The Red Wings' latest GM candidate comes with a warning from Toronto
Photo credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Jeff Marek expects Scott White to interview in Detroit.
The more useful fact is what happened the last time White reached the end of a search.
White was one of two finalists for the Toronto Maple Leafs job in April, per Elliotte Friedman.
Toronto hired John Chayka on May 3.
Marek described White as someone you insert into every general manager search, which is flattering and also revealing.
Re Red Wings management search: "I expect Scott White from Dallas to be interviewed, that just makes sense, but at this point considering his career I expect him to be interviewed by everybody."
- Jeff Marek
- Jeff Marek
Being the candidate who makes a list look complete is not the same as being the candidate who gets the office.
The profile owners keep choosing
White has been in Dallas since 2005 and runs the AHL's Texas Stars, the club he built into a Calder Cup winner in 2014. That résumé is drafting, development and minor-league operations.
The other name Marek raised for Detroit was Tyler Dellow, the Carolina Hurricanes assistant general manager who oversees data analysis and salary cap compliance.
Toronto weighed a version of that same contrast in April and chose the analytics candidate.
Detroit's committee is led by governor Chris Ilitch and includes Ilitch Sports and Entertainment chief executive Ryan Gustafson.
Toronto's process ran through chief executive Keith Pelley and an outside search firm.
Business-side committees reward a vision presentation over a development ledger. That is the shape of this entire hiring cycle, not a Detroit quirk.
Why the Detroit fit gets awkward
Dylan Larkin's reported list of approved destinations includes the Dallas Stars. Hiring White would mean Detroit's first major trade gets negotiated against the organization that employed him for twenty-one years.
John Shannon said last week the search may not be resolved until September. Todd McLellan is building a training camp without knowing whether his captain will be in it.
The interview is close to certain.
The hire is a different question.
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