BriseBois, Lamoriello, Nill voted as finalists for GM of the Year

The Tampa Bay Lightning's Julien BriseBois, New York Islanders' Lou Lamoriello, and Dallas Stars' Jim Nill are the finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award, the NHL announced on Wednesday.

NHL general managers and a panel of league executives and media voted for the award upon the conclusion of the second round of the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The winner will be announced on Saturday.

The Lightning reached the Eastern Conference Final this campaign after recording a historic 62-win regular season last year. BriseBois brought in the likes of Patrick Maroon, Kevin Shattenkirk, and Luke Schenn and signed cornerstone players Brayden Point and Andrei Vasilevskiy to long-term deals during the offseason. He also acquired depth forwards Blake Coleman and Barclay Goodrow prior to the 2020 trade deadline.

New York has had tremendous success in Lamoriello's first two seasons with the team. The Islanders reached the conference finals this season after advancing to the second round last year. Lamoriello hired head coach Barry Trotz - who had just won the Stanley Cup with the Washington Capitals - shortly after his own hiring.

Lamoriello inked free agents Semyon Varlamov and Derick Brassard this past offseason and handed out extensions to Anders Lee, Anthony Beauvillier, Jordan Eberle, and Brock Nelson. He made a big splash prior to the trade deadline by bringing in Jean-Gabriel Pageau and immediately signing him to a six-year extension.

Nill's Stars reached the Western Conference Final this season for the first time since 2008 and have steadily increased their points percentage over the last few years. He signed veteran forwards Corey Perry and Joe Pavelski last summer, as well as defenseman Andrej Sekera. This is his second nomination for the award.