PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Penguins are looking at a wide variety of candidates for their vacant general manager position.
According to hockey insider Pierre LeBrun, the Penguins were aiming to interview 10-12 candidates as part of a first wave via Zoom. That list included Marc Bergevin, Eric Tulsky, Jason Karmanos and Peter Chiarelli.
Bergevin and Chiarelli previously held NHL GM positions, most recently in Montreal and Edmonton respectively.
Since 2021, Chiarelli has worked in the St. Louis Blues front office as vice president of hockey operations. Bergevin was hired as a senior advisor to the general manager for the Los Angeles Kings in early 2022.
Karmanos previously worked for the Penguins and could be a good fit.
Hunter Hodies of Locked on Penguins is most excited about Tulsky, who's currently serving as assistant GM in Carolina.
"It's good to see confirmation the Penguins did have him on their list and that the Hurricanes granted permission to have the Penguins interview him even though they're still playing," Hodies said.
In fact, Hodies argues Tulsky should indeed be the favorite to land the gig.
"There's something seriously wrong with your process if you do not have Eric Tulsky at least as your finalist if not getting the gig overall."
Tulsky has helped build one of the most well-rounded teams in the NHL. The Hurricanes are taking on the Florida Panthers in the Eastern Conference Finals despite suffering some serious injuries along the way, which is a testament to the depth they have on the roster.
The Penguins fired President of Hockey Operations Brian Burke, General Manager Ron Hextall and Assistant General Manager Chris Pryor last month.
The dismissals came after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time in 17 years, ending the longest-active playoff streak among teams in North American professional sports.
All of Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang are expected to be back next season, giving whoever gets the job a still very elite trio to build around.