NHL GMAward

MacLELLAN, NILL AND RUTHERFORD VOTED FINALISTS FOR NHL GENERAL MANAGER OF THE YEAR AWARD

Brian MacLellan of the Washington Capitals, Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars and Jim Rutherford of the Pittsburgh Penguins are the three finalists for the 2015-16 NHL General Manager of the Year Award, the National Hockey League announced today. Each is a finalist for the first time since the award was introduced in 2009-10.

Voting for this award was conducted among the 30 club general managers and a panel of NHL executives, print and broadcast media at the conclusion of the Second Round of the 2016 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 22, during the 2016 NHL Awards – hosted by actor Will Arnett – at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas.

Following are the finalists for the NHL General Manager of the Year Award, in alphabetical order:

Brian MacLellan, Washington Capitals

MacLellan assembled a roster that was a runaway winner of the 2015-16 Presidents’ Trophy as the NHL’s top regular-season club (56-18-8, 120 points). The Capitals’ 56 victories set a franchise record and made them just the 10th team in League history to collect as many wins in one season – and the first to do so since the 2005-06 Detroit Red Wings (58). Their 120 points fell one shy of the team high set in 2009-10 (121). After signing free-agent defensemen Matt Niskanen and Brooks Orpik in 2014, MacLellan acquired a pair of key forwards last summer, signing Justin Williams and trading for T.J. Oshie. The Capitals ranked second in both team offense (3.02 goals/GP) and defense (2.33 GA/GP) in 2015-16.

Jim Nill, Dallas Stars

The Stars qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs for the second time in Nill’s three seasons at the helm after missing the postseason for five consecutive years prior to his arrival in April 2013. Strengthened by offseason acquisitions including forward Patrick Sharp, defenseman Johnny Oduya and goaltender Antti Niemi and guided behind the bench by early Nill hire Lindy Ruff, the Stars (50-23-9, 109 points) posted their best season in years. They won their first Western Conference title since 2002-03, first division crown since 2005-06, reached the 50-win milestone for just the fourth time in franchise history and first time since 2006-07, and won their first playoff series since 2007-08.

Jim Rutherford, Pittsburgh Penguins

Rutherford’s retooled roster and midseason coaching change spurred the Penguins (48-26-8, 104 points) to a sizzling regular-season finish and a playoff run that has carried them to the Eastern Conference Final. In his second season in charge, Rutherford used the trade and free-agent markets to add veteran forwards Nick Bonino, Matt Cullen, Eric Fehr and Phil Kessel over the summer plus forward Carl Hagelin and defenseman Trevor Daley during the campaign. The club surged when he hired Mike Sullivan, who went 33-16-5 after taking over as head coach on Dec. 12, highlighted by a 14-2-0 record in Pittsburgh’s final 16 games of the regular season.

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* Information provided via NHL Press Release