Dave Gagner "not interested" in Oilers GM job: report
It doesn’t sound like player-agent Dave Gagner will be stepping into the GM chair for the Edmonton Oilers.
Reports came out last week from Toronto Sun reporter Steve Simmons that the former NHL player and father of current Oilers forward Sam Gagner could potentially be a candidate to replace Ken Holland as Oilers GM after the end of the season.
However, those reports were denied by Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman in the latest edition of Saturday Headlines.
“There had been some reports this week that if and when the Oilers decided to make a change or look for a successor [for Holland] it could be player-agent Dave Gagner,” said Friedman. “Gagner this week said that’s not the case, he’s not interested in the job and wouldn’t pursue it if it was open.”
“I think you can remove his name from that kind of speculation.”
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There are some interesting threads that connect Gagner to the Oilers organization. Outside of being the father of one of the team’s current players, Gagner is also a player-agent for Wasserman Hockey, an agency founded by current Oilers CEO Jeff Jackson.
With Gagner seemingly now out of the picture to potentially replace Holland, the organization will have to look elsewhere for a potential replacement. Of course, this is assuming that Holland does indeed decide to retire at the end of the season, which has been widely speculated in recent months.
Potential internal options for the team include current assistant GMs Brad Holland and Keith Gretzky. Brad is Holland’s son and has been working as the team’s director of pro scouting. Gretzky has primarily been focused on managing the team’s AHL affiliate in Bakersfield.
Considering Jackson’s emphasis on implementing analytics into the team’s decision-making process, Brad Holland could have the inside track. The 42-year-old has a strong history dealing with advanced analytics and has a strong resume working in a management and scouting role.
Another intriguing candidate that the Oilers could potentially consider is Eric Tulsky, who currently serves as an assistant GM with the Carolina Hurricanes and has an extensive history with advanced analytics.