GM Candidates

[Chainshot]

Hmmm, Chris Drury, huh ? Sounds like he'd be a good fit in Buffalo to drive them even further into the ground...Extend the playoff drought to 2 decades.

Mr Ranger can continue to f*** himself.

 

[StreetHawk]

Yes, Tulsky is close, but he's more like a Howie Roseman (Eagles - NFL) in that he came from a different background but worked his way up through the ranks with an NHL team before becoming GM.

I'm talking about hiring a guy as GM who never worked in hockey before. Like, either from another pro sport or (less likely) from another business entirely.

Can you please provide an example from another pro sports team that did that?

One thing to have no to limited experience in that sport, but it takes time to understand all of the ins/outs of running a pro sports team.

 

[Elysian]

I would love to see Rich Peverly make the leap some day.

 

[FunkySeeFunkyDo]

Sam Ventura

 

[New Jersey Devil]

I think Marty will take over as Devils next GM when Fitz moves on.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

 

[BigDaddyLurch]

Who are some current execs who should get some GM interviews this summer? I know Mathieu Darche and Jason Botterill are popular names. Marc Bergevin is the most popular of the retreads. Who else is out there?

Chris Drury destroyed the Rangers as a player and now he destroyed this franchise an exec.

...if that is true, I pity whichever team has lost all Hope and hires him...

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

It'll probably be the Pegulas hiring some mail clerk for cheap.

I feel like you’re really denigrating mail clerks by associating them with the Pegulas.

Seriously though, there are no unskilled jobs. Just unskilled people who have still somehow made their way to C-suites. And idiots at every level, lets be honest, but I’m tired of talking about the Sabres.

 

[Gil Gunderson]

Pierre MF Dorion

 

[Jerzey Devil]

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Mar-ty’s bet-ter clap-clap, clap-clap-clap

 

[Mosby]

Not sure, but if I had to hire a GM, Washington is the first team I start looking at.

Between trades, UFAs, and recent drafts, they have turned the model upside down.

Ross Mahoney for sure

 

[zenator]

I'll second Jason Spezza. He seems to live and breathe hockey, and is a sharp guy. Nice guy too, so he'll have good communication with other teams for trades.

I must say, it's nice not having the slightest worry about hiring or replacing a GM for a change.

 

[doublechili]

Can you please provide an example from another pro sports team that did that?

One thing to have no to limited experience in that sport, but it takes time to understand all of the ins/outs of running a pro sports team.

The closest is the Blackhawks, whose current "Associate GM" was hired directly from the Cubs. He had been in the running for the main GM job (and the fact that they hired him as Associate GM kinda makes you think he was a finalist). It hasn't happened yet, but I'll bet it does. Matter of time. If Howie Roseman decided he wanted to switch sports, there would be a ton of teams from MLB, NBA, NHL and MLS lining up to make offers.

Blackhawks hire Cubs’ Jeff Greenberg as associate GM

Greenberg previously interviewed with the Blackhawks for their general manager job. Kyle Davidson was eventually named general manager on March 1.

www.nytimes.com

"The Chicago Blackhawks hired Chicago Cubs assistant general manager Jeff Greenberg as associate GM, the team announced. Greenberg previously interviewed with the Blackhawks for their general manager job. Kyle Davidson was eventually named general manager on March 1. Greenberg began as a baseball operations intern for the Cubs in 2012. Following time spent as the team's director of pro scouting and director of baseball operations, he became assistant general manager in 2020."

 

[Hoek]

Tampa has a lawyer as GM and head coach.

And it's not even our first lawyer GM, we won our first cup with one too.

 

[StreetHawk]

As Associate/Assistant GM, they would have time to learn the sports operations. I just can't envision a situation where a sports team hires a partner in a law firm or CEO/President of a fortune 500 company to become their GM. Working your way up over 3-5 years, I can see that happening.

 

[Summer Rose]

The easiest argument ever against "playing the game means you know the game" is make someone listen to Carlo Colaiacovo attempt to give analysis

I will never forget Carlo for his famous crash into the boards face first, with kind of an "oh shit" look on his face, against Detroit that spawned all sorts of funny GIFs.

 

[SirSamofHouseBennett]

The #1 resource a GM has is their network of hockey industry contacts. Through all levels in all types of roles. It’s this network & ability to source information that sets them apart.

Relationships matter and if you don’t come from a grassroots position where you have swam with hockey people, you will not be a GM because you simply do not have the means to gather, distill & manage quality information.

 

[New Jersey Devil]

Mar-ty’s bet-ter clap-clap, clap-clap-clap

Brodeur is the biggest traitor in Devils history! And, if he's named the Devils GM, he'll ruin them forever!

 

[TheGreenTBer]

The easiest argument ever against "playing the game means you know the game" is make someone listen to Carlo Colaiacovo attempt to give analysis

Give him a break, he was never the same after molesting the end boards with his face

 

[TheGreenTBer]

...if that is true, I pity whichever team has lost all Hope and hires him...

He'd probably offer 2 1st round picks for Brendan Gallagher tho

 

[Bouboumaster]

Someone should try Darche IMO
The dude has a brain, and might bring a fresh take in the NHL

As for Bergevin...
Bergevin should NEVER be THE guy. He's probably a solid Assistant GM but never EVER let this guy in charge.
Straight up, he can't draft, and he can't negociate contracts. He sucks at both those things.
The one thing he can do, is talent scouting, and he's incredible when it's time to find depth players and solid bargains.
A team that should hire him is Edmonton, where he'd help a lot garnishing the bottom 6 and the defensive squad but again, never give him the top job.

 

[Doom Bot]

I'm waiting for someone to hire a non-hockey guy as GM. I'll bet it happens eventually.

I thought Jeff Gorton was kind of like that

 

[glenngineer]

I'm waiting for someone to hire a non-hockey guy as GM. I'll bet it happens eventually.

Please let it be me. I can't be any worse than what Trotz has done to the Preds. Here's the list of things I'd do.

1. Fire Brunette - more than likely replace him with Karl Taylor
2. Get rid of guys like McCarron, Smith, Bellows and a few others who are tweeners at best
3. Speak to all the vets who signed in the offseason and see if they want to stay or go and decide how to move forward with the franchise
4. I'd move Saros and get out from his contract and NMC that's about to kick in
5. Stop the tradition/mentality of the kids have to overmarinate in the AHL
6. Find new scouts and player development staff - we haven't drafted and developed an elite forward since inception, that has to change
7. See if any other vets want to chase a Cup and if they do, move on from them - Forsberg and Josi in particular
8. Build the defense corp to have more balance - puck mover and defensive first guy on each pairing - also increase the size of the d corp to make it harder for teams to play against
9. Find a couple of guys in FA or who are already in the system that have motors that are always on - once again, these are the guys that other teams hate to play against
10. Let the vets, who are your leaders set the tone, not the fourth line grinders - everyone else falls in line because of this mentality

That's where I'd start - it's also going to depend on what pick Nashville is looking at as to what strategy I'd use.

 

[Random schmoe]

Ross Mahoney is probably too old now to the point that he wouldn't want a head job anyways but I'm always surprised that it seems like he's never really even been interviewed

He was interviewed for the Devils GM job in 2020, went through 3 rounds of interviews before they chose to make Tom Fitzgerald their permanent GM. And in 2019 he was 'believed' to have been interviewed for the then-vacant Oilers job.

And in 2016 Vegas (George McPhee) asked permission to interview him. Though, since McPhee was the actual GM, that probably wasn't the role he wanted Mahoney for at the time.

The Caps last 3 GMs have been a lawyer, an investment advisor with an MBA in finance, and another investment banker with BS degrees in poly sci and economics and an MBA.

(But to be fair, all 3 were in hockey both before and after their 'other' professional lives.)

 

[kerrabria]

Teams are always inclined to hire former NHL players, but truth is many of the best hockey brains have barely played hockey themselves. Bill Zito, Julien Brisebois, Chris MacFarland, Kent Hughes, Eric Tulsky, Lou Lamoriello, Doug Armstrong, and the trend is growing. I guess we could add Dubas too.

Zito played hockey at Yale and then two semi-pro seasons in Finland. He also went to law school. I imagine a very intelligent guy who played hockey at a very high level (even if not professionally), experienced European hockey, and has a legal background makes for a great GM candidate. Far, far, far more so than some guy who barely went to high school and whose only other experience is NHL player 15+ years.