Former Canucks GM Mike Gillis responds to rumors of Oilers hiring

Former Vancouver Canucks general manager Mike Gillis has remained mostly quiet since being fired in April of 2014. But, that past is the past, it’s been five years and Gillis is now ready to talk.

Gillis joined TSN 1040 radio hosts Blake Price and Matt Sekeres earlier this afternoon to discuss the current NHL climate, his time in Vancouver and, perhaps most intriguingly, his future. Gillis was asked several questions pertaining to his future and the former Canucks GM and President of Hockey Operations made it clear that he’d welcome to a return the the NHL… under the right circumstances.

Check it out:

So… what about the rumours that Edmonton Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson is interested in bringing Gillis on board to help right the ship in Edmonton? From the outside, the Oilers don’t seem “forward-thinking” and they certainly don’t have “alignment from top to bottom.” But… what about it?

Well… there goes that idea…

In any case, NHL insider Elliotte Friedman reports that Nicholson’s interview list for the GM position is around “10 to 13 names long”. So there should be no shortage of qualified candidates. The real question is, and what it sounds like Gillis is getting at, will the new GM and team’s existing front office staff be in alignment from top to bottom?