Dave Beeston, the Penguins’ alternate governor and surrogate for Fenway Sports Group (FSG), is part of a process he wants no part of: finding new hockey leadership for a brand new franchise. just finished in a chaotic time.
This is not what should have been done for Beeston or FSG when it bought the Penguins midway through the 2021-22 season. Then the flagship franchise of the NHL salary season, the Penguins seem like a sure bet to smoothly continue sailing the waters of prosperity.
Change – like a puck being returned to the neutral zone – comes to you quickly in life. After the overhaul of hockey operations on Friday, Beeston will play a key role in finding the person, or people, who will try to quickly turn around the rest of the high-end seasons for the aging stars. Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin and Kris Letang.
Beeston said Friday that he has not identified any candidates to lead hockey operations. FSG is open to everyone from a singular GM to an executive VP of hockey and a GM, and maybe something the NHL has never done.
This is FSG’s first chance to figure out what it wants from hockey operations. It seems anything is possible.
The Athletic identified 10 potential candidates on FSG’s radar when it comes to a GM role. Many more may appear, but this list is a good starting point for possible candidates.
Mathieu Darche
Assistant GM, director of hockey operations (Lightning)
Darche has a diverse background. With Lighting, he assisted GM Julien BriseBois in all major decisions and in all areas of management. A former NHL player, he played a major role on behalf of the NHL Players’ Association in negotiations during the 2012-13 lockout. After retiring as a player, he was vice president of sales and marketing for Delmar International, a Canadian customs broker and freight forwarder.
He has been working under one of the most successful and aggressive GMs in the league since May 2019. Darche has witnessed firsthand how rosters continue to be assembled around an aging core of star players, which should appeal to FSG’s stated desire for the Penguins to become a Stanley Cup. opposite.
Tyler Dellow
Vice president hockey analytics (Devils)
Dellow is universally viewed — if not always favorably — within the NHL as an advanced analytics whiz. A former litigator, influential blogger (and, yes, columnist for The Athletic), his work with the Devils spanned the entire hockey operations department. He has done so since April 2019, after previously spending two seasons as an analytics consultant with the Oilers. His expertise in combining video data was groundbreaking in the early part of the last decade.
He is probably more familiar with the strengths and weaknesses of the Penguins having spent years competing against them with the Devils. FSG likely won’t mind upsetting the old guard of NHL executives who often see Dellow as the poster child for an unwanted “fancy stats” revolution. (FSG is the John Henry’s company, after all.)
Jeff Greenberg
Associate GM (Blackhawks)
Greenberg has been in hockey since May, when Blackhawks GM Kyle Davidson hired his fellow finalist for the big seat in a role overseeing systems and processes within hockey operations. Before joining Chicago’s NHL franchise, Greenberg spent 11 seasons in baseball operations with the Cubs, going from assistant to GM to assistant GM. His Cubs strategies were complimented by an early 2010s rebuild that helped the franchise reach four postseasons and win the 2016 World Series.
Greenberg is from Pittsburgh. His father, Chuck, was a longtime advisor to Mario Lemieux. Although his NHL experience is limited, Greenberg should be closely evaluated by FSG, which also owns the Red Sox. Going outside the hockey world, which is basically what brought Greenberg as GM, is something Beeston didn’t rule out when addressing the parameters for hiring in hockey operations.
Cameron Lawrence
Consultant (Blue Jacket)
Lawrence is known for combining traditional scouting methods with analytical tools, a process the Panthers have used successfully for prospect evaluations. Although he has hockey credentials, Lawrence has also worked as a senior financial officer at several publicly traded companies in the tech community. He managed a leading e-commerce company in Vancouver. Interestingly, Lawrence has spent the last five years working for Pittsburgh-based GNC, which he saved from bankruptcy.
That resume reads like it might interest FSG’s outside-the-box way of doing business. It’s possible Lawrence could land a GM interview in another — if not bigger — role in hockey operations.
Alexandra Mandrycky
Assistant GM (Kraken)
Mandrycky was hired by the Kraken before the NHL’s newest expansion franchise brought in a GM. That GM, Ron Francis, thought so much of Mandrycky that he promoted him from director of hockey strategy and research. As assistant GM, he still heads the research and development team of Kraken but also manages amateur scouting. Before joining the Kraken, Mandrycky was with the Wild as an analyst for four seasons.
Her rise within the NHL has been meteoric, and she is viewed as one of the strongest women in hockey. Although many people will connect the dots between the Penguins and former partner GM Jason Botterill, an assistant GM of the Kraken, it is Mandrycky who seems to be more in line with FSG’s philosophies for their other professionals teams.
Scott Middleby
Senior adviser (Blues)
Mellanby’s long run with the Canadiens, where he went from director of player personnel to assistant GM over nine seasons, ended in November 2021. He resigned after learning he was no longer in the contention for the vacant GM position in Montreal. Mellanby’s name has appeared on many future GM lists in recent years, and he was a finalist for the Sharks GM opening that went to Mike Grier. Mellanby also interviewed the Blackhawks for the opening that went to Davidson.
His role with the Blues is tailored so that Mellanby can bring his extensive experience to all aspects of hockey operations. That experience also includes 21 seasons as an NHL player – however, playing in the league is not known to be a requirement for FSG.
Scott Nicol
Assistant GM, director of player development (Predators)
He is also a finalist for the Sharks GM opening. Nichol was promoted to assistant GM with the Predators in November 2021, but he has already handled GM duties at Nashville’s AHL affiliate in Milwaukee. Also, Nichol has been the Predators’ longtime director of player development, and his reputation within hockey is one of maximizing the NHL potential of prospects.
He worked closely with one of the NHL’s great GMs, David Poile, for 15 seasons. Like Mellanby, Nichol played a long time – 13 seasons – in the NHL. Nichol may not come with a wow factor, but he could also be the best mix of safe bets with upside.
Eric Tulsky
Assistant GM (Hurricanes)
He’ll be high on any list of candidates for a GM opening until he finally gets the big seat. Tulsky is now the GM in Carolina, where he focuses on hockey operations while GM Don Waddell takes care of more business matters. Tulsky spent only two seasons as assistant GM of the Hurricanes, although he previously served as VP of hockey management and strategy after originally joining the franchise as a hockey analyst.
Tulsky’s background is interesting. He holds 19 patents – more, perhaps, than the combined total of every GM in league history. He also spent 12 years managing groups of researchers who used nanotechnology to solve problems in DNA sequencing and solar energy. Thinking about the cap probably wouldn’t stress him much.
He has been through GM interviews before. If FSG wanted the most popular dance date, Tulsky would be its hire.
Sam Ventura
VP hockey strategy and research (Sabres)
He graduated from Carnegie Mellon University and worked for the Penguins. What else does anyone need to know?
Well, Ventura brought analytics to the Penguins, building a department that failed to exist before the mid-2010s. Originally a consultant, his data skills were credited by former GM Jim Rutherford as playing a key role in helping the Penguins’ Stanley Cup victories in 2016 and 2017. Ventura rose to the rank of director of the hockey operations and research before receiving a promotion to the Sabers in July 2021.
Ventura brings a fundamental understanding of the Penguins’ strengths, weaknesses and culture. Don’t underestimate the importance of culture; Institutional knowledge would be valuable to an ownership group based outside of Pittsburgh. FSG will win the news conference with Ventura as GM and may have picked the right man for the gig as well.
Hayley Wickenheiser
Assistant GM player development (Maple Leafs)
Wickenheiser has a bio page on Encyclopedia Britannica’s website. she that big deal.
Considered the greatest female hockey player ever, she won four gold medals with Team Canada. The Maple Leafs hired him as assistant director of player development in August 2018, promoted him to senior director in May 2021 and named him assistant GM in July. Player development is his calling card, and few franchises have done better than the Maple Leafs over the past half-decade.
Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas is on an expiring contract and may not be a candidate for a lateral move. However, since Dubas’ future in Toronto is murky, the Maple Leafs may not give his assistant GM, Brandon Pridham, permission to interview for the Penguins’ opening.
Hiring Wickenheiser was a bold choice for FSG. Of course, fortune often favors the brave.
(Top photo by Mathieu Darche: Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)