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