Latest On Maple Leafs GM Search
April 29th: According to Nick Alberga of Leafs Morning Take, a third candidate has made it to the final stages of the Maple Leafs GM search. Michael Futa, currently serving as a special assistant to the General Manager with the Carolina Hurricanes, has joined White and Chayka as a finalist for the role. Futa spent many years with the Los Angeles Kings organization as the team’s Director of Amateur Scouting, Vice President of Hockey Operations, and Assistant General Manager.
April 24th: In a new update from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman on his 32 Thoughts podcast, the Toronto Maple Leafs are likely down to their final two candidates for their open General Manager position. Still, Friedman doesn’t expect anything to be announced soon as the Maple Leafs continue to do their due diligence on each candidate, who couldn’t be more different.
One of the candidates is Scott White, Assistant General Manager of the Dallas Stars, as reported a few days ago. White was hired by the Stars organization after the 2005 lockout, working his way up from their AHL affiliate to the AGM position in 2016. In his developmental philosophy, White typically values players of high character, often providing prospects and draft options with numerous character assessments.
That’s not to say he doesn’t value talent, but he is keenly aware of what a bad locker room can create, even with the necessary talent to win. Unsurprisingly, the Maple Leafs are interested in allowing that philosophy to dictate the future of the organization. Toronto has undeniable talent, but the team has struggled to mesh well in recent years. White would be an interesting candidate to come in and make some blunt changes to reshuffle the team’s chemistry.
Meanwhile, Friedman shared that John Chayka, former General Manager of the Arizona Coyotes, is the other finalist, and likely the favorite. Chayka has not worked in the NHL since he left the Coyotes organization in 2020, as he’s largely focused on his company, Compass Restaurant Group, along with his wife.
Additionally, it was unlikely he would find another General Manager role before that due to some controversy surrounding him toward the end of his time in Arizona. Chayka was suspended from the NHL by Commissioner Gary Bettman for pursuing opportunities with other clubs while under contract with the Coyotes. Additionally, the Coyotes were forced to forfeit a second-round pick in 2020 and a first-round pick in 2021 for hosting a private scouting combine for draft-eligible prospects under Chayka.
Still, Chayka has what the Maple Leafs want. He has a shrewd analytical mind, similar to Eric Tulsky of the Carolina Hurricanes and Sunny Mehta of the New Jersey Devils. Like White, Chayka would likely implement changes to enhance the team’s talent; however, concerns about the locker room atmosphere may persist.
Friedman pointed out that although the team has narrowed its choices down to two finalists, neither White nor Chayka has advanced to the second round of negotiations, which involves meeting with the Maple Leafs’ ownership group. The first candidate to reach this stage is likely to be named the team’s next General Manager in a few weeks.
Latest On Predators GM Search
It has been four months since the Nashville Predators announced general manager Barry Trotz‘s plans to step down from his role this summer. They have been in the thick of a search for a replacement ever since, building up a long list of candidates along the way. That list is expected to continue growing with the NHL regular season now wrapped up, which allows Nashville the chance to speak with candidates that they did not have immediate permission to interview per hockey insider Frank Seravalli.
The influx of options after the end of the season has helped Nashville begin checking names off of their list. Internal candidates Jeff Kealty and Scott Nichol, both currently assistant GMs with Nashville, have been informed they are no longer candidates according to Seravalli. That means the Predators’ next GM will likely come from outside of the organization, putting much more focus on the team’s upcoming interviews. That importance is clear to the Predators’ ownership. Minority owner and record-holding college football coach Nick Saban has even sat in on some interviews, adds Seravalli.
Through early interviews, three candidates have emerged above the rest. Edmonton Oilers AGM Bill Scott, Florida Panthers AGM Brett Peterson, and Dallas Stars AGM Scott White have each had multiple in-person interviews for the role according to Seravalli.
Scott handles the Oilers’ day-to-day cap management and contract negotiations with players and staff. He was a minor-league GM for four years before joining the Oilers, with a focus on interpreting the league’s by-laws and collective bargaining agreement. Scott now serves as the Oilers’ liaison to the NHL for any matters related to the CBA.
Peterson was vice president of the Wasserman Media Group before joining the Panthers’ staff in 2020. During his own playing days, Peterson – a member of the 2001 National Championship-winning Boston College Eagles – was represented by current Panthers GM Bill Zito. That connection eventually transformed into a role in Florida’s front office, where Peterson offers expertise in roster and cap management. He was also named the GM of Team USA for the 2026 World Championship.
White handles GM duties of the AHL’s Texas Stars and also serves as Dallas’ Director of Hockey Operations. He has been with the Stars since 2005, took over GM duties for the AHL’s Stars in 2009, and became an NHL AGM in 2016. In that time, White has overseen a Texas Stars team that won the 2014 Calder Cup and finished as runner-ups in 2010 and 2018. In total, the AHL Stars have made 12 of a possible 15 postseasons since White took over management duties – excluding the cancelled 2020 postseason. He also brings a key focus on roster management, a trait that seems to be a major focal point of Nashville’s GM search.
The Predators also spoke with New York Rangers AGM Ryan Martin, a veteran of NHL front offices who began his career with the Detroit Red Wings in 2005. Martin was Detroit’s Director of Hockey Administration during their 2008 Stanley Cup win, then led the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins to Calder Cup Championships as their GM in 2013 and 2017. He also supported the USA World Junior Championship roster as a scout for their 2021 Gold Medal win. Martin
Despite a trio of candidates rising to the top, the Predators’ next GM may not have had their first interview just yet. Nashville plans to interview former New Jersey Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald later this week. Fitzgerald was named the first captain in Predators’ history in 1998. He held the honor for four seasons and was leaned on as a defensive-winger during his time with Nashville. He moved on in 2002 and retired from playing in 2006.
Fitzgerald’s managerial career began in a player development role with the Pittsburgh Penguins in the following season. He was promoted to AGM in 2009 and held onto the role for six years, leaving right before the club won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2016 and 2017. While his old club sized rings, Fitzgerald moved to an AGM role with the Devils, a position he would be promoted from partway through the 2019-20 season. The Devils made two of a possible six postseasons under Fitzgerald’s reign. Questions around his ability to make meaningful changes and upgrades to the roster boiled to the surface, though experience in the Predators’ organization and an already-established prospect pool could be enough to put him on the right track in his second GM role.
If not Fitzgerald, the Predators could also move forward with former Montreal Canadiens GM Marc Bergevin or Boston Bruins AGM Jamie Langenbrunner per Pagnotta. Those names will round out a lengthy shortlist for Nashville’s open GM chair. Their options include years of GM experience, assistants on the rise, and innovative and stat-driven thinkers. It doesn’t seem the Predators will be in much of a rush to make their decision, with interviews still on the schedule and the Stanley Cup Playoffs yet to play out. On the other side of the postseason, Nashville will face a choice that will define the club’s future through the 2020s.
Photo courtesy of Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports.
Maple Leafs Have Interviewed Scott White For GM Position
The Maple Leafs have spoken to Stars assistant general manager Scott White to fill their open GM position, Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet said on Monday’s “32 Thoughts” podcast.
He’s one of many candidates Toronto has talked with in its efforts to succeed Brad Treliving at the top of its front office. Among those names are Islanders AGM Ryan Bowness and Sunny Mehta, who has since landed with the Devils as their GM. There have been varying degrees of speculation linking them to virtually all the other AGM-type candidates on the market as well.
In terms of the level of experience for a first-time GM candidate, you’ll be hard-pressed to find one with more on their resume than White. The 58-year-old has talked to numerous teams over the years but has remained in Dallas, where he began his executive career back in the 2005 lockout.
He was initially brought on by their AHL affiliate, then located in Iowa, as their director of hockey operations after amassing some NCAA and ECHL coaching experience. He was promoted to the NHL staff a few years later while taking on the role of AHL GM, a title he holds to this day for the Texas Stars.
White is also on the Predators’ radar and could easily get a call from the Canucks regarding their new vacancy in the coming days as well. With Nashville looking to wrap up its process in the next week or so, the Leafs may have to make a decision quickly if they decide White is at the top of their list.
Latest On Nashville’s GM Search
The Predators are no longer the only team currently in the market for a new general manager after Toronto fired Brad Treliving earlier this week. That said, given that current GM Barry Trotz gave notice of his intention to step down just over two months ago, Nashville is much farther along in their search for a replacement.
To that end, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman reported in the latest 32 Thoughts podcast (audio link) that the Preds are believed to be nearing the in-person stage of their interviewing process, if they’re not there already. He added that he believes Bill Scott (Oilers), Scott White (Stars), Brett Peterson (Panthers), and former Arizona GM John Chayka will be part of that process. Additionally, the team reached out to Win Hockey Agency’s Matt Keator to assess his possible interest but it doesn’t appear he is in the next round of interviews. Meanwhile, Friedman added that Predators assistant GM Jeff Kealty could still be in the mix as well.
Scott has held various roles in Edmonton dating back to 2010 when he first joined the team as GM of their AHL affiliate in Oklahoma City. Since then, he has also held the title of Director of Hockey Operations (including Director of Salary Cap Management) and has been an assistant GM for the Oilers since the 2022-23 campaign.
As for White, he has been with Dallas even longer, dating back to the 2005-06 season when he joined AHL Iowa as their Director of Hockey Operations. Before that, he had spent the past ten years coaching in either college of the ECHL. Since then, White worked his way up to being assistant GM of their AHL squad (now in Texas) and has been an assistant GM with the Stars since 2016.
Peterson, meanwhile, has held an AGM title with Florida since 2020. He also has some international experience, having worked with USA Hockey for the last two World Championships and will serve as the GM for their entry into next month’s tournament as well.
Chayka is the one candidate on this list who is well-known going back to his time with the Coyotes. After just one season as an assistant GM, he was promoted to the top job for the 2016-17 campaign and executed a data-driven approach. Along the way, he brought in several players of consequence (including Derek Stepan, Taylor Hall, and Nick Schmaltz, among others) while utilizing his cap space to add assets for taking on burdensome LTIR-bound contracts. He abruptly resigned from the team in July 2020, just before the ‘bubble playoffs’ started, and hasn’t worked in the NHL since then.
Kealty is certainly the longest-tenured person in this group; he has worked with the Predators since 2001. He started off as a scout, working his way up to Director of Amateur Scouting, then Director of Scouting (professional and amateur). Kealty added the assistant GM title back in 2018 and has held the dual role ever since.
With Trotz staying in his role until a successor is found and the draft still a little more than two months away, there is still plenty of time for the Predators to pick their next general manager. But it appears they’re a step closer to doing so now that they’ve entered the next phase of their search.