Toronto Maple Leafs: Ranking All 32 NHL General Managers

25th Ranked GM – Bill Armstrong (Arizona Coyotes)

Admittedly, Bill Armstrong has not been at the helm of the Arizona Coyotes very long. He was only hired in September 2020. Before then he worked as an assistant GM for the St. Louis Blues. His success in St. Louis earned him his current position in the desert.

The Good – Though he’s only been on the job a short time, Armstrong has signed 17 player contracts worth $26,690,000. He also managed to make an excellent deal for the franchise, getting out of Derek Stepan’s expiring $6.5M contract. Armstrong shipped Stepan to the Senators and managed to get a second round pick for him.

The Bad – Armstrong appears to be playing things safe in his nearly ten months as Arizona’s GM. For a team stuck in the bottom-middle of the league, they need action that will help them rebuild their roster into a winner. That usually involves some risk. Perhaps, Armstrong is biding his time and waiting for just the right moment to make a splash.

The Ugly – It didn’t happen under Armstrong’s watch but the Coyotes were forced to forfeit their 2020 second-round and 2021 first-round draft picks because they violated the NHL’s Combine Testing Policy. However, Armstrong took the job with Coyotes knowing that the team is in a very difficult position with an ownership team that will likely never spend to the cap. Armstrong started in the red and needs to now prove that he has what it takes to turn the franchise around. Hopefully, the Coyotes are patient with their new GM.