NEW YORK -- Tom Fitzgerald should not be the next general manager of the Penguins.
And it has nothing to do with his qualifications for the job.
Those are flat-out impeccable.
Fitzgerald was highly respected for his work in scouting and player development during his time with the Penguins, before leaving to rejoin Ray Shero as his assistant in New Jersey.
And his interpersonal skills, a key part of being an effective GM, might be unrivaled. It’s hard to think of many others in hockey who seems to be liked by pretty much everyone in the game.
(Everyone, with the possible exception of Tom Barrasso, who Fitzgerald beat with a long-distance shot for the series-winning goal between the Penguins and Florida in the 1996 Wales Conference final.)
Fitzgerald also has done some very nice work to build on the foundation laid by Shero before he replaced him as GM there in January, 2020.
The Devils aren't Stanley Cup contenders, but they no longer are the punchline to a long-running joke, either.
Trouble is, Fitzgerald still has that job, and his contract as New Jersey's GM runs through June.
Assuming the Devils wouldn’t let him go before that -- and it's hard to imagine ownership giving such permission, especially to a team in its division -- it would make no sense for the Penguins to leave the GM job in the hands of Patrik Allvin, the interim choice to replace Jim Rutherford, as a lame duck for nearly half a year.
Not when management has made it clear that the next GM's mandate will be to position the team to contend for the Stanley Cup for a few more years, before core players like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang begin to contemplate how they would like to spend their retirements.
Of course, the entire issue could be moot, because Fitzgerald has given no public indication that he's interested in succeeding Rutherford. It's quite possible that, with the foundation of a good team in place in New Jersey, he would prefer to stay there and see if he can finish the job of constructing a championship-caliber club.
It's important to remember that Allvin is a candidate for the job he currently fills, and has credentials that make him a worthy one.
He is believed to have already interviewed for the position, although the Penguins have been predictably quiet about how the process is playing out.
Allvin has the advantage of already being in the organization, to say nothing of holding the job for which he is auditioning, but if Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle and David Morehouse decide there is someone better than him to be in charge of the on-ice product, they should hire that person immediately.
Of course, some teams might not allow possible contenders to interview for the job — although one intriguing possibility, Chris Drury, is believed to have been told by his bosses at the New York Rangers that he is allowed to, and reports out of Canada suggest Boston has done the same with John Ferguson, Jr., the Bruins' executive director of player development.
Others, including Colorado assistant GM Chris MacFarland, might get clearance to speak with the Penguins, but likely would be offered promotions to remain with their current club.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t worth investigating the qualifications and interest of everyone the Penguins believe would be an effective GM; just that they shouldn’t assume that someone they decide to hire would actually accept the position.
Make no mistake, there is no shortage of intriguing candidates for them to consider.
In addition to those mentioned above, Ron Hextall, who oversaw successful rebuilds in Los Angeles and Philadelphia, merits a serious look, although the Penguins have made it clear that they're not putting much emphasis on the post-Crosby/Malkin/Letang era just yet.
Former Kings assistant GM Mike Futa deserves a good look, too. So does Dan MacKinnon, who is Fitzgerald's assistant in New Jersey.
And there almost certainly are others whose qualifications have been overlooked by those outside the Penguins' front office. Remember, Rutherford was barely mentioned as a possibility when the Penguins fired Shero in 2014, but ended up with the job and a couple of Stanley Cup rings.
Allvin, who has been with the Penguins for about 15 years, has contributed to three of their championships. And, despite a lack of experience in some facets of the GM's job because he has always worked in scouting, is worthy of serious consideration for an opportunity to help the franchise earn another.
And the Penguins wouldn't even have to worry about whether they could get him out of his current contract.