Former Oilers fan favorite linked to Sens' vacant GM job

According to a report from Ottawa Senators inside Bruce Garrioch, the team is considering Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Shawn Horcoff for their vacant general manager position.

From Garrioch in today's column for The Ottawa Sun:

Keep an eye Detroit Red Wings assistant GM Shawn Horcoff once the actual search for a replacement for Pierre Dorion kicks into high gear and there will be a lot of names floated between now and the the time a decision is made.

The 45-year-old Horcoff was a longtime teammate of Staios with the Oilers and has worked his way up through the executive ranks. He spent nine years in player development with the Wings under Ken Holland and was named to the assistant’s role by GM Steve Yzerman in 2022.

Horcoff is also the GM of the club’s American Hockey League affiliate in Grand Rapids.

- Bruce Garrioch

As pointed out by Garrioch, Horcoff is currently the Red Wings' assistant GM under Steve Yzerman and also runs operations for the team's AHL affiliate Grand Rapids Griffins.

The 45 year old Horcoff has been in the Red Wings' front office staff since retiring from the NHL in 2016. He was first hired to work in player development, but has worked his way up the ladder to his current role, which he began last year. He's a well respected executive around the league and he'll likely get a shot as NHL GM one day, it's just a matter of time. Personally, I'm not sure he's the best fit for a Senators team that is looking to turn things around in a hurry but I'm not terribly familiar with Horcoff's management philosophy. I just know that if I were Sens interim GM Steve Staios, I'd likely be looking at a candidate with some more experience.

What I do know about Horcoff though is that on the ice he was an absolute warrior. In total he put up 186 goals and 511 points in 1,008 career games split between the Edmonton Oilers, Dallas Stars and Anaheim Ducks. His career best season came in 2005-06 when he helped lead the Oilers to a Stanley Cup Final berth, putting up 22 goals and 73 points in 79 games.