July 8, 2024 by Ryan Lotsberg

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, Ken Holland is no longer the General Manager of the Edmonton Oilers. It was announced that he and the team mutually agreed to part ways on June 27, 2024. CEO Jeff Jackson is the acting GM for the time being, but he has no intention of becoming the GM on a permanent basis. That means that he will need to find a new GM this summer.

Related: Holland and the Oilers part ways

Jackson did say that he has a number of candidates that he would like to speak to about the Oilers GM role, but they are integral parts of other organizations. That doesn’t necessarily mean that ALL of the potential candidates are currently with other teams, but it’s safe to assume that most of them are with other teams right now. Jackson understands that patience is needed for this hire, and he is more than okay with that. This GM will be tasked with not only trying to win a Stanley Cup in 2025, but also with negotiating the two biggest contracts in the history of the franchise in the next two years. Now that the dust has setteld from the draft and the start of the free agency period, Jackson will be able to give more focus and attention to his GM search.

I’ve conducted my own search of front offices across the NHL to find the members of other organizations that would be qualified for an NHL GM job, as well as some that are not currently working for any NHL team. I’ve also attempted to identify any possible connections to Jackson, the Oilers franchise, or the city of Edmonton. This search has yielded several names that could be on Jackson’s list of candidates for the Oilers GM job.

I will be clear in saying that I am not an insider and I have no connection to the Oilers in any way, shape, or form. This is not a list of people that have been contacted about the position. It is simply a speculative potential list of candidates, some of which have ties to Jackson, the Oilers, or the city of Edmonton. I will be flabbergasted if the next Oilers GM is not mentioned in either part one or part two of this piece. Let’s dive into it, shall we?

The Former NHL GMs

Elliotte Friedman shared that he believes that Jackson will opt for someone with NHL GM experience for this hire because of the gravity of the Leon Draisaitl and Connor McDavid negotiations in the coming seasons. Here are some candidates who are former NHL GMs:

Jason Botterill: Botterill was noted as an example of the type of GM Jackson wants by Friedman during the 32 Thoughts podcast episode that aired the day of the NHL Draft. Botterill was the GM of the Buffalo Sabres for three seasons from 2017-2020. Botterill drafted well for the Sabres, bringing in players like Rasmus Dahlin, Michael Samuelsson, Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen, and Casey Mittlestadt. Prior to that, he was an AGM for the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2009-2017, and the Director of Hockey Operations with the team from 2007-2009. Botterill won three Stanley Cups while with the Penguins organization. He was born in Edmonton. Botterill was a member of the gold medal winning 1995 Canadian World Junior team. That tournament was held in Red Deer. Botterill is currently an AGM with the Seattle Kraken.

Dave Nonis: Nonis has served as the GM of two different Canadian NHL teams. He managed the Vancouver Canucks from 2004-2008, and he managed the Toronto Maple Leafs from 2013-2015. Nonis was the youngest GM in NHL history (37) when he took the Canucks job. Nonis has held hockey operations roles with the Anaheim Ducks on two separate occasions. Notably, he was also the Senior Vice President of Hockey Operations for the Maple Leafs while Jackson was an AGM with that club. Nonis currently works with the Calgary Flames as an AGM.

Jim Benning: Benning was the GM of the Vancouver Canucks from 2014-2022. Prior to that, he was an AGM with the Boston Bruins from 2007-2014, where he won a Stanley Cup in 2011. The Oilers have hired a member of the hockey operations staff from that 2011 Bruins team to be the team’s GM before. Benning was born in Edmonton. He played with Jackson on the Newmarket Saints and the Maple Leafs in 1986-87. Benning’s brother, Brian, was cut from the 1985 Canadian World Junior team. Jackson made that team, which means that Jackson and Brian Benning attended the same camp prior to the 1985 World Junior tournament.

Brian Lawton: Lawton was the GM of the Tampa Bay Lightning from 2009-2011. He was also an agent for a long time. Lawton was the first overall pick in the 1983 NHL draft. He played with Jackson on the 1989-90 Quebec Nordiques. Lawton is currently an on air analyst for the NHL Network, and he’s also a frequent guest on Oilers Now with Bob Stauffer. He discussed the Oilers’ free agent signings on the show on July 1, 2024.

Mike Barnett: Barnett was the GM of the Arizona Coyotes from 2001-2007. Barnett’s Coyotes made the playoffs in 2002, but lost in the first round. Wayne Gretzky was the coach of Barnett’s Coyotes in the final two years of his tenure as Coyotes GM. Barnett was also Gretzky’s agent during his playing career. Barnett founded CorpSport International in Edmonton in 1980, and was Gretzky’s agent for 21 years. IMG Hockey eventually bought CorpSport International, and Barnett became President of Hockey Operations for IMG Hockey. Gretzky became minority owner of the Coyotes in 2000, and he brought Barnett in to manage the team. Barnett has worked for the New York Rangers as a Senior Advisor since 2014. Barnett worked under Oilers legend Glen Sather until his recent retirement.

Dale Tallon: Tallon never won a Stanley Cup as GM of the Chicago Blackhawks, but he had his fingerprints all over their three Stanley Cup championship teams. Tallon was the GM of the Blackhawks from 2005-2009. He did get a Stanley Cup ring for his efforts as he was a Senior Advisor with the Blackhawks in the 2009-10 season. Tallon moved on to a more powerful position as Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager of the Florida Panthers. His fancy executive position was eventually dropped, but he stayed on as the GM of the Panthers until 2020. Tallon has held multiple roles with the Canucks since 2022.

Panthers defenceman Aaron Ekblad is a former client of Wasserman Hockey. He is listed as a former client of Jackson’s, but Dave Gagner was Ekblad’s agent when he signed his current contract with the Panthers in 2016 while Tallon was the GM of the Panthers.

Marc Bergevin: Bergevin was the GM of the Montreal Canadiens for nine seasons from 2012-2021. He had a 344-265-81 record with the Habs, and they made the playoffs in six of his nine seasons, including an appearance in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021. Prior to his time with the Canadiens, Bergevin held multiple positions in the Blackhawks organization from 2005-2012. He earned a Stanley Cup ring as the team’s Director of Player Personnel in 2009-10. Bergevin was hired by the Los Angeles Kings as a Senior Advisor to GM Rob Blake in 2022. Bergevin and the Kings have been beaten by the Oilers in the first round in all three of the seasons that Bergevin has been there. Kings forward Quinton Byfield is a former client of Jackson’s.

Stan Bowman: The former Blackhawks GM is the most controversial potential candidate. Bowman has been reported as a favourite to land the Oilers GM job by multiple insiders. Frank Seravalli added that Bowman was of interest to the Oilers last summer before Jackson was hired, but Bowman was still ineligible for work in the NHL at that time. That tells me that the interest likely comes more from Oilers owner Daryl Katz than it does from Jackson. 

Alex DeBrincat, who used to be represented by Jackson, was drafted by Bowman in the second round of the 2016 NHL draft. Duncan Keith was a member of Bowman’s Blackhawks championship teams. Keith currently has a role within the Oilers organization. Bowman’s father, Scotty Bowman, was the head coach of the Detroit Red Wings while Holland was the GM of that team.

I’ll be clear in saying that I do not want Bowman to be hired. There is absolutely no reason to hire Bowman. If you’re angry at the idea of him being a candidate for the Oilers GM role, then I urge you to please donate to the Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton (SACE) because they actually make a difference in the lives of victims of sexual assault. I’ve started a personal fundraising page for SACE.

Ray Shero: Shero won a Stanley Cup as GM of the Pittsburgh Penguins in 2009. He was at the helm of the Penguins franchise from 2006-2014. He made three trades with the Maple Leafs while Jackson was an AGM for that team between 2006 and 2010. Shero handled a situation similar to the one facing the new Oilers GM with Draisaitl and McDavid when he navigated contracts for Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin. Shero moved on to become the GM of the New Jersey Devils from 2015-2020. He has been a Senior Advisor for his hometown Minnesota Wild since 2021.

Doug Wilson: Wilson was the GM of the San Jose Sharks from 2003-2022. The Sharks were basically always competitive under Wilson. He made one trade with the Maple Leafs while Jackson was an AGM there, which was the trade that sent Vesa Toskala to the Maple Leafs in 2007. They made it to the Stanley Cup Final in 2016, but they fell short to the Penguins. Wilson is now a Senior Advisor with the Penguins.

Rick Dudley: Dudley has had a long and extensive career in professional hockey. Most notably, he was the GM of the Ottawa Senators in the 1998-99 season, the Lightning from 2000 until he resigned midway through the 2001-02 season, the Panthers from 2002-2004, and the Atlanta Thrashers in the 2010-11 season. He has been involved in the hockey operations department of an NHL team in every season since 1998. Dudley is currently a Senior Advisor with the Florida Panthers.

Paul Fenton: Fenton was the GM of the Minnesota Wild in the 2018-19 season. They finished seventh in their division and missed the playoffs. He held scouting and hockey operations positions with the Anaheim Ducks and the Nashville Predators before becoming an AGM with the Predators from 2006-2018. Fenton currently works for the Panthers as a Senior Advisor. Fenton was a member of the 1990-91 Flames team that lost to the Oilers in the second round of the playoffs. It’s not a direct tie to the city of Edmonton, but it’s a fun fact.

Related: Deep Dive: Oilers and Panthers Stanley Cup Final Connections and Storylines

Shero and Wilson having made trades with Jackson’s Maple Leafs while in GM positions is admittedly a bit of a stretch as far as a connection to Jackson goes. Aside from those two, Dudley and Fenton are the only former GMs on this list with no previous encounters with Jackson or ties to the Oilers or the city of Edmonton. Dudley and Fenton do work with former Wasserman agent and current Panthers AGM Brett Peterson though. Of course, we know that the Panthers just beat Jackson’s Oilers in the 2024 Stanley Cup Final.

There are several experienced GM options for Jackson to consider. Only two NHL GMs have won Stanley Cups as the GM of two different NHL teams, so the odds of a former Stanley Cup winning GM winning a Stanley Cup as the GM of a new team are slim. Bowman and Shero are the only two former GMs on this list to have won Stanley Cups as GMs of their teams. Botterill, Benning, Tallon, Bergevin, Dudley, and Fenton all won Stanley Cups in other hockey operations roles.

In part two of this piece, I will look at possible candidates that either have held or currently hold AGM positions with NHL teams.

Related: Oilers GM Candidates: Part Two – The AGMs