful ankle injury would argue no. Look for Bowman to have a bounce back season by re-signing Andrew Shaw, extending Artemi Panarin, acquiring a fourth defenseman, drafting a goaltender to replace the presumably leaving-at-the-expansion-draft Scott Darling, all while trading cap headache and contract mistake Bryan Bickell, and still not be named for this award. The League will have to give an honorary award to this guy at the end of his career, when he’s living alone and destitute in Sweden (Charlie Chaplin reference).
Doug Wilson acquired Martin Jones – who just had his second shutout of the post-season – and Joel Ward in trades before the season. At the deadline, he acquired James Reimer and Roman Polak. He let Antii Niemi walk. Alex Stalock no longer has to play on this team. He figured out a way to keep everyone happy – new coach Peter DeBoer, snubbed for the Jack Adams, former captains Joe Thornton and Patrick Marleau, and new captain Joe Pavelski – and kept everyone period. This team is thriving, hungry, and looking for further success, and it’s because of Doug Wilson. His team has also gotten farther in this postseason than Nill’s or MacLellan’s, and I predict his will get further than Rutherford’s. Wilson is a fantastic GM and he proved it this season, his team has amazing depth because of him, and if the Sharks win, expect his name to be called next year.
But seriously, name Stan Bowman. Don’t be the dicks that denied the architect of a four cup winning team, one of the best teams of all time, and helped draft two of the best players in the league – Patrick Kane and Jonathon Toews – and who’s castoffs could be an all-star team but his team continues to find success. Neither Quinneville nor Bowman have been named in their time in Chicago. That trend continues when it should have died three years ago.