Carolina Hurricanes: Don Waddell is Already the Best GM of 2019
The Carolina Hurricanes season has brought about many ups and downs but has culminated in success not seen by these fans in many years. Don Waddell may be the ultimate catalyst for that success.
At this point last year, the Carolina Hurricanes season was long over with. Years of mediocrity had taken their toll, and a new owner had seen the last of what had been a stifling regime. A floundering head coach was shown the door, and a Hurricanes legend as general manager was being asked to relinquish control, until that request became a mandate.
Like many fans, I was unsure of the changes. Sure, the old regime had their flaws, but that management group had unearthed some absolute gems late in rounds and made trades that had placed the Hurricanes on the track for success.
Yet, there was still no fruit. So, owner Tom Dundon made a decision that surprised many in the hockey world; hiring former Atlanta Thrashers general manager Don Waddell to head the front office of the new look Hurricanes.
I thought it would fail, and I was certain that it if success was on the horizon it would take years to actualize. This couldn’t be further from what transpired. In one season, Waddell has put in place a roster and organization that is closer to contention than any Hurricanes team had been in the last decade.
This is evidence enough to place Waddell in elite company. He has proven that, for this season, Waddell was far ahead of his contemporary’s and is easily the best GM of this NHL year.
Season in Review
It all started with luck. Many Hurricanes fans first exposure to Waddell came in the 2018 NHL Draft Lottery, where the lucky old man in the turtle neck came away with the 2nd overall pick. The pick was easy, Andrei Svechnikov was a can’t miss prospect, but it was all the things that came before and after that made this year Waddell’s successful comeback campaign.
The hiring of Rod Brind’Amour was huge. Without that move, this all may have fallen apart. The decision to stay in house, when many where calling for the organization to look elsewhere, had paid massive dividends for the Hurricanes 2019 success.
Then there was the Free Agency period. Waddell first traded for Jordan Martinook; there may not have been a more overlooked trade in the entire league. Martinook came to embody the Carolina identity throughout the season. Providing spurts of offense and his patented fast and physical style of play.
Adding Petr Mrazek and Calvin De Haan only sweetened the underrated offseason. Mrazek quickly displayed the aggressive ability that earned him the starting job in Detroit and gave him his best season since. De Haan cemented the back end, and provided leadership, discipline, and underrated skill to a deep group wrought with inexperience.
The Draft also allowed Waddell to continue shaping this roster. Not only did he add the second-best prospect on the board in Svechnikov, but he orchestrated a trade to bring Micheal Ferland and Dougie Hamilton to Raleigh. Ferland provided much needed sandpaper to a noticeably youthful roster, and Hamilton provided necessary offensive punch to a defensive heavy blueline.
What Waddell did in the offseason set this team in motion, the addition of these players of varying skills and experience created the nucleus of a team able to dethrone the defending champion Washington Capitals and sweep one of the leagues surprising teams in the New York Islanders. This is without considering what Waddell did during the year
The mid-season acquisitions deserve praise in and of themselves. Curtis McEhinney was crucial to the team’s success. His poise and experience where desperately relied upon throughout the year, and a vitality for the Canes postseason surge.
Nino Niederreiter was also incredibly important. Giving up an underperforming center, Waddell stole the Swiss native from the Wild, and granted Brind’Amour a 20-goal scorer. His chemistry with Sebastian Aho and Justin Williams played an important role in the post-January run that catapulted the Hurricanes into the playoff picture.
Waddell has contributed more to this team’s success this season than any other General Manager in the league. Doug Armstrong didn’t do much to attribute to the Blues dominant 40 games to end the year, and Don Sweeny made some trades that are proving their worth in the playoffs, but the production from their core group was in well in-place prior to the 2019 season.
Waddell did the most to help his team. He shouldn’t just be considered the favorite; NHL GM of the year is a one-man race.
Question for CC Readers: What do you expect from Waddell heading into his second offseason leading this Franchise?