Elliotte Friedman’s latest read on the Detroit Red Wings’ front office search adds another familiar Detroit name to the mix.
On his “32 Thoughts” podcast, Friedman said a second member of the Detroit Tigers’ front office - vice president of baseball analytics Andrew Thomas - has interviewed for the Red Wings’ director of hockey operations job. Friedman had already mentioned Tigers general manager Jeff Greenberg as a candidate on an earlier podcast.
That possibility matters because the role could carry real power. Friedman noted the job might appeal to Greenberg since he would be the No. 1 decisionmaker. In the Tigers hierarchy, Scott Harris makes the important decisions.
The structure in Detroit isn’t settled yet, either. Reports say the Red Wings have not finalized what their management setup will look like, which leaves open the possibility that they could hire both a director of hockey ops and a general manager.
Greenberg brings NHL experience from his time as an associate general manager with the Chicago Blackhawks. Thomas comes from a different lane entirely, but one that fits the Red Wings’ stated interest in analytics.
He created the hockey analytics website War On Ice in 2014 and also worked for the Minnesota Wild. His academic background is as strong as his résumé, with a bachelor’s degree in physics from MIT plus master’s and doctorate degrees in statistics from Harvard.
Friedman also said the Tigers like Thomas. That raises an interesting possibility: could Greenberg head to the Red Wings while Thomas ends up as the Tigers’ GM?
The Red Wings’ interview list doesn’t stop there. Friedman reported that in-house candidates Kris Draper and Sean Horcoff have already interviewed for the job. Horcoff is currently handling Detroit’s day-to-day operations.
Beyond the front office search, Detroit still has plenty on its plate. The organization’s to-do list includes hiring Steve Yzerman’s replacement, trading Dylan Larkin, and re-signing RFA Simon Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat, who is a UFA next summer.
And while all of that is going on, one smaller but notable item remains unresolved: the Red Wings still haven’t announced who will replace Paul Woods as the team’s radio analyst. That’s no small task, either, given Woods’ place in Red Wings lore.
The latest from Friedman also arrives amid plenty of other Red Wings chatter, including the club’s 10-year playoff drought, Victor Plante’s reputation as an annoying pest to play against, and the theory that Steve Yzerman was fired - not that he stepped down.
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