The team was rebuilding for 5 years. He can't be blamed for that stretch, as he actually got the team winning sooner than expected. Nylander was also not his fault- maybe you can blame him for sticking with Hanlon through the offseason, but Nylander was able to play Hanlon's style, not Boudreau's. This offseason the Caps had by far the best offseason of any team- which does not guarantee victory, but it does signify a good GM. You can argue sticking with Boudreau too long as well (though I don't agree). Schultz, believe it or not, had an excellent year before getting his contract. He led the league in +/- that year (granted he was playing on a loaded offensive team, but that means he didn't screw up very often either). Poti, I admit, was bad. But every GM makes bad decisions.
Holland is the best in the league. I would argue about Shero- His best players were inherited, and I attribute the Penguins' good play more to Bylsma than him. Thomas, by far the Bruins' best player, was around before Chiarelli came. McPhee is the only one of those who built his own team from scratch. Their failings in the postseason are more the fault of the coaching than of the GM. I think Hunter is the one to fix that problem. McPhee's hirings have been made with specifically the postseason in mind- an experienced D and former #1 pick in Hamrlik, a playoff player in Ward, and a great goalie in Vokoun who, don't look now, is carrying the team.
The biggest issue that I currently have with GMGM is the lack of a true second line center. It's inexcusable that we still haven't got that fixed. We knew that was a problem prior to the start of the 2010 season and it's still a problem. MarJo is not the answer at the 2C slot. How many times does something have to bite you in the ass before you get it fixed?
