Is John Chayka a top-3 GM?

[Revelation]

He has been in the job for what a year and a half and already boosts a tonof successful trades, signings and acquisitions.

They say it is impossible to acquire top 4 dmen, top line center in this league without paying through the nose. Chayka has added the following top 4 dmen and it's not even been 2 years:
Jacob Chychrun
Alex Goligiski
Jason Demers
Niklas Hjalmarsson.

Almost an entire NHL quality blueline in less than 2 years. And all he had to to give up to get it was taking on the Datsyuk contact, giving up a 4th liner, Connor Murphy and a bunch of crap.

On the forward side he added a top line youngish C and a #1 goalie for a pick. He has gotten excellent value for an aging Mike Smith, made a killing on the Hanzal and Vrbata trades, his great trades are too many to exhaustively list. This is not even counting all his great draft picks and more minor trades like the Boedker trade

Coyotes look better than ever. I don't think there should be any doubt that this guy is one of the best GMs in the league and the real deal.

Connor Murphy was a top 4 traded for an older better yet declining top 4.
The trade up to get Chychrun cost the normal jump from 16 to 20 AND taking on the Datsyuk contract
Goligoski was overpaid in FA
Demers was acquired because he was overpaid and brutal defensively

The one great acquisition that was DeAngelo was given away.

 

[LeafFever]

If you go back a few years back, people here said the exact same thing about Garth Snow.
You need to build a successful team that makes the playoffs to even crack the top 10.

 

[bukwas]

The acquisitions will give them hope of making the playoffs and if those prospects and kids hit their highs they could be legit contenders before long.

 

[Heldig]

Easy answer NO way too early to tell.

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

He's good at finishing bottom 10 in the league I'll give him that

His team has finished once in the bottom 10 (I don't count the 2015-16 season, since he got his job in the latter half of the season). A team that is rebuilding. Yeah, indeed he is good at finishing in the bottom 10... lol.

 

[Gene Parmesan]

If he were in his 50's no one would say yes. Tim Murray was a genius once too.

 

[member 290103]

What a ridiculous thread. Maybe we should wait until his team is not like.....a complete perennial failure?

 

[Hockeyisl1fe]

What a ridiculous thread. Maybe we should wait until his team is not like.....a complete perennial failure?

Yeah totally his team in a rebuild mode should be a cup contender now.

 

[Wolfpuck]

What?

I like the moves he's made and his overall philosophy, but until the Coyotes get back to the playoffs and have some sustained success, it's way too early to crown him.

 

[GrandmaSlices51631]

Let's see it translate to on ice results before we call him a top 3 or even 5 GM. Shrewd moved no doubt but this is premature

 

[hohosaregood]

No, wait and see how long it takes to get out of the basement and see how long they stay a contender. It's been a good year for him and an auspicious start but that's about it.

 

[LeafFever]

They have to res-sign OEL and have a very limited budget. I'm not convinced they have this great future.

 

[MessierII]

Let's see him ice a not god awful team first. His new improved squad just lost to a god awful ducks roster so it doesn't look promising.

 

[Frank Drebin]

Is it wrong to want to see some sort of actual results to call him a top 3? I mean can you really put him above Bowman, Poile, or Rutherford to start? Hard to grade him at the moment.

 

[voxel]

Top 3 for sure. Just below Garth Snow and Tim Murray in HF rankings.

 

[Frank Drebin]

His trades are amazing. I feel like he is really taking advantage of the old school thinking present among many GMs. I bet they actually think they are coming ahead on some of these deals.

AZ finished third last overall last season, I'm just saying lets wait for some team success before being smug about his trades.

To be clear, team success is important when grading a GM? As in the only thing thats important?

 

[LeafFever]

Yeah totally his team in a rebuild mode should be a cup contender now.

No, but he shouldn't make a top 3 list either.

 

[GodPucker]

he is top 3 in sinking a team to the bottom. Sure

 

[Dustin]

This is a results driven business. Until he can boast playoff wins and deep playoff runs I doubt anyone will view him as anything but middling.

 

[Revelation]

The lack of star prospects is a bit concerning too. They have a bunch of blue chippers but no McDraivid, Matthews/Marner, Laine, Eichel, Gaudreau/Monahan cornerstone that successful rebuilding teams get. Keller is the only one that looks like he has ~70 point potential, Domi could be a 60 point top liner, the rest look like 2nd/3rd liners which isn't bad (Dvorak could be a very good 2nd liner especially) but not enough to separate from other teams. If they got Marner instead of Strome and took Mittelstadt with their pick this year and had him pan out they'd have that star power quite possibly, but Stepan going forward is just a placeholder though a solid one.

 

[MrSnrub]

How very HF to anoint a guy a top 3 GM based on his moves BEFORE seeing the results of those moves.

 

[LEAFANFORLIFE23]

Lets see him build a winning team first and by that I mean make the playoffs

 

[kingsfan28]

This thread is hilarious! A top 3 GM teams makes the playoffs on a regular basis , wins rounds, then win Cups. The dude hasn't done jack other than take on a bunch of retirement contract to make the floor and slowly acquire and draft young players.

 

[CupofOil]

Has any of his moves actually paid off so far? I know how anybody can say that he has made "amazing" trades when we have no idea how they turned out.

Chychrun looks promising but he has played one season, Goligoski was a very average signing. Keller looks promising but he has played one NHL game. Stepan has played one game with the Coyotes and the Rangers could easily come ahead in that deal when all is said and done. He traded a younger top 4 Dman for an older top 4 Dman who while better now might not be better for much longer. His team was one of the worst in the league in his one season as GM so top GM? Pffft. Lets see some results first before anointing him as King of the GMs.

I'll just add that I really like the way he carries himself and I admire his proactive mentality but lets see him accomplish something first before going all gaga over him.

 

[CantHaveTkachev]

How very HF to anoint a guy a top 3 GM based on his moves BEFORE seeing the results of those moves.

because Chayka is making HF-like trades, hence the love from some posters