The NHL’s Las Vegas franchise is getting closer to hiring a general manager.
According to Michael Russo of the Minnesota Star-Tribune, team owner Bill Foley will make the announcement Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
On Monday, Foley told The Las Vegas Review-Journal that he and his staff had narrowed the search down to “two primary candidates.”
“We need to get a scouting staff hired and whoever we hire as our GM will be responsible for putting the (scouting) staff together,” he said.
Foley said he and his staff interviewed seven candidates — some of whom are currently employed by NHL teams — but didn’t reveal any names.
“I can tell you the people we talked to are all well-known in the hockey community and are well-respected,” Foley said. “Some are strong on the (salary) cap. Some are strong when it comes to assessing talent. But they all have strong backgrounds.”
According to the Review-Journal, Florida Panthers president Dale Tallon and Chicago Blackhawks assistant GM Norm Maciver were not interviewed.
“I think you’ll be pleased with the person we select,” Foley said.
Las Vegas was awarded an NHL franchise via expansion on June 22. The team will debut at the start of the 2017-18 season.
While the front office hiring could come very soon, we likely won’t get a glimpse of the team name and logo until this October.
“We’ve got two or three really good names that we’re seriously considering,” said Foley.