NHL Rumors: Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, and the Nashville Predators

The Toronto Maple Leafs are reportedly seeking external expertise to enhance their head of hockey operations search. President and CEO Keith Pelley is compiling his own list of candidates, with Neil Glasberg's agency providing additional support by conducting in-depth research on potential hires. This firm's role is to offer objective insights into candidates' strengths and weaknesses, rather than to influence the decision-making process. Glasberg's agency may present candidates currently under contract with other NHL teams, requiring Pelley to seek permission for interviews.

Meanwhile, the New Jersey Devils and Nashville Predators are navigating their own general manager situations. The Predators appear to be further along in their GM search, though recently fired Tom Fitzgerald remains interested in a GM role. For the Devils, Martin Brodeur is expected to have some involvement in the GM selection, though the extent of his role is unclear. Speculation exists about whether Doug Armstrong could be a fit, and Sunny Mehta, who was previously hired by Devils owner David Blitzer, is also mentioned as a potential candidate. With both the Maple Leafs and Devils potentially interested in similar candidates like Mehta, teams may need to expedite their GM appointments. Darren Dreger suggests that both the Maple Leafs and Devils aim to have a new GM in place by mid-May.

In New Jersey, the future of head coach Sheldon Keefe remains uncertain. He was informed that his retention will be at the discretion of the incoming general manager, despite having two years remaining on his contract. The role of Chuck Fletcher, who was brought in as a special advisor to the GM by Tom Fitzgerald, is also undetermined. It is yet to be clarified whether the Devils will separate the general manager and president of hockey operations positions or combine them into a single role once again.