The New Jersey Devils could be hiring a new GM full time and Ed Olczyk is a new name that has entered the mix. He could be a great option.
The New Jersey Devils are clearly looking at all of their options for their head coach and general manager. They are both positions that are currently held by men with an interim tag. Tom Fitzgerald currently holds the spot of interim GM and he could very well retain that position on a full-time basis. They are also looking at other options with that job as well.
Elliott Friedman of Sportsnet put an interesting tidbit in his weekly “31 Thoughts” Blog. His second thought had to do with the New Jersey Devils interviewing other candidates for the GM job. According to multiple sources of his, Ed Olczyk is one of those candidates that was interviewed. Olczyk currently serves as a color analyst for the Chicago Blackhawks and NBC Sports.
Olczyk is a fantastic hockey mind. He was drafted by Chicago with the third-overall pick in the 1984 NHL Draft. He played for them for a few seasons before he was traded to the Toronto Maple Leafs. He also played for the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Los Angeles Kings.
The highlight of his career came at the expense of the New Jersey Devils. He was with the Rangers team in 1994 that defeated the Devils in the Eastern Conference Finals en route to winning the Stanley Cup. Olczyk was there on the right side when Stefan Matteau tucked the puck past Martin Brodeur to win the series. Wrong side for us, though.
He has also been a coach before. In fact, he was Sidney Crosby‘s first NHL coach with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Things didn’t really work out for the Pens right away so Olczyk was let go. That was a long time ago and the GM spot is much different than the coaches spot.
He knows what it takes as a player to win the Stanley Cup and it could be enticing as a team to want a guy like that running the ship. He was a good player as he had 342 goals and 452 assists for 794 points in 1031 games. He wasn’t a Hall of Famer or anything like that but he did have success as a second-line type player. That is usually the type of player that turns out to be good in management or coaching roles.
You can also tell just by listening to his color commentating or interviews that he has done that he knows a great deal about the game. He might be a great candidate for this job. Some Devils fans might be skeptical but something has to give for this team. Fitzgerald might deserve a chance but if anyone else deserves a shot its Mr. O.