Breaking: One of the Oilers’ biggest GM targets takes himself off the market

It’s been six weeks since the Edmonton Oilers fired former general manager Peter Chiarelli, but there’s apparently no rush from Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson to fill Chiarelli’s position. Interim GM Keith Gretzky seems likely to guide the team down the stretch and into the offseason, but who will be at the helm when this team enters the 2019 NHL Entry Draft? Free agency? This is a team that requires a LOT of work, so getting a quality GM onboard as soon as possible is perhaps the most important thing for this franchise at this particular juncture. 

Well… we now know it won’t be Mark Hunter.

The former Toronto Maple Leafs executive and current London Knights GM has accepted a position with Hockey Canada to run the team’s under-20 program and put together the nation’s squad for the 2020 World Junior Championships. 

Earlier this week Hunter was named by NHL insider Darren Dreger as a potential candidate for the GM job in Edmonton, but today’s news likely takes him out of the running.

“We know Kelly McCrimmon,” said Dreger on Edmonton’s TSN 1260 radio station yesterday afternoon. “We know Dave Nonis. Obviously Keith Gretzky is going to be on that list, and deserves to be on that list. There are some other interesting ones. Sean Burke comes to mind. I believe he’ll get a sit-down interview. Mike Futa from the Los Angeles Kings is another one. Of course Mark Hunter, he’ll be contacted. And on and on it goes.”

“I expect that the timeline is probably the next 10-14 days where Nicholson starts to finally reach out, seek permission, from some of the candidates, and there could be as many as 10 on this list,” added Dreger.

Let’s get real though… the name that keeps coming up when discussing the Oilers GM position has been McCrimmon from the start. The Vegas Golden Knights’ assistant GM has earned a shot at the big time after having helped successfully guide Vegas through the expansion process. He’s a western Canadian with ties to Alberta and is seemingly the perfect fit for the Oilers. 

The only problem is that Vegas GM George McPhee has requested that the Oilers, or any other interested party, hold off on negotiating with McCrimmon until the offseason. After all, the Golden Knights have Stanley Cup potential yet again and McCrimmon is desperately needed to help make decisions down the stretch drive and into the Stanley Cup Playoffs.

Sit tight, Oilers fans. While Dreger reports this could all be resolved within the next 10-14 days… I’m not holding my breath.