Ottawa did not nab the best player in the draft at #1, though they did end up trading for him. Zdeno Chara is heads and shoulders above his contemporaries in this class. Read more »
Hockey Analysis
Redoing The 1996 NHL Entry Draft
Redoing The 1995 NHL Entry Draft
Five members of the 1995 draft class have played 1000+ games in the NHL; the class features a handful of All-Stars, one sure-fire Hall of Famer, one borderline, and a Conn Smythe winner. Read more »
Improving The Oilers: Build The Back End
The Oilers do not struggle offensively, and are already a middle-of-the-pack team in terms of goals scored despite their youth. Their main problem is shot prevention (minus-3 this year, minus-5 the two years before) and goal prevention. Read more »
Improving The Blue Jackets: Hit The Restart Button
The Blue Jackets need to hit the restart button on the roster, and begin to build through the draft like Pittsburgh and Chicago had done before them, and Edmonton and the Islanders are trying to do now. Read more »
NHL Rookie Rankings For Mid-March
There is a new number one in the rookie rankings, as Ryan Nugent-Hopkins has missed too much time compared to the other freshmen. That said, he is still in the mix for the Calder Trophy, as there is no clear-cut favorite with one month to play. Read more »
Grading The Deal: Leafs Overpay Grabovski
No matter which way you cut it, Mikhail Grabovski is a good second-line center, but he is being overpaid by about $1M per season, which can be significant in the salary cap world. Read more »
RealGM NHL Team Rankings Through February
At the top, the Detroit Red Wings kept their spot, edging out division rival St. Louis. Columbus, no surprise, remains in the basement; they have been the worst team in the NHL for the entire season. Read more »
NHL Player Rankings Through February
Evgeni Malkin and Erik Karlsson have continued their dominant seasons and run at the Hart Trophy. Read more »
Grading The Deals: Deadline Trades
Grading the big and small trades that took place on and leading up to Trade Deadline Day in the NHL, from Jeff Carter all the way down. Read more »
Grading The Deal: Deadline Extensions
Grading the big and small extensions that took place on and leading up to Trade Deadline Day in the NHL that affected the Trade Deadline. Read more »
Second Trimester Awards
We are past the two-third mark of the NHL season, so it is time to re-evaluate the leaders in the trophy races. Read more »
Finding Trades For Rick Nash
With rumors recently being confirmed that the Columbus Blue Jackets, at the very least, are willing to listen to potential offers for their captain Rick Nash, why not do what we do best and put ourselves into the general manager chair. Read more »
Why The Bruins Can Repeat
In the salary cap era of the NHL, an era littered with parity, repeating as Stanley Cup Champions has been an impossible task. But with largely the same roster, the Bruins can buck the trend. Read more »
Be The GM Champion: Jonathan Toews
Jonathan Toews edged Sidney Crosby to take home honors as the player RealGM readers would most like to build a franchise around. Read more »
Players Who Can Be Traded
The Leafs, Ducks, Jets, Blue Jackets, Sharks and several others have candidates who could be on the block. Read more »
2012 All-Star Break Rookie Rankings
Ryan Nugent-Hopkins continues to top our list, but the player previously tied with him at the top has slid way down. Read more »
NHL Player Rankings At The All-Star Break
Evgeni Malkin has reasserted himself as a dominant force in the NHL and is now ranked No. 1, while John Tavares has become an elite player and has jumped from 45th to 4th. Read more »
Be The GM: Sidney Crosby Vs. Jonathan Toews
The final matchup of our Be The GM bracket involves the best all-around centers in the game today. Read more »
NHL Team Rankings At All-Star Break
After November, the Bruins and Red Wings were first and second respectively, but at the All-Star break it was flip-flopped with Detroit first and Boston second. Read more »
Be The GM: Jonathan Toews Vs. Steven Stamkos
The last matchup before the finals features a playoff MVP and the leading goal scorer in the NHL. Read more »