Episode 171: GM Rankings, Front Office Hierarchy, and Playoff Parity

Chris Watkins joins the show to discuss the changing landscape of NHL front offices, his and Carolyn Wilke's rankings of all 31 GMs, and the pros and cons of the NHL playoff system compared to that of the NBA. The topics covered include: 0:30 GM Rankings Methodology 7:10 Group Think Front Offices 13:26 Cautionary tale of the Lame Duck GM 19:30 Jim Benning and Being stuck in mediocrity 26:25 Ken Holland's flawed player evaluations 29:25 Chiarelli, Sweeney, and the Bruins Model 34:00 Garth Snow's wide range of outcomes 36:15 Shero, Rutherford, and divvying up credit 40:25 Doug Wilson's longevity 43:30 Marc Bergevin's window to win 51:05 David Poile and The Endowment Effect 55:45 NHL Playoffs vs. NBA Playoffs Sponsoring today’s show is SeatGeek, which is making it easier than ever before to buy and sell sports and concert tickets. They’re giving our listeners a $20 rebate off of their first purchase. All you have to do is download the free SeatGeek app and enter the promo code PDO to get started. Every episode of the podcast is available on iTunes, Soundcloud, Google Play, and Stitcher. Make sure to subscribe to the show so that you don’t miss out on any new episodes as they’re released. All ratings and reviews are also greatly appreciated. Thanks for listening!