SUNRISE, Fla. – It’s always nice to be recognized by your peers.
In a recent article from The Athletic, 40 league executives – general managers, senior advisors, etc. – were asked to submit votes for the current best-run clubs in the NHL.
Each executive was allowed to put five teams on their ballot.
First-place votes were worth 10 points, second-place votes were worth seven, third-place votes were worth five, fourth-place votes were worth three and fifth-place votes were worth one.
To encourage as much honesty as possible, all voters were granted anonymity.
As you’d expect, the defending Stanley Cup champions received a lot of praise.
Appearing on 26 of 40 ballots, the Panthers finished third overall in voting with 173 points.
More than anything, the Panthers were praised for their risk taking and talent evaluation.
Since the arrival of General Manager & President of Hockey Operations Bill Zito, the Panthers have made splashy trades -- see Matthew Tkachuk, Sam Reinhart and Sam Bennett -- and also unearthed big gems like Gustav Forsling and Carter Verhaeghe.
“A bit of recency bias here, but management has done an excellent job of finding undervalued talent off the scrap heap also making aggressive trades,” one senior NHL advisor said. “Overhauled the roster into a championship squad in a short period of time.”
To see the full rankings, click HERE.
