Who is the best drafting GM in the NHL?

[WhereAreTheCookies]

I think GMs establish a checklist of traits they value in a prospect and the scouts identify the players to best fit that template. While they don’t have direct inputs on specific players, they do have the finger prints all over the drafts.

Some of that also varies wildly by GM. It's become pretty well known in Buffalo that Tim Murray used to override his scouts recommendations because he felt he knew better and really didn't value their input.

The most egregious example is in 2016 Buffalo's scouts had McAvoy and Chychrun rated above Nylander and wanted McAvoy. Murray knew better and selected Alex Nylander.

 

[NjdevilfanJim]

Yzerman can't overlook What Gorton did with Rangers....Prior work with Bruins and Canadians a lot of their moves are Gorton not just Hughes...

 

[jfhabs]

Francis did a good job in Carolina

 

[TheReelChuckFletcher]

Dallas has successfully managed to stay relevant despite a couple of bad contracts, and a huge reason is because they've been so prolific in the draft. Tampa also continues to somehow still squeeze out some decent players with their meager draft capital (Most notably Colton and Perbix over the last couple of years). Carolina's also a good team at the draft: this year alone, they've had Drury and Kochetkov from the recent 2nd rounds come in and contribute in a significant way, particularly Kochetkov.

 

[Craft Beer Lover]

THINGS YOU WILL NEVER, EVER SEE:

• A Philadelphia Flyer GM on this list.

 

[High five Tom]

Definitely Don Sweeney

 

[SSCBLUEJET]

Chevy in Wpg.
Has a lot working against him in the NHL's Red-haired orphan market but still puts out a competitive team.
When Winnipeg was awarded a franchise again many hockey pundits said it wouldn't last five years. I dare say, if it wasn't for Chevy, they might have been right.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Dorion is actually pretty good at scouting and drafting players

Dorion and the Ottawa staff are great but suffer from some crazy reaches. Sometimes they work out (Ostapchuk - Pinto), sometimes they don't (probably Boucher - Roger). They like to think of themselves as the "smartest guys in the room". Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.

 

[Craft Beer Lover]

WAS....Ron Hextall

Did not know you were doing all time.

Surely you jest...

2014: Travis Sanheim over David Pastrnak.

2015: Ivan Provorov over Zach Werenski, Mikko Rantanen, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Chabot.

2016: German Rubtsov over Tage Thompson, Alex DeBrincat, Adam Fox.

2017: Round 1-Nolan Patrick over Miro Heiskanen, Cale Makar, Elias Pettersson; Round 2-Isaac Ratcliffe over Jason Robertson.

2018: The immortal Jay O’Brien over anybody.

Hextall has the right idea about retaining and not trading draft picks, but made poor choices with those picks.

 

[Buck Naked]

Dorion and the Ottawa staff are great but suffer from some crazy reaches. Sometimes they work out (Ostapchuk - Pinto), sometimes they don't (probably Boucher - Roger). They like to think of themselves as the "smartest guys in the room". Sometimes they are, sometimes they aren't.

Jeeez, that was an awful pick. 2021 was a deep draft and they could've stocked up with Sillinger, Cossa, or Wallstedt..

 

[Gjman2019]

Jim Nill.

Maybe not the best but could be the most underrated. Sorry if that gets away from the opening poster's question a bit.

 

[Canes]

I will have to agree with Cheveldayoff.

He gets most of the picks that absolutely need to be NHLers right for the most part.

 

[Silky Johnson]

Jeeez, that was an awful pick. 2021 was a deep draft and they could've stocked up with Sillinger, Cossa, or Wallstedt..

I only say probably because Boucher has the size, skills and mean streak to become an effective NHLer.

Even if he does put it together and become a good player, he should have been available in the 2nd.

Man, would I like to have Cossa in the system....

 

[Yepthatsme]

Don’t think he’s the best but he deserves a shoutout, Calgary’s scouting philosophy seemingly got completely revamped under Treliving. He reportedly got full autonomy in 2015, then in the next 3 drafts Calgary drafted all of the following outside of the first round: Andersson, Kylington, Mangiapane, Fox, Dube, Phillips, and Ruzicka. That’s two top pair D-men (one has a Norris), another top 4 d-men, a 30 goal scorer, two more middle 6 offensive players, and a prospect who was leading the AHL in points over 3 drafts. Some teams go a decade without that kind of hull from later rounds, and he did it in his first 3 years.

 

[Unsustainable]

Waddell has found gems in the later rounds. Francis had success in later rounds also.

 

[GOilers88]

I've always been lead to believe on these forums that outside of first round picks GM's have nothing to do with drafting.

Draft busts are always chalked up to stupid, bad GM's and good picks are always credited to scouts.

 

[ESH]

Surely you jest...

2014: Travis Sanheim over David Pastrnak.

2015: Ivan Provorov over Zach Werenski, Mikko Rantanen, Mathew Barzal, Thomas Chabot.

2016: German Rubtsov over Tage Thompson, Alex DeBrincat, Adam Fox.

2017: Round 1-Nolan Patrick over Miro Heiskanen, Cale Makar, Elias Pettersson; Round 2-Isaac Ratcliffe over Jason Robertson.

2018: The immortal Jay O’Brien over anybody.

Hextall has the right idea about retaining and not trading draft picks, but made poor choices with those picks.

Fox was a 3rd round pick dude. It wasn’t just Hextall that passed over him

 

[HabsQC]

How bout Ken Holland ? The Datsyuk and Zetterberg picks in 6th and 7th round. Anyone ?

 

[Royale With Cheese]

Honorable mention to Jim Nill. He literally rebuilt his team in one draft with Jason Robertson at 39th, Oettinger at 26th and Heiskanen at 3rd. Literally, 3 franchise players in one draft.

This is amazing actually.

 

[Celtic Note]

Do GMs draft?

 

[Chainshot]

Some of that also varies wildly by GM. It's become pretty well known in Buffalo that Tim Murray used to override his scouts recommendations because he felt he knew better and really didn't value their input.

The most egregious example is in 2016 Buffalo's scouts had McAvoy and Chychrun rated above Nylander and wanted McAvoy. Murray knew better and selected Alex Nylander.

And more recently, Botterill apparently did the same thing in 2017 when he took over per Marek and Friedman recently - the scouts were sold on Necas and Botts over-ruled them for Mittelstadt.

 

[BlackFrancis]

And more recently, Botterill apparently did the same thing in 2017 when he took over per Marek and Friedman recently - the scouts were sold on Necas and Botts over-ruled them for Mittelstadt.

The inverse, where the GM and scouts have an accord to pick Robert Thomas, but one scout convincingly steers the focus to Urho Vaakanainen, is no joy either.

 

[PromisedLand]

wonder who Holland employed or was it just plain luck when the Red Wings drafted Datsyuk (6th round) and Zetterberg (7th round)

was it the quality of scouts or quality of GM
?

 

[eojsmada]

wonder who Holland employed or was it just plain luck when the Red Wings drafted Datsyuk (6th round) and Zetterberg (7th round)

was it the quality of scouts or quality of GM
?

Scouts. Hakan Andersson's legendary status began with the likes of Zetterberg/Lidstrom/Franzen/Holmstrom. Jim Devellano, IIRC, mentioned that he had an "in" into Russian hockey that allowed him to get a look at some players that most teams didn't have access to, at the time, because of the Cold War.

Most picks after the first 2-3 rounds are made by the Asst GM's/Scouts

 

[acrobaticgoalie]

How bout Ken Holland ? The Datsyuk and Zetterberg picks in 6th and 7th round. Anyone ?

Because Detroit's euro scouts back then were phenomenal. He hasn't drafted very well in the last 15 years