NHL General Manager of the Year Award

[Seedling]

ChiaPet.

 

[LeafsNation75]

To the people saying Chia doesn't deserve it because of McDavid, I suppose McDavid is an absolute lock for your Hart trophy vote then, correct?

I'm not saying Chiarelli shouldn't be a contender for it, however a lot of people forget he wasn't the GM when the Oilers won the draft lottery in 2015. I even remember him saying if it wasn't for McDavid he might not have accepted the job in Edmonton.

 

[McRpro]

I'm not saying Chiarelli shouldn't be a contender for it, however a lot of people forget he wasn't the GM when the Oilers won the draft lottery in 2015. I even remember him saying if it wasn't for McDavid he might not have accepted the job in Edmonton.

I call BS on that. Got any proof?

 

[Cawz]

I'm not saying Chiarelli shouldn't be a contender for it, however a lot of people forget he wasn't the GM when the Oilers won the draft lottery in 2015. I even remember him saying if it wasn't for McDavid he might not have accepted the job in Edmonton.

For your first sentence, what does that matter.

For your second, where do you remember that from? He's on record saying exactly the opposite.

"That pick certainly wasn't a deal-maker; the group here with Bob, Kevin and Daryl, the relationships there really helped out," Chiarelli said. "That pick is a tremendous pick. To try and move up from three or four in normal circumstances to get that pick, you couldn't do it. Especially with the caliber of player that is available. It was a huge cherry on top to have that, but the decision wouldn't have been any different."

 

[Sleepy]

Any team can tank and draft #1 or #2... then what? The whole point is getting results from your actions.
Buffalo got #2 in 2014 & 2015 and are bottom feeding in the Atlantic. and worst in the league only to Arizona.
Teams like Arizona, Florida, and Toronto have dabbled in the basement for more than a few seasons with VERY little to show for it (maybe TOR does something now...).

You have no argument just a statement that a tank gets you a top pick.

You're right, you have to be lucky enough to win the lottery *AND* find some generational talent in the top picks. This is where I agree with Brian Burke.

 

[MNRube]

So addressing team needs and improving the team should never be celebrated? Because that is what he did. You can second guess all you want but neither you nor I know the future - so as of now all that matters are results. And let's be honest, aren't results are the only thing that matter?

So Chia should be celebrated as a top GM simply because he did the obvious? The Lucic contract alone removes him from contention.

 

[Aceboogie]

Another great move Chiarelli has done is signing sekera. He's been our best D this year and a #2 D. Chiarelli has made a ton of move and alot of ballsy moves. So he does have losses. But he's got a ton of wins too

Just he alone has brought in sekera, Russell, Benning, Larsson. 2 top pairing D, and 2 good bottom pairing D. Benning could be his best acquisition going forward FWIW.

 

[Davo Ikinzom]

Funny, a lot of people were saying Chiarelli was one of or the worst GM in the league the last few years.

 

[MNRube]

Chia has zero reason to be ahead of Fletcher. Fletcher has been flawless in the last year. He's added Staal (0.75 PPG 1C on a silly contract), Stewart (been an elite 4th line option), Boudreau (completely transformed the entire roster) and Scott Stevens (reviews are all glowing.) He literally hit 4 home runs in 4 at bats. Add in the huge growth of Kaprizov, Greenway, Eriksson Ek and the emergence of a top 10 prospect group and Fletcher should have this locked up.

Silly to suggest that Chia deserves it more when he has made several dumb moves, including a potentially fatal one in the Lucic contract. He already had a cheaper Lucic in Maroon, so the idea that he needed a big tough guy doesn't hold water. Hard to see how that contract doesn't cripple their flexibility going forward. Guys like Lucic are becoming extinct in NHL, and will only get worse as speed and skill take precedence over size and snarl.

Beyond him, LL has been better as well. Anderson has been their Talbot and they appear to be hitting on all their recent draft picks. Zaitsev looks like a major coup and they have seen guys like JVR, Bozak retain peak value on the trade market. They are very deep as an organization, but have made it so they won't lose a thing to Vegas of any value. They have a wealth of traceable assets ranging from Top 6/4 vets to high-end prospects. That's great asset management.

 

[ManofSteel55]

And you still probably aren't in a playoff position without Mcdavid.

I'm not suggesting he wasn't great. But based on my perception, the Oilers are (right now) as good as Mcdavid makes them.

A lot of teams wouldn't be in playoff contention without their top player.

 

[ManofSteel55]

Chia has zero reason to be ahead of Fletcher. Fletcher has been flawless in the last year. He's added Staal (0.75 PPG 1C on a silly contract), Stewart (been an elite 4th line option), Boudreau (completely transformed the entire roster) and Scott Stevens (reviews are all glowing.) He literally hit 4 home runs in 4 at bats. Add in the huge growth of Kaprizov, Greenway, Eriksson Ek and the emergence of a top 10 prospect group and Fletcher should have this locked up.

Silly to suggest that Chia deserves it more when he has made several dumb moves, including a potentially fatal one in the Lucic contract. He already had a cheaper Lucic in Maroon, so the idea that he needed a big tough guy doesn't hold water. Hard to see how that contract doesn't cripple their flexibility going forward. Guys like Lucic are becoming extinct in NHL, and will only get worse as speed and skill take precedence over size and snarl.

Beyond him, LL has been better as well. Anderson has been their Talbot and they appear to be hitting on all their recent draft picks. Zaitsev looks like a major coup and they have seen guys like JVR, Bozak retain peak value on the trade market. They are very deep as an organization, but have made it so they won't lose a thing to Vegas of any value. They have a wealth of traceable assets ranging from Top 6/4 vets to high-end prospects. That's great asset management.

Sounds like you don't know much about Lucic. This isn't Semenko we are talking about.

 

[Aceboogie]

Chia has zero reason to be ahead of Fletcher. Fletcher has been flawless in the last year. He's added Staal (0.75 PPG 1C on a silly contract), Stewart (been an elite 4th line option), Boudreau (completely transformed the entire roster) and Scott Stevens (reviews are all glowing.) He literally hit 4 home runs in 4 at bats. Add in the huge growth of Kaprizov, Greenway, Eriksson Ek and the emergence of a top 10 prospect group and Fletcher should have this locked up.

Silly to suggest that Chia deserves it more when he has made several dumb moves, including a potentially fatal one in the Lucic contract. He already had a cheaper Lucic in Maroon, so the idea that he needed a big tough guy doesn't hold water. Hard to see how that contract doesn't cripple their flexibility going forward. Guys like Lucic are becoming extinct in NHL, and will only get worse as speed and skill take precedence over size and snarl.

Beyond him, LL has been better as well. Anderson has been their Talbot and they appear to be hitting on all their recent draft picks. Zaitsev looks like a major coup and they have seen guys like JVR, Bozak retain peak value on the trade market. They are very deep as an organization, but have made it so they won't lose a thing to Vegas of any value. They have a wealth of traceable assets ranging from Top 6/4 vets to high-end prospects. That's great asset management.

Crazy how people have Lou has higher when really they made the exact same moves. Chiarelli has nailed picks with Jones, Bear, Paigin, benson, Wells. Basically tought o call as no players are in NHL yet

LL is benefiting massively from Matthews, just as Chairelli is from McDavid- yet why is noone bringing this up?

Zaitev looks like a major coup? Check out Benning. As its apparent you dont watch the team, check out his underlying numbers which are mindblowing. If you don't value those, dig your head further into the sand I guess

Chiarelli has completely rebuilt a D core. Check out the goals against stats, top 10 in the league. Ill bet you werent aware of that. To add to that hes added a #1 goalie whos been a top 10 goalie in the league this year. On top of that hes added 2 top 6 wingers. Oh and he also signed McClellan and co (reviews are glowing)

 

[Aceboogie]

Oh and signed the most sought after college UFA in Drake Cagguila this offseason to just top it off

 

[bucks_oil]

oilers at the start of the year last year were 2nd place until McDavid got hurt... Don't think Chia deserves it since he was gifted a generational talent. Without him this year doubt they're anywhere close to where they are now.

I'd say as of now Fletcher would be the front runner.

The bolded is categorically wrong. When McD went down we were already on a skid.
http://dropyourgloves.com/Games/AnyDateStandings.aspx?Date=2015-11-4&League=1

That's us there... 5th from the bottom.

This team didn't turn the corner until:
Maroon for pucks
Lucic for cash
Larsson for Hall
Russell for cash
Sekera for cash
McDavid for health
Klefbom for health
Latestu for Gordon
Kassian for pucks
Benning from college
Caggiula from college
Talbot for picks

There are only two moves in that entire list that were not GM moves.

Our Chia only roster looks something like this:

Maroon XXX XXX
Lucic XXX XXX
XXX Caggiula XXX
XXX Latestu Kassian

XXX Larsson
Sekera Russell
Benning XXX

Talbot

What was the oilers biggest weakness... you know the one you all told us about? Right... high-end talent couldn't fix a poorly constructed roster. We needed to revamp the role players and the D-core.

Hmmm... seems like that's what Chia did, in less than two years.

 

[Cawz]

Chia has zero reason to be ahead of Fletcher. Fletcher has been flawless in the last year. He's added Staal (0.75 PPG 1C on a silly contract), Stewart (been an elite 4th line option), Boudreau (completely transformed the entire roster) and Scott Stevens (reviews are all glowing.) He literally hit 4 home runs in 4 at bats. Add in the huge growth of Kaprizov, Greenway, Eriksson Ek and the emergence of a top 10 prospect group and Fletcher should have this locked up.

Silly to suggest that Chia deserves it more when he has made several dumb moves, including a potentially fatal one in the Lucic contract. He already had a cheaper Lucic in Maroon, so the idea that he needed a big tough guy doesn't hold water. Hard to see how that contract doesn't cripple their flexibility going forward. Guys like Lucic are becoming extinct in NHL, and will only get worse as speed and skill take precedence over size and snarl.

Beyond him, LL has been better as well. Anderson has been their Talbot and they appear to be hitting on all their recent draft picks. Zaitsev looks like a major coup and they have seen guys like JVR, Bozak retain peak value on the trade market. They are very deep as an organization, but have made it so they won't lose a thing to Vegas of any value. They have a wealth of traceable assets ranging from Top 6/4 vets to high-end prospects. That's great asset management.

All 3 have done well. Minny was a wildcard team that turned into a conference champion contender, Oiler were 2nd last and turned into a division champion contender, Leafs were last place and turned into a playoff contender. Dismissing any of the GMs for what they’ve done is silly and reeks of having an agenda or bias.

 

[BakedYams]

Some people believe Lucic will spend the last few years on LTIR regardless with his spinal condition. I still think he was an important part of changing the culture and leadership in the room. Most of the players have mentioned as such, usually unprompted.

I don't think enough has been said about the Maroon trade either. I can't imagine it's very easy to not only trade for an underperforming player from a divisional rival, but to get the cap crunched Anaheim team to retain salary for the next two years has been impressive as well. Yes, Maroon can be a streaky player and as played plenty with McDavid to pump up his stats but he has shown he can produce anywhere in the lineup which has value.

He's in the conversation whether people believe he's earned it or not. Edmonton was 29th last year and 28th the year before. They are now 5th in the Western Conference, 3rd in the Pacific, and a probable top-10 team by the end of the year.

 

[bucks_oil]

LL in Toronto. Lot of help from the lottery but he's been spearheading a very aggressive and practical FO.

Jarmo in Columbus. The Dupuis pick remains a bit confounding, but the Jackets are loaded. They are deep, fast, skilled and mean. The Jones, Murray, Werenski trio is unfair.

*No chance Chia deserves this. The Hall trade may have been necessary but it should never be celebrated. Remember he also replaced Hall with Lucic on a ridiculous contract that will rob McDavid of support in his prime. He's made up for these to a degree with Talbot and Maroon but the guy is not close to this discussion.

I agree on Jarmo. I'm not sure what picking Dupuis has to do with anything right now. We should be talking about on ice results and you don't know any better than he or his scouts at this point.

What has LL really done though? Post a roster of his moves... let's see where they shake out on the ice? I see the leafs as a team that had wonder kids mature all at the same time... like the Oilers the year of Hall, Ebs, Pajarvi & Omark... oh right, except the leaf kids are real difference makers. But that's not on the GM... so what are the aggressive and practical moves?

And yeah... Chia ABSOLUTELY deserves credit for Hall --> Larsson. If I'm an owner (or a fan), I want my GM paid to make the unpopular moves that can actually build a championship.

Last year with Hall & Klef and McD healthy we were still a bubble 500 team at best. Trading Hall and adding vet leadership in Lucic, Russel, Latestu, and passion and hunger in Kassian, Maroon, Benning has changed that dressing room. That's what GMs do... the results absolutely speak for themselves.

If you want to discount what Chia has done because it looks bad to you on paper, or in a cap-geek spreadsheet, or in the projections of the draft picks... I have news for you... it's judged on the standings and nowhere else and right now Chia has done the most in the least amount of time with less input from the draft... Oilers sucked with Hall and they still sucked with McD. Trust me on that much, I've suffered through every game.

 

[Flair Hay]

Fletcher by a wide margin

 

[Go Wings]

Chiarelli rebuilt the entire team. As good as McDavid has been the Oilers aren't in a playoff spot without the forward group being balanced, the defense drastically improved, and a #1 goalie acquired.

Of finishing in the bottom of the league every single year and getting high draft picks. If you didnt luck out with McDavid you wouldnt be close to a playoff spot.

So no he doesnt deserve the award.

 

[BroadwayStorm]

The Oilers have no business being in this discussion. They would have probably already moved out of Edmonton without league intervention handing them top 3 picks year after year after year. Every move they make benefits from all the talent they drafted and can then trade. No. Stop.

Gorton or Fletcher and no one else. I don't mention Toronto because tanking is not impressive. You are supposed to get elite players when tanking. Duh!

 

[SmoggyTwinkles]

What did the Leafs do other than sign Anderson? Their roster is pretty much the same aside from 3 super rookies.

Does that garner a GM award?

Shannahan should get an award for:

"woah you're telling me if you just draft and develop and be patient you can get a good team in Toronto? no wayyyyy!"

 

[McShogun99]

If Chia wins it then he should just hand the award to Mcdavid. I'll give him full credit for the trades but without Mcdavid we have none of our current UFAs or TM.

 

[McRpro]

The Oilers have no business being in this discussion. They would have probably already moved out of Edmonton without league intervention handing them top 3 picks year after year after year. Every move they make benefits from all the talent they drafted and can then trade. No. Stop.

Would have moved? Even with constant sell outs during the last 10 years?

League intervention handing the Oilers top picks? What intervention? Newsflash: Bad teams pick high. Cry and whine about it all you want but the Oilers aren't the first nor will they be the last team built with high picks.

 

[McPuritania]

As much as he gets flamed on here, Peter Chiarelli. The Oilers are a legit playoff team with size, speed, skill, and for once in a decade, a respectable defense which is the backbone of our team. Also has a fantastic goalie in Talbot. Chiarelli has done a great job of making small trades that have impacted the team in a big way. Talbot, Maroon, and Kassian, have all been very strong for this team, and all were pretty small deals at the time.

Of course, we do have McDavid, so any aspect of this team people want to discredit, they'll point to him.

i don't know if you want to cite Lucic as a feather in his cap. short term maybe and through the length it still might not be a disaster but that wasn't really impressive in any way.

I'll say this. Lucic has been a big part of our lockeroom this year. Chiarelli has done a great job jettisoning a loser culture, with one that is resilient, and healthy. That's a very underrated aspect of what he's done.

All 3 have done well. Minny was a wildcard team that turned into a conference champion contender, Oiler were 2nd last and turned into a division champion contender, Leafs were last place and turned into a playoff contender. Dismissing any of the GMs for what they’ve done is silly and reeks of having an agenda or bias.

Agreed. All have done tremendous jobs, and shouldn't be slagged. It'd be nice if people would stop flat out lying to push their agendas, too. Oilers were not 2nd when McDavid got injured, and Chiarelli did not say he wouldn't have chosen Edmonton without McDavid. Be better, guys.

 

[LeafsNation75]

So Chia should be celebrated as a top GM simply because he did the obvious? The Lucic contract alone removes him from contention.

Plus a lot of people have said him trading for Griffin Reinhart considering he's been up and down between the NHL and AHL, along with what he gave away to get him.