New Hurricanes owner Tom Dundon who has a reputation of looking to be a hands on Mark Cuban type owner, is having a world of trouble in finding a General Manager candidate willing to take the job.
Three of the Hurricanes top targets for their GM opening, Mike Futa (Los Angeles Kings), Paul Fenton (Nashville Predators) and Tom Fitzgerald (New Jersey Devils) all withdrew from consideration in a matter of days this week.
Once Fenton withdrew, word around the league is the Hurricanes planned to offer Fitzgerald the job this week.
All three have cited that it’s not the right time but this is a strong indictment on the situation in Carolina and concerns about the owner.
Penguins Assistant GM Bill Guerin also declined a request to interview for the job this week as the Hurricanes tried to expand their initial 5-candidate list after candidates started withdrawing.
Where do the Hurricanes go from here?
Per Pierre LeBrun, the plan now appears to be halt the GM search until the summer and pretty much hope someone of significance takes the job.
My understanding is that Carolina is now shifting gears. Going to put a pause on the new GM search until the off-season when a wider field of candidates may emerge. Timing wasn't right for many guys.
— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) March 17, 2018
The thinking behind firing Ron Francis was to get a job on everyone else but that move has backfired.