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The Detroit Red Wings are looking for a new head of hockey operations.
Thats not a sentence youd expect to read in mid-July long after the typical hiring cycle for the NHL.
But with Wednesdays news that Steve Yzerman will no longer be the Red Wings general manager, transitioning to an advisory role to owner Chris Ilitch, a new era is set to begin for the Red Wings.
Just as soon as they find Yzermans replacement.
So, who will that be? The timing complicates that question.
Advertisement If the Red Wings had made their leadership change in April, they might have been able to get in the mix for some of the cycles top general manager candidates, such as former Florida Panthers assistant general manager Sunny Mehta (now general manager of the New Jersey Devils) or former Colorado Avalanche general manager Chris MacFarland, now president of hockey operations of the Nashville Predators.
Instead, the Red Wings will conduct their search after rival organizations already went through this process.
Of course, they may still land a very good candidate.
The team announced it would conduct a search of internal and external candidates, and there remain many capable people in the organization and around the sport.
There are all types of candidates worth considering.
Mehta was an example of a top executive from a winning organization always a popular profile to target.
He also represented another intriguing archetype, as a data-driven decision-maker.
That certainly helped the Panthers in capturing their back-to-back Stanley Cups in 2024 and 2025, and the Carolina Hurricanes just won the Cup with an even more analytics-heavy philosophy, led by Eric Tulsky.
And on that note, the Ilitch familys other professional sports team, the Detroit Tigers, has certainly taken that direction.
Perhaps thats a hint at what could be in store.
Former agents such as Mehtas boss in Florida, Bill Zito, and Kent Hughes in Montreal are also having a moment in the NHL right now, and executives with experience running a department are also popular, especially if theyve had success.
MacFarlands move from Colorado to Nashville is also a reminder that even employed executives can move, especially if the change comes with a pay raise and a title bump from general manager to president of hockey operations.
Advertisement Perhaps the Red Wings could take a long shot at offering those kinds of bumps to someone such as Winnipegs Kevin Cheveldayoff or even Tulsky himself in Carolina.
Its certainly worth a call to find out.
But for now, heres a look at some of the early names to know, as the Red Wings begin their search process.
Ties to the organization / Established NHL GMs Shawn Horcoff Currently an assistant general manager in Detroit, Horcoff managed the Red Wings American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids to a near-historic campaign this past season.
He has NHL GM potential, and now that theres an opening in Detroit, he becomes the most logical internal candidate because of his experience managing the Griffins.
The big question will be whether the Red Wings can go internal with this hire if they want change, does promoting from within accomplish that? I think it still could, as Horcoff is his own person, and his success in Grand Rapids has been significant.
But its a question the Red Wings will have to ask in the process, and one that fans will have as well.
Ryan Martin Martin is an associate general manager with the New York Rangers and GM of their AHL affiliate in Hartford.
But before that, he spent 16 years in the Red Wings front office, managing the Griffins and working under Ken Holland and then (briefly) Yzerman.
Hes also been a big part of USA Hockey at the junior and senior levels, including serving as GM for the 2022 World Championship team.
He has history and familiarity with the organization but is removed from the current management group.
Brendan Shanahan Shanahan may be more of a president than a general manager, but thats one route the Red Wings could take with his hire pairing a seasoned executive with an up-and-comer in a president/GM combo and Shanahan has major experience in an Original Six market in Toronto.
Ultimately, it never felt as if his Maple Leafs teams lived up to their potential, and it would be interesting (and perhaps impractical) to go from Yzerman to one of his former teammates from the same era, but Shanahan does have experience that could translate in Detroit, especially if paired with an up-and-comer.
Advertisement Marc Bergevin Bergevin is an associate general manager in Buffalo, but hes another who has experience running an Original Six hockey operations department from his time in Montreal.
He was the general manager for the Canadiens run to the 2021 Stanley Cup Final, and while he was replaced by Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes the following season, he helped lay the groundwork for their current success by trading for Nick Suzuki and drafting Cole Caufield.
Like Shanahan, Bergevin could make a lot of sense as a president overseeing a younger general manager.
Jim Nill This one is a heavy long shot, as Nill is employed by the Dallas Stars and is one of the best general managers in the league.
But Nill came up with the Red Wings, and if youre the Ilitch family, dont you at least have to call to see if its possible? They would have to at least offer a title bump from general manager to president, and likely a lot more money, and even that probably would not be enough to pry him away from a very good core and setup in Dallas.
The Red Wings should at least do the due diligence to find out if its possible, though and the same applies to names such as Tulsky and Cheveldayoff.
Up-and-coming candidates Brett Peterson Peterson has a ton going for him.
Hes been an assistant general manager in Florida since 2020, helping build the Panthers into one of the leagues model franchises.
He fits the former-agent profile that has worked so well.
And having suited up at Boston College, he has high-level playing experience, too.
He served as general manager for USA Hockeys 2026 World Championship team, a sign of the potential some of the sports power brokers see in him.
He looks like a strong candidate, and his fellow Panthers AGM Gregory Campbell could be another interesting name.
Scott White Another proven AGM from a winning franchise, White has been assistant general manager with the Dallas Stars for a decade and the GM of the AHL Texas Stars since 2009.
That gives him serious decision-making experience, and certainly working under Nill is a major plus, which also extends to fellow Dallas AGMs Rich Peverley and Mark Janko.
Evan Gold The Bruins recently announced Gold would be leaving in August, after more than a decade with the organization.
That includes seven years as assistant general manager and the last three years as the general manager of their AHL affiliate in Providence.
He has a background in multiple facets of hockey operations, including cap analysis, roster planning, contract negotiation and even pro scouting listed on his Bruins bio, after he started in legal affairs.
Thats a diverse background, and he was recently a finalist for the Vancouver Canucks general manager opening.
Thomas Drance had a good overview of Gold as a candidate earlier this summer.
Sam Ventura As data-driven candidates go, put Ventura near the very top of the list.
Hes the Sabres vice president of hockey strategy and research, after he worked as a consultant for the Pittsburgh Penguins in their 2016 Stanley Cup run.
He co-created the early hockey analytics website war-on-ice.com with Alexandra Mandrycky (a vice president and assistant general manager with the Seattle Kraken, who also merits a spot on this list) and Andrew Thomas, who, interestingly enough, is currently employed by the Detroit Tigers, as the vice president of baseball analytics.
That connection from another Ilitch-owned organization could be helpful to the leadership committee in vetting someone such as Ventura, but really, being a part of turning around the Sabres is a strong endorsement in itself.
Darren Yorke I mentioned the Tulsky long shot above, but if not him, how about his associate general manager (and the general manager of their AHL affiliate in Chicago, who knocked out the Griffins from this years playoffs)? Yorke has been with the Hurricanes for 17 seasons, starting out as a video scout, and is now involved in player personnel decisions, with his team bio stating he is responsible for the teams draft.
Thats a well-rounded resume, and working in Carolina suggests he knows how to operate in a data-driven organization.
Advertisement Tim Barnes Barnes only just became assistant general manager for the Washington Capitals, but he previously served as director of analytics for close to a decade, and he has a background as an equity derivatives trader.
So he checks the data box in a big way, and the Capitals have effectively pulled off a very impressive retool in recent seasons.
That makes Barnes someone worth an interview.
Josh Flynn Another former agent who has carved out a long career in hockey operations, Flynn is an assistant general manager in Buffalo after serving in the same role with the Columbus Blue Jackets, under both Jarmo Kekalainen and Don Waddell.
Flynns responsibilities there included cap management, contract negotiation, statistical research and strategic planning, according to the Blue Jackets release when he left for Buffalo, so he would perhaps make the most sense if paired with a more veteran executive from a scouting background.
Brandon Pridham Pridham was just hired to Kyle Dubas staff in Pittsburgh after he worked with Dubas in Toronto, where Pridham was an assistant general manager.
Maybe that takes him out of the running.
But he was a long-tenured AGM with the Maple Leafs, and if a general manager opportunity became available, you would think the Penguins would let him go through the process.
And speaking of the Maple Leafs, former assistant GM Darryl Metcalf is also now available after leaving the organization.
Perhaps thats a name worth checking on for an AGM-type role in a new front office.