Pat Lafontaine today at his press conference said that he's put together his short list of GM Candidates. Here's who's probably on there, plus a few surprises....
1. Rick Dudley - as soon as it was announced that Ted Nolan and Pat Lafontaine would be rejoining the Sabres, we started hearing Dud's name. Lets also remember that Rick still lives in Buffalo even though he's Montreal's Assistant GM
2. Scotty Bowman - another former Sabres bench boss who lives in Buffalo still. He's up there in age, however he's mentioned before that he'd like to be back in the game with a Bigger role.
3. Neil Smith - Hasn't been a GM in the NHL since 2006, but would like to be a GM still. He currently lives in Toronto so it would be easy to interview for the job.
4. Brian Burke - Does he really want to stay around Calgary and wait for Jay Feaster to leave, or does he want to be a GM right now? Burke always been a Big part of USA program, and Lafontaine has always been a big supporter of Team USA.
5. Mark Messier - he also wants to have a big role with an NHL team. He just got hired by the Edmonton Oilers, but Pat could ask MacT for permission.
6. Brendan Shanahan - He interviewed for the Calgary Flames Job that Brian Burke got, but he's ready to move on from handing out punishment. Brendan is not only a HOFer he's also won Cups.
Wild Cards
7. Wayne Gretzky - why not? He'd also like to get back into the game. Also was teammates with Lafontaine in NY.
8. Michael Peca - Peca didn't get along with Lindy Ruff or Darcy Regier, but now that their both gone it could happen. Peca has done a great job as GM of the Buffalo Jr. Sabres, is he ready to take the next step? My guess is Peca comes on board in a lesser role first.
In closing, I truly believe that the 1 of 2 guys will get the job. The job is Rick Dudley's if he wants it, but if he's happy in MTL, and i've heard that he is, look for Brendan Shanahan to be the new GM of the Buffalo Sabres.
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