Nill, Sweeney, Zito finalists for General Manager of the Year Award

Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars, Don Sweeney of the Boston Bruins and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers are the finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.

The award has been presented annually since 2009-10 to the general manager who best excelled at his role during the regular season. It is voted on by the League's general managers and a panel of NHL executives and print and broadcast media after the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

The winner will be revealed during the first round of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville on June 28 (7 p.m. ET; ESPN, SN, TVAS).

Nill, in his 10th season with the Stars, helped them finish second in the Central Division this season (47-21-14). Nill hired Peter DeBoer as coach June 21, and Dallas also signed goalie Jake Oettinger to a three-year, $12 million contract ($4 million average annual value) and forward Jason Robertson to a four-year, $31 million contract ($7.75 AAV) prior to the start of the season. The Stars then acquired forwards Evgenii Dadonov and Max Domi ahead of the 2023 NHL Trade Deadline on March 3. Domi is tied for fourth on the Stars during the Stanley Cup Playoffs with 11 points (three goals, eight assists) in 16 games, and Dadonov is tied for sixth with 10 points (four goals, six assists), including the game-winning goal in Game 2 of the Western Conference First Round against the Minnesota Wild.

Nill is a finalist for the award for the third time; he was third in voting in 2015-16 and 2019-20.

Sweeney, in his eighth season as Bruins GM, oversaw a team that set NHL records for wins (65) and points (135) in a season. He hired Jim Montgomery as coach July 1, and signed centers Patrice Bergeron and David Krejci. Then ahead of the trade deadline, Boston signed forward David Pastrnak to an eight-year, $90 million contract ($11.25 million AAV), and acquired forwards Tyler Bertuzzi and Garnet Hathaway, and defenseman Dmitry Orlov.

Sweeney won the award in 2018-19; he could join Lou Lamoriello (2019-20, 2020-21) as the only two-time winner.

Zito, in his third season as Panthers GM, helped them reach the Stanley Cup Final for the first time since 1996. He hired coach Paul Maurice on June 22, 2022, and one month later made the biggest trade of the offseason, acquiring forward Matthew Tkachuk from the Calgary Flames for forward Jonathan Huberdeau and defenseman MacKenzie Weegar. The Panthers also added depth by signing forwards Nick Cousins, Eric Staal and Colin White, and defenseman Marc Staal.

Zito was a finalist for the award in 2020-21, when he finished third in the voting.

Joe Sakic of the Colorado Avalanche won the award last season.