NEW YORK -- Doug Armstrong of the St. Louis Blues, Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and Don Waddell of the Carolina Hurricanes are the three finalists for the 2018-19 NHL General Manager of the Year Award, the National Hockey League announced today.
NHL General Manager of the Year finalists announced
Armstrong, Sweeney, Waddell up for honor to be presented on June 19
Voting for this award was conducted among the NHL general managers and a panel of League executives, print and broadcast media at the conclusion of the Second Round of the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The winner will be announced Wednesday, June 19, during the 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas.
Following are the finalists for the NHL General Manager of the Year Award, in alphabetical order:
Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues
Armstrong's roster moves and midseason hire of head coach Craig Berube spurred the Blues to a dramatic second-half rally and a playoff run to the Western Conference Final. Named head coach on Nov. 19 with the Blues in 30th place in the NHL (7-9-3), Berube went 38-19-6 the rest of the way. Goaltender Jordan Binnington, a 3rd-round draft pick in 2011, made his first NHL start in January and was voted a Calder Trophy finalist (24-5-1, 1.89 GAA). Offseason trade acquisition Ryan O'Reilly (7/1/18) earned finalist berths for the Selke and Lady Byng Trophies. Pat Maroon, the Game 7 overtime hero in the Second Round, was signed as a free agent (7/10/18). His linemates also were roster adds: free agent Tyler Bozak (7/1/18) and rookie Robert Thomas, a 1st-round pick in 2017. Armstrong, who began his tenure as St. Louis GM in July 2010, is vying to become the first multiple GM of the Year Award winner. He captured the trophy in 2011-12.
Don Sweeney, Boston Bruins
Sweeney's Bruins ranked third in the NHL overall standings (49-24-9, 107 points) and have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2012-13. The Bruins' organizational depth shone during an injury-plagued season, with the team using 37 players -- the most among all playoff teams. Three players drafted during Sweeney's four-year tenure as GM were key performers this season: forward Jake DeBrusk (14th overall in 2015; 27 goals), defenseman Charlie McAvoy (14th overall in 2016; team-leading 22:10 avg. TOI) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (37th overall in 2015; +22 rating). Sweeney also strengthened the roster near the trade deadline in February, adding forwards Charlie Coyle from Minnesota and Marcus Johansson from New Jersey. Sweeney, who had served in the Bruins front office for nine years prior to his promotion to GM in 2015, is a first-time NHL Awards finalist.
Don Waddell, Carolina Hurricanes
In his first season as Hurricanes general manager, Waddell oversaw a team that posted 99 points (46-29-7), its best performance since the Stanley Cup campaign of 2005-06, and both qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2008-09. Waddell previously had served the club for four years as president, a title he retained with his new position. With first-year head coach Rod Brind'Amour behind the bench, the Hurricanes went 31-12-2 (.711) over their final 45 regular-season games (Dec. 31 - April 6), the League's second-best record in that span. Among Waddell's key player acquisitions were goaltenders Petr Mrazek (free agent, 7/1/18) and Curtis McElhinney (waiver claim, 10/2/18), defensemen Calvin de Haan (free agent, 7/3/18) and Dougie Hamilton (trade, 6/23/18), and forwards Micheal Ferland (trade, 6/23/18) and Nino Niederreiter (trade, 1/17/19).
2019 NHL Awards Finalists (in alphabetical order)
Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy
Nick Foligno (CBJ)
Robin Lehner (NYI)
Joe Thornton (SJS)
Calder Memorial Trophy
Jordan Binnington (STL)
Rasmus Dahlin (BUF)
Elias Pettersson (VAN)
Franke J. Selke Trophy
Patrice Bergeron (BOS)
Ryan O'Reilly (STL)
Mark Stone (VGK)
Hart Memorial Trophy
Sidney Crosby (PIT)
Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
Connor McDavid (EDM)
Jack Adams Award
Craig Berube (STL)
Jon Cooper (TBL)
Barry Trotz (NYI)
James Norris Memorial Trophy
Brent Burns (SJS)
Mark Giordano (CGY)
Victor Hedman (TBL)
King Clancy Memorial Trophy
Oliver Ekman-Larsson (ARI)
Henrik Lundqvist (NYR)
Jason Zucker (MIN)
Lady Byng Memorial Trophy
Aleksander Barkov (FLA)
Sean Monahan (CGY)
Ryan O'Reilly (STL)
Mark Messier NHL Leadership Award
Mark Giordano (CGY)
Wayne Simmonds (NSH)
Justin Williams (CAR)
NHL General Manager of the Year Award
Doug Armstrong (STL)
Don Sweeney (BOS)
Don Waddell (CAR)
Ted Lindsay Award
Patrick Kane (CHI)
Nikita Kucherov (TBL)
Connor McDavid (EDM)
Vezina Trophy
Ben Bishop (DAL)
Robin Lehner (NYI)
Andrei Vasilevskiy (TBL)
Willie O'Ree Community Hero Award
Anthony Benavides (Clark Park Coalition)
Tammi Lynch (Players Against Hate)
Rico Phillips (Flint Inner City Youth Hockey Program)
The winners of the NHL's regular-season statistic-based awards also will be recognized in Las Vegas. Tampa Bay Lightning right wing Nikita Kucherovcaptured his first career Art Ross Trophy as the League's scoring champion, Washington Capitals left wing Alex Ovechkinclaimed his eighth career Maurice "Rocket" Richard Trophy as the NHL's goal-scoring leader, and the New York Islanders' tandem of Robin Lehner andThomas Greisswon their first career William M. Jennings Trophy as the goaltenders who play at least 25 games for the team allowing the fewest goals.
Also in Las Vegas, the NHL will host the second-annual NHL Gaming World Championship™ Final on Tuesday, June 18. The competition starts at 2 p.m. PT where the top players from each Region will qualify for a chance to walk away with their share of the $100K cash prize pool and the Championship Trophy. The winner will also be featured in the 2019 NHL Awards™ show presented by Bridgestone.
2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone
The NHL Awards™ returns to Las Vegas this summer at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino. The 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone will be held on Wednesday, June 19 at Mandalay Bay Events Center. It marks the first year that the NHL Awards™ will be held at the resort's sports and entertainment venue and the first time Bridgestone will be the presenting sponsor of the event. NBCSN and Sportsnet will broadcast the event live in the United States and Canada, respectively, at 8 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. PT.
Tickets to the 2019 NHL Awards™ presented by Bridgestone are on sale to the general public at
www.NHL.com/AwardsTickets
. This ticket opportunity is available on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last.
This will be the 11th year of a successful partnership between Las Vegas and the League and the 10th time the NHL will honor the best hockey players in the world and the top performances of the season in Las Vegas. Las Vegas venues that have hosted the NHL Awards include Palms Hotel (2009-2011), Encore at Wynn Las Vegas (2012, 2014), MGM Grand Garden Arena (2015), The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino (2016, 2018) and T-Mobile Arena (2017).
A full lineup of presenters and entertainment will be announced at a future date. Fans can tweet about the event using the official hashtag #NHLAwards.
