The Chicago Blackhawks have whittled their general manager search down to just three names, according to multiple reports including Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Those three names are Kyle Davidson–who is currently serving as interim GM–Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey operations Mathieu Darche and Chicago Cubs assistant GM Jeff Greenberg.
Greenberg’s name obviously stands out as someone that would be coming in from outside of the hockey world, though Friedman writes that he “knocked it onto Waveland Avenue” in his interview process. The Blackhawks are desperately trying to change the image of their organization and looked well outside the box in their search, though hiring Greenberg would certainly raise some eyebrows around the league given his lack of NHL experience.
Darche meanwhile is sort of the opposite, as someone who played in the league and has been interviewed for other jobs around the league. The 45-year-old has been with Tampa Bay since 2019 and is considered one of the most sought-after up-and-coming executives in the league, even if he too doesn’t have a ton of experience in an NHL front office at this point. A veteran of 250 NHL games, he also suited up more than 500 times in the minor leagues and has bounced all around the continent playing pro hockey.
Interestingly enough, Davidson appeared to be a surprising choice when he was named interim GM in the first place. He has been with the Blackhawks for a decade, working his way up from intern to assistant general manager, but was still relatively unknown when he took the reins. If he eventually is handed the full-time job it will be an incredible rise in a single organization.
It’s still not exactly clear when a decision will be made, though with the interview period over, one would assume it is coming quickly. Whoever does take over will have just a few weeks before the trade deadline to make some big decisions.