Who would you rather have? Best player vs Best GM

Who would you rather have in your organization?


  • Total voters
    242

Thenameless

Registered User
Apr 29, 2014
3,854
1,788
It's very hard to pick against the best player in the world. If you can get a legend like Pele, Maradona, Gretzky, Jordan, etc, you are very likely to win a Championship anyway, plus having a special player like that gives your team a cache that an elite GM would not give you - more publicity, sales, the ability to attract other elite players.

Now having said that, I think that having the best GM would give you more of an advantage, especially over a long period as player careers are short. There's so much more to it now than drafting well and trading well. You've got salary caps, NMC's, etc that a GM has to navigate around in today's world. In hockey's bygone era, Sam Pollock and Bill Torrey had a greater effect on team success than any one player that played for their teams. In another sport, basketball, Jerry West's accomplishments again far outweigh anything Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, or Lebron James ever did. West built the Showtime Lakers of the 80's with Magic Johnson and Kareem (5 Championships), then he built a second Laker dynasty involving Shaq and Kobe (3 Championships in a row, and a lesser part of 2 more). Now, he's played a major hand in the NBA's most recent powerhouse with Golden State (2 Championships already and likely another one this year). The creation of 3 dynasties. I'll take the best GM.
 

jetsforever

Registered User
Dec 14, 2013
27,202
23,057
Pittsburgh vs Vegas
Hard to say - if I take the best player, can I still have an average GM? I wouldn't want Bergevin for example.
 

Meeqs

Registered User
Aug 23, 2012
9,295
1,677
USA
Anyone who voted player obviously hasn't learned the lesson from EDM. Its incredibly easy to waste a generational players career by a badly run team. Look at Mtl with Price, EK in OTT or McPickles in Edm. The best GM is clearly the better option. They have a longer life span and hockey is a team game above an individual one, so the guy who can put together the best team will always have a bigger impact than the player.
 

TOGuy14

Registered User
Dec 30, 2010
12,061
3,571
Toronto
So McDavid vs Poile then?

Poile has run highly successful teams for a couple decades now. McDavid as the best player in the league has only made the playoffs in 1 of 3 years.

This isn't the NBA, depth is very important in the NHL. Having a great GM who can draft and manage the cap is far more important than just having the best player.
 

Voight

#winning
Feb 8, 2012
40,373
16,652
Mulberry Street
This sent the NBA, 1 player does not win you the championship.

You need a good GM to build said championship team.

Edmonton has the best player but arguably the worst GM, our close to it. They busted wasted 2 prime, low salary years of the best player.
 

1865

Alpha Couturier
Feb 28, 2005
16,839
5,603
Chester, UK
Let's ask Edmonton fans how good it is to have the best in the world and let's see how Tampa are doing with the best GM.

If you have the best GM, you don't need the best player.
 

Kelly

Registered User
Nov 12, 2012
14,889
7,464
Last time I checked Poile has the same amount of cup rings as McDavid and he's been a GM ~33 years longer than McDavid has been in the league.

Having the best player certainly doesn't guarantee you the cup, but the difference between an average player to McDavid is much much larger than the difference between an average GM, and a Poile or Yzerman.
 

AKL

Danila Yurov Fan Club President
Sponsor
Dec 10, 2012
39,525
17,981
No idea how best player is even close in this poll let alone winning.

Best GM is the (objectively) correct answer.
 

6 Karlsson 5

Registered User
Aug 9, 2012
3,671
262
In theory, manger would be the best option, in my opinion; however, no manger in the NHL really impresses me. If everything was wiped clean, i have a hard time taking a GM over 87 or 97 (or whoever you think is the best). I think taking the player would be the safer option, and after you grab your star, you then get a GM that won't f it up, which may be harder than it seems haha.
 

justafan22

Registered User
Jun 22, 2014
11,629
6,249
I mean the pens went 7 years between cups with crosby due to shitty Gm work by shero.

Oilers are in a not so great spot even with mcdavid due to Chia
 
Last edited by a moderator:

Panthaz89

Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Panthers fan
Dec 24, 2016
13,194
5,716
Buffalo,NY
You can always hire a new GM, getting a new Franchise player is much harder.
smart GM if in position would just tear down and rebuild to pick up one considering they will know who to pick and guys like Kucherov, Bergeron can be found in later rounds and assuming the GM is the best he should be able to find them.
 

BlueBaron

Registered User
May 29, 2006
15,669
6,302
Sarnia, On
smart GM if in position would just tear down and rebuild to pick up one considering they will know who to pick and guys like Kucherov, Bergeron can be found in later rounds and assuming the GM is the best he should be able to find them.

Is this sarcasm?
 

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