Adam Proteau looks at the NHL GM jobs available with the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers with some matches in mind.
Adam Proteau looks at the NHL GM jobs available with the Calgary Flames, Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers with some matches in mind.
As the NHL’s Stanley Cup post-season unfolds, business continues with the league’s non-playoff-teams. And at the moment, there are three GM jobs available – in Calgary, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh. Here’s an idea of some of the candidates out there for those three jobs.
Calgary Flames: Craig Conroy
As it stands, the Flames are currently being run by interim GM and longtime hockey man Don Maloney, but Conroy has been apprenticing for Calgary’s GM position since he was hired as assistant GM back in June 2014. The former NHL forward had more than 1,000 games as a player, and he’s highly respected around the game.
Ultimately, Calgary ownership may choose to hire an outside candidate for the GM spot. But if they did go internal, the way many teams do, Conroy would have a clean slate and, eventually, his own pick as Flames coach. Despite Calgary’s commitment to veteran bench boss Darryl Sutter – who is under contract through the 2024-25 campaign – Conroy is likely to bring in his own guy for the job. That’s just the way it is in the sports business. But Conroy has accumulated cachet behind the scenes in Calgary, and nobody has a better idea of what to change and what to keep the same than he does.
Pittsburgh Penguins: Brandon Pridham
The Penguins fired GM Ron Hextall earlier this month after the Pens missed the playoffs for the first time in the past 17 seasons, and new ownership organization Fenwick Sports Group is looking to put their own stamp on the franchise.
With stars Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang still healthy and contributing valuable minutes, there will be no shortage of interested candidates. But don’t be surprised to see Pittsburgh choose a lower-profile hockey architect like Pridham, who has served as the Toronto Maple Leafs' assistant GM since 2018.
Pridham is famous in NHL circles for his vast knowledge of the ins and outs of the league’s salary cap rules. As per CapFriendly, the Pens are projected to have more than $20.98 million in cap space to use this summer, but they only have 14 players under contract at present, so it’s not like cap space will be a magic elixir for this group. They’ll need a cap-savvy hockey mind like Pridham, and the regular-season successes of the Leafs make Pridham look even more attractive as a GM candidate.
Philadelphia Flyers: Daniel Briere or Kevin Weekes
This final pick could go one of two ways for Philadelphia.
They could stick with the internal candidate in Briere, who has been interim GM since Chuck Fletcher was dismissed in early March. Or, they could go outside the franchise and take a rising star in TV analyst and former NHL goalie Weekes, who was in the running for the San Jose Sharks GM job before former NHL forward Mike Grier was hired.
Weekes and Briere are excellent communicators, and although Briere is the only one of the two who has experience playing as a Flyer – always a good thing if you go by their long-term pattern of GM hires – Weekes knows what it’s like to play in the same division as the Flyers. He would come in with time on his side as Philly tries to build for the long term.
Either way, it’s likely the Flyers take a former NHLer to take the reins. There will be intense pressure on whoever gets Philadelphia’s GM job, but Weekes and Briere understand that fact before they get offered the job. It can’t get much worse than it was under Fletcher, though, and that’s a good thing for Flyers fans.