Nashville's GM search heats up as Stanley Cup architect Peter Chiarelli emerges as a leading candidate following his Blues departure.
Could Peter Chiarelli be the next general manager of the Nashville Predators?
According to Darren Dreger, that could be possible as he reported on Friday that "Chiarelli is a candidate in Nashville's interview process" after leaving the St. Louis Blues as their Vice President of Hockey Operations.
Chiarelli had been in the position since September 2021, but had interviewed for GM positions outside of the organization before. In 2022, he interviewed for the Chicago Blackhawks' general manager position before the organization selected Kyle Davidson.
Chiarelli landed his first GM job with the Boston Bruins and held the position from 2006 to 2015, notably building the rosters that led the Bruins to a Stanley Cup in 2011 and a Stanley Cup Finals appearance in 2013.
In his time in Boston, he signed Zdeno Chara from the New York Islanders, traded Andrew Raycroft for Tuuka Rask and drafted Brad Marchand, Tyler Seguin and Phil Kessel.
At the end of the 2014-15 season, after missing the Stanley Cup Playoffs by two points and trading Johnny Boychuk to the New York Islanders, which took a hit at the Bruins defensive depth, Chiarelli was fired.
Less than two weeks later, Chiarelli was hired by the Edmonton Oilers as their new GM and selected Connor McDavid first overall in the 2015 NHL Draft.
He'd also notably sign Leon Draisaitl to an 8-year, $68 million contract.
A season after Chiarelli took over as GM, the Oilers qualified for the 2016-17 Stanley Cup playoffs, the first time they had played in the postseason in a decade. Edmonton made it to the Western Conference Semifinals before losing to Anaheim in six games.
The Oilers missed the 2018 playoffs, and after a near-.500 start to the 2018-19 season, Chiarelli was fired.
He joined the Blues as a senior advisor during the 2019-20 season before being promoted to Vice President of Hockey Operations.
The Predators' GM search began in February after Barry Trotz announced he'd retire once a replacement was found.