Here's a look at where the General Manager of the Year award stands post-trade deadline as we head into the final quarter of the NHL season:
1. Mike Gillis, Vancouver Canucks
Gillis' Canucks have moved past a rocky start to the season and a potential goaltending controversy to re-emerge as the NHL's best, deepest club. They had it all and then Gillis made the bold move of sending emerging young center Cody Hodgson to the Buffalo Sabres for Zack Kassian, a bruising winger with good offensive upside. Samuel Pahlsson, a Cup winner in Anaheim, should also add defensive depth up front as the Canucks look ready to embark on another long playoff run.
2. David Poile, Nashville Predators
Shacks' Take: Well he either made the bold that could earn him this award or the bold move that could cost him his job. I'm not talking about Kassian for Hodgson either, I'm talking about replacing Hodgson on the third line with an aging Sami Pahlsson. If Pahlsson can regain the magic he had in helping lead the Ducks to the cup, Gillis will be proven a genius. If Pahlsson plays less than stellar, this decision will be one that could define his tenure. I'm excited to see the outcome of these moves but I'm nowhere near convinced they were the right ones...yet.
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