Even though the Stanley Cup Playoffs are still in full flight with the conference finals getting underway Thursday, there is already growing buzz around what could be an active and intriguing NHL off-season.
Beyond the latest drama surrounding the future of the Arizona Coyotes and all the question marks with Toronto Maple Leafs management and roster decisions, the rumour mill continues to churn around the league with a particular focus on front office and coaching candidates.
Elliotte Friedman mentioned in the latest episode of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast that he believes the Calgary Flames are considering two internal candidates — Craig Conroy and Brad Pascall — for the team’s next general manager, but added he thinks Calgary brass are also considering external candidates as they look to replace Brad Treliving.
Mark Hunter is a name Friedman previously mentioned as someone potentially linked to the Flames but he initially had heard Hunter was unavailable. Now, Friedman says, that might be changing. Hunter is the longtime owner and GM of the OHL’s London Knights who also spent time in Toronto's front office from 2014 to 2018. The Knights are currently trailing the Peterborough Petes 3-1 in the OHL Final.
Dave Nonis is another name Friedman mentioned in connection with the Flames. Nonis is a former GM of the Canucks and Maple Leafs and most recently served as assistant GM with the Ducks.
The Pittsburgh Penguins need to hire a new general manager and someone to lead the hockey operations department — or one person to fill both roles — this off-season. The team has begun conducting interviews and has already interviewed upwards of a dozen candidates for the GM role.
Marc Bergevin, the former Canadiens GM and current advisor to Kings GM Rob Blake, and former Oilers GM and current Blues VP of hockey ops Peter Chiarelli were among the candidates interviewed, according to a report from The Athletic. Friedman confirmed those two were among the many candidates with whom Pittsburgh has contacted.
Other names Friedman has heard in connection to Pittsburgh are Kraken assistant GM Jason Botterill, Sabres associate GM Jason Karmanos, Lightning assistant GM Mathieu Darche, Stars director of scouting and player development Steve Greeley, Hurricanes assistant GM Eric Tulsky, Devils assistant GMs Dan MacKinnon and Kate Madigan, plus New Jersey’s director of player development Meghan Duggan.
Former Coyotes GM John Chayka is also believed to be a candidate to join the Penguins organization, according to Friedman, who mentioned Chayka has many connections with current and former Fenway Sports Group employees. FSG owns the Penguins in addition to the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool F.C.
Pittsburgh fired GM Ron Hextall and director of hockey operations Brian Burke after failing to qualify for the post-season for the first time since the 2005-06 season.
One pending candidate who has not been interviewed by the Penguins is Treliving, the former Flames frontman who spent nine seasons with the organization.
Calgary announced in April Treliving would not receive a contract extension and the two sides had agreed to mutually parts ways following a disappointing 2022-23 campaign. The Athletic reported earlier this week that "the Flames denied (the Penguins) permission, apparently telling Pittsburgh it would have to wait until Treliving’s contract expired June 30" before interviewing Treliving.
Friedman confirmed this and added he also believes the Rangers denied the Penguins permission to interview their assistant GM Ryan Martin and Chicago did the same with assistant GM Jeff Greenberg.
The New Jersey Devils had quite the turnaround this past year, nearly doubling their win total from 2021-22, setting a franchise record for regular-season wins and points and advancing past the opening round of the playoffs for the first time since 2012. Much of the credit can be attributed to head coach Lindy Ruff whose three-year contract signed in 2020 was set to expire at the conclusion of the 2022-23 campaign.
While the term and details of the new contract have yet to be finalized or announced, New Jersey general manager Tom Fitzgerald told media Wednesday that Ruff would indeed be returning for 2023-24.
“He's still the right coach for this group,” Fitzgerald said via NHL.com. “He's earned that right. He deserves that and we deserve him. He's a great partner for me and those (players) love him. There's no such thing as a perfect coach, but he's got the utmost respect from our players, from us and from ownership. He's still the right guy for this job.”
Only four men in NHL history have coached and won more games than Ruff who has a 834-652-78-149 coaching record across 22 seasons split between Buffalo, Dallas and New Jersey. He is currently 15 victories behind fourth-place Ken Hitchcock on the wins list.
Ruff, a finalist for the 2023 Jack Adams Award as NHL coach of the year, spoke highly of his players after his team had been eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes last week.
Peter Laviolette and the Capitals agreed to part ways following a 2022-23 season that saw Washington miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014 but the veteran bench boss could possibly find himself leading a new Metropolitan Division team by the time training camp opens.
Friedman said he believes Laviolette “could be on the radar for both Columbus and the Rangers.”
Blue Jackets GM Jarmo Kekalainen relieved Brad Larson of his coaching duties in April, while the Rangers and Gerard Gallant agreed to part ways early in May.
“I believe (the Blue Jackets) talked to Mike Babcock. I don’t think that’s going to happen,” Friedman said before adding Laviolette is “in a really good position here between the Rangers and Columbus.”
Candidates to potentially replace Laviolette in Washington include Maple Leafs assistant coach Spencer Carbery and Lightning assistant coach Jeff Halpern who spent seven seasons with the Capitals during his playing days.
