Allvin, Nill, Zito up for NHL's GM of the Year
The Vancouver Canucks' Patrik Allvin, Dallas Stars' Jim Nill, and Florida Panthers' Bill Zito were named the three finalists of the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award on Thursday.
Allvin, who was hired in January 2022, guided the Canucks to their first division title since 2013 and their first postseason appearance since 2020. He gave the Canucks' blue line a much-needed overhaul, acquiring defensemen Filip Hronek, Carson Soucy, Nikita Zadorov, and Ian Cole over the last year and a half. He also hired Rick Tocchet - the 2024 Jack Adams Award winner - as head coach in January 2023.
Nill's Stars led the Western Conference in points during the regular season and are in the Western Conference Final. Nill, who won the award in 2023 and has been finalist four times, has built through the draft during his 11 seasons at the helm, producing homegrown talent such as Miro Heiskanen, Jason Robertson, Roope Hintz, Jake Oettinger, Thomas Harley, Wyatt Johnston, and Logan Stankoven. Defenseman Chris Tanev, a 2024 deadline addition, has been a crucial piece of Dallas' playoff run.
Zito has the Panthers in the final four for the second year in a row; the club lost in the 2023 Stanley Cup Final. He's a finalist for the award for the third time in four years but is seeking his first win. He made several key depth additions over the past year, including Vladimir Tarasenko, Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Dmitry Kulikov, Niko Mikkola, and Anthony Stolarz.
The winner will be announced June 10.