5 GM's Whose Jobs Depend on This Season's Performance
Pressure is skyrocketing throughout the NHL. Which general managers could have their jobs on the line based on how the rest of this season unfolds?
Business in the NHL is about to pick up in a big way. While the Four Nations break is on the horizon, that respite won’t last for long.
Teams are well underway trying to formulate their plans for the March 7 trade deadline. Several teams won’t fully know their plans until closer to that date. They may or may not be in the playoff hunt at that time.
Then once the trade deadline passes, it’s go time on the ice. With fewer games remaining comes more pressure to find wins and points in the standings.
The key word in that last sentence is pressure. Even more so this year, teams have felt more pressure to find tangible success for their teams. While it is the goal of every team to win the Stanley Cup, most teams aren’t ready to win it all. They still have to find a way to take positive steps towards that ultimate goal.
With the pressure higher than ever to win, not everyone will have the patience to endure a failed season. Today, we present to you five NHL GM’s under the most pressure to find success for their team. Failure to do so could cost them their job.
Who makes the list? Let’s start with perhaps the biggest story in the NHL and if a viable solution comes soon.
Patrik Allvin - Vancouver Canucks
Unless you are living under a rock, it’s hard to miss this ongoing saga with the Vancouver Canucks. Elias Pettersson and J.T. Miller could both be on the move at some point.
Try to imagine being in GM Patrik Allvin or Jim Rutherford’s shoes. They see that their star players are not getting along. With Rutherford recently indicating that the two players do not like each other, he’s admitting keeping them together is not an option.
This puts the Canucks in a major pickle. Leverage is not on their side. Teams can simply say no if the asking price from the Canucks is too high.
Having a high asking price could prove to be costly. At some point, a move has to happen. The longer this story festers, the worse it is for everyone involved. That should drive the asking price down. Teams will then gather around and see if something makes sense.
Now consider the Canucks’ situation. They made the playoffs last year. They’re in the wildcard hunt this year. They are winning games of late despite the soap opera that has unfolded.
The pressure is squarely on Allvin and Rutherford to find the right time to cut bait when possible. If they can find a suitable deal, they can stay in this playoff hunt. Imagine if they have to deal both Pettersson and Miller and they miss the playoffs?
The Canucks are facing multiple kinds of pressures at once. These are the kind of deals that have ripple effects for years. Allvin has to make the most of the awful hand they’re facing. Missing the playoffs could lead to massive changes.
Kyle Davidson - Chicago Blackhawks
There was a reason that the Chicago Blackhawks were in position to win the right to draft Connor Bedard. They were a bad hockey team.
