Bergevin, Conroy, three others among Flames GM candidates
The Calgary Flames are reportedly closing in on a decision as to who their next general manager will be.
On Friday afternoon, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli hinted that an announcement may be coming as soon as next week. He also mentioned the fact that he believes Craig Conroy, who has served as the Flames’ assistant GM since 2014, is the frontrunner to land the job. That said, there are other hopeful candidates.
Seravalli listed Dave Nonis, Stan Bowman, and Marc Bergevin as three external candidates who reportedly interviewed with the Flames last week. Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman has also recently linked Nonis to Calgary.
Hearing #Flames are in final stages of their GM search. Announcement next week? Believe 4 external candidates visited YYC in last week for in-person interviews, including Dave Nonis, Stan Bowman and Marc Bergevin.
If we were handicapping, odds-on favorite would be Craig Conroy.
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 19, 2023
Nonis has been around for some time, having first served as the GM of the Vancouver Canucks from 2004-2008. He then spent some time in a few organizations’ front offices before being hired as GM of the Toronto Maple Leafs in 2013, a position which he held for two years. Most recently, he served as an assistant GM for the Anaheim Ducks.
Bowman was an integral part of the Chicago Blackhawks’ three Stanley Cup victories in 2010, 2013, and 2015, but was forced to resign from the organization in 2021 due to his role in the Kyle Beach scandal. He needs to be reinstated by Commissioner Gary Bettman before joining any NHL team.
Many will recognize Bergevin, as he not only logged over 1,000 games as a defenceman in the NHL but spent several years as the GM of the Montreal Canadiens. He was fired by the Habs in November of 2021, but just a few months later latched on with the LA Kings as a senior advisor, a role which he remains in.
Whoever does go on to land the Flames GM position will be busy right away, as this team is currently without a head coach after firing Darryl Sutter earlier this month. It will be important for whoever gets the role to find a coach that can form a good relationship with some of the team’s top stars Jonathan Huberdeau and Nazem Kadri, as neither seemed to be comfortable under Sutter.
Follow Channels and Categories