NHL GMs are under pressure every year to prove they can craft a successful squad.
Every team's GM must ensure they have the pieces in place to compete for a Stanley Cup, whether it's right away or down the line. If their team's stuck in a rut, and they can't prove they can craft a roster, coaching staff and management group that takes the franchise to another level, then it's time to swap them out for someone else.
Some of the five NHL GMs with the most to prove in 2025-26 are undoubtedly on the hot seat, while others might not be at risk of getting fired but do have to show their vision can work.
In alphabetic order, here are five NHL GMs who must prove they're on the right track with their clubs.
Kevyn Adams, Buffalo Sabres
No GM in the NHL has more to prove than Adams, who's held the Sabres job since June 2020.
Instead of ending a lengthy playoff drought, the Sabres have extended it by five years under Adams to a shocking 14.
Not only does Adams have to prove he can build the Sabres into a playoff team, but he also has to prove he can make Buffalo an attractive destination for NHL players.
That has been a serious challenge for Adams’ predecessors in the Sabres’ front office. Until Buffalo makes the playoffs, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Adams & Co. to convince NHLers the Sabres are a legitimate threat to win the Stanley Cup.
Adams likely has only this year to get that job done, because if Buffalo fails to make the playoffs for the 15th straight season, someone else will likely be Sabres GM next season. The Sabres are a laughingstock, and nothing less than a post-season appearance will prevent Adams from being dismissed next summer – or sooner.
Kyle Dubas, Pittsburgh Penguins
Dubas has been Penguins GM since June 2023.
While he did prove he could build a championship team at the AHL level by steering the Toronto Marlies to a Calder Cup victory in 2018, he hasn’t done the same thing in the NHL. His five years as Toronto Maple Leafs GM resulted in only one playoff series win – and Pittsburgh has failed to make the playoffs both years under Dubas.
Dubas now has to prove he’s putting the Penguins on the right road to success, including guiding them to a playoff spot in the next season or two and/or setting up the franchise to thrive in the long term. Thus far, Dubas hasn’t achieved either goal, and Pens fans accustomed to consistent playoff runs aren’t going to sit by idly if Pittsburgh’s struggles continue. He has made steps to restock the prospect cupboard, which is a decent start toward looking toward the long term, but there are still veterans he could move and hasn't, which makes it important that they be a competitive squad.
Dubas can still show he’s the right man for the job this upcoming season. But the pressure to achieve something positive is very real, and time will tell whether he’s succeeded in one form or another.
Bill Guerin, Minnesota Wild
The Wild made the post-season in five of the last six seasons, but winning a round has been another story altogether. They haven't won any in that span, including the qualifying round in 2020. Guerin has to be given credit for running things for the Wild since August 2019, but at the same time, he has yet to make a roster that can go deep in the post-season.
Guerin has the respect of the hockey world – you don’t get named GM of Team USA for the 4 Nations Face-Off and the 2026 Winter Olympics team if you’re not doing a lot of things right. That said, Minnesota fans have been aching to have a Wild team capable of winning a Cup.
Sooner or later, Guerin needs to demonstrate he can be the architect of a team that’s a playoff menace. Securing a contract extension for Kirill Kaprizov and doing something with Marco Rossi would be crucial steps.
Barry Trotz, Nashville Predators
Trotz has enjoyed tremendous success as an NHL coach, winning a Cup with the Washington Capitals in 2017-18. However, he’s still in his early days as a GM in hockey’s top league, rejoining the Predators as GM in 2023. Since then, the Preds have lost in the first round in Trotz’s first year as GM, then missing the playoffs completely last season.
Needless to say, Trotz has to show that last season’s disappointing results were an anomaly, and the Predators can not only make the playoffs in 2025-26 but also do some actual damage once they get there.
As a coach, Trotz has nothing to prove to anyone. But he understands that the Preds haven’t had many long post-season runs in their 26-year history, and he has to show fans the future is bright.
Right now, the Preds’ future is cloudy. And Trotz’s job is to clear that up and instill a sense of optimism that better days are immediately ahead.
Steve Yzerman, Detroit Red Wings
Yzerman has a ton of pressure to prove himself in Detroit. The Red Wings have missed the playoffs for the past nine seasons, and although Yzerman has only been GM for six of them, there's not much time left to be patient.
Yzerman’s was an on-ice legend with the Red Wings, and he’s had a lot of trust and time to rebuild the roster and develop a new Stanley Cup contender. But Red Wings fans accustomed to decades of playoff appearances and four Cup wins in the last 30 years are clearly nearing their wits’ end watching this team flail and wail.
Yzerman won’t have much longer to prove to Wings fans that his blueprint for success is working. If there is more misery this coming season, you’d have to think Yzerman’s time running the team will be coming to an end.
If he gets the Red Wings into the playoffs this year, Yzerman buys himself more time. But if Detroit is once again on the outside of the post-season picture looking in, Yzerman will be looking to prove himself a top-tier GM with another organization.
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