The Detroit Red Wings’ search for their next general manager is moving toward a real timeline.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the club has already hired a firm and is open to bringing in both a President of Hockey Operations and a General Manager. The bigger update, though, is that Friedman believes Detroit will start interviewing candidates this week, with a decision coming relatively soon after.
Friedman also added a wrinkle to the process involving Jeff Greenberg, the current General Manager of the MLB’s Detroit Tigers. Greenberg had already been reported as someone who would have input in the Red Wings’ search, but Friedman said he would also be viewed as a candidate himself.
Greenberg’s background is a little different from the usual NHL front-office path, but he does have hockey experience. He served as Associate General Manager of the Chicago Blackhawks for the 2022-23 season before moving into baseball. He’s also known as an analytical mind, which fits with the type of investment Chris Illitch’s ownership group has made with the Tigers in recent years.
Elsewhere around the league, Sharks forward Collin Graf said there were no talks about pushing his new deal beyond three years. In an interview with Max Miller of Sharks Hockey Digest, Graf said, “ There were no talks about going longer.
I think three years was good. I’m happy with the three years,” Graf said.
“I guess the Sharks, on their side, are the same. Three years just made sense for both of us.
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That shorter term appears to have been by design for San Jose. A three-year contract keeps Graf one year away from restricted free agency, while a longer deal would have taken him to unrestricted free agency and given the Sharks less control over his future.
And in the AHL, the Calgary Wranglers announced they’ve signed forward Ryan Hofer to a one-year deal for the 2026-27 season. Hofer, 24, has spent the past three seasons in the Washington Capitals organization and recorded four goals and nine points in 56 games with Hershey.
In Other News...
Derrick Pouliot Reminds Sharks Fans Of An Era They Know Too Well
Derrick Pouliot has become one of those names that instantly recalls a familiar Sharks-era theme: a once-promising defenseman moving from stop to stop, trying to turn draft pedigree into a permanent NHL job. Taken eighth overall in 2012, he has worn more jerseys than most players do in a lifetime, with time in Pittsburgh, Vancouver, St. Louis, Philadelphia, Vegas, Seattle, San Jose, Dallas, New York, Tampa Bay and Chicago.
For San Jose fans, the broader story is less about one transaction than the long, frustrating arc of a player who kept getting chances at the AHL level but never fully locked down the role that once seemed there for the taking. Pouliot has not appeared in an NHL game since the 2023-24 season with the Stars, a reminder of how quickly the league can move on from even a top pick when the fit never quite clicks. [Read more 🡒]
Sharks Fans Will Recognize One 2027 Draft Name Right Away
Milan Sundstrm is already starting to draw attention as one of the better prospects eligible for the 2027 NHL Draft, and Sharks fans may need no introduction to the last name. The Swedish center is expected to keep developing with MoDo Hockeys U18 and U20 teams, where he will continue building on the mix of size, intelligence and playmaking that has made him a projected first-round pick.
The family tie is the part that will resonate most in San Jose. His father, Niklas Sundstrm, spent time with the Sharks and now serves as a European scout for the organization, which adds an extra layer of familiarity to a name that could stay on the teams radar for a while. Milan is still early in the process, but if he keeps trending the way evaluators expect, he could become one of the more intriguing connections between the Sharks and the next wave of draft talent. [Read more 🡒]
Patrick Giles Embodies The Kind Of Depth The Sharks Need
Patrick Giles has spent the better part of his pro career proving there is still value in patience, versatility and a hard-working climb through the system. The Chevy Chase, Maryland, native was once ranked 47th among North American skaters before going undrafted in the 2018 NHL Draft, then took the long route from Boston College, where he wore an alternate captains letter in each of his final two seasons, to the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers and eventually into the Sharks organization.
For San Jose, Giles fits the profile of the depth player every roster needs, the kind who can move between levels without losing his role or his edge. He split the 2024-25 season between the Sharks and the Barracuda, appearing in eight games for each club, and carried that steady presence into the next season when he was named an alternate captain for San Joses AHL affiliate while also getting into three NHL games. [Read more 🡒]