Boston Bruins News: Ex-Caps GM George McPhee Interviewed for GM Job.
It appears the Boston Bruins are still shopping around the league looking for the right person to inherit the GM job vacated by Peter Chiarelli’s termination last month. George McPhee now has to be added to the list. McPhee was interviewed with Charlie Jacobs and Cam Neely earlier this week. McPhee’s name is also in the running for the open GM position with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Live Feed
Puck Prose
McPhee is a controversial choice. While he did bring home the gold today for Team Canada in the 2015 IIHF World Championships, he was also the previous GM for the Washington Capitals. He was their GM for sixteen plus seasons before being fired before the start of this season.
To McPhee’s credit, he does know how to put together an outstanding pool of talent. Alex Ovechkin, Braden Holtby, Nicklas Backstrom are internationally known, and have done their best to bedevil the Bruins these last few seasons. His ability in that end of the ice would certainly be a plus.
There is a significant downside to McPhee though. While McPhee did put together and outstanding pool of raw talent, he wasn’t able to get them very far in the postseason. McPhee’s biggest failure has to be Alex Ovechkin. While he’s one of the best offensive players in the league, he stubbornly refused to become a two-way player throughout McPhee’s time in the nation’s capital. McPhee also selected a string of coaches that couldn’t get Ovi to be a total package player.
More from Bruins News
- Bruins release Prospects Challenge roster, schedule Tuesday
- Bruins bringing back familiar forward on tryout contract
- The Bruins should take a look at these four free agents
- NHL Network lists Ullmark as sixth-best goalie in the league
- The Lasting Legacy of David Krejci
McPhee found himself a job as a scout for the New York Islanders this season.
With so many Bruins underperforming this season, the Bruins are going to need someone who can get the players to play at their level (and perhaps give the coach a kick in the pants to help them get there). I don’t think McPhee is that kind of GM, and I don’t think he would be a good fit for the Black and Gold.
Unless the Bruins organization surprises its fan base, it looks like it’s still a two man race for the GM job in Boston. The best guess is that the Bruins are still waiting to interview Jeff Gorton (former interim GM for Boston and current number two guy for the New York Rangers). Don Sweeney, current number two guy in Boston is still the odds-on favorite, but this wouldn’t be the first time the Jacobs clan through an unwanted surprise at us.