Anaheim Ducks: The 7 Best and Worst Deals of the Bob Murray Era

JUNE 26: General Manager Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks looks on from the Ducks draft table. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
JUNE 26: General Manager Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks looks on from the Ducks draft table. (Photo by Dave Sandford/NHLI via Getty Images)
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Anaheim Ducks
LAS VEGAS, NV – JUNE 24: General Manager Bob Murray of the Anaheim Ducks speaks onstage after winning the award for General Manager of the Year during the 2014 NHL Awards at the Encore Theater at Wynn Las Vegas on June 24, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)

Bob Murray has made a lot of deals during his tenure as the Anaheim Ducks General Manager. Some of them have worked out, others have not. Today we are taking a look at the seven best and worst deals that have defined the Bob Murray era.

The title of General Manager is a prestigious one in the world of hockey. There are only 31 of them in the NHL at any given time, and because of that, it’s a class of highly respected folks. General Manager of the Anaheim Ducks, Bob Murray, knows better than most that it’s not an easy job by any stretch.

The General Manager is in charge of composing a cohesive roster, employing a head coach who elevates that roster, and maintaining a prospect pool that’s constantly infusing talent into not only their major league team but also enough to appease their minor league affiliates.

Bob Murray is the Anaheim Ducks current general manager and has been since 2008. He was originally hired as a scouting consultant for the Ducks in 1999 before moving to the role of professional scout for the Vancouver Canucks that same year.

In 2005 he transitioned into the role of Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Anaheim Ducks organization, working as Brian Burke’s right-hand man and specializing in player development. Once Brian Burke left the Ducks to be the President and GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs, Murray took over Brian Burke’s position making him the sole general manager to the Ducks franchise.

The job of GM is scrutinized quite a bit and a lot of moves they make are remembered as huge wins, huge losses, or they’re forgotten altogether. So with that said, I took on the task of looking at each of Bob Murray’s trades, free agent signings, draft picks and other personnel choices over the past decade and compiled a list of the best and the worst.

On my journey, I stumbled across 14 moves that have served to define his career in Anaheim over the past ten years. Seven of them are his best moves, and seven are his worst. This list included deals that were made with a clear vision in mind.

I have not included deals that are massively successful in hindsight because they drafted better than the other team. Nor will I put a ton of weight into what other teams acquired with the draft pick in question as draft picks are largely unpredictable. Due to their unpredictable nature, they aren’t always a sign of greatness or ineptitude by a GM.

So, with that being said, let’s get some of those out of the way and give them their due or criticism in some honorable mentions.

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