Kelly McCrimmon did whatever he could to bring another Stanley Cup to Las Vegas this season. He brought a few players to the Vegas Golden Knights, trading some prospects and draft picks. Out came budding stars like David Edstrom and Daniil Miromanov. In came superstars like Tomas Hertl and Noah Hanifin, with the latter getting a nice contract extension. That should warrant some nice recognition for the general manager, right?
Sadly, that's not how the story ends, for the Golden Knights were suddenly eliminated. The Dallas Stars defeated them in seven games in the first round, with Vegas not having enough time to gel. Now the franchise has some serious questions to tackle this summer, starting with free agency. This might hurt, Vegas hockey fans.
What's more, McCrimmon didn't win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. That honor went to Jim Nill of the Dallas Stars, who won the award for a second straight year. Nill finished with 118 points, receiving 17 first-place votes. The second-place winner was Patrik Allvin of the Vancouver Canucks, who finished with 66 points, followed by Bill Zito of the Florida Panthers with 64 points. So where did Kelly McCrimmon finish in the voting?
Kelly McCrimmon finished with three points for his work with the Vegas Golden Knights
The Vegas Golden Knights general manager finished 12th overall, only scoring three points during the voting process. He was one of two front office personnel in the Top 12 to receive just one vote (of any kind), with Daniel Briere of the Philadelphia Flyers being the other (Briere received one first-place vote).
#Canucks GM Patrik Allvin finished second in voting for general manager of the year. pic.twitter.com/e98UH7NyMp
— Rob Williams (@RobTheHockeyGuy) June 11, 2024
Thus, it remained that George McPhee was the only Golden Knight personnel to receive the award (2017-18). Granted, it started in 2009-10, with Don Maloney of the then-Phoenix Coyotes winning. However, Vegas is off to a good start regarding the award's history.
As for Nill, his second victory ties him with Lou Lamoriello (New York Islanders) for most in NHL history. As mentioned, the award was started less than two decades ago. It doesn't have much longevity to its name like the Conn Smythe or Hart Memorial Trophy.
But Kelly McCrimmon is hoping to also reach that number in the future. If he can nail this offseason and get the Vegas Golden Knights back to the Stanley Cup Final, he might win the Jim Gregory General Manager of the Year Award. But that's easier said than done, with the risk being as great as the reward.