Another potential trophy is on the line for three general managers whose teams are still alive in the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
MacFarland, the 56-year-old New York native, guided the Avalanche to the Presidents’ Trophy with a 55-16-11 record for 121 points — nine more than the second-place Dallas Stars.
Among his key moves, MacFarland brought back Nazem Kadri in a deadline-day deal with the Calgary Flames days after he added centre Nicolas Roy from the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also re-signed centre Brock Nelson, acquired at last year’s deadline, during the off-season.
Colorado led the overall NHL standings from Nov. 1 through the end of the season, and currently leads the Wild 3-1 in their second-round series.
Guerin, the longtime NHLer, made the biggest trade splash of the season when he acquired star defenceman Quinn Hughes from the Vancouver Canucks in December. He also locked in superstar Kirill Kaprizov on an eight-year extension prior to the season.
Along with other key players like Matt Boldy and Brock Faber, the Wild finished third in the Central Division with a 46-24-12 record and 104 points.
Verbeek, another former NHLer, helped the upstart Ducks take a massive step forward with their first post-season appearance since 2018. Anaheim placed third in the Pacific Division with a 43-33-6 record and 92 points before upsetting the Edmonton Oilers in the first round. It is currently tied 2-2 in its second-round series with the Vegas Golden Knights.
Supplementing a young core, Verbeek brought in Joel Quenneville to take over behind the bench and added veterans like Chris Kreider, John Carlson and Mikael Granlund, each of whom has made significant impact.
None of MacFarland, Guerin or Verbeek has ever won GM of the Year as Dallas Stars GM Jim Nill took it in each of the past three seasons.