Insider updates reports of Oilers hiring disgraced former general manager
When the NHL reinstated Stan Bowman and the Chicago Blackhawks executives after the Kyle Beach scandal, the Oilers were immediately linked to Bowman to fill their GM vacancy - but now one reporter is throwing cold water on it.
Veteran NHL insider John Shannon is reporting that the Oilers will absolutely not be hiring Stan Bowman, and instead listed Mark Hunter, Mike Futa, and Lawrence Gilman as candidates.
A few days ago, Jackson spoke to the media and said that he hasn't even considered Bowman for the GM job due to the business of free agency and the Draft. Still, many hockey insiders reported the Oilers were interested in Bowman, and a decision like that may have come from ownership.
Mark Hunter, the longtime GM of the London Knights and a former Maple Leafs executive, seems to be the most likely candidate for GM based on the amount of times he's been connected to the Oilers. Mike Futa and Lawrence Gilman are new names connected to the job. Futa is a former executive of the Los Angeles Kings, and Gilman is a current assitant GM in Toronto.
Along with these three candidates, a slew of other names have been suggested as well. There's internal promotion options with Brad Holland and Keith Gretzky, and even some former players like Shawn Horvoff and franchise legend Paul Coffey.
Oilers President Jeff Jackson has done a fantastic job in his first few days as interim GM and President of the team. So far, his body of work should give Oilers fans full confidence in his hire at general manager. It will be a crucial one too, as the new GM is expected to hop right into contract negotiations with Leon Draisaitl - the next item on the offseason to do list.
Source: John Shannon
Shannon pours cold water on Bowman to Edmonton
| POLL | ||
Do you think it would be wrong for the Oilers to hire Bowman? | ||
| Yes, awful for many reasons | 368 | 72.7 % |
| No, he's a good hire | 103 | 20.4 % |
| See Results | 35 | 6.9 % |
| List of polls | ||
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