Lost among the chaos of yesterday's news with the Detroit Red Wings was an update from Athletic reporter Max Bultman.
Bultman, congratulating Winged Wheel Podcast's Ryan Hana on his update on the GM search, shared a list of candidates he believes the Red Wings could be targeting.
Good get by Ryan here. I don't know the specific interviewees, but I will say that some of the external names on my radar on this stage include Florida AGM Brett Peterson and San Jose AGM Jeff Kealty, and I continue to wonder about Carolina's Darren Yorke and Tyler Dellow as well https://t.co/5VyFpfTkej
August 20, 2026"Some of the external names on my radar on this stage include Florida AGM Brett Peterson and San Jose AGM Jeff Kealty," said Bultman yesterday. "I continue to wonder about Carolina's Darren Yorke and Tyler Dellow as well."
While Bultman didn't say he knew specific interviewees, all four of these candidates mentioned fit the bill of the kind of GM owner Chris Ilitch wants to hire. Per Helene St. James of the Detroit Free Press, Ilitch's hiring of an outside firm is to find "an analytics-driven person to take charge of the Wings similar to how his Detroit Tigers plucked Scott Harris from the San Francisco Giants in 2022."
What each GM candidate brings to the table
Each candidate comes from a variety of different backgrounds. Some got their hockey careers started as bloggers, while others began as amateur scouts. Nearly every candidate - save for Jeff Kealty, though he's worked with teams in the Finals before - comes from a Stanley Cup-winning franchise.
Here's a little bit of what each candidate brings:
Brett Peterson is the assistant general manager of the Florida Panthers. In his time with the organization, he's helped the team win two Stanley Cups, working with both roster construction and salary cap management. He's one of the key voices behind the acquisitions of Matthew Tkachuk, Brad Marchand and Seth Jones, helping the team stay cap compliant throughout its contention window. Peterson most recently served as the general manager of Team USA in the World Junior Championships, as well. It seems as if Peterson is a when, not an if on the promotion front.
Jeff Kealty, a former scout, worked his way up the Nashville Predators before becoming the assistant general manager back in 2018. Thanks to his efforts, the Predators were able to secure talents like Pekka Rinne and Viktor Arvidsson. He recently accepted a position as the assistant general manager to the San Jose Sharks in July, so asking him to move to Detroit might be a tall order. With that said, he's still an intriguing candidate worth monitoring.
Carolina Hurricanes candidates offer unique perspectives
The other two candidates Bultman mentioned come from the Carolina Hurricanes. Both Darren Yorke and Tyler Dellow are assistant general managers to Eric Tulsky and both played instrumental roles in helping the Hurricanes secure their second franchise Stanley Cup.
Darren Yorke is the associate general manager of the Hurricanes. He runs the Hurricanes' AHL affiliate, the Chicago Wolves, and takes charge on amateur scouting, player development and drafting. Thanks to him, the Hurricanes have been able to find late round gems like Jackson Blake and Alexander Nikishin. Last season, his Chicago Wolves made their way to the Calder Cup Finals, nearly winning over the Charlotte Checkers.
Tyler Dellow has the most unique path to success, but his background makes him an ideal candidate for what Ilitch wants. Originally a hockey blogger, Dellow built his career around writing about hockey from an analytical perspective. He later went on to write for The Athletic before spending five seasons with the New Jersey Devils. Dellow is the salary cap wizard of the Hurricanes, handling data analysis and cap compliance. Of all the candidates named, Dellow appears to fit the Scott Harris mold Ilitch prefers above all the others.
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