The Panthers have cast a wide net as they look to find a replacement for former GM Dale Tallon whose contract was not renewed. In recent weeks, Scott Mellanby, John Ferguson Jr., Bill Armstrong, Laurence Gilman, Sean Burke, Ron Hextall, and Kevin Weekes have all interviewed for the position, and Florida Hockey Now’s adds Peter CHiarelli and Eddie Olczyk to the list as well. Rangers Assistant GM Chris Drury additionally interviewed for the vacancy. However, as Florida sets their shortlist for the next round of interviews, Drury has withdrawn his name from consideration, reports Larry Brooks of the New York Post.
Drury has been with New York since 2015 when he started as their Director of Player Development. He was promoted to assistant GM the following year and became GM of AHL Hartford in 2017 as well. In 2019, he got his first international GM assignment when he headed up Team USA at the World Championships. That experience made it no surprise when he came under consideration to replace Tallon.
His name has come up for several GM vacancies around the league over the years so while he won’t wind up with this job, it only seems like a matter of time before Drury gets a chance to run his own NHL team. No reason for withdrawing from this search was given.
Meanwhile, Brooks adds a couple more names to the list of candidates in former Boston and Edmonton GM Peter Chiarelli and Blackhawks/NBC analyst Eddie Olczyk. He mentions that both are expected to be among the finalists for the position.