Toronto Maple Leafs: Ranking All 32 NHL General Managers
By Jeff Borsuk
The 10th Ranked GM – Kelly McCrimmon (Vegas Golden Knights)
When the Golden Knights joined the NHL, their general manager was George McPhee. His Assistant GM was Kelly McCrimmon. When McPhee moved out of his role in 2019 to concentrate on being the franchise’s President of Hockey Operations, McCrimmon took over as the GM. He has been in charge for nearly two years.
The Good – McCrimmon has been able to sign big name free agents such as Alex Pietrangelo and Robin Lehner, however, the move that makes him stand out is the trade he made for Chandler Stephenson. Somehow McCrimmon saw something in the center that no one else did. He gave the Capitals a fifth-round pick in the 2021 draft for him. Stephenson developed enough to not just earn himself far more ice time but also a four-year $11M contract.
The Bad – It’s very difficult to find anything overly egregious that McCrimmon has done. The worst that can be said about him is that he isn’t McPhee. McCrimmon’s mentor set up a roster that began near the top of the league and remained there. While McCrimmon has maintained nearly the same level of success, with his club going as far as the Stanley Cup Semi-Finals, McPhee still deserves some of the credit there.
The Ugly – During the playoff series that the Golden Knights played against the Canadiens, McCrimmon was shown on television taking in Game 3 from a suit in the Bell Centre. He and McPhee watched the game without wearing their masks, which was in direct violation of the league’s COVID-19 Protocol.
McCrimmon tested positive for the virus, which means he exposed his 63 year old mentor without taking the simplest of precautions. McCrimmon and McPhee were warned about their actions by the NHL and reminded to follow safety protocols.