Just over a month after firing their President and General manager, the Pittsburgh Penguins have narrowed down their search for new management. Although, their new choices are being questioned by fans.
Penguins General Manager Search
Penguins were aiming to interview 10-12 GM candidates as part of 1st wave via Zoom.
Marc Bergevin, Eric Tulsky, Jason Karmanos and Peter Chiarelli confirmed as being among those 10-12 candidates who interviewed. Now comes 2nd phase for some of them.— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) May 15, 2023
After missing their first playoffs for the first time in 17 years, the Penguins are doing all they can to help the core win one last time before rebuilding. Now, they are looking for a General Manager who has a very similar vision. Pierre LeBrun reported that the Penguins interviewed 10 to 12 candidates as part of a first wave via Zoom.
The candidates that the team interviewed include former General Manager Marc Bergevin and current St. Louis Blues VP of Hockey Operations Peter Chiarelli.
They have also interviewed a former member of their staff Jason Karmanos. As well as the current Assistant General Manager of the Carolina Hurricanes Eric Tulsky.
What This Means
Although it may make sense to hire somebody with experience as a General Manager, the two major names picked have a bit of an odd past.
Chiarelli was hired as the General Manager of the Boston Bruins in 2006 after spending time in the Ottawa Senators front office. He moved on to Edmonton to become the President of Hockey Operations and General Manager. After making a controversial signing inking Milan Lucic to a long-term deal and swapping Taylor Hall one-for-one for Adam Larsson.
Marc Bergevin was in the front office for the Blackhawks before accepting his General Manager role. That role came with Montreal. He was in that role until being fired in November of 2021.
Despite their lacklustre reputations as general managers, hiring either Chiarelli or Bergevin would be choosing a safer option at the position. Rather than taking a chance with someone taking their first shot at being at the top. There will still be plenty more to go. Make sure to stay tuned for all the next details.
Main Photo: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
