With the trade deadline done and the general managers meetings wrapped up, one GM joked last week that his load was suddenly much lighter.
This is the time of year where the GMs of contending teams feel a bit powerless. Their work is done, and now they just wait to see how it all plays out.
General managers for lottery teams? Well, they can focus completely on expansion draft preparation. Part of that is deciding what to do with players on expiring contracts, with the expansion draft adding a new wrinkle that any unrestricted free agent signed before the draft is another player that team has to protect.
There are some tough choices to make, here’s a look at the toughest call for each of the 30 NHL teams:
This was a very quiet addition for GM Bob Murray that’s turning out to be a good one. Bernier has played great lately, improving to 5-0-1 with a .958 save percentage in his past six starts. He’s now 15-7-3 on the season, with his save percentage up to .918. Along the way, he’s pricing his way out of Anaheim, where the Ducks have a number of tough decisions to make this offseason.
Verdict: