Vancouver Canucks interview intriguing Florida Panthers executive for GM opening: report
This isn’t the first time the Vancouver Canucks have courted an assistant general manager from a Stanley Cup-winning organization.
And, you could forgive Canucks fans for their trauma-induced hesitancy.
The last time Vancouver hired an assistant general manager from a Stanley Cup-winning organization was back in 2014, when they hired Boston Bruins AGM Jim Benning.
Patrik Allvin was also a former AGM, although he didn’t hold that title with the Pittsburgh Penguins when they won their back-to-back Stanley Cups.
So, is the third time the charm for the Canucks?
Although things didn’t work out with Benning and Allvin, there’s reason to believe things could be different for Florida Panthers assistant general manager Brett Peterson.
The Canucks have reportedly interviewed Peterson, according to The Athletic’s Thomas Drance.
While Benning and Allvin primarily came from scouting backgrounds as they rose the ranks, Peterson had a different path.
Like former Canucks general manager Mike Gillis, Peterson largely comes from a player-agent background.
After retiring as a hockey player at the AHL and ECHL levels, the Northborough, Massachusetts native worked alongside current Panthers GM Bill Zito at Acme World Sports for over a decade. Their clientele included prominent European players such as Tuukka Rask, Esa Lindell, Teuvo Teravainen, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, and Kasperi Kapanen.
Then in 2020, Peterson was recruited by his former player agent business partner, Zito, to join the Panthers as assistant general manager. He became the first Black AGM in NHL history after his hiring.
“His substantive hockey experience as a player, significant developmental and evaluation skills, and business acumen as a negotiator combine to form an elite skill set that is very difficult to find in our sport,” Zito said at the time.
“There are many who can excel in one of those disciplines, but few who excel in all three.”
The Panthers front office, which included Zito, Peterson, current New Jersey Devils general manager Sunny Mehta, and Canucks legend Roberto Luongo, has been the toast of the NHL after back-to-back Stanley Cup wins.
While it may be hard to distinguish what exactly Peterson’s role in their success was, Zito did lay it out in a more recent interview.
“Heās pretty much involved in everything,” Zito told NHL.com earlier this month.
“He oversees Charlotte [Floridaās AHL affiliate], he oversees all the college free agent reserve list scout, pro scouting. Heās that combination of exuberance, energy, and enthusiasm thatās real and unstoppable.”
Peterson is currently the general manager for the United States ahead of the World Hockey Championships. That means he may have had a connection recently with Canucks winger Brock Boeser, who was reportedly named to the squad.
He was asked recently about his name being connected to some of the front office openings in the NHL.
“I learned a long time ago as a player that you have to plan for the future, but you have to be where you are right now and enjoy that, otherwise you’re going to miss the opportunities and learnings of where you are currently to be successful in the future,” Peterson told NHL.com.
“I have no idea what the future is. I think that’s dictated on just doing the best possible job that I can do where my feet are.”
Peterson was one of three new names to be connected to the Canucks GM opening today, alongside Patrick Burke and Boston Bruins AGM Evan Gold.