Every day this week, theScore's hockey editors are evaluating NHL teams on a different level of management. This time, we're focusing on the GMs, ranking them based on salary cap and asset management, as well as draft history.

• Farm systems
• Head coaches
• General managers
• Owners (Thursday, Aug. 4)
• Final rankings (Friday, Aug. 5)

31. Vancouver Canucks

Jim Benning is either in executive prison, and carrying out another's agenda, or Vancouver's obvious lack of mindful direction is his enormously misguided modus operandi.

30. Columbus Blue Jackets

There may actually be no coming back from a David Clarkson acquisition.

29. Colorado Avalanche

With recent moves falling short of intrepid, the Avs' front office ranks poorly primarily on the basis of aligning itself with the haphazard tactics of Patrick Roy.

28. Minnesota Wild

The blank space between high-paid, depreciating veterans and a hindered draft core is Chuck Fletcher-made. He needs Bruce Boudreau to fix it.

27. Edmonton Oilers

Having been gifted Connor McDavid and Jesse Puljujarvi, Peter Chiarelli can only appropriately be evaluated, now one year into his tenure, on piecing together a blue line. It's been a failure thus far.

26. Montreal Canadiens

Marc Bergevin has signed numerous deals that carry incredible value for the Canadiens, but his allegiances and mismanagement of P.K. Subban stands to define his tenure.

25. New York Rangers

It's unfair to dump on Jeff Gorton, who inherited an empty cupboard after his predecessor Glen Sather's failed pursuit of a championship. There's an onerous task ahead.

24. Boston Bruins

Don Sweeney has shown signs of intuition, and his nine draft picks in the first and second rounds could turn out to be a coup, but he's simply not managing assets and resources in an effective enough manner.

23. Ottawa Senators

It'll be tough for Pierre Dorion to make a distinctive stamp on the franchise, though it seems imperative he does so.

22. Carolina Hurricanes

Fans must be encouraged with Ron Francis' process so far. He's drafted quite well through two cycles, and made strategic, small-market tweaks to add high-level young talent to his mix.

21. Philadelphia Flyers

Many who contributed to Philadelphia's downfall still have pull, but Ron Hextall seems to be the right man to hold final say.

20. New Jersey Devils

With a clean slate and no immediate expectations from the higher-ups, Ray Shero's had the luxury of sitting back and tactically picking his spots, and he's done so with considerable effectiveness.

19. Los Angeles Kings

Success weighed heavily in this criteria, and yet, two Stanley Cups couldn't hide Dean Lombardi's suspect asset management, process, and draft record over the last five seasons.

18. Buffalo Sabres

With full backing from ownership, Tim Murray's in the process of aggressively executing his ideal: a full bottom-out, rapid rebuild. It's encouraging and exciting for fans, sure, but are undermining shortcuts taken with hurried growth?

17. Las Vegas

This seems like an appropriate spot for George McPhee, who will look to begin piecing together the framework for another President's Trophy winner in Las Vegas after a successful run in Washington.

16. Arizona Coyotes

The sample is limited in the post-Don Maloney era, but the John Chayka-Dave Tippett tandem is off too a booming start.

15. Detroit Red Wings

It feels strange ranking Holland anywhere but the top of the executive summit. His draft record is unrivaled, and he led the organization most prepared for changes in the post-lockout era. And yet, recent dealings suggest the Red Wings are failing to discern the NHL's current direction.

14. San Jose Sharks

A season of restoration and reconciliation has improved Doug Wilson's standing. Hiring Pete DeBoer and acquiring Joel Ward and Paul Martin re-routed this team, which came to within two wins of a validating title after flirting with deconstruction.

13. Calgary Flames

An odd Burke-ism may lead some to believe otherwise, but this is truly Brad Treliving's well-run, cost-effective show. He's picked his spots well, using draft weekend to acquire ready pieces and quality prospects, and there isn't a single handcuffing contract on the payroll.

12. New York Islanders

Garth Snow's brought a level of stability unknown in previous decades. His poaching of Johnny Boychuk and Nick Leddy catapulted his team into the next tier. And lately, his work at the draft could carry them into the next class of contenders.

11. Toronto Maple Leafs

This front office has been rhapsodized about enough, but earns marks for a multitude of reasons. The Maple Leafs and Lou Lamoriello have identified a clear objective, and they're funneling every resource into executing the plan. Purpose must precede performance.

10. St. Louis Blues

This is clearly a well-run organization, with the Blues' 230 wins the most in the NHL over the last five years. And yet, sustainability has almost become tired in the absence of tangible success. They'll continue to do things the right way - and win - but the measures required to lift them over the top haven't been taken yet.

9. Florida Panthers

It's been an odd summer, and ownership might be a touch too hands-on, but it remains a sage operation. This is a top-tier drafting team, and on the payroll, Dave Bolland's contract is the only beat-up pinto in a parking lot full of waxed luxury sedans.

8. Winnipeg Jets

After only five seasons of existence, the Jets have built up perhaps the league's best farm. Kevin Cheveldayoff has also brokered club-friendly extensions with his three most important non-entry-level assets. And he owns a clean book, which is paramount to a team working on an internal budget.

7. Anaheim Ducks

Bob Murray works without hesitation, which gets him in and out of trouble. But that's the type of activity - a persistence in trying to improve - you must appreciate as a fan. He's also won four consecutive division titles on a budget, which isn't nothing.

6. Dallas Stars

Having graduated from the Detroit Red Wings' school of management and inheriting vast resources in Dallas, Jim Nill's assembled the NHL's greatest attack primarily through the trade market. However, a solution in goal still eludes him.

5. Washington Capitals

Brian MacLellan's had influence on all matters in the Alex Ovechkin era, but since he earned autonomy over the club, it's turned a corner. He chose the right coach in Barry Trotz, and his tinkering has netted positive results.

4. Nashville Predators

It's a high mark for a group at it for 18 years, but few are executing better than the Predators right now. David Poile's brilliant contracts deeply outweigh the few that can be nitpicked, his defense looks as good on paper as it will on the ice, and his ability to swing high-stakes hockey deals is unmatched.

3. Pittsburgh Penguins

What a difference a year can make. He didn't build the Penguins, but Jim Rutherford restored them to a former glory with a series of extraordinary deals. And while there's a definite recency bias here, the Penguins' roster isn't about to be bludgeoned by the cost of a banner. That's Rutherford's doing.

2. Chicago Blackhawks

Stan Bowman's assembled three of the last seven championship rosters, so it does seem a bit silly not having Chicago at No. 1, but his front office isn't without fault. Chicago doesn't have a dazzling record at the draft, and will continue to be punished every summer under the weight of the cap.

1. Tampa Bay Lightning

Steve Yzerman inherited his pillars, but remains responsible for building an enduring contender around Steven Stamkos and Victor Hedman. He owns a superb draft record and has shown businesslike efficiency in the trade market, but what sets him apart is having his assets all toe the line.

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Phil Kessel and Evgeni Malkin collected two points each, and Matt Murray made 23 saves as the Pittsburgh Penguins defeated the San Jose Sharks 3-1 in Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Monday night.

Now up 3-1 in the series, the Penguins, whose three previous titles were clinched on visiting ice, now have an opportunity to claim its first Stanley Cup in seven seasons Thursday at Consol Energy Center in Pittsburgh.

Ian Cole set the table for the road split, smacking a rebound past Martin Jones off a Kessel shot early in the first. He became the 17th different goal scorer for the Penguins this postseason, and the club's eighth U.S.-born scorer to match an NHL record.

Kessel then directly set up Pittsburgh's second goal, spotting Malkin at the side of the net with a precise feed for a tap-in goal.

Melker Karlsson brought the Sharks to within one eight minutes into the third period, but Eric Fehr iced the game with 122 seconds left in regulation, scoring on a partial break, off a feed from Carl Hagelin.

Jones made just 17 saves in the contest, as the Sharks outshot the Penguins for the first time in the series.

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Stan Bowman's roster re-making and cunning ability to maneuver around the salary walls that are constantly closing in on his empire is the stuff of legends.

Now, this isn't to say he's bamboozled every executive brave enough to seal an agreement with a firm handshake. Brandon Saad's doing just fine in Columbus, thanks. But the Chicago Blackhawks general manager seems to make the most advantageous decision for his dynastic franchise every single time out. Even moves that prompt a few head scratches, work.

So there's really no reason to suggest his latest stroke, the acquisition of the rental market's presumably most-expensive asset, Andrew Ladd, won't be another shrewd decision. One looked back at and lauded, all over again.

It's a former subordinate, though, a man who won a title with Bowman and Ladd almost six years ago, that deserves a heaping slab of credit in the fallout from Thursday night's blockbuster.

Because Kevin Cheveldayoff's come a long way since he tabled a lucrative long-term contract offer to the 10-year veteran who'd recently rolled off a surgical table, and whose signature would have probably victimized the singular, and most unique asset on the Winnipeg Jets' roster.

The right call

The Jets GM was met with the greatest plight of his career this summer. Ladd and Dustin Byfuglien, the organization's senior pillars - who though sewn through the fabric of the organization are on the wrong side of 30 - came up for new contracts, and raises, at the same time.

At first, the plan appeared to involve retaining both. However, contract talks in the summer, and even into the start of the season, seemed to focus primarily around Ladd. He was the Jets' captain, a player who recently set a career high in points, and performed valiantly through a sports hernia for a chunk of last season.

Still, to someone outside the market, it seemed misguided. Ladd remains a useful top-six player with 50-point potential. And his role as captain, and in turn his value, transcends point production to a certain extent. But he's a depreciating asset playing a subsidiary position, and a player showing his 10 seasons of on-ice battles.

Simply put: a long-term deal with Ladd would most certainly see the Jets paying for what he's done, not what he will do.

To Winnipeg's benefit but despite its efforts, things would change. Byfuglien, who's actually a few months older than Ladd but has appeared in about 100 fewer games, emerged as Cheveldayoff's priority.

And, he turned out to be a far easier sell.

The Jets signed the best deal for the organization under the circumstances Feb. 8, inking Byfuglien to a five-year extension worth $38 million.

Though a veteran, Byfuglien is still raw and prone to the blunder. But his footprint, overall impact, and combination of skills he'll bring over the next five years is so much greater, and so much more valuable than that of Ladd's.

About time

Limiting the term on Byfuglien, a player that's either at, fast approaching, or now passing the peak of his career was most important in Chevy's dealings. But the timing of his pact with the rover, and clarity gained when the captain was pinched with weeks still leading up to the deadline shouldn't be understated.

It was that defined direction that helped drive up the price over the weeks that Ladd was peddled on the open market, and Cheveldayoff received tremendous value on his asset as a result.

Barring a deal, the Jets will select twice in the first round in back-to-back drafts, while Marko Dano - a former first-round pick in his own right - joins Hobey Baker challenger Kyle Connor, Josh Morrissey, Joel Armia, and a surplus of quality prospects assembling under the Jets' banner.

It wasn't without a few clumsy first steps, and assistance from Ladd's staunch negotiation, but in retaining Byfuglien and manufacturing a return on their captain, Cheveldayoff made the most of a difficult situation.

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The Chicago Blackhawks have completed another deal, officially trading Rob Scuderi to the Los Angeles Kings for fellow defenseman Christian Ehrhoff, the Kings confirmed.

More to come.

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