Many of Verbeek’s decisions have been met with varying degrees of scrutiny. He’s made seemingly risky draft picks with his two highest selections in 2023 and 2024, taking Leo Carlsson and Beckett Sennecke higher than most public outlets had them projected. He’s brought in older veterans like Jacob Trouba, Mikael Granlund, and John Carlson, whose fits on the roster had been questioned and who carry big-money contracts. He also traded long-time players and former faces of the organization, John Gibson and Trevor Zegras, for what many decreed unsatisfactory returns, only to see them regain excellent form elsewhere.
