Ducks legends Kariya and Niedermayer reportedly hire another former NHLer as new GM

According to multiple online reports, the Anaheim Ducks are set to hire former NHL player and longtime NHL executive Pat Verbeek as their next general manager.

Last month the Ducks announced that they had tabbed franchise icons Scott Niedermayer and Paul Kariya to hire their next GM, so it should come as no surprise that they've decided to go with another former player. Niedermayer and Kariya are both Hall of Famers and are known as two of the most cerebral players to ever play the game. I have no doubt that they searched long and hard and had a pretty discerning list of criteria to find the perfect fit. And that fit, evidently is Verbeek.

For those not familiar with Verbeek's work since retiring in 2002, it's worth noting that he has spent many, many years alongside his good friend Steve Yzerman in the management ranks. Verbeek and Yzerman, of course, played together with the Detroit Red Wings and when the two players retired they immediately joined forces with the Tampa Bay Lightning and then eventually returned to the Red Wings when Yzerman was named GM in 2019. Verbeek has acted as a scout, assistant general manager and honestly... the guy can and will do just about anything if it involves making his hockey team better. He's a tireless worker and he has an extremely good reputation amongst NHL executives. To be perfectly frank, he has lived in Yzerman's shadow a bit the and I'm excited to see how he does out on his own. He has certainly earned the opportunity and the Ducks look like a great fit.

The native of Sarnia, Ontario was nicknamed the "Little Ball of Hate" by his teammates during his playing career, a career that saw him play 1,424 games split between the New Jersey Devils, Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers, Dallas Stars and Red Wings. He won a Stanley Cup championship with the Stars in 1999 and was the Whalers' captain for a few years in the 1990s before being traded to the Rangers.