NEWSLETTER
As the Blackhawks search for a new/permanent General Manager continues, rumors and reports of additional candidates are beginning to trickle out. For example, interim GM Kyle Davidson is in the running (and likely the front-runner for the position at this point), and former Bruins and Oilers GM Peter Chiarelli is also under consideration.
Today, according to The Athletic’s Scott Powers, we can add another name to the list: Former Canadiens Assistant GM Scott Mellanby.
We’ve mentioned Mellanby as a potential candidate for the GM position before, but this is the first news of him actually being under consideration by the organization. A veteran of 20 NHL seasons and over 1,400 NHL games, Mellanby had been with the Canadiens front office since 2012, serving as Director of Player Personnel for two years before becoming the assistant General Manager in the 2014-15 season. He resigned earlier this year after the Canadiens hired Jeff Gorton to be the new GM in Montreal following the departure of Marc Bergevin.
So the Blackhawks’ “Big Board” of GM candidates right now is reportedly made up of Kyle Davidson, Peter Chiarelli, and Scott Mellanby. Our own “Big Board” had Davidson and Mellanby as potential candidates, but Chiarelli is a, well, an awful choice.
It also appears Chicago will not have a very large group of potential candidates get to the interview process.
From Powers’ report:
One source said the Blackhawks were expected to interview at least five people, including Davidson. The interviews are being conducted by Danny Wirtz and Faulkner, but the advisory committee of Marian Hossa, Eddie Olczyk and Patrick Sharp is also expected to have a role in the search.
You’ll remember that former players Eddie Olczyk, Patrick Sharp, and Marian Hossa were added to the search committee recently. The process of finding a permanent GM is targeted to be wrapped up prior to the NHL Trade Deadline on March 21, with the interviewing process reportedly happening right now during the NHL All-Star break.
