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Six NHL GMS who are on the hot seat.
Keystone Press

Six NHL GMS who are on the hot seat.

A look at six men who may not have a job much longer.

HockeyFeed

HockeyFeed

Earlier today The Hockey News' Sean McIndoe published a story where he named five NHL GMs he felt where on the hot seat, and while it was a terrific story we felt one notable name was left on that list.

The list from McIndoe included Jarmo Kekalainen of the Columbus Blue Jackets, Garth Snow of the New York Islanders, Jim Benning of the Vancouver Canucks, Ken Holland of the Detroit Red Wings and Marc Bergevin of the Montreal Canadiens.

Perhaps the most obvious names on this list are that of Kekalainen and Bergevin, albeit for different reasons. Kekalainen is currently the guiding hand behind what many consider to be either the worst team in the National Hockey League or among the worst at the very least, and that alone could be enough to prompt ownership to make a quick change.

Bergevin made drastic moves this summer, and one of them particularly stands out as an extremely unpopular one, he needs an incredible performance from both his players and the head coach he has attached himself to, Michel Therrien, or he could be on his way out the door. Making the playoffs won't be enough, the Canadiens need a deep run with this new group to meet expectations.

Vancouver Canucks general manager Jim Benning has not had a great deal to work with in his tenure, and the fact that the Canucks have been a middling team since his appointment has made his job even more difficult. With no high end draft picks to bolster his roster and a number of aging veterans as the team tries to shift towards the future, it feels somewhat unfair to lay the blame at his feet. With that said attendance in Vancouver has suffered as a result of the team's lackluster performances and ownership could pull the trigger if not satisfied.

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The next two names seem a little more far fetched to us, in Ken Holland's case while you could argue that the contracts he has given to veteran players have not been in the best interest of his club, he has continued to make savvy moves that are worthy of respect, notably the miracle deal to dump Pavel Datysuk's contract at the draft. To be fair that was a problem of his own making, and if some of the deals he handed out this summer don't work out, looking at you Danny DeKeyser, it could be the end of a long tenure for Holland. 

The Islanders Garth Snow has had one of the NHL's premier forwards to work with for some time now, and he has consistently failed to build a winner around him, but with that said the Islanders have consistently made the postseason and for a team that appears to be in limbo when it comes to it's home arena, being able to draw postseason attendance is incredibly important, and Snow may be safe as a result.

Last but not least, our own addition to the list, Anaheim Ducks' general manager Bob Murray. A number of questionable trades and a seemingly complete absence of team chemistry over the past few seasons have made Murray the subject of major criticism despite his team perennial contender status. The current fiasco surrounding restricted free agent defenseman Hampus Lindholm has not helped matters at all, and with that signing almost certainly requiring a trade before it gets done, that deal could be the final nail in the coffin for Murray.