Gino Reda is joined by TSN Hockey Insiders Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger to discuss the competition surrounding GM jobs between the Toronto Maple Leafs, New Jersey Devils, and Nashville Predators, the status of the front office in Vancouver and Detroit, and more on Insider Trading.

Gino Reda: If the Toronto Maple Leafs want their choice of who they believe is the top available candidate for their new general manager, they better hurry.

With the Insiders, here’s Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger.

Gentlemen, the Leafs were initially targeting mid-May for a new GM, but now there’s word that the New Jersey Devils may be competing for the same guy.

Pierre LeBrun: He certainly may not be the only guy, but we know this on this day that Sunny Mehta, who had been celebrated in the Toronto market all week long, have had the Maple Leafs and Devils ask permission and received the green light to speak with him.

He’s the director of analytics for the Florida Panthers and is an assistant GM with the two-time Stanley Cup champions. Both Devils and Maple Leafs hope to talk to him.

But listen, both those organizations will have a long list of candidates and he’s just one of them

One thing you can read into all this is that when a team wins two Cups like Florida, it makes sense to perhaps find out how the sausage is made. So, it’s not just Mehta, but also [Panthers assistant GM] Brett Peterson who has had interest.

He has had a couple of interviews with the Nashville Predators. He had an initial one with a lot of different people through Zoom calls. But [also], an in-person interview, as well, I’m told.

Between Peterson, who is also USA’s GM at the 2026 World Hockey Championship, and Mehta, teams with GM openings are doing the smart thing, probably, by checking out [Panthers GM] Bill Zito’s group.

Reda: A week ago, it looked like despite locking up dead last in the entire NHL, all was quiet with the Vancouver Canucks. But could we see a shift in that?

Darren Dreger: We could. It’s an ongoing process inside hockey operations with [president] Jimmy Rutherford clearly at the top.

A week ago, it seemed less likely the Canucks were willing to consider a general manager change as Patrik Allvin remains highly regarded. But maybe you see a job restructuring for Allvin and a restructuring of hockey operations.

At this point, I’m told it’s 50/50.

There’s also some speculation around assistant general manager Ryan Johnson. Did the Predators seek permission to speak with him and was permission denied by the Canucks?

I’m told that no such request was made.

So, there’s a lot going on with the Canucks.

Manny Malhotra, the head coach of the AHL’s Abbotsford Canucks, is NHL-ready. So, we could see a coaching change in the off-season in Vancouver.

But again, no decisions have been made by the brass of the Canucks. They’re just continuing to evaluate.

Reda: Elsewhere, after missing the playoffs for a third straight season, Ron Francis announced that he’s stepping down as president of hockey operations with the Seattle Kraken.

Could this be just the beginning of change for the Kraken?

LeBrun: That was the tone of the news conference that CEO Tod Leiweke had in Seattle on Thursday.

Boy, he did not pull any punches.

He certainly started by saying how much he appreciated the seven years Francis gave them and called him “a great man.”

But then, he dove into his disappointment and the disappointment of the ownership about the Kraken, who are set to miss the playoffs for a third straight year and the fourth time in their five-year history.

He said “It’s an unfulfilled promise and no one in the organization is satisfied. We have not delivered on the promise of this team.”

Now he did back GM Jason Botterill saying that it would be Botterill that heads an independent audit of hockey operations. We’ll see what exactly that means, but I think it can mean some changes within that group.

It could also mean a change in the way they do things.

Bottom line is Leiweke made it very clear it was not good enough and things are going to change in Seattle.

Reda: Barring a miracle, the Detroit Red Wings are going to miss the playoffs for a 10th straight year. Can Steve Yzerman weather this storm?

Dreger: This is a management-themed Insider Trading on this day.

He can weather it.

The word is that Yzerman, who’s been with the Red Wings for what feels like for an eternity in his role as general manger for several years now, is desperate to make the playoffs.

Who isn’t? If you’re a Red Wings fan, you’re starting to turn up the heat and you’re asking some difficult questions.

But the understanding is that Yzerman remains aligned with owner Chris Ilitch. So, if there is a management change brewing in Detroit, it’ll be because Yzerman feels that his time is up and that is unlikely at this stage.

I think that the Red Wings are more apt to add than subtract in the off-season. If you look at their roster, they’re desperate for another centreman to take some of the load off captain Dylan Larkin.

So perhaps GM Yzerman will get to work if they don’t make the playoffs.

Reda: There’s so much going on at the GM level that we may want to consider a “Free Agent Frenzy: GM Edition”.

They are the Insiders, Pierre LeBrun and Darren Dreger.