Cheveldayoff, Nill, Zito voted finalists for Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award

Three of the best general managers in the NHL are being recognized for their work this season.

On Friday, the league announced that Kevin Cheveldayoff of the Winnipeg Jets, Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars and Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers are the finalists for the 2024-25 Jim Gregory GM of the Year Award.

Cheveldayoff has been the GM of Winnipeg since the franchise relocated from Atlanta in 2011. While he was previously criticized for his lack of work in his early years with the team, he has since turned the Jets into a consistent playoff threat.

This season, the Jets had one of the best seasons in franchise history, including the original rendition of the franchise that moved to Phoenix almost three decades ago. Winnipeg got off to a hot start and hardly faltered, winning the President’s Trophy for the first time. Though the team failed to make it past the second round of the Stanley Cup Playoffs, losing to the Stars, there’s no question Cheveldayoff did excellent work in putting together a good roster.

Speaking of the Stars, Nill is in the running for the Jim Gregory for a record fifth time, looking to win it for a second straight year. The longtime GM has constructed a team that is back in the Western Conference Final for a third straight season. Along with the team finishing in the top five in the overall standings for the second year in a row, Nill took a big swing by acquiring forward Mikko Rantanen from the Carolina Hurricanes at the trade deadline. That move has paid off, as Rantanen is an early favorite for the Conn Smythe Trophy with his play in the first two rounds of the postseason.

Nill won the Jim Gregory in 2020 and 2021, becoming just the second GM to win the award in consecutive seasons.

It’s no surprise Zito is a finalist for GM of the Year. The Panthers’ head honcho has only done his part to help the team make a solid push for Lord Stanley’s Cup once again. Like Nill, Zito bolstered the roster near the deadline, trading for defenseman Seth Jones and forward Brad Marchand. Both players have made impacts in the playoffs, especially in Round 2 against the Toronto Maple Leafs.

Zito is in the running for the Jim Gregory for the third year in a row and the fourth time in five seasons.