Another Eastern team gets into the fight to land Yzerman!

Ever since Steve Yzerman announced that he was stepping down as general manager of the Tampa Bay Lightning during the preseason in order to go back home to Detroit to be closer to his family, fans across the NHL have been waiting to see him land in the Red Wings’ front office. 

While it still remains a possible outcome, it seems like the Wings will need to compete with several other clubs wanting to convince the legendary player and executive to come and be part of something big, a new beginning. We can think of the Edmonton Oilers still looking for their new GM while Sportsnet revealed Wednesday night that the Ottawa Senators have approached Ron Francis, Trevor Linden, Dean Lombardi, Joe Nieuwendyk and Yzerman in their search for the president of hockey operations position. 

Competition may have just gotten harder on Friday as Larry Brooks of the New York Post revealed that the Rangers could give Yzerman a call as well… 

On Thursday, the Rangers officially confirmed that team president Glen Sather had resigned from his position and will transition into a senior advisor role within the organization. 

Brooks believes the Rangers will do their due diligence and reach out to Yzerman about coming to the Big Apple. 

“The Rangers must hear the word “no” from Yzerman before assuming he is not interested in the job. Served his time as an assistant with the Red Wings before building the powerhouse in Tampa Bay. He is expected to return in a senior capacity to Detroit — where he and his family live — when his obligation to the Lightning expires, but Dolan and Sather need to find out.”

Brooks also names current Columbus Blue Jackets president John Davidson as the most probable option. Davidson spent eight seasons with the Rangers organization in the 1970s and 80s before being forced into retirement due to injury. He was the team’s color commentator on MSG Network broadcasts from 1983 until 2005 when he left to become president of the St. Louis Blues and has served as Blue Jackets president since 2012.

His other candidates includes former Vancouver Canucks GM Mike Gillis, Vegas Golden Knights assistant general manager Kelly McCrimmon, Brian Leetch, Dave Maloney, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM Brandon Pridham and Lombardi, who seems quite happy with the Philadelphia Flyers. 

To be continued…