Darren Dreger: Pierre McGuire To The Penguins Isn't That Far-Fetched
PITTSBURGH (93-7 The Fan) – TSN hockey insider Darren Dreger joined "The Fan Morning Show" on Wednesday to give the guys the latest on the Penguins' current situation and to discuss what might come next for them.
When it comes to the Pens' current general manager vacancy, Dreger had a couple external candidates in mind, and said that he would be surprised if the Penguins haven't reached out to them yet.
"I think that they would look at Julien BriseBois from the Tampa Bay Lightning very, very hard," Dreger said. "He's a guy that has been considered for many jobs. The right fit hasn't been there. Paul Fenton of the Nashville Predators [is] a name that's always on the list. I don't know why it wouldn't be. I don't know why Pittsburgh wouldn't show interest in Paul Fenton."
He also cited interim General Manager Jason Botterill as a guy that they should certainly consider for the permanent position.
"This young guy is highly-regarded around the game for being a smart up-and-comer," Dreger said.
When asked about the Post-Gazette's Dave Molinari saying that Pierre McGuire could be a dark horse candidate for the job, Dreger actually gave that claim some credence, saying that interest in his former TSN colleague has generally been kept under wraps lately.
"One thing that has changed over the past couple of years or so is the fact that the interest in Pierre is maybe less public now than what it used to be," Dreger said. "As soon as he was contacted or his name would surface, we'd be talking about it. Just because his name hasn't surfaced in the last year-or-so doesn't mean that there aren't teams interested in Pierre McGuire, and I'd be real surprised if there wasn't some connection here in Pittsburgh."
Dreger said that McGuire's knowledge could make him a big asset.
"I have great respect for Pierre's hockey knowledge," Dreger said. "He's got the credentials as a coach, and nobody- and I say this with great respect for Pierre- works harder than he does at staying in-tune with what every team is doing from a roster perspective. You can ask this guy about just about any player in the system of any organization. He'll know who that player is, and he'll have an opinion on strengths and weaknesses."
Dreger also discussed where Dan Bylsma might land if and when he's fired.
"Carolina, it's my understanding that they're going to want to go a more fiscally-responsible route, which means they don't want to pay millions for a head coach," Dreger said.
He added that Vancouver and Florida have already been linked to other coaches, while Washington's intentions aren't as clear yet, which could make them a good fit for him should he become available.
The full interview can be heard here:
Darren Dreger 5-21
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