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NHL power rankings: Ranking each general manager heading into 2019

By Dave Stevenson

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: Doug Armstrong holds the Stanley Cup following the Blues victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS - JUNE 12: Doug Armstrong holds the Stanley Cup following the Blues victory over the Boston Bruins at TD Garden on June 12, 2019 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images /

The Bad Tier

This tier is full of general managers who aren’t awful, but are still not very good at their job. That said, the difference between bad GMs and good GMs is surprisingly small.

24. Jason Botterill (Buffalo Sabres)

Over the past two years, Jason Botterill has put the Buffalo Sabres in a better position than they were before he took over. The stench of Tim Murray is not quite gone yet, but Botterill is doing a good job overcoming it.

Still, I really didn’t like the Ryan O’Reilly trade. And yes, I hated it at the time. Somehow, it looks worse now. O’Reilly is one of the best centers in the league. I get that he sort of had to be traded after he “lost his love for the game”. But Botterill traded the 2019 Conn Smythe Trophy and Selke Trophy winner. All he has to show for it is Brandon Montour, Vladimir Sobotka, and Tage Thompson. Ouch.

23. Chuck Fletcher (Philadelphia Flyers)

With all the stuff about Paul Fenton coming out, it’s safe to say Fletcher, who used to be the Wild’s GM, dealt with some ownership issues in Minnesota. That said, he hasn’t done too much in his short tenure in Philadelphia.

Fletcher has been aggressive this offseason, signing Kevin Hayes and trading for Justin Braun and Matt Niskanen. He has also hired Alain Vigneault to be the Flyers head coach, along with Mike Yeo and Michel Therrien to be his assistant coaches. But how much has Fletcher improved the Flyers? Time will tell, but initially, I’m not so sure the defense is better than it was last season.

22. Lou Lamoriello (New York Islanders)

Yes, Lou Lamoriello has won several Stanley Cups. But he hasn’t won one since 2003. Lamoriello did a good job overseeing things with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but keep this in mind – his two biggest signings (Nikita Zaitsev and Patrick Marleau) were traded out within 13 months of Kyle Dubas taking over.

With the New York Islanders, he had Barry Trotz fall into his lap. Lamoriello hasn’t done much else to help the Islanders. Losing out on Artemi Panarin definitely hurt. But the way the Islanders treated Robin Lehner is downright shameful.

21. Stan Bowman (Chicago Blackhawks)

Stan Bowman has won a Stanley Cup with the Chicago Blackhawks in the last five years (2014). So it’s hard to ignore that. Bowman, though, hasn’t done too many good things since then. The Brent Seabook contract is arguably the worst in the NHL. Trading Brandon Saad for pennies on the dollar and then trading Artemi Panarin to the Blue Jackets to get him back remains one of his worst sequences of moves.

I like what he’s done recently though. While the Alex Nylander trade is baffling, he got Olli Maatta and Calvin de Haan for fair prices. The Robin Lehner signing is interesting, given Corey Crawford’s health. That tandem could work.

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