Unnumbered Thoughts: Daniel Brière's strong rookie GM campaign
Of all the NHL awards, the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award has perhaps the oddest voting timeline.
Ballots are cast by active NHL GMs after the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
It becomes more of a “what have you done lately?” prize than an overall season award. Of the 14 winners of the award, including 2023 honoree Jim Nill, 11 have come from the final four GMs in the conference final.
Only Don Maloney in 2010, Doug Armstrong in 2012, and Bob Murray in 2014 have been named top GM without their teams having a bit of playoff luck past the second round.
It’s why any talk right now about the NHL’s best GM feels hollow. While other NHL awards for players and coaches are based on the regular season, the best GM is also a playoff trophy.
With that in mind, it’s important t