Music: {allcanada} Rising candidates for NHL general manager jobs

Friday, May 2, 2014

{allcanada} Rising candidates for NHL general manager jobs

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The hirings this week of Brad Treliving and Ron Francis as general managers continued the move away from recycling former GMs.

The majority of the most recent hires — Steve Yzerman (Tampa Bay Lightning), Marc Bergevin (Montreal Canadiens), Jarmo Kekalainen (Columbus Blue Jackets), Jim Nill (Dallas Stars) and Tim Murray (Buffalo Sabres) among them — were first-time general managers.

Treliving was an assistant GM with the Phoenix Coyotes before joining the Calgary Flames, and Francis was groomed in the Carolina Hurricanes organization as an eventual replacement for Jim Rutherford, 65.

The Washington Capitals and Vancouver Canucks are still in the market for a general manager with the draft less than two months away.

Canucks president of hockey operations Trevor Linden said Thursday that he plans to start interviewing candidates next week.

"I've got a very focused list," he said at the news conference announcing coach John Tortorella's firing. "I don't have a large candidate list. I'd say, realistically, the timing most likely will be at the end of the month."

Here are some high-quality candidates looking to get their first shot at managing a team:

Jim Benning: The NHL has started to take a page out of the NFL book and look at respected assistants from successful programs. Benning has been Peter Chiarelli's assistant with the Boston Bruins since 2007. Word around the hockey world was that Benning came close to landing the Sabres job.

Given the respect that the Bruins organization receives, it's easy to see why he might be the No. 1 candidate in the marketplace. He certainly is among the favorites to land one of the two openings.

Pierre McGuire: The NBC analyst has been in the mix for a couple of GM jobs in recent years, and he is always a great interview. He knows the players, the league and the prospects. Because of his personality, he can be a major plus for the marketing department. He sells the game. People sometimes forget that he's a former NHL coach and assistant coach.

Laurence Gilman: He has been the Canucks' assistant GM since 2008 and had a 13-year stint with the Coyotes. He's a lawyer with plenty of experience in handling contracts and dealing with the salary cap. He's well-respected around the NHL.

Paul Fenton: He's David Poile's assistant with the Nashville Predators, and he has been involved heavily in the draft. He has been with Nashville since 1998. Poile certainly knows the managerial aspects of a hockey team.

Jason Botterill: He's a former player with a master's in business administration. He has all of his bases covered as assistant GM with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He's a salary cap expert with hockey expertise. He's seen as a rising star.

Julien BriseBois: Yzerman's assistant in Tampa Bay has a good reputation as a hockey guy and savvy salary cap manager. He is 35 and has a law degree and a master's in business administration. The Hockey News once named him the top hockey executive under 40.

Ryan Martin: With Nill gone, Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Martin has more responsibility and visibility. The Red Wings are considered a first-rate organization, and Martin has an essential role.

Rob Blake: He's an assistant general manager with Los Angeles Kings, but it's probably too soon for him to be looking elsewhere.

Ron Hextall: When he was with the Kings, he was considered a possible candidate for GM openings. But since he moved back to the Philadelphia Flyers as an assistant GM, the expectation is that he eventually will become the team's general manager.

"That's why he was brought in. He didn't come in to stay assistant GM forever, but that doesn't mean tomorrow," owner Ed Snider told reporters on Friday.

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