2020 Jim Gregory GM of the Year winner: Lou Lamoriello

[Leaf Fans]

Wasn’t Lou Lam the Leaf’s GM responsible fir building their record setting 105 point team? The guy is an amazing GM, who builds great teams. Look at the Islanders success in Lou’s two seasons!

Was a Leaf GM. Not the Leafs GM.

 

[Fatass]

Was a Leaf GM. Not the Leafs GM.

What’s your point? Lou Lam builds teams into winners, right? He deserves this award, right? He goes to the Islanders, and loses his best player to free agency. He still builds a winner. Guy is amazing!

 

[Fatass]

Lou Lam is a genius GM, and deserves this award. Imo, he’s done a fabulous job building a winner in just two years, especially considering his best player left (as a UFA) at the start of his tenure.
I wish my team (Vancouver) had Lou Lam.

 

[Fatass]

Of course. This thread should be on the main board. No one disputes that.

So in your opinion is Lou Lam deserving of this award? Like I said, I think he’s a genius GM, and wish we had him here in Vancouver.

 

[Leaf Fans]

So in your opinion is Lou Lam deserving of this award? Like I said, I think he’s a genius GM, and wish we had him here in Vancouver.

Of course.

 

[Tres Peleches]

If nothing else, between new ownership, Lou, Trotz, and the new Arena, the Isles will no longer be a laughing stock around the league

 

[Islander Class]

If nothing else, between new ownership, Lou, Trotz, and the new Arena, the Isles will no longer be a laughing stock around the league

NYI done the “right” way is a franchise on par w/PHI and STL. Not “Original 6”- but that very next tier down of well-established franchises with passionate fan bases, and some great post-1970 history. The problem is NYI hadn’t been truly run the right way since about 1988 (‘93 was fun- but the foundation of the org. was already buckling). Full marks to current ownership for recognizing the special opportunity to reinvigorate a historic franchise- and committing to top mgmt.

 

[CupsOverCash]

Hes definitely done a good job there.

 

[Henkka]

Great job.

Experience over anything.

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Lou just goes to show that you don’t need to be right on every move provided you build a well balanced team. It was the same thing in Toronto. He made some bad moves but on the whole he built a team that was trending as a top team.

For too many people, they rate a GM based on analyzing every bad move instead of looking at the overall scope of their work and the results on the ice. I’d only add that sometimes it’s ok to ‘lose’ a trade or signing provided it provides a key piece for your team and improves the team in the standings.

 

[Kuznetsnow]

Lou just goes to show that you don’t need to be right on every move provided you build a well balanced team. It was the same thing in Toronto. He made some bad moves but on the whole he built a team that was trending as a top team.

For too many people, they rate a GM based on analyzing every bad move instead of looking at the overall scope of their work and the results on the ice. I’d only add that sometimes it’s ok to ‘lose’ a trade or signing provided it provides a key piece for your team and improves the team in the standings.

This, Capitals are great example. All the flashy moves in 2017 and they choke, lose a quarter of the team in 2018 and replace with dumpster dives and prospects, much weaker on paper, but fit together much better as a team and win the cup.

A lot of the time less is more and people don't realize it whatsoever. Good players with a chance to play up (O'Reilly, Kadri, Wilson, all of Vegas) can have much more team impact than great players playing down (Tavares, Karlsson/Burns). Penguins really being the exception

 

[Pastor Of Muppetz]

So Jim Benning isnt the worst GM in the NHL..?..He's in the top 10 now...?..Crazy.

 

[aufheben]

Wait, what moves did he even make besides Pageau and Greene?

 

[Henkka]

Wait, what moves did he even make besides Pageau and Greene?

Coaching staff, everything at farm system, goaltenders, goaltending goaching etc.

 

[Henkka]

This, Capitals are great example. All the flashy moves in 2017 and they choke, lose a quarter of the team in 2018 and replace with dumpster dives and prospects, much weaker on paper, but fit together much better as a team and win the cup.

A lot of the time less is more and people don't realize it whatsoever

Many times biggest changes are made 1-2 years before. Results will come later.

 

[aufheben]

Coaching staff, everything at farm system, goaltenders, goaltending goaching etc.

But he did that last season.

 

[Kuznetsnow]

Many times biggest changes are made 1-2 years before. Results will come later.

Capitals had biggest change in a decade the summer they won the cup, Blues redid half their roster, Vegas was 100% new. You're not wrong but shit often has to be clicked into place

 

[Kuznetsnow]

So Jim Benning isnt the worst GM in the NHL..?..He's in the top 10 now...?..Crazy.

Hitting on Pettersson, Hughes, Miller and Boeser will do that. And his contract work with Edler and his young players has been excellent. He also deserves credit for sticking with Markstrom, Horvat and Virtanen

 

[Henkka]

But he did that last season.

I don't think this Trophy is based on 1-season work.

Like Ken Holland can win it after three years at Edmonton, if the team will trend upwards and he doesn't make a single move on the last season of his 3-year span.

It's a reputation Trophy, given once in a year, of long-term work. Long-term work is pretty much the only way to judge General Managers.

 

[Sidney the Kidney]

Lou just goes to show that you don’t need to be right on every move provided you build a well balanced team. It was the same thing in Toronto. He made some bad moves but on the whole he built a team that was trending as a top team.

For too many people, they rate a GM based on analyzing every bad move instead of looking at the overall scope of their work and the results on the ice. I’d only add that sometimes it’s ok to ‘lose’ a trade or signing provided it provides a key piece for your team and improves the team in the standings.

I think this is lost on a lot of fans. The objective of the GM is to win not only games, but ultimately the Stanley Cup. It's not to win trades or win free agent signings or win draft picks. At the end of the day, a GM's job is to put his team in a position to win a Cup.

Reminds me a bit of the criticisms of Rutherford being a joke. Sure, he's made some questionable moves; I've criticized a lot of them. But at the end of the day, his moves also helped the Pens win back to back Cups. That seems to be overlooked in favor of "LOL he signed Jack Johnson".

It's a main reason why I think Lou's predecessor (Snow) was a failure of a GM. He made some decent moves and hit on some of his draft picks, but ultimately his team was never a contender under him. So at the end of the day, he failed at what he was supposed to do.

 

[Devilsfan992]

Awesome, congrats Lou!

 

[Pens x]

I think Trotz has more to do with this team’s success, but that’s just me.

 

[jetsforever]

Should have done the voting earlier

 

[dlawong]

I think Trotz has more to do with this team’s success, but that’s just me.

But who hired him though? There is a cause and effect here.

By the way, Lou did not lose JT for the Isles. JT likely already know he is leaving even prior to the trading deadline or he would have already negotiated his deal the summer before if he is keen to stay with Isles & a big part of the reason is that former GM SNOW never got those high scoring wingers to play with him & thus the loss of interest to stay. On top of that, he got help to make up his mind from his wife, parents & sister, and maybe a couple of big marketing sponsors from Toronto.

Think about it? Who kept that Toronto Pajama picture of his? I believe with JT could not make up his mind in his final year, his mom probably showed him that picture as a reminder during one of the family get together events during the Christmas break. He is much closer to his family than one may know, which is ok as that actually shows the human part of him because most of us fans can't see his emotions during most press briefings.

 

[SI90]