Who's next to be general manager of the Calgary Flames?

It won't be Don Maloney, who was appointed president of hockey operations and interim GM by the team in the wake of Brad Treliving's departure. Treliving stepped down from the post earlier this week after nine years on the job.

Maloney, who had been working as Flames senior vice president of hockey operations the past five seasons after joining the team as a pro scout in 2016, said he doesn't think he's the "right person" for the Calgary GM position. 

The 64-year-old Maloney, who has held GM posts with the New York Islanders and the Arizona Coyotes, has been tasked with auditing what went wrong for the Flames this season, which saw them miss the playoffs. He said while meeting with media on Monday that he thinks the Flames should target someone "younger, progressive (and) inventive" to fill Treliving's shoes.

That likely indicates Calgary will look at installing someone who hasn't yet served as a GM.

Five top candidates

Craig Conroy, Calgary Flames assistant GM

The former forward played 507 of his 1,009 career NHL games with the Flames and joined the team's front office immediately after retiring mid-season in 2011 as special assistant to then-GM Jay Feaster. Conroy, 51, was promoted to assistant GM in June 2014 under Treliving.

In many ways, Conroy has been groomed to take over the GM reins at some point. He was plucked from the ice mid-season in 2010-11 at age 39 after he'd cleared waivers and was set for assignment to the AHL and introduced to life in the Flames' front office. He's worked in different parts of the organization, from scouting and player development to management, alongside Treliving over the last 12 years.

Conroy also played for Sutter for two seasons, including in the 2004 Stanley Cup Final, and was re-acquired by then-GM Sutter in 2007 from the Los Angeles Kings.

Brad Pascall, Calgary Flames assistant GM

Pascall, 52, was hired as a Flames assistant GM at the same time as Conroy in 2014, working under Treliving. The former Buffalo Sabres draft pick joined Calgary after working 20 years with Hockey Canada, the last four as senor vice president of hockey operations overseeing the national teams.

With the Flames, he's worked as the GM of the AHL affiliate from its time as the Stockton Heat to today's Calgary Wranglers. The Wranglers, in its first season in Calgary, finished the 2022-23 regular season with a league-best 51-17-4 record. Last season as the Stockton Heat, the franchise made it to the AHL semifinal after recording a 45-16-5 record. How much of the success of the minor-league squad can be accedited to Pascall is hard to say, but you'd expect he played a significant role in minor-league player development. 

Mathieu Darche, Tampa Bay Lightning director of hockey operations

The 45-year-old former forward played for a few different NHL organizations over his hockey career, finishing his playing days with the Montreal Canadiens in 2012. 

The McGill University graduate then put his business education to use for Delmar International as a senior vice president of sales and marketing before being hired by the Lightning in 2019 as director of hockey operations. 

Under GM Julien BriesBois in Tampa, Darche has been involved in budgeting, salary cap management and preparing for the NHL Draft, among other duties. And, of course, the Lightning won two Stanley Cups and made it to another finals with Darche on staff.

Eric Tulsky, Carolina Hurricanes assistant GM

Tulsky has a hand in player personnel decisions for the Hurricanes, one of the NHL's top performing teams the last three seasons. He manages pro scouting and the hockey information department while also working in contract negotiations and salary cap management.

Tulsky climbed his way up the Hurricanes front-office ladder via the analytics department, starting with the team in 2014 as an analyst before becoming manager of hockey analytics, vice president of hockey management and strategy then, in 2020, an assistant GM. 

He holds a bachelor's degree in chemistry and physics from Harvard University and a Ph.D. in chemistry from the University of California, Berkeley, and worked for 12 years in the high-tech industry before joining the Hurricanes.

Mike Futa, TV analyst

Futa, an analyst on Sportsnet broadcasts this season, worked in NHL hockey operations the previous 15 seasons, chiefly with the Los Angeles Kings ina number of capacities, including assistant GM for three seasons until 2020. The 55-year-old has a history with Sutter through the Kings, Stanley Cup winners with both men on staff in 2012 and 2014.

He spent last season as a consultant for Carolina Hurricanes GM Don Waddell. He had previously been an OHL coach and general manager.