The NHL announced the three finalists for the 2013 General Manager of the Year Award on Monday morning. The honor is voted on by the league's 30 general managers, as well as a panel of NHL executives and members of the broadcast and print media.
The three finalists include Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks, Marc Bergevin of the Montreal Canadiens and Ray Shero of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
Bergevin entered his first-season as Montreal general manager by altering the front-office, hiring head coach Michel Therrien and drafting Alex Galchenyuk with the No. 3 overall selection in the 2012 NHL Draft. In addition, Bergevin signed restricted-free agent P.K. Subban, in addition to unrestricted free agent forwards Brandon Prust and Colby Armstrong.
The most notable change during Bergevin's first season was the team's second place finish in the Eastern Conference after recording a 15th place result the previous season (last place).
Murray also witnessed his team make a drastic shift from last season. Having recorded a 13th place finish in 2012-13, the Ducks finished with the second most points in the Western Conference. Murray signed unrestricted free agents Sheldon Surray and goaltender Viktor Fasth. In addition, he retained the services of pending-unrestricted free agents Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf.
Shero constructed a team solely for the purpose of contending for the Stanley Cup. Adding Brenden Morrow, Douglas Murray, Jarome Iginla and Jussi Jokinen prior to the trade deadline, Shero attempted to construct a powerhouse built around superstars Evgeni Malkin and Sidney Crosby. The ability to add those players came as a result of the draft day decision to trade pending-unrestricted free agent Jordan Staal to the Carolina Hurricanes. With Staal's cap-hit off the books, Shero was able to add rental pieces at the deadline.
In addition, Shero acquired goaltender Tomas Vokoun from the Washington Capitals in order to have a competent backup for Marc-Andre Fleury. While it had little merit on his nomination, Shero's decision proved to be a competent one as Vokoun replaced Fleury during the first-round of the playoffs.
The winner of the award is expected to be announced sometime during the Stanley Cup Final.
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