Flames are not in a rush
TSN: Darren Dreger when asked where the Calgary Flames are with regards to granting Sam Bennett‘s wish of a change of scenery.
“Trade speculation always generates a buzz, particularly in Canada. But the Flames’ position on Sam Bennett is no different than it was a year ago: They are in absolutely no rush to trade him. It has to be the right fit. It’s got to work best for the Flames, otherwise, GM Brad Treliving is willing to stand pat and use Bennett as a potentially impactful player for Calgary.”
Penguins GM search
TSN: Frank Seravalli on the Pittsburgh Penguins hunt for a new GM.
“The Pittsburgh Penguins have formally sought and been granted permission to speak to a trio of assistant GMs from around the NHL, including Chris Drury from the Rangers, Chris MacFarland from the Colorado Avalanche, as well as John Ferguson Jr. from the Boston Bruins. It’s important to point out that it’s still relatively early in the process. The Penguins have received more than 20 expressions of interest. They didn’t hear from some people that they actually still have on their list, so they’re hoping to whittle that list down to potentially six or seven authentic candidates hopefully by the end of the week and then hire their next GM to replace Jim Rutherford within the next two weeks.”
Sean Gentile of The Athletic: Grading on a scale of 1-5 (total out of 3) the top 10 candidates for the vacant Pittsburgh Penguins GM Position.
Chris Drury – New York Rangers AGM – 23 points
Tom Fitzgerald – New Jersey Devils GM – 22 points
Ron Hextall – Los Angeles Kings advisor – 19 points
Patrik Allvin – interim GM – 15 points
Mike Gillis – former Canucks GM – 14 points
Mike Futa – former LA Kings AGM – 12 points
Jason Botterill – Seattle Kraken AGM – 11 points
Kevin Weekes – broadcaster – 11 points
John Ferguson Jr. – Bruins director of player personnel – 9 points
Peter Chiarelli – Former Oilers/Bruins GM – 8 points
“If you think I would use a night like this for a shameless plug about a potential GM opening in the NHL hockey league, you don’t know me very well” – Mike Futa, stunting. pic.twitter.com/lJCA8i9ipH
— Thomas Drance (@ThomasDrance) February 3, 2021