It’s not entirely clear who will be hired as the next general manager for the Calgary Flames, but a few interesting names are starting to surface when it comes to who is under serious consideration for the vacant position. Following the news that Brad Treliving had elected to part ways the with team and further reports that the Flames are not letting him interview with other NHL clubs for future GM opportunities, the Flames organization is refocusing their efforts on finding the best fit, which will then lead to the hiring of a new head coach.
Frank Seravalli reports that he’s hearing the Flames plan to pursue permission to interview current Toronto Maple Leafs’ assistant GM Brandon Pridham. For those that aren’t aware of Pridham’s work, he’s been largely credited with the excellent salary cap maneuvering the Maple Leafs have done over the past few seasons. He’s a numbers guy who formerly worked with the league and he’s said to be among the foremost experts on making the math work when it comes to trades and salary cap loopholes. Pridham, 49, has been with the Maple Leafs since 2014. He became the current assistant general manager under Kyle Dubas in 2018.
If Kyle Dubas were not to return, one would have to assume Pridham would be heavily considered for the Maple Leafs’ GM position.
Meanwhile, as per Elliotte Friedman on the 32 Thoughts podcast, “Someone said to me a couple of weeks ago that they would not be surprised if Sean Burke was on Don Maloney’s radar for the Calgary Flames, as a General Manager” Maloney is the new President of Hockey Operations and Bruke is a respected executive and former goalie coach. It would make sense these two names would be linked.
Another name thrown out there by Friedman was that of former Montreal Canadiens’ GM Marc Bergeving. Friedman said, “I think some of the people they’ve talked to, I’ve heard Marc Bergevin’s name.” he also noted, “Another person I have wondered about is Ray Whitney, he has a history with Don Maloney and I’ve kind of wondered about that”. Whitney hasn’t necessarily been linked to the job, other than Friedman throwing that idea against the wall to see if it sticks. Mark Hunter has also been linked to the list.
Internally both Craig Conroy and Brad Paschall are being considered. Both are current assistant general managers of the Calgary Flames. “Someone said to me, don’t discount the possibility,” said Friedman.
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