NHL teams should include senior management figures who have spent their working lives mostly outside the game.<\/p>\n
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Published May 28, 2026 \u00a0\u2022\u00a0 3 minute read<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\n You can save this article by registering for free here<\/a>. Or sign-in<\/a> if you have an account.<\/p>\n For all the progress hockey has made over the past decade-or-so, it still tends to look inward when it comes to filling out its staff<\/a>, let alone choosing who should be at the top of the pyramid.<\/p>\n Advertisement 2<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY<\/p>\n Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada.<\/p>\n Exclusive articles by top sports columnists Patrick Johnston, Ben Kuzma, J.J. Abrams and others. 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Plus, Canucks Report, Sports and Headline News newsletters and events.Unlimited online access to The Province and 15 news sites with one account.The Province ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles and comics, including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.<\/p>\n REGISTER \/ SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.<\/p>\n THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK.<\/p>\n Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.<\/p>\n Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an Account<\/p>\n or<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Hockey has gotten better at welcoming people inside the game who have an interest in unconventional thinking<\/a>, but has been reluctant to bring in outsiders, people who may know hockey but don\u2019t have any previous hockey management experience.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n There are exceptions, of course. The analytics departments that everyone has now were mostly staffed a decade ago with people who were writing and thinking about the game. They were a true vanguard of hockey\u2019s data revolution<\/a>. The whole system changed, with teams in the minors and junior and elsewhere now bringing along their own analysts, creating a system that the NHL can and does recruit from.<\/p>\n But hiring at the top level \u2014 people who aren\u2019t just doing the grunt work but also guiding the thinking of teams \u2014 remains pretty insular. Even a data-forward guy like Evan Gold, who was in consideration to be the Vancouver Canucks<\/a>\u2019 next GM, has two decades of conventional hockey organization experience behind him. Rarely have teams done what the Pittsburgh Penguins did two years ago, when they hired Jonathan Erlichman away from the Tampa Bay Rays to be the senior person in their hockey research and development department. He holds the title of vice-president, hockey research, development and strategy, and is one of president Kyle Dubas\u2019 key lieutenants. Rarer still was Carolina\u2019s decision to promote former outside Eric Tulsky to GM \u2014 and look how well that worked.<\/p>\n Canucks Report<\/p>\n Thanks for signing up!<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n Advertisement 3<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n It was a bold move, but there is little doubt he\u2019s helped play a big role in the Penguins\u2019 quick turnaround over the past two seasons. Erlichman, a Canadian, came up as a baseball guy after doing a math degree in university. He knows sports, but his perspective makes him unique in that front office.<\/p>\n This is the kind of hire that Mike Gillis mentioned on an episode of the Sekeres And Price show last week. If he were ever involved with an NHL front office again, he would suggest the team hire an outsider to be the team\u2019s head of strategy. Someone who isn\u2019t beholden to \u2018hockey thinking,\u2019 who would surely see something the standard approach might have missed. A head of strategy, if you will.<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the positions that I wanted to create was a really high-level strategy and opportunity role for somebody outside the game, not currently in it,\u201d said the former Canucks president and GM. \u201cThey would just look at the other 31 teams and constantly evaluate their vulnerabilities and where there\u2019s an opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n They would improve meetings by having a book on every other team in the NHL, ready to present a way to get what they think the Canucks need.<\/p>\n Advertisement 4<\/p>\n This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.<\/p>\n Article content<\/p>\n \u201cThey walk in and they go through every one of the opposition of every team in the league and say \u2018OK here\u2019s their weakness,\u201d Gillis went on. \u201cThis is what they\u2019re going to be looking for. Here\u2019s how we might be able to manage this. Do we have the pieces necessary? How do we go and get a piece necessary to get the one they might give up?<\/p>\n \u201cHow do we design our summer signings to reflect in a rebuilding situation like the Canucks\u2019? How we\u2019re going to trade players at the trade deadline for more capital. How we\u2019re going to get that group of 21 to 24 year old players that become your core players at 25 to 29, that give you a chance to be in that five year window for a championship.<\/p>\n \u201cTo me, that role, I don\u2019t see it anywhere.\u201d<\/p>\n Asked who he had in mind, Gillis wouldn\u2019t divulge, but I found myself thinking of guys like Cam Lawrence or Steve Werier<\/a>, guys who have worked in hockey but who have long experience in business. (Lawrence is currently chief financial officer of MEC, while Werier is a corporate lawyer who has worked for Amazon and tech startups, especially in the burgeoning AI field<\/a>. Both formerly worked for the Florida Panthers)<\/p>\n When Gillis ran the Canucks, they were known for being ahead of the sports-science curve in hockey. Today, all NHL teams pay attention to things only the Canucks were doing 15 years ago, like the importance of sleep and nutrition. How long until every team has a director of strategy on staff?<\/p>\n The Canucks would be smart to get ahead of the curve on this again.<\/p>\n pjohnston@postmedia.com<\/a><\/p>\n Read More<\/p>\n Canucks: How persistence will pave Manny Malhotra’s path to NHL head coach<\/p>\n![\"gillis\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/0529-col-canucks-1.jpg\")
Mike Gillis in 2009, when he was president and GM of the Vancouver Canucks. photo by Carmine MarinelliArticle content<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/dcs-static.gprod.postmedia.digital\/21.3.1\/websites\/images\/identity\/logo-identity-vp.svg\"){kind=logo}
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