Three candidates were in Toronto earlier this week for in-person interviews, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported on Wednesday’s edition of 32 Thoughts: The Podcast.
The trio included Dallas Stars assistant general manager Scott White and New York Rangers associate GM Ryan Martin, while the final candidate was either Boston Bruins AGM Evan Gold or former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka, Friedman said.
Toronto is “probably not looking at this week” for a final decision, per Friedman.
The Maple Leafs spoke to former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis months ago, but have become concerned about the immense media around him.
“There’s been so much leaks or noise that there’s some misdirection going here. I believe the plan was to bring Gillis in for another interview, but I don’t think that’s happened yet. So I don’t know where that stands,” Friedman said.
-
32 Thoughts: The Podcast
Hockey fans already know the name, but this is not the blog. From Sportsnet, 32 Thoughts: The Podcast with NHL Insider Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas is a weekly deep dive into the biggest news and interviews from the hockey world.
Latest episode
After missing the playoffs for the first time in a decade, the Maple Leafs fired GM Brad Treliving in March. The next executive could face urgency to return to the post-season, with captain Auston Matthews due to hit unrestricted free agency in two seasons.
The Canucks and Nashville Predators are the other openings for a hockey operations executive after the New Jersey Devils landed on former Florida Panthers assistant Sunny Mehta as their GM.
In Vancouver, there has been reported interest in New York Islanders director of player personnel Ryan Bowness and former Buffalo Sabres GM Kevyn Adams.
The Canucks and president of hockey operations Jim Rutherford are also formally interviewing assistant GM Ryan Johnson this week, per Friedman, with others to come.
“I think if it was totally up to Rutherford, he’d promote Ryan Johnson and that’s where we’d be,” Friedman said.
Rutherford is working on a list of fresher names while ownership has its own list with more well-known candidates, per Friedman.
“I don’t know if it’s as simple as saying that Rutherford is interviewing some newer people and ownership is interviewing some more experienced people, but I do think that that’s kind of the way it looks,” Friedman said.
Source link
#Maple #Leafs #narrow #executive #search #candidates
