All successful NHL teams are built through a general manager’s (GM) vision. A blueprint has to be made and executed through trades, signings, drafting, and elsewhere. There is no definitive way to build a Stanley Cup contender, and no blueprint can be completed twice. While GMs typically have longer leashes than head coaches, they still get fired when their team is not successful. So, which GMs are on the hot seat this season?
Rob Blake
Rob Blake may be on the hottest seat of any GM in the NHL. He was hired during the 2017 offseason and began a rebuild that initially looked very promising. He brought in a plethora of young talent through the draft, shed the aging core for other young assets, and made 12 top-50 picks within five drafts. However, since attempting to end the rebuild, he has led the Los Angeles Kings nowhere.
Blake’s first major acquisition was trading Brock Faber and a first-round pick for Kevin Fiala. While Fiala has been great, losing Faber stings. While nobody predicted he would develop into the elite, two-way defenseman he has become, moving him over prospects like Helge Grans and Tobias Bjornfot is a clear mistake. As well, losing the first-round pick took away the chance the land a premier prospect in the middle of the 2022 first round.
Blake’s two biggest mistakes came in a three-day span when he traded Sean Durzi to the Arizona Coyotes for just a second-round pick. Three days later, he traded for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Not only did Durzi develop into a great top-four defenseman but that second-round pick was used in one of the worst trades in recent NHL history.
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The Kings essentially acquired Dubois for Durzi, Alex Iafallo, Gabriel Vilardi, and Rasmus Kupari. Not only did Vilardi breakout last season, scoring 22 goals and 36 points in 47 games for the Winnipeg Jets, but Dubois had the worst season of his career, scoring 16 goals and 40 points in 82 games. Dubois was then traded for Darcy Kuemper, a goaltender who went 13-14-3 with a 3.31 goals against average, .890 save percentage, and -4.8 goals saved above expected last season, all while making $5.25 million annually for the next three seasons.
Then in the 2024 offseason, Blake addressed the Kings’ biggest need, a lack of top-six scoring, by bringing in Warren Foegele and Tanner Jeannot, who combined for 27 goals in 137 games last season. He also signed 31-year-old defenseman Joel Edmundson to a four-year contract. None of Blake’s recent moves have addressed the team’s needs and a seemingly inevitable disappointing 2024-25 season may force the end of his time as Kings’ GM.
Lou Lamoriello
The notorious Lou Lamoriello has had an up-and-down tenure as New York Islanders general manager. He was brought in during John Tavares’ final days with the team, failed to re-sign him, and then created a far more successful team without the former captain. He has led the Islanders on two-deep playoff runs and has missed the playoffs just once in his six seasons with the team. However, he has failed to construct a roster capable of winning a Stanley Cup, and at 81 years old, his time in the NHL may be nearing an end.
Lamoriello is inevitably going to leave the Islanders, with the only question being when. While he may stick around in an advisory role for a few more years, a disappointing 2024-25 season will surely convince ownership a new face is needed at the helm of the team. It is unknown what “disappointing” means to Islanders’ owner John Ledecky, as the team has continued to hold faith in the current core despite three consecutive seasons of defeat. While missing the playoffs will likely lead to the appointment of a new GM, falling short of reaching Round 2 could also force the end of Lamoriello’s tenure.
Bill Guerin
Bill Guerin was hired as the Minnesota Wild GM in 2019 and is yet to win a playoff series. While he was put in a very bad position with Zach Parise and Ryan Suter’s contracts, he has not assembled a core anyone considers a threat to win a Stanley Cup. As well, he has gone through three head coaches, most recently questionably hiring John Hynes. While Guerin has assembled one of the NHL’s best prospect pools and made some valuable trades, such as being on the favorable side of the Faber deal, he has not been able to build a true contender.
While Guerin’s lack of success can be partially blamed on the situation he was put into when hired, his decision to sign depth players like Marcus Foligno, Ryan Hartman, Yakov Trenin, and Jacob Middleton to long, expensive deals does not make sense. All four are good players who provide value to the Wild, but they should not have been given the terms and price they each got.
Whether Guerin would be fired following another disappointing season is unknown. He is very well respected in the NHL and the prospect pool he has assembled is yet to reach the NHL. If the Wild finish in the bottom 10 of the standings, his departure is highly likely. However, if he can keep the team competitive, he might be granted another season or two. While his position is becoming increasingly warm, it’s not on fire quite yet.
Kevyn Adams
The 2025 offseason will mark five years since Kevyn Adams was hired as Buffalo Sabres GM, and he currently has nothing to show for it. Similar to Guerin, Adams inherited an underwhelming situation and assembled an impressive prospect pool. However, not only has he lacked playoff success, he has not made the playoffs at all. As well, several players he let go in Buffalo have thrived elsewhere, including four who were key contributors to the 2024 Stanley Cup-winning Florida Panthers (Kyle Okposo (2016-2024), Sam Reinhart (2014-21), Evan Rodrigues (2015-20), Brandon Montour (2018-21)).
By the looks of it, the Sabres have a very strong future ahead. They have one of the better young cores in the NHL, as well as a top-five prospect pool, one of the best young goaltenders in hockey, and not a lot of money signed long-term. Adams may be the GM best fit for the job, or maybe not, but his seat is undoubtedly getting warmer with each losing season he accrues. If the team finishes in the bottom 10 in the standings, however, it is hard to imagine he will not be let go.
Since most NHL GMs are given four to five years before having their job security assessed, all four of the GMs mentioned above are at risk of losing their jobs following this season. Given each of their unique position, the pressure is on for these GMs to deliver results this season. If they can’t turn things around, their time with their respective teams may be running out.
