Headlines

Go To MLB Trade Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Peter Chiarelli

More On Toronto’s GM Search

at CDT | by 19 Comments

The Toronto Maple Leafs have a critical offseason ahead of them, with decisions on the future of several core players, potential extension talks with Auston Matthews, and a roster with ten pending unrestricted free agents. All of this to do, and no general manager to do it.

Toronto continues to search for a new front office leader after firing Kyle Dubas following another disappointing playoff exit. Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports four names—Brad Treliving, Jason Botterill, Peter Chiarelli, and Marc Bergevin—that he expects to have interviews with the Maple Leafs.

Treliving, in particular, seems to have plenty of momentum as a top candidate after exiting the Calgary Flames earlier this spring. The veteran executive had been GM of the Flames since 2014, previously serving as an assistant with the Phoenix Coyotes.

Chiarelli, Bergevin, and Botterill should all be very familiar to Maple Leafs fans, given their respective terms as general managers of the Boston Bruins, Montreal Canadiens, and Buffalo Sabres. They are also likely not very exciting choices, at least from the fans’ perspective, given their questionable roster management in the past.

Still, it seems likely that Toronto will go with an experienced NHL name this time around as they try to figure out what’s holding them back from playoff success. Since Matthews and the rest of the young core debuted in 2016, the team has had just one playoff victory past the first round.

Latest On Pittsburgh Penguins Front Office Search

at CDT | by 12 Comments

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in for a busy offseason, replacing key front-office fixtures after missing the playoffs for the first time in almost two decades. In addition to yesterday’s reporting on the Pittsburgh Penguins’ intention to hire two separate people for the roles of general manager and president of hockey operations, The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun expanded in detail today on the current status of Pittsburgh’s search to fill their vacant roles.

LeBrun relayed previously corroborated reports from league sources that the Penguins have conducted initial Zoom interviews with potential candidates for the general manager role, with this number set at around a dozen. From this group, Pittsburgh has begun the process of narrowing down individuals for in-person second-round interviews for the job.

LeBrun has now confirmed seven individuals who were part of that complement of about 12. Among them is Los Angeles Kings senior advisor Marc Bergevin, Carolina Hurricanes assistant general manager Eric Tulsky, St. Louis Blues VP of hockey operations Peter Chiarelli, Buffalo Sabres associate general manager Jason Karmanos, and three members of the New Jersey Devils organization: senior vice president and assistant general manager Dan MacKinnon, assistant general manager Kate Madigan, and director of player development Meghan Duggan. There are two other likely candidates that LeBrun could not confirm, Tampa Bay Lightning assistant general manager Mathieu Darche and Seattle Kraken assistant general manager Jason Botterill, who previously held the same role with Pittsburgh.

Some candidates from the first round of interviews were informed today that they are no longer being considered for the positions, LeBrun said.

Also in line with previous reporting, LeBrun mentioned the Penguins expressed interest in including Brad Treliving, the former general manager of the Calgary Flames, in their first round of interviews. However, the Flames denied permission, given Treliving’s expiring contract with the team legally expires on June 30.

As for a president of hockey operations, LeBrun also linked the Penguins to former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka. Chayka held his post with the Coyotes from May 2016 to July 2020, when he abruptly resigned before the start of the delayed Stanley Cup Playoffs. The NHL later suspended Chayka from working in the league for the entire 2021 calendar year after he pursued other league opportunities while still under contract with Arizona. It also later came to light that, under Chayka, the Coyotes had held an illegal private scouting combine for eligible draft prospects in direct violation of league rules, resulting in multiple pick forfeitures for Arizona.

Surprisingly, the reason for the uncertainty about Chayka’s potential involvement with the Penguins isn’t due to his concerning NHL history – rather, LeBrun reports Chayka could have additional NHL opportunities available to him outside of Pittsburgh.

Chicago Blackhawks To Interview Peter Chiarelli For GM Vacancy

at CDT | by 20 Comments

Buckle up, Blackhawks fans. As Chicago prepares to begin interviews this week for their current vacancy at General Manager, at least one big name has been confirmed as a candidate. TSN’s Darren Dreger reports that former Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli will interview for the Blackhawks’ GM job. In fact, the club sought out the experienced executive, currently the Vice President of Hockey Operations with the St. Louis Blues, and requested that he apply. Dreger adds that the interview process could move quickly with the NHL Trade Deadline approaching next month. If Chiarelli is deemed to be Chicago’s top option, he could be named leader of the front office within weeks.

Even after more than three years removed from his last GM job, Chiarelli remains a polarizing figure in the hockey community. As a young GM, he built a Stanley Cup winner (and shortly thereafter a finalist again) in Boston – and that is something that can’t be taken from him. Chiarelli built the core of that championship team from scratch and his fingerprints are still all over the current Bruins. His efforts included signing Zdeno Chara, Marc Savard, Andrew Ference, and Torey Krug; trading for Tuukka Rask, Adam McQuaid, Johnny Boychuk, Mark Recchi, Dennis Seidenberg, and Nathan Horton; and drafting Phil Kessel, Milan Lucic, Brad Marchand, Matt Grzelcyk, Tyler Seguin, Dougie Hamilton, and David Pastrnak. However, in building a winner he also made some questionable deals that cost the Bruins Blake Wheeler, Kris Versteeg, Boychuk, and most notably Kessel and later his return, top-ten picks Seguin and Hamilton. High-value picks he dealt away turned into the likes of Rickard Rakell, Jason Dickinson, current Bruin Derek Forbort and more. Chiarelli was also wrong more often than he was right in the draft, which wasn’t helped by his willingness to give up picks.

When Chiarelli arrived in Edmonton with plans on turning the historically bad club into contenders, he walked right in to drafting Connor McDavid first overall in 2015. While the book is still out on some of Chiarelli’s later draft picks, the obvious McDavid selection was one of his few hits, with Jesse Puljujarvi, Kailer Yamamoto, and Tyler Benson hardly living up to their draft billing. Chiarelli also struggled in free agency, giving too much to old friend Lucic and unproven Mikko Koskinen while failing to provide McDavid and Leon Draisaitl with suitable wingers. Yet, what Chiarelli is most infamous for are his trades in Edmonton, with none more talked about than the Taylor Hall–Adam Larsson swap. He also sent away Justin Schultz, Jordan Eberle, and Ryan Strome in lopsided deals and gave away a first-round pick (Mathew Barzal) for Griffin Reinhart. Yet, the Oilers did improve under Chiarelli and his extensions for McDavid and Draisaitl now look like bargains. If he had just avoided a few of his mistakes, the Oilers might have made a run to the Cup just like Boston.

So is it time for another chance? Dreger notes that the Blackhawks do have many candidates and by no means does he insinuate that Chiarelli is already the front-runner. Current interim Kyle Davidson will get a look, as could Seattle Assistant GM Jason Botterill, who was reportedly the runner-up for the Anaheim job. Displaced interim Ducks GM Jeff Solomon could also be in consideration, as could a number of others who were in the mix for the recently-filled jobs in Montreal and Vancouver. However, there is no doubt that for entertainment’s sake, having Chiarelli back in the GM chair would be fun to watch.

St. Louis Blues Name Peter Chiarelli VP Of Hockey Operations

at CDT | by 31 Comments

The St. Louis Blues have made a few front office changes, naming Peter Chiarelli vice president of hockey operations and Ken Hitchcock a coaching consultant. Dave Taylor, who was previously in the role that Chiarelli was given will assume the role of senior advisor to hockey operations.

Chiarelli, 57, had already been working for the Blues as a consultant but will now have an expanded role in the front office. The long-time executive last held a full-time position in 2019 with the Edmonton Oilers, but was fired early that year halfway through another disappointing season. There’s no lack of experience assuming the role for the blues, as Chiarelli was an NHL GM for 13 consecutive seasons between the Boston Bruins and Oilers. Before that, he held various positions with the Ottawa Senators including assistant GM.

Hitchcock will be well known to Blues fans, given he was head coach of the team for parts of six seasons. His last season in 2016-17 was supposed to be his swan song with the team with Mike Yeo was brought on as a coach-in-waiting, but after a 24-21-5 start, GM Doug Armstrong pulled the trigger early and fired Hitchcock. As Jeremy Rutherford of The Athletic tweets, Armstrong never lost respect for Hitchcock, and the legendary coach was already considered a mentor for Blues boss Craig Berube.

Hitchcock is fourth all-time on the NHL wins list with 849 and won the Stanley Cup as head coach of the Dallas Stars in 1999.

Snapshots: Penguins, Lapointe, WHL

at CDT | by 11 Comments

The vacant general manager position in Pittsburgh is a tricky but appealing role for many executives around the hockey world, and Pierre LeBrun rattled off an early list of candidates on the latest edition of TSN’s Insider Trading. Jason Botterill, Chris Drury, Mark Hunter, Tom Fitzgerald, Ron Hextall, Peter Chiarelli, Scott Mellanby, Mike Gillis, Laurence Gilman, John Ferguson, and Mike Futa are all on Pittsburgh’s radar and LeBrun believes the team wants to have the next GM in place over the next few weeks.

In the same segment, Darren Dreger speculates on the future of Pittsburgh’s star players and believes whoever comes in would owe it to Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang to have a conversation about the direction of the franchise. Don’t jump to conclusions and think that Crosby is all of a sudden on the trading block, given CEO David Morehouse’s claim that the team is still in “win-now” mode, but if Pittsburgh misses the playoffs this season they will be a fascinating situation to keep an eye on.

  • One front office member likely not on that list of candidates? Martin Lapointe, who has signed a three-year extension with the Montreal Canadiens to continue as director of player personnel through the 2023-24 season. Lapointe will also take on the role of director of amateur scouting, making him even more integral to the operation in Montreal. The former NHL forward was first hired as director of player development in 2012 and has worked his way up the front office ladder. He is on track to be a GM of his own down the road if he wants to be.
  • The WHL has been granted approval to return to play in the province of Alberta, starting their season on February 26. The five WHL clubs based in Alberta—the Red Deer Rebels, Edmonton Oil Kings, Lethbridge Hurricanes, Medicine Hat Tigers, and Calgary Hitmen—will form the Central Division and play a 24-game regular season entirely within the province. The league continues to work with the health officials in the other provinces and states to try and establish a start date for East, B.C., and U.S. divisions this season. There are WHL teams based in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Washington, and Oregon.

Peter Chiarelli Linked To Arizona Coyotes

at CDT | by 12 Comments

Though the Arizona Coyotes are still reeling from the sudden departure of GM John Chayka on the eve of the postseason, this hasn’t stopped the speculation of what could be next for the front office. Steve Sullivan has been named interim GM for the time being, but the team may look at other options as well. One such possibility that has been mentioned by two separate sources is former Boston Bruins and Edmonton Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli.

Scott Burnside of The Athletic writes that he has heard from others that Chiarelli remains a trusted name in NHL circles and one that league officials would like to help find a new home. Arizona, perhaps the team that the league has assisted most through the years, would seemingly be a good pairing. Oilers beat writer Jim Matheson adds to the theory, stating that this is not the first he has heard Chiarelli linked to the Coyotes. Matheson applauds the promotion of Sullivan but does not rule out Chiarelli joining the front office in some capacity. While many consider Chiarelli’s tenure in Edmonton to be a disaster, he did create a Stanley Cup winner in Boston and still has plenty of supporters.

However, it’s unlikely that current Coyotes star Taylor Hall is among Chiarelli’s fans. The impending free agent was traded away from Edmonton, a city and team he enjoyed playing for, by Chiarelli. If Arizona thinks they have a chance to sign Hall this off-season, Chiarelli could be a problem. His hiring would likely indicate that Hall is not in the team’s future plans. Given the team’s tight salary cap space, this is a strong possibility anyhow. There’s also the chance that if consulted Chiarelli would opt against signing Hall long-term anyway. After all, the return that Chiarelli got for trading Hall from Edmonton to New Jersey would imply that he doesn’t highly value the player.

Snapshots: Chiarelli, Devils, Broberg, Laaksonen

at CDT | by 4 Comments

The recent parting of ways between the Arizona Coyotes and former President and CEO Ahron Cohen leaves a big opening in Arizona for an executive. That could be a chance for former Edmonton Oilers general manager Peter Chiarelli to get back into an executive role.

Edmonton Journal’s Kurt Leavins writes that it wouldn’t be surprising if Chiarelli was a finalist for that role in Arizona. It is believed that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman is not happy with Arizona’s alleged tampering of NHL draft prospects and could have enough influence over new owner Alex Merulo to suggest a reliable candidate to take that open role with the Coyotes. While his success in Edmonton as their general manager wasn’t overly successful, Chiarelli might be a better fit in a president’s role and has a good working relationship with Bettman.

  • In his most recent mailbag, The Athletic’s Corey Masisak (subscription required) writes that with a number of prospects closing in on bigger roles in the New Jersey Devils’ lineup, the team may look to unload a player or two during the offseason. The team has a lot of AHL-ready players who might get a chance to break into their lineup, including Jesper Boqvist, Janne Kuokkanen, Joey Anderson, Nicholas Merkley, Nolan Foote and the potential of a 2020 lottery pick being ready to go, that could cause a logjam if the team holds on to all their veteran players. While not all of them are expected to make the Devils’ squad, the scribe writes that it would make sense to move a player with the two most likely trade candidates to be Miles Wood and Pavel Zacha. Both would be valuable to other teams as versatile quality depth players. Of course, much will also depend on future contract negotiations between Kyle Palmieri and Nikita Gusev, who both will be unrestricted free agents in 2021.
  • TSN’s Ryan Rishaug reports that the Edmonton Oilers are considering putting 2019 first-round pick Philip Broberg on their 30-man roster if/when the playoffs begin. Each team will need a group of black aces with the AHL season having been cancelled. Rather than having the 6-foot-3 blueliner sitting at home, it might be a learning experience if he was to join the team during their playoff push. It’s unlikely he would see any action, but the 18-year-old did spend his first full season playing against adults in the SHL this season. He is expected to continue honing his skills in the SHL for one more year before the Oilers bring him over.
  • NHL.com’s Jourdon LaBarber writes that Buffalo Sabres assistant general manager Randy Sexton is considering the possibility of bringing Finnish prospect Oskari Laaksonen to North America as soon as next season. The 2018 third-round pick was considered a steal shortly after the draft due to his impressive skating and passing skills. The 20-year-old has become a leading defenseman on Liiga’s Ilves Tampere squad and could prove to be a key addition for the Sabres. Of course, the question comes down to whether Buffalo could bring the blueliner over as he hasn’t signed an entry-level deal with the Sabres yet and he signed a two-year extension with Ilves Tampere back in 2018 and has only played out one of those years so far. No word on whether there was an out-clause in the contract.

Early Notes: Marner, CBA, Chiarelli

at CDT | by 3 Comments

The Mitch Marner summer saga has now continued partway through September and doesn’t seem to have an end in sight. Darren Dreger and Bob McKenzie of TSN both took to Twitter to explain the situation this morning, with the latter confirming that the team made seven and eight year offers in the “$11MM AAV universe” but Marner’s camp refused them because of a comparison to Auston Matthews. Matthews of course signed for five years at an $11.634MM cap hit during the season.

The player’s camp is focused on a three-year deal with a high salary in the third season, a contract blueprint made popular by Timo Meier earlier this summer. The high salary in the third year guarantees a big qualifying offer that can take the player right into unrestricted free agency if they so choose. With the Maple Leafs opening camp this week, it certainly seems like Marner will not be there to take part in the early sessions.

  • Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic notes that the NHL and NHLPA are meeting for the third consecutive day as they continue to try and work out what will happen with the Collective Bargaining Agreement. The players have until Sunday to decide whether they want to exercise their clause to reopen the CBA for negotiation, which would effectively opt-out of the agreement after the 2019-20 season. If not, the deal would run until September 2022, giving the two sides plenty of time to work out an extension or new agreement.
  • Peter Chiarelli hasn’t landed a new GM job, but will be working in a front office this season. Renaud Lavoie of TVA Sports reports that the former Edmonton Oilers executive will serve as a consultant for the St. Louis Blues. Chiarelli has worked as a GM for both Edmonton and the Boston Bruins, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2011.

Minnesota Begins Search For Paul Fenton’s Replacement At GM

at CDT | by 3 Comments

Saturday: TVA Sports’ Renaud Lavoie reports that Minnesota has asked permission to interview Canadiens assistant GM Scott Mellanby.  He has served in that role with Montreal for the past five years after spending two seasons as their Director of Player Personnel.

Friday: The firing of GM Paul Fenton by the Minnesota Wild on Tuesday certainly came as a surprise to many, but not those within the organization, writes The Athletic’s Michael Russo. Fenton was dismissed after little more than a year on the job after a tenure that Russo describes as “death by a thousand cuts.” There was no one thing that caused Fenton to lose his job, but rather mounting evidence that he was a poor fit in the organization. Sources within the team stated that Fenton’s dysfunctional style of running the club caused a negative shift in the culture, both in the locker room and in the front office, and an overall drop-off in morale. Owner Craig Leipold and company were left cleaning up after Fenton’s messes as a lack of trust and communication permeated the entire organization. Whether it was Fenton’s dismissal of analytics, his disrespect for incumbent Wild executives, his mismanagement of the coaching staff, or his failure to maximize trade assets, the GM was constantly at odds with everyone around him, including his owner. As such, many Wild staffers were not shocked that Fenton was fired, even at a strange time in the middle of the off-season, as Russo writes that Leipold has been distressed about the situation “for months” and action became inevitable.

So, now in early August and following a draft and free agent frenzy run by Fenton, the Wild are in search for a new leader for their organization. Given the struggles under Fenton, a first-time GM, Minnesota is understandably seeking someone with experience on the job. Among the early candidates to emerge were former GM’s John Ferguson Jr., now with the Boston Bruins, and Dave Nonis, now with the Anaheim Ducks, and experienced assistants Bill Zito of the Columbus Blue Jackets and Tom Fitzgerald of the New Jersey Devils. However, Russo reports that the team has chosen two free agent former GM’s as the first to interview for the position. Peter Chiarelli and Ron Hextall, both of whom were fired themselves during this past season, have already met with Leipold, president Matt Majka, and executive adviser Mike Modano about the opening, per Russo.

Chiarelli, fired by the Edmonton Oilers in January, has a Stanley Cup title on his resume with the Boston Bruins, but struggled greatly during his time with the Oilers. Chiarelli has also ended up on the wrong side of major trades and long-term contracts too often during his time in both Boston and Edmonton. There is no doubt that Chiarelli is an intelligent hockey mind, but there is some question as to whether he should be rushed right back into a top decision-making role. The Wild saw too many poor trade returns under Fenton, as well as a questionable free agent contract handed out to aging forward Mats Zuccarello, to put someone in control who they can’t trust not to continue that trend, so Chiarelli will have to convince the team that he has changed his approach.

As for Hextall, fired in November by the Philadelphia Flyers, some felt the former star goalie deserved a longer leash as GM. On paper, he left the team in good shape – ironically for replacement Chuck Fletcher, who preceded Fenton as Minnesota’s GM – but received criticism for his slow approach. Hextall may be a fine option in terms of hockey knowledge and ability as a GM, but Russo notes that, like Fenton, he has gained the reputation of being difficult to work with. An “intense” and “hard” boss, the fragile morale in Minnesota may not be ready for Hextall unless the team trusts that he will handle himself differently.

Russo points out that the Wild expect this to be a long, meticulous process and he does not believe that Chiarelli and Hextall interviewing first necessarily makes them the front-runners. In fact, it could very well have to do with the fact that neither has an affiliation with another NHL team at this moment. In addition to the other aforementioned names, Russo adds Dean Lombardi, Garth Snow, Bill Guerin, Chris Drury, Mark Hunter, Brian Lawton, Mike Gillis, and even reigning GM of the Year candidate Don Waddell, whose contract with the Carolina Hurricanes has yet to be renewed, as possible candidates. It is a long list of options with many different backgrounds and experience levels and it will take some time for Minnesota to sort it all out. For now, Chiarelli and Hextall are the only names to interview, but that group will expand as the summer wears on before the team makes a decision possibly months from now.

Los Angeles Kings Request Permission To Speak With Todd McLellan

at CDT | by 1 Comment

With the Los Angeles Kings’ announcement today that interim coach Willie Desjardins will not return to the team, the Kings haven’t wasted any time in beginning their search for the next man to lead their team on the ice. TSN’s Pierre LeBrun reports that the Los Angeles Kings have asked the Edmonton Oilers for permission to interview former coach Todd McLellan.

When the announcement came out this morning, The Athletic’s Lisa Dillman reported that the team was already working on a coaching hire, but nothing was imminent. However, the request and rumors around the league suggest that it’s McLellan that the team wants to bring in as their head coach.

McLellan has put together a solid coaching resume with a 434-282-90 record, including seven seasons with the San Jose Sharks and another three and a half seasons with the Oilers before he was dismissed on Nov. 20th this season. However, despite taking an impressive Sharks team to the Conference Finals in his second and third seasons with San Jose, McLellan has struggled throughout the playoffs, totaling a 37-38 record. His most recent tenure had some success in his second season when Edmonton got to the second-round of the playoffs in the 2016-17 season and looked like an up-and-coming team, but he wasn’t able to duplicate that afterwards. Of course with much of the blame of the Oilers placed on McLellan, Ken Hitchcock was not able to right the ship either, with the eventual blame going to now former-general manager Peter Chiarelli.

There are also rumors that the team will consider current assistant coach Marco Sturm, who the team had interest in developing into their future coach.

Pro Hockey Rumors is not affiliated with National Hockey League, NHL or NHL.com

scroll to top