A little over a week ago, Danny Shirey took a look at five potential candidates for the Penguins' general manager vacancy after the firings of Ron Hextall, as well as president of hockey operations Brian Burke and assistant general manager Chris Pryor.
Here are Danny's five candidates, a group that includes a current head general manager, two assistant general managers, an executive who works in hockey research and strategy, and an ex-general manager who hasn't worked in a front office in nearly a decade.
There haven't been any significant developments on the hiring front since. Co-head of Fenway Sports Management Dave Beeston said in a press conference after the firings that they'd like the head of their hockey operations department to be "forward-thinking" and "proactive." Beyond that, they're leaving things open as far as what kind of a background a good candidate might have.
Ideally, whoever he or she may be will be hired soon, given the decisions that need to be made regarding free agency.
In the meantime, here are five more executives who might be worth a look:
ERIC TULSKY
If "forward-thinking" is what the Penguins are after, Tulsky should be near the top of any list.
Tulsky, who is in his third season as an assistant general manager with the Hurricanes, has been working in Carolina's hockey operations department since 2014. He was hired as a hockey analyst, a title he held for three seasons. He was promoted to director of analytics in 2017 and also gained the additional role of vice president of hockey management a season later.
Tulsky was named assistant general manager in 2020. His bio on the Hurricanes' website says that he "is involved in all player personnel decisions, oversees pro scouting and the team's hockey information department, and assists with player contract negotiations, salary cap compliance, and other hockey-related matters."
The Blackhawks interviewed Tulsky for their general manager vacancy last season. Tulsky ultimately lost out to Kyle Davidson, an internal hire who had been serving as interim general manager.
Before joining the Hurricanes, Tulsky launched the website Outnumbered, where he published his work with hockey analytics. His work was also published places like The Washington Post, and he has been a featured panelist at MIT’s annual Sports Analytics Conference.
Tulsky's background is quite different than most would-be hockey executives. He received a B.A. in chemistry and physics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley. The Hurricanes' website also says that he worked in the high-tech industry for 12 years, "managing teams of researchers focused on using nanotechnology to solve problems in DNA sequencing, solar energy, displays, and energy storage." He also holds 19 U.S. patents.
MEGHAN HUNTER
Hunter was hired by the Blackhawks in 2016 and worked in different roles in hockey operations before being promoted in 2020 as the team's director of hockey administration and as an amateur scout. She was promoted to assistant general manager after two seasons and is in her first year in the role.
As assistant general manager, Hunter told NHL.com she is "responsible for budgeting, daily operation of the team, contract execution, team security, player services, scouting, roster construction, daily player transactions" and more.
Hunter played four seasons at the University of Wisconsin, where she scored 84 goals and 93 assists in 132 games. She was an assistant coach at Wisconsin for one season after graduating. She went on to be an assistant coach for a year at Niagara University and then an associate coach for a year at the University of Maine.
LAURENCE GILMAN
Gilman is due for an NHL general manager role.
Gilman has been with the Maple Leafs since 2018, when he was hired as assistant general manager of the NHL club and head general manager of Toronto's AHL affiliate Marlies. His role changed this season, being named senior vice president and governor of the Marlies. In Gilman's first season managing the Marlies, the team made it to the Eastern Conference Final in the AHL playoffs. After two seasons in which the AHL did not have a postseason due to COVID-19, the Marlies fell just shy of a playoff spot last season. The Marlies won the AHL's North Division title this season.
Prior to being hired by Toronto, Gilman was the Canucks' assistant general manager and vice president of hockey operations from 2008-15. He worked in the Coyotes organization from 1998-2007. He was initially Phoenix's director of hockey operations, then was promoted to assistant general manager after three seasons. In the following season he also took on the roles as vice president of hockey operations, and general manager of the AHL's San Antonio Rampage.
"Laurence provides terrific experience to our management team," Toronto general manager Kyle Dubas said of Gilman when he was hired by the Maple Leafs. "His 20-plus years in the NHL have seen him manage nearly every type of department in professional hockey and have success doing so."
Gilman went to law school prior to getting into hockey operations. He received a Juris Doctor degree in 1994 and was admitted to the Minnesota State Bar in 1995.
MATHIEU DARCHE
Darche had a long professional career of his own. A forward, he played 250 games in the NHL between 2000-12 with the Blue Jackets, Predators, Sharks, Lightning and Canadiens.
Darche is in his first season as assistant general manager with the Lightning. He has also been Tampa's director of hockey operations since 2018, a role that had him involved with player personnel decisions, analytics, player development, contract preparation and negotiation, budgeting, scheduling and cap tracking. He won back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2020 and 2021 with the Lightning.
Darche interviewed with the Blackhawks, Canadiens and Canucks for their general manager vacancies last season.
Before retiring as a player, Darche was on the NHLPA's negotiating committee during the 2012-13 lockout and was on the negotiating committee for the Professional Hockey Players' Association (labor union for both the AHL and CHL) for the AHL's CBA negotiations.
CAMMI GRANATO
Granato is a legend in USA Hockey. As a player, she won an Olympic gold medal, Olympic silver medal, World Championship gold medal and eight World Championship silver medals. With 186 goals and 157 assists in 205 career games on the international stage, she is the U.S. women's national team's all-time leading scorer.
Granato's first front office job was in 2019, when she was hired as a pro scout for the Kraken prior to Seattle's expansion draft. She held the position for two and a half seasons before being hired as an assistant general manager by the Canucks in February 2022. This season is her first full season in the role with the Canucks.
In her role with Vancouver, Granato oversees the player development department, the amateur scouting department and pro scouting department, and has input in all areas of hockey operations.
