Following Wednesday’s announcement of a separation between the Vancouver Canucks and president of hockey operations Trevor Linden, attention has now turned to who could potentially fill the now-vacant role.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported Thursday that Dean Lombardi, former GM of the Los Angeles Kings, has emerged among the list of candidates who could potentially join the Canucks front office.
Lombardi led the Kings for more than a decade, taking over as general manager in 2006 and guiding the club to two Stanley Cup championships before being let go in April 2017. Prior to his stint in Los Angeles, Lombardi spent seven years as GM of the San Jose Sharks, leaving the club in 2003.
Most recently, the longtime Western Conference executive joined Ron Hextall’s staff in Philadelphia.
The Canucks announced late Wednesday that they had “amicably agree[d] to part ways” with Linden, who led the hockey operations department for four years. During that time, the local franchise icon guided the club into better standing by stockpiling young talent and overhauling their scouting and development departments.
It’s unclear at this time why exactly Linden and the British Columbia franchise, for which he suited up for 16 years as a player, have opted for a separation.
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