Bergevin, Lamoriello, Zito up for GM of the Year
The Montreal Canadiens' Marc Bergevin, the New York Islanders' Lou Lamoriello, and the Florida Panthers' Bill Zito are the three finalists for the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award.
Voting among GMs, league executives, and media members was conducted after the second round of the playoffs, according to Sportsnet's Chris Johnston.
The Habs and Islanders are still going strong in the semifinals, while the Tampa Bay Lightning eliminated the Panthers in Round 1.
Bergevin made multiple key offseason acquisitions, adding Josh Anderson, Tyler Toffoli, Joel Edmundson, Jake Allen, and Corey Perry. He also landed Eric Staal and Jon Merrill prior to the trade deadline.
The Isles' offseason was quiet, but Kyle Palmieri and Travis Zajac have been integral during the team's run to the final four after being added before the trade deadline. Lamoriello is the reigning winner of the award.
Zito led the Panthers to the best season in franchise history by points percentage during his first campaign on the job. Signing Carter Verhaeghe to a two-year contract worth $2 million was the steal of last summer. The deadline acquisition of Sam Bennett also paid immediate dividends, and he's still under team control.