June 9, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

I thought that Edmonton Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson might opt for a more experienced coach when making the coaching change for the Oilers on November 13, 2023; but he made me look silly on that one when he hired Kris Knoblauch, and the decision has seemingly paid off thus far. I trust Elliotte Friedman, but I’m not getting fooled again with Jackson’s upcoming general manager hire.

Related: Oilers GM Candidates: Part One – The Former NHL GMs

The Internal Candidates

The easiest place to start the search for a vacant role is within the company. The Oilers definitely have an internal candidate that could do the job:

Keith Gretzky: Gretzky has been an Assistant General Manager with the Oilers since 2016. He acted as the interim GM for the Oilers in the 2018-19 season after Peter Chiarelli was relieved of his duties, and he was a candidate to be Chiarelli’s replacement in 2019. Gretzky made two trades that season: Cam Talbot for Anthony Stolarz, and Sam Gagner for Ryan Spooner. The Great One’s brother has been the GM of the Bakersfield Condors since then. The Condors missed the playoffs in Gretzky’s first season as GM, but they have made the playoffs in each of the four years since. They won their division in 2020-21, the COVID shortened season. Gretzky played with Jackson and Wasserman Hockey agent Dave Gagner on the 1982-83 Brantford Alexanders of the OHL.

Brad Holland is the team’s other AGM right now. He has only been with the Oilers since his father, outgoing Oilers GM Ken Holland, asked him to come on board to be a professional scout in 2019. Holland was promoted to the role of AGM in 2022. His responsibility with the Oilers is to oversee the professional scouting department.

Gretzky is by far the more experienced and qualified candidate of the two current Oilers AGMs. I certainly hope that he gets an interview at the very least.

The Current or Former AGMs

Some of the candidates that I’ll share here are intriguing, and others will make you roll your eyes. Here are some of the current or former AGMs of NHL clubs that have the closest ties to Jackson, the Oilers, or the city of Edmonton:

Mark Hunter: Hunter is the current owner and GM of the London Knights. He was the co-AGM of Maple Leafs with Kyle Dubas from 2015-18. Dubas was promoted to GM when Lou Lamoreillo came aboard in 2018. Hunter went back to London after that. He had Evan Bouchard with the Knights for a season in 2018-19. Bouchard’s agent is Dave Gagner. Washington Capitals forward Connor McMichael and Nashville Predators forward Luke Evangelista were members of the Knights under Hunter in their junior days, and they are both former clients of Jackson’s. 

Expect Bowman to land in Edmonton. Mark Hunter might have a significant management role there as well. Time will tell. https://t.co/IQytGf66mM

— E.J. Hradek (@EJHradek_NHL) July 1, 2024

The Oilers have selected more players from the Knights than they have from any other organization in their history. Just to make things interesting, Jackson and the Oilers traded up into the first round to grab Knights forward Sam O’Reilly in this year’s draft, and they drafted William Nichol from the Knights with the 192nd overall selection in the 2024 draft. The Oilers drafting two of Hunter’s players this year tells me that the Oilers watched the Knights organization closely last season, and many conversations with Hunter likely occurred over the course of the season.

Related: Oilers trade up to select Sam O’Reilly with final pick in the first round

Hunter and Jackson share the distinction of being alumni of the Alexanders. The team played in the OHL for six seasons from 1978-1984. However, they never played on that team together.

Hunter was also a candidate for the Oilers GM job in 2019.

Paul Krepelka: Krepelka was an AGM with the Florida Panthers from 2020-2023 before taking a role as the Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations with the team last September. He was also formerly the Vice President of Hockey Operations with the Carolina Hurricanes from 2018-2020. Krepelka was also an agent for 20 years, including time with the Orr Group while Jackson was there.

Sean Burke: Burke was an AGM with the Arizona Coyotes from 2012-2016. He interviewed for the GM job with the Vancouver Canucks, which eventually went to Patrik Allvin. While he doesn’t have NHL GM experience, Burke has been the GM of the 2018 Canadian Men’s Olympic team and multiple Canadian World Championship teams. Current Oilers Connor McDavid, Cody Ceci, and Calvin Pickard were members of Burke’s 2016 World Championships roster. McDavid was also on the 2018 World Championships team that was co-managed by Burke and Martin Brodeur. There was likely some discussion between Burke and Jackson about McDavid’s participation in that tournament. Burke was also a part of the management team for the 2015 Canadian World Junior team. McDavid and Darnell Nurse were stars on that roster.  

Burke is currently the Director of Goaltending for the Vegas Golden Knights. Jackson played with Golden Knights President of Hockey Operations George McPhee on the 1986-87 New York Rangers. McPhee could offer Jackson insight into Burke as an employee.

Ross Mahoney: Mahoney was the Director of Amatuer Scouting for the Washington Capitals for fourteen years before becoming an AGM for them in 2014. He has held that position since then. Mahoney is in charge of the draft and player development for the Capitals. He played a huge role in creating the team that won the 2018 Stanley Cup. As noted earlier, McMichael was a client of Jackson’s when he was drafted by the Capitals in 2019. Mahoney and Jackson would likely have discussed McMichael at length during his draft year. McPhee would also have excellent insight into Mahoney’s work because McPhee was the GM and Vice President of Hockey Operations with the Capitals from 1999-2014. Mahoney was a candidate for the Oilers GM job in 2019. Mahoney was just passed over by the Capitals. They promoted Chris Patrick to be their new GM on Monday. I can’t speak for Mahoney, but being passed over like that would inspire other people to leave their organizations.

Ryan Martin: Martin is currently an AGM with the New York Rangers, and he is the GM of their AHL affiliate, the Hartford Wolfpack. Jackson has already dipped into that pool with the Knoblauch hiring. Knoblauch was the head coach of Martin’s Wolfpack team before Jackson scooped him up for the Oilers coaching job. Martin was also an AGM with the Detroit Red Wings. He was the GM of the Grand Rapids Griffins for eight seasons, which gives him eleven seasons of AHL GM experience in total. If there’s one man that would be incredibly familiar with Martin’s work, it would be Holland. Holland is out now, but he left on good terms and has a good working relationship with Jackson. Wolfpack defenceman Ben Harpur, a former client of Jackson’s, has been a member of the Rangers organization since the 2022-23 seson. Martin also has a background as an agent. He worked at KO Sports Agency as an attorney from 1999-2003. Martin interviewed for the GM job with the Anaheim Ducks in 2022 that eventually went to Pat Verbeek.

Mathieu Darche: Darche had a twelve year NHL career. He became interested in hockey management after participating in CBA negotiations with the league as part of the NHLPA during the 2012-13 lockout. He had a job as Vice President of Sales for Delmar International, a Canadian customs broker in Montreal, after his playing career. Darche left that job after being hired as an AGM with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2019. Darche has been a candidate for several NHL GM jobs in recent years (Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Chicago, and Vancouver) because of his success with the Lightning, which includes Stanley Cup wins in 2020 and 2021. There’s no question that Darche will be an NHL GM sooner rather than later.

The Raddysh brothers, Darren and Taylor, were both clients of Jackson’s. Darren Raddysh signed with the Lightning as an unrestricted free agent in 2021. Taylor Raddysh was drafted by the Lightning in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft, but he was traded to the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022.

Scott Mellanby: Mellanby was an AGM with the Montreal Canadiens from 2014-2022. He has been a Senior Advisor with the St. Louis Blues since 2022, and he was a Senior Advisor for the Vancouver Canucks in the 2009-2010 season. Mellanby had a 22-year NHL career in which he got 840 points in 1431 games. He played for the Oilers in the 1991-92 and 1992-93 seasons. Mellanby interviewed for NHL GM jobs with the Canucks and the Blackhawks, but did not get either job. Mellanby was cut from the 1985 Canadian World Junior team, a team that Jackson made. They attended the team’s camp together that year.

Shawn Horcoff: The former Oilers captain has been an AGM with the Red Wings for the last two seasons. Horcoff has been the GM of Grand Rapids Griffins for that time. He spent six years in player development with the Red Wings before becoming AGM. Horcoff’s time with the Red Wings overlaps with Holland’s time with that organization.

Scott Nichol: Nichol is currently an AGM with the Nashville Predators. He was the Director of Player Development with that club from 2013-2018, and he has been the GM of their AHL affiliate, the Milwaukee Admirals, since 2018-19. He was promoted to AGM of the Predators in 2021. Nichol was a finalist for the GM position with the San Jose Sharks in 2022 that went to Mike Grier. As noted earlier, Evangelista was a former client of Jackson’s. He played for the Admirals in 2021-22, and he has played for the Predators ever since. Harpur played on Nichol’s Admirals team in 2019-20 and 2021-22, and he played for the Predators in 2020-21 and 2021-22. Fun fact: Nichol was born in Edmonton.

Laurence Gilman: Gilman has held NHL front office roles since 1999. Most recently, he was an AGM with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and he was AGM of the Canucks and the Coyotes before that. Gilman is currently a free agent after leaving the Maple Leafs earlier this offseason. Harpur also played for the Toronto Marlies while Gilman was the GM of that team in 2019-20.

Brett Peterson: Peterson served as the Vice President of Hockey for Wasserman Hockey (Jackson’s former agency) and has been a certified agent since 2009. Peterson has been an AGM with the Florida Panthers since 2020.

Mike Futa: Futa was a member of the Los Angeles Kings organization for thirteen years. He spent the first seven years as the Director of Amateur Scouting for the Kings, and then he moved into a Vice President of Hockey Operations and Director of Player Personnel role from 2014-2017. He won two Stanley Cups while he was running the drafts for the Kings. Futa was an AGM with the Kings from 2017 until the organization decided not to renew his contract in 2020. Futa also held an advisory role with the Carolina Hurricanes during the 2021-22 season.

Futa is the only person on this list that does not have a professional tie to Jackson or the city of Edmonton, but he has been reported as a potential candidate by John Shannon on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer on July 5, 2024. Shannon also named Hunter and Gilman as potential candidates after downplaying rumours of Stan Bowman being a candidate.

There are several fantastic candidates on this list that will certainly end up in GM roles at some point in their careers if they don’t get this particular position. I would be more inclined to pursue a candidate who has a better understanding of today’s game rather than someone who was successful a long time ago. Jackson and Oilers AGM of Salary Cap & Hockey Operations Bill Scott are more than capable of lending a helping hand in contract negotiations. I think we’re dreaming if we don’t think that Jackson will be involved in the Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid negotiations in the next couple of years, so I feel that Friedman’s concern of needing an experienced GM strictly because of those upcoming negotiations is not necessarily warranted.

Intriguing Random “Other” Candidates

None of these candidates have the typical experience that you would expect an NHL GM to have, but they’re all interesting potential candidates for varying reasons:

Dave Gagner: Gagner’s connection to Jackson and the Oilers is obvious given that Gagner is an agent with Wasserman Hockey and that he’s Sam Gagner’s dad. Sam Gagner was Jackson’s first client. Gagner and Jackson also played together on the 1986-87 Rangers and the 1982-83 and 1983-84 Alexanders. Dave Gagner represents several former Eerie Otter players, including Connor Brown. As I mentioned previously, he represents Bouchard as well. I’m not sure if Gagner has an appetite to make the switch to a GM role, but he could be a good fit.

Ray Whitney: The Fort Saskatchewan native and former Oiler was a part of the Hurricanes team that beat the Oilers in the 2006 Stanley Cup Final. Whitney is now working with the NHL’s Department of Player Safety. He was a finalist for the San Jose Sharks’ GM position in 2022.

Sunny Mehta: Mehta is currently the AGM, Director of Analytics with the Panthers. He has quite the mind. Mehta founded the first NHL analytics department in 2014 for the New Jersey Devils. He was a professional poker player, and he is the author of poker strategy books. Mehta has been an AGM in Florida since 2023. He might need more time in an AGM role before being considered for a GM job, but he does have quite the resume.

Tim Barnes: Barnes is currently the Director of Hockey Analytics for the Capitals. He’s Alberta born. He has lived in Calgary and Edmonton. Barnes has an engineering background. He developed the “Time on Ice” analytics website. He’s also a former Oilers blogger. Barnes wrote the Irreverent Oilers Fans blog under the pseudonym “Vic Ferrari”. He has close relationships with Mehta and former Oilers analytics guru and Oilers blogger Tyler Dellow. Barnes became an Oilers fan after the Todd Marchant overtime goal in 1997. Jackson has already dipped into the Oilers blogging world to hire Michael Parkatti, but Jackson hiring Barnes for the GM role would likely be a stretch.

Related: Oilers Hire Parkatti as Senior Director, Data and Analytics

None of these four options are likely options, but I wanted to throw them in here anyway. Like I said, I’m not even sure that Gagner would welcome the opportunity. Whitney’s experience doesn’t line up with the experience of other GMs. Mehta and Barnes are gifted when it comes to analytics, but Jackson is already leaning on Parkatti for his analytical expertise, so I don’t see him venturing down that road for this GM hire.

Wrap

It’s clear that Jackson is quite well connected in the hockey world. Jackson played nine NHL seasons, held an NHL AGM position, and developed a sports agency that represents some of the biggest stars in hockey. Those connections means that Jackson has a ginormous list of potential candidates for jobs on his team in his pocket. He doesn’t have to default to the biggest name available for this search. Jackson can take his time and make an intelligent decision about who to hire to be the Oilers’ next GM as they navigate a critical time in the history of the franchise.

Other possible candidates: