San Jose Sharks
REPORT: Mellanby a Sharks GM Candidate?
Here comes a new challenger?
Mike Grier and Ray Whitney have already been named as “probably” finalists for the San Jose Sharks general manager position. There’s also an unidentified third finalist.
For what it’s worth, Sharks interim GM Joe Will said today that there could be up to five finalists.
Could Scott Mellanby be one of them?
Some wondering around the league if the Sharks are poised to announce the hiring of a new GM. One of the names that has surfaced this week…Scott Mellanby. He’s been in the mix before and is believed to be ready. If nothing else, other clubs are talking about it.
— Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) July 1, 2022
It’s not clear if Dreger is talking about Mellanby as a finalist or as someone who has interviewed for the job but isn’t in the final group. But it is the first time that Mellanby’s name has emerged in a significant way in the San Jose Sharks GM search.
Mellanby does have a lot more front office experience than either Grier or Whitney. From 2014-21, he was Montreal Canadiens AGM. Before that, he was Canadiens director of player personnel, St. Louis Blues assistant coach, and Vancouver Canucks senior advisor and scout.
Mellanby left the Canadiens in Dec. 2021 when he was passed over for the Montreal GM job when Marc Bergevin was fired.
In contrast, Whitney was a Carolina Hurricanes scout from 2015-18 and has been with the NHL Department of Player Safety since then. Grier is currently a New York Rangers advisor, and before that, a New Jersey Devils assistant head coach, and a Chicago Blackhawks scout.
“[Mellanby] would be a good choice. From what I am seeing, he would be above all those guys,” a source opined to San Jose Hockey Now. “He has been in the AGM role and the other names haven’t had much in the way of managerial experience.”
That is a big difference in front office experience but judging by what we’ve heard about the San Jose Sharks’ GM search, that hasn’t been an organizational priority.
Whitney and Grier being finalists is proof of that.
We should see soon. Jason Gregor of The Daily Faceoff has said the Sharks could reveal their new GM as soon as this week. It would make sense for the Sharks to unveil their new GM before the Jul. 7 Draft — the bright lights of the Draft is a good PR springboard to introduce him or her to the hockey world and the general public. Logistically, before the beginning of free agency on Jul. 13 also makes sense, so the new GM can have a hand in shaping the 2022-23 Sharks.
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Promote Vlasik to GM. With his style, we can rid ourselves of Burns and Karlsson AND The Albatross on ice, Vlasik. Under his leadership, we can have any junior hockey defensemen play in his image: no checking to stop entry at the blue line, always let ’em go by then use your stick in a failed attempt to get the puck, trip the entrant, sometimes get a penalty for tripping, let any of the opposition entrench in front of our goalie, do nothing, and then have the best seat in the house to watch the puck go in! We could… Read more »
Get rid of a bad contract by promoting the guy to GM would be a 5D move.
“It would make sense for the Sharks to unveil their new GM before the Jul. 7 Draft — the bright lights of the Draft is a good PR springboard to introduce him or her to the hockey world and the general public. Logistically, before the beginning of free agency on Jul. 13 also makes sense, so the new GM can have a hand in shaping the 2022-23 Sharks.” The PR springboard logic serves little purpose from a fan perspective. The hockey world is already following what’s going on and the fan base isn’t that much more likely to hear about… Read more »
Don’t agree with all of this, but I do see the fans have very little confidence in this front office right now. Maybe Grier and company can restore it.
In terms of timing, it’s not the norm, but GMs do get hired shortly before the Draft (Armstrong by Arizona, Lou in NYI). Anyway, it’s all about results. Grier gets them, nobody will care about timing, the optics of the Boughner firing, all that.