The NHL GM Of The Year Award Is A Bad Joke, And Bill Zito Is The Punchline
Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill has won NHL GM of the Year for the third consecutive year.
I'm sure everyone has been keeping up with the hotly contested NHL GM of the Year award race, but for those less informed, allow me to fill you in.
The man you see before you is none other than Jim Nill, general manager of the Dallas Stars.
Nill has taken home the prestigious award not once, not twice, but three times in a row.
That is quite an impressive run for our mustachioed manager. I'm sure the Stars have won at least one Stanley Cup during that three-year timeframe, right?
Folks, I am getting handed an urgent bulletin that tells me not only has Dallas failed to win a Stanley Cup during Lord Emperor Nill's reign of dominance, they haven't even made it past the Western Conference Finals.
Surely that can't be right!
Well, I guess his competition wasn't all that stiff then, huh?
Oops, wrong again!
That's right, the runner-up for the GM of the Year award is none other than Florida Panthers' general manager, Bill Zito.
Perhaps you are familiar with his line of work: back-to-back Stanley Cup championships, one of the most dominant playoff rosters ever assembled, and a 2025 trade deadline masterclass that saw both defenseman Seth Jones and winger Brad Marchand join the Cats on their quest for another Cup.
Let's not leave out the fact that he just inked Conn Smythe winner Sam Bennett to a sweetheart extension and has 95% of his championship core locked into deals until 2030.
All of this just proves these awards are a complete joke.
I am not sure what Jim Nill did to grease up the voters, nor am I aware of what they have against Bill Zito, but for at least the second straight year, the wrong guy won.
You can't accuse me of being a salty Panthers fan, either, as plenty of neutral fans - as well as a few Dallas supporters - were more than a little confused by the selection.
I have no clue what goes into the criteria for selecting GM of the Year, but I'm already looking forward to next year's award ceremony!
Maybe if the Maple Leafs bounce Florida in a gentleman's sweep in next year's conference finals, Zito will have a shot at winning some hardware.