Guerin made a splash, acquiring defenseman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks for defenseman Zeev Buium, forwards Marco Rossi and Liam Ohgren and a first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft on Dec. 12. Hughes finished third among defenseman in points following the trade (54 points in 48 games)and helped the Wild finish third in the Central Division (46-24-12) and win a playoff series for the first time since 2015. Hughes was added to a core that included forwards Kirill Kaprizov, Matt Boldy and Joel Eriksson Ek and defenseman Brock Faber.
Minnesota also signed forward Nico Sturm and traded for forward Vladimir Tarasenko in the offseason, and acquired forwards Bobby Brink and Nick Foligno, and defenseman Jeff Petry prior to the 2026 NHL Trade Deadline. Forward Kirill Kaprizov, who signed an eight-year contract with Minnesota, beginning next season, led the team with 45 goals and 89 points this season.
Hired as GM on Aug. 21, 2019, Guerin was GM for the United States, which won gold at the 2026 Winter Olympics. The 55-year-old is a finalist for the first time.
MacFarland helped the Avalanche (55-16-11) clinch a playoff berth for the ninth straight season and finish with the best record in the NHL. Colorado led the NHL standings every day from Nov. 1 through the end of the season and also won the William M. Jennings Trophy for allowing the fewest goals in the NHL.
He bolstered the roster by signing defenseman Brent Burns in the offseason, and center Brock Nelson, who Colorado acquired prior to the Deadline last season. Nelson's 33 goals were third on the team this season. Forwards Nazem Kadri and Nicolas Roy as well as defenseman Brett Kulak and Nick Blankenburg were also acquired prior to the Trade Deadline this season, and have helped the Avalanche advance to the second round.
Promoted to GM on July 11, 2022, the 56-year-old is a first-time GM of the Year finalist and would be the first Avalanche GM to win the award since Joe Sakic in 2021-22.
Verbeek guided the Ducks (43-33-6) to their first playoff berth since 2018, and has then in the second round after defeating the two-time Western Conference champion Edmonton Oilers in six games in the first round. He hired Joel Quenneville as coach prior to the season, and Anaheim scored a franchise-record 265 goals.
Hired as GM on Feb. 4, 2022, the 61-year-old helped draft young players including forwards Beckett Sennecke and Leo Carlsson, and acquired defenseman John Carlson prior to this year's Trade Deadline. Verbeek also signed forward Mikael Granlund and traded for forward Chris Kreider during the offseason, and acquired forward Cutter Gauthier, who led the Ducks with 41 goals this season, on Jan. 8, 2024.
A first-time finalist, Verbeek would be the first Ducks GM to win the Award since Bob Murray in 2013-14.
Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars won the award each of the past three seasons.
More information on all trophies -- including past finalists and winners, descriptions, and history -- can be found at Records.NHL.com.
