April 19, 2023 | 11:31am ET
By Anthony Di Marco, TheFourthPeriod.com

FLYERS’ FOCUS SHIFTS TO PRESIDENT

Ray Shero

MONTREAL, QC — With the NHL playoffs officially underway, the beginning of the off-season for non-playoff teams has commenced. Among those teams is the Philadelphia Flyers, who have already gone through a world of change over the last month and look to have more on the horizon.

Since the NHL Trade Deadline, which ultimately proved to be the final nail in the coffin for many in that front office, the Flyers have changed their leadership at the highest level. Chuck Fletcher was relieved of his duties as President of Hockey Operations & General Manager and Dave Scott stepped down from his role as Chairman of Comcast Spectacor, the Flyers’ parent company.

Dan Hilferty has stepped into the role as Comcast Spectacor’s Chairman and CEO, while Danny Briere has taken on the title as interim (and soon to be permanent) GM and overseeing Hockey Ops. The biggest change yet to be made is the next President of Hockey Ops, which will be held by a separate individual than the GM, a major change from when Fletcher held both titles.

Based on chatter I caught wind of over the last few days, the Flyers started the interview process this week.

The search is being headed by Hilferty, while Valerie Camillo, who oversees the business side and Wells Fargo Centre, is very involved, one person close to the situation pointed out to me. As Anthony SanFilippo of Crossing Broad recently wrote, former Philadelphia 76ers GM Billy King is assisting in the search, while the club has hired an outside firm to help in the process, too.

At this point, it sounds like most of Hockey Ops (including Briere) has been kept out of the loop of the process and the candidate list – though, I’d expect Briere to be brought in at some point as the search gets deeper into the process.

In terms of the candidates, Comcast has done a good job of keeping things tight to the vest, but there have been some consistent names tied to the team.

Ray Shero has continued to be thought as the preferred choice, but I’m not sure Comcast will get their wish. I’ve heard growing chatter over the weekend that the current Senior Advisor to GM Bill Guerin in Minnesota has his sights set on another GM gig. Although the POH oversees everything regarding the hockey team, I’ve heard whispers that Shero would like another crack at handling the day-to-day tasks. With Briere all but guaranteed to remain GM, Shero will not have that opportunity in Philadelphia.

Given this recent development, I’d expect the Flyers to begin pivoting to another name to headline their wish list. Already rumored to have been in the mix, it appears that Scott Mellanby is a name people should keep an eye on.

Mellanby, 56, currently serves as the Senior Advisor to St. Louis Blues GM Doug Armstrong. He previously worked as the Assistant General Manager under Marc Bergevin with the Montreal Canadiens and played more than 20 years in the NHL with the Flyers, Edmonton Oilers, Florida Panthers, Blues and Atlanta Thrashers.

Neither Shero nor Mellanby should come as a surprise, as both have been attached to the Flyers since Fletcher’s dismissal, but two names that caught me off guard over the last number of days are Vancouver Canucks Assistant GMs Cammi Granato and Emily Castonguay.

Granato, 52, is the sister of Buffalo Sabres Head Coach Don Granato and wife of former NHL player and ESPN Hockey Analyst Ray Ferraro. Coming from a storied hockey family, Granato has worked her way up the ranks of NHL front offices over the last several years, serving as one of the top scouts for the Seattle Kraken before getting a promotion to jump ship to the Canucks.

It’s unclear how serious of a contender Granato will ultimately end up being for the POH position, but she has garnered at least some level of interest. It is also unclear at this point whether or not Granato has accepted an interview for the position.

Castonguay, however, is believed to have already interviewed with the Flyers this week. While Jim Rutherford and Patrik Allvin run the show in Vancouver, Castonguay’s excellent contract negotiations skillset is a valuable asset, among some of her other qualities. According to TFP’s David Pagnotta, there is interest in exploring larger roles around the NHL and the Flyers’ opening has peaked Castonguay’s interest.

Other names that have been tied to the Flyers for the POH position are Robert Esche, Dave Poulin and Kevin Weekes.

Brad Treliving out in Calgary

In what didn’t come as a shock to many, Brad Treliving walked away from his position as GM of the Calgary Flames on Tuesday, being described as both sides “mutually agreeing” to part ways.

As Friedman reported Monday evening, Treliving turned down multiple offers from the Flames before the announcement came down on Monday. Don Maloney has been promoted to POH and Interim GM, with the search for the team’s next GM has already begun.

Friedman noted that an internal candidate has already emerged in AGM Craig Conroy.

Conroy, 51, is a former player of the Flames and has served in the Flames organization since his retirement more than a decade ago.

Among external candidates, TFP reported last week that Shero has already been tied to the Flames as Treliving’s successors. With the whispers of Shero wanting to get another crack at the day to day role again, the position in Calgary may be his best shot.

Penguins Clean House

The Fenway Sports Group put their stamp on the Pittsburgh Penguins last Friday, firing POH Brian Burke, GM Ron Hextall and AGM Chris Pryor after the Penguins missed the playoffs for the first time since 2006. The decision is still very fresh, but there have already been some names tied to the Penguins as potential suitors to fill out their front office.

I heard over the weekend that the Penguins are interested in naming a first ever female GM. The Athletic’s Rob Rossi listed Carolina Hurricanes AGM Eric Tulsky as a candidate, as Pens ownership are big believers in analytics.

Toronto Maple Leafs GM Kyle Dubas, who is without a contract for next season, has had loose ties to the Pens, while there has been some chatter in Montreal of Bergevin having an outside chance of getting some consideration. Seattle Kraken AGM Jason Botterhill has ties to the Penguins, formerly working for the club, so perhaps that is something to keep an eye on.

Speculatively speaking, Treliving makes a lot of sense to potentially head up the Penguins’ Hockey Ops department given his experience.