Doug Armstrong, St. Louis Blues

Armstrong's roster moves and midseason hire of head coach Craig Berube spurred the Blues to a dramatic second-half rally and a playoff run to the Western Conference Final. Named head coach on Nov. 19 with the Blues in 30th place in the NHL (7-9-3), Berube went 38-19-6 the rest of the way. Goaltender Jordan Binnington, a 3rd-round draft pick in 2011, made his first NHL start in January and was voted a Calder Trophy finalist (24-5-1, 1.89 GAA). Offseason trade acquisition Ryan O'Reilly (7/1/18) earned finalist berths for the Selke and Lady Byng Trophies. Pat Maroon, the Game 7 overtime hero in the Second Round, was signed as a free agent (7/10/18). His linemates also were roster adds: free agent Tyler Bozak (7/1/18) and rookie Robert Thomas, a 1st-round pick in 2017. Armstrong, who began his tenure as St. Louis GM in July 2010, is vying to become the first multiple GM of the Year Award winner. He captured the trophy in 2011-12.

Don Sweeney, Boston Bruins

Sweeney's Bruins ranked third in the NHL overall standings (49-24-9, 107 points) and have advanced to the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2012-13. The Bruins' organizational depth shone during an injury-plagued season, with the team using 37 players -- the most among all playoff teams. Three players drafted during Sweeney's four-year tenure as GM were key performers this season: forward Jake DeBrusk (14th overall in 2015; 27 goals), defenseman Charlie McAvoy (14th overall in 2016; team-leading 22:10 avg. TOI) and defenseman Brandon Carlo (37th overall in 2015; +22 rating). Sweeney also strengthened the roster near the trade deadline in February, adding forwards Charlie Coyle from Minnesota and Marcus Johansson from New Jersey. Sweeney, who had served in the Bruins front office for nine years prior to his promotion to GM in 2015, is a first-time NHL Awards finalist.

Don Waddell, Carolina Hurricanes

In his first season as Hurricanes general manager, Waddell oversaw a team that posted 99 points (46-29-7), its best performance since the Stanley Cup campaign of 2005-06, and both qualified for the Stanley Cup Playoffs and reached the Eastern Conference Final for the first time since 2008-09. Waddell previously had served the club for four years as president, a title he retained with his new position. With first-year head coach Rod Brind'Amour behind the bench, the Hurricanes went 31-12-2 (.711) over their final 45 regular-season games (Dec. 31 - April 6), the League's second-best record in that span. Among Waddell's key player acquisitions were goaltenders Petr Mrazek (free agent, 7/1/18) and Curtis McElhinney (waiver claim, 10/2/18), defensemen Calvin de Haan (free agent, 7/3/18) and Dougie Hamilton (trade, 6/23/18), and forwards Micheal Ferland (trade, 6/23/18) and Nino Niederreiter (trade, 1/17/19).