The great owner of the NFL Oakland Raiders, Al Davis, once said, “Just Win Baby!” That is the approach the modern NHL General Managers are following. Some of the best GMs in the NHL use “Ruthless Aggression,” to quote a guy who will remain nameless as he created his wrestling, to improve their teams. They do not care what anyone thinks about how they go about their business.
Other teams or fan bases really don’t like the tactics, but they are all within the rulebook and Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), which the NHL Owners and NHLPA approve. The biggest complaint is the use of Long-Term Injury (LTIR) to acquire players at the NHL Trade Deadline. Another was the no-state income tax with the Vegas Golden Knights, Tampa Bay Lightning, Florida Panthers, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, and others always in the running for the top players.
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More recently, it has to do with the offer sheet after the St. Louis Blues successfully got two players from the Edmonton Oilers. There was a lot of complaining about that not being right, and how can other teams compete with that? There has to be a rule. Instead of complaining about those fan bases, why isn’t our GM or management staff reading the CBA, understanding the little details, and pushing the limits to be successful?
Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon famously said, “I’m not in the hockey business; I’m in the winning business.” And he is right; it is a business. That is why the same teams remain in the hunt for the Stanley Cup every season.
As Jeter said loyalty one way is stupidity. It’s a business just ask guys in the NFL
Ask Kelly McCrimmon & Julien BriseBois it’s a business.
Auston Matthews contract extensions are business decisions.
Winning business not hockey business #gobolts #nhlbruins #goavsgo… https://t.co/H6Az3F7lG1
— Jim Biringer (@JimBiringer) March 13, 2025
Inside, we will look at the NHL General Managers who used this aggressive mindset to perfection to remain contenders or retool their teams on the fly without sacrificing years for a rebuild.
St. Louis Blues
Blues General Manager Doug Armstrong was very aggressive this offseason and took advantage of the cap when he offered sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg from the Edmonton Oilers. Armstrong aligned the puzzle pieces in the right way to make it work and forced the Oilers to make a tough decision. St. Louis has benefited from the Oilers’ decision as the “Offer Sheet Boys,” as they have been dubbed, have played really well for the Blues.
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Broberg got off to a better start than Holloway did; however, Broberg’s injury forced him to miss time. Both have been excellent this season, and they are a big reason why the Blues are in the playoff picture and have won 10 in a row. In 76 games, Holloway has 63 points (26 goals and 37 assists), which are all career highs in 76 games. Since Four Nations, when new coach Jim Montgomery got to implement his system, Holloway has 23 points (10 goals and 13 assists) in 20 games. Montgomery really liked his game, showing why he was a crucial piece last season for Edmonton.
As for Broberg, well, he has 27 points (nine goals and 18 assists) in 63 games and is +20 this season for the Blues. Broberg came into his own during the Stanley Cup Final last year for the Oilers, who could use him right now, but the Blues have a balanced attack. Thanks goes to Armstrong for not being afraid of the consequences that these GMs hold when one of their college players uses the offer sheet. Armstrong even said he would have offered sheeted his own mother to make his team better.
Vegas Golden Knights
Golden Knights General Manager Kelly McCrimmon is the king of being aggressive. Look at how many times he moved out the original Golden Misfits to make this version of the Golden Knights better. Vegas is one of the best teams in the NHL. The influx of players gave the Golden Knights a championship within the first five years of existence for owner Bill Foley. Some people say they bend the rules, while others say it is good hockey business.
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Look at what McCrimmon has done, getting the likes of Mark Stone, Alex Pietrangelo, Jack Eichel (who will get the first 100-point season in franchise history), Tomas Hertl, Noah Hanifin, Max Pacioretty, and others. Not to mention he moved on from Jonathan Marchessault, Marc-Andre Fleury, Logan Thompson, Paul Cotter, and along with a player like Nick Suzuki, who the Golden Knights originally drafted. Nicolas Hague has become a mainstay on the back end. He was drafted in Round 2 of 2017.
Pavel Dorofeyev has been finding his groove with the Golden Knights, but it is rare for a draft pick to stay with the team. However, Hague and Dorofeyev are rarities. So was Cotter before the trade to New Jersey. But Cotter (who won a Stanley Cup in 2023), Suzuki, Cody Glass, Peyton Krebs, Erik Brannstrom, Brendan Brisson, and others have moved on from the team to make the Golden Knights better in the present.
Tampa Bay Lightning
Lightning General Manager Julien BriseBois isn’t afraid to use his draft capital. He would rather win now and pay the consequences later on, as he knows the kids he drafts now may not help him win right now. Those players could be three or four years down the road or even longer. Some might not show up at all. He would rather trade the picks and get NHL players.
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BriseBois was asked about this after he acquired Oliver Bjorkstrand and Yanni Gourde from the Seattle Kraken prior to the 2025 NHL Trade Deadline. He said, “We used some draft capital to add two good players who will help us win more games this season and beyond. Ultimately, the calculation is that trying and failing will yield less regret than failing to try.”
And he is right. Look over the years at how many first-round picks he traded to improve his team. Along with Gourde, he got Blake Coleman, Brandon Hagel, David Savard, Barclay Goodrow, and Tanner Jeannot. The last one, BriseBois swung and missed on. But he will still be aggressive.
Not to mention, he was aggressive when he decided to move on from Steven Stamkos in the summer to get younger with Jake Guentzel. BriseBois also required Ryan McDonagh to improve his defense and keep his team in contention for many years to come. Many thought they were on a downturn.
Other Notable GMs Around the League that Work Aggressively
These are just three examples of how NHL General Managers are aggressive. However, the Florida Panthers under Bill Zito decided to trade away MacKenzie Weegar and Jonathan Huberdeau for Matthew Tkachuk. He also got Brandon Montour, Sam Bennett, Sam Reinhart, Carter Verhaeghe, and now Seth Jones to keep his team a contender and repeat as Stanley Cup Champions.
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We saw the Colorado Avalanche under Chris MacFarland revamp their entire goaltending duo at the beginning of the year. He brought in Mackenzie Blackwood and Scott Wedgewood and moved on from Alexandar Georgiev and Justus Annunen. Not to mention, he got Brock Nelson and Charlie Coyle at the deadline, moving on from Casey Mittelstadt. Oh yeah, and he moved Mikko Rantanen to Carolina for Martin Necas and Jack Drury.
Then in Dallas, you have Stars GM Jim Nill who acquired Mikko Rantanen from Carolina after he brought in Mikael Granlund and Cody Ceci. But he took a chance on Matt Duchene, and it paid off. Not to mention, he was not afraid to lose John Klingberg, knowing what he had in Miro Heiskanen. Nill also went after Chris Tanev for a chance to win.
The moral of the story is that the NHL teams that want to win have aggressive General Managers. They don’t break the rules; they found a way to maximize the salary cap. Maybe your favorite NHL team’s General Manager should follow suit, especially if they are in contention.
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