NHL power rankings: Ranking each general manager heading into 2019

The Mediocre Tier

This tier is for those who aren’t good. But they aren’t bad either. These general managers, much like baby bear’s porridge, aren’t too good, or too bad. They’re just right. And mediocre.

20. Dale Tallon (Florida Panthers)

Dale Tallon would have ranked lower on my list if this were done last summer. I can’t get over how he basically handed the Vegas Golden Knights Rielly Smith and Jonathan Marchessault. That was a terrible decision even before using hindsight.

Since joining the Florida Panthers in 2010, Tallon’s team has made the postseason twice. While he’s dealing with some ownership issues, he hasn’t done much to help. And when Tallon has helped, he’s done bad things to even it out.

I love what he has done this summer though. Hiring Joel Quenneville is huge. Together, coach Q and Tallon rebuilt the Chicago Blackhawks. Signing Sergei Bobrovsky makes their goaltending better right now. Adding Anton Stralman and Brett Connolly helps as well. He started off drafting very well, but I’m not huge on his last three drafts.

19. Marc Bergevin (Montreal Canadiens)

Marc Bergevin was probably the hardest general manager for me to evaluate. He’s done a lot of good things, but also a lot of bad things. Bergevin has made the Montreal Canadiens a much deeper organization over the past few years. Just take a look at their top 10 prospects list.

That said, a reason Bergevin made the Shea Weber for P.K. Subban trade was to “win now”. The Habs haven’t been winning much since the trade. Bergevin kept Carey Price around, but he’s wasting what might be his last good years.

Also, the Sebastian Aho offer sheet was a farce. Like, come on. Aho is worth far more than under $9 million a year. If you’re going to sign someone to an offer sheet, make it at least a little bit difficult to match.

18. Kevin Cheveldayoff (Winnipeg Jets)

Believe it or not, Kevin Cheveldayoff is the sixth-longest tenured general manager in the NHL. His patience has turned the Winnipeg Jets from being stuck in mediocrity to being one of the better teams in the NHL.

Cheveldayoff has done this mostly through the draft. He’s gotten players like Mark Scheifele, Patrik Laine, Nikolaj Ehlers, and Kyle Connor through it. That represents four of his top-six forwards, which is pretty darn good.

He hasn’t done good at the past two trade deadlines, though I completely get why he traded for Paul Stastny and Kevin Hayes. Cheveldayoff got destroyed in the Jacob Trouba trade, though, which isn’t a good sign.

17. Bob Murray (Anaheim Ducks)

My opinion of Bob Murray was higher last year than it is now. But still, it’s hard to argue with his track record. He built a team that won five straight Pacific Division titles despite dealing with a tight budget. The Ducks have always drafted well and Murray deserves credit for that.

Even his worst moves are at least defendable. Like, who could have guessed Ryan Kesler’s hip was going to give out? I’m impressed Murray showed the coldness required to buy out Corey Perry. Perry’s a franchise legend, but it was time for both parties to part ways. It was cold, but hey, it’s a business.

16. Jim Nill (Dallas Stars)

Jim Nill is a very bold general manager. He’s never afraid to pull the trigger.  Nill added Joe Pavelski this offseason at a surprisingly reasonable deal (three years, $7 million per year). The John Klingberg contract remains one of the best in the league. Ben Bishop’s is good too, as is Tyler Seguin’s. Jamie Benn’s isn’t looking as good as it did a year ago, but it’s fine for now.

That said, let’s see how many NHL players Nill has drafted since 2014 (remember, only the last five years matter). Here’s a full list.

• Miro Heiskanen
• Roope Hintz
• Julius Honka
• Denis Gurianov
• Dylan Ferguson

Ferguson has only played in one, and it wasn’t even with the Stars. None of the five players have played more than 100 games, though Heiskanen and Hintz are good bets to pass that this season. Still, Nill has undeniably struggled at drafting NHL players. Luckily, he makes up for it by being active in the offseason.

Nill is appropriately the 16th best GM out of the 32 in the league. He’s the most average. Which is impressive considering how terrible he’s been at drafting.