NHL Public RelationsMay 24, 2023 NEW YORK (May 24, 2023) – Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars, Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers are the three finalists for the 2022-23 Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the National Hockey League announced today. Voting for this award was conducted among the NHL general managers and a panel of League executives, print and broadcast media at the conclusion of the Second Round of the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The winner will be unveiled on Wednesday, June 28, during the first round of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft in Nashville (7 p.m. ET, ESPN, SN, TVAS). The NHL General Manager of the Year Award first was presented in 2009-10. It was renamed in 2019-20 in honor of Jim Gregory, the 2007 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee who served as Toronto Maple Leafs general manager and a League executive for four decades. Following are the finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, in alphabetical order: Jim Nill, Dallas StarsUnder Nill’s direction the Stars (47-21-14) posted 108 points, their highest total since 2015-16, and have advanced to the Western Conference Final for the second time in four seasons. Nill’s biggest offseason move was signing head coach Peter DeBoer, who earlier this month joined Scotty Bowman as the second head coach in NHL history to guide four franchises to the Conference Finals/Semifinals (NJD, SJS, VGK and DAL). Nill also inked left wing Mason Marchment and defenseman Colin Miller during the offseason; extended the contracts of goaltender Jake Oettinger and left wing Jason Robertson; and traded for right wing Evgenii Dadonov, center Max Domi and defenseman Nils Lundkvist. Several of Nill’s Dallas draft picks have made key contributions during their run to the Conference Finals, including leading scorer Roope Hintz (No. 49 overall in 2015); a trio of franchise-altering picks from 2017: defenseman Miro Heiskanen (No. 3), Oettinger (No. 26) and Robertson (No. 39); and recent Game 7 hero Wyatt Johnston (No. 23 in 2021). Nill, who in April marked his 10th anniversary as Stars GM, is a Jim Gregory finalist for the third time after finishing third in voting in both 2015-16 and 2019-20, the latter when the team last advanced to the Stanley Cup Final. Don Sweeney, Boston BruinsSweeney oversaw a Bruins team (65-12-5, 135 points) that rewrote the NHL’s record book this season. Under 2022-23 Jack Adams Award finalist Jim Montgomery, an offseason Sweeney hire, Boston sat atop the Atlantic Division from start to finish – becoming just the fourth team in the League’s modern era (since 1943-44) to lead wire-to-wire. The Bruins set NHL records for single-season wins (65) and points (135), including a League-record 14-game home winning streak from the start of the campaign. Boston also had a +128 goal differential (including shootout-deciding goals), the highest by any team since 1995-96 (DET, +144). The eighth-year Bruins GM bolstered his roster by re-signing center Patrice Bergeron, bringing back free agent center David Krejci and trading for center Pavel Zacha during the offseason. He then acquired right wing Garnet Hathaway and defenseman Dmitry Orlov (from WSH) as well as left wing Tyler Bertuzzi (from DET) prior to the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline and signed right wing David Pastrnak (who had 61 goals and 113 points in 2022-23) to an eight-year extension. A previous winner in 2018-19, Sweeney is vying to join Lou Lamoriello (2019-20 and 2020-21) as the second GM to capture the Jim Gregory multiple times since it first was awarded in 2009-10. Bill Zito, Florida PanthersThe Panthers (42-32-8, 92 points) have advanced to the Conference Finals for the first time since 1995-96, continuing the upward trajectory that has defined Zito’s three years in South Florida. Building on the success of the 2021‑22 team, which captured the Presidents’ Trophy behind a franchise-record 58 wins and 122 points, Zito began a pivotal offseason by signing head coach Paul Maurice, who completed 2022-23 sixth on the NHL’s all-time coaching wins list (817) in 25 total seasons behind the bench. Exactly a month later Zito made a blockbuster trade to acquire and extend left wing Matthew Tkachuk, who went on to rank seventh in the NHL with 40-69—109 during the regular season, capture MVP honors in front his hometown fans at the 2023 Honda NHL All-Star Game, be voted a finalist for the Hart Memorial Trophy and serve as a catalyst during the team’s run to the Conference Finals. Zito made several other significant offseason moves, including signing free agents Nick Cousins, Alex Lyon, Eric Staal, Marc Staal and Colin White. A Jim Gregory finalist for the second time in his first three years (a feat achieved by only one other GM: Marc Bergevin), Zito is seeking his first win after finishing third in voting following his first season at the helm of the team (2020-21). ### (5/24/23) |
