Report: Devils Assistant GM was Finalist for Oilers Job

The New Jersey Devils did quite the job this summer, poaching players from organizations to strengthen their own. Heading into the draft and free agency, the Devils had their list of items on the agenda and nearly checked off every box. However, they were nearly poached themselves in the offseason as a report suggests Devils assistant general manager, Dan Mackinnon, was a finalist for a job with the Edmonton Oilers.

On the latest 32 Thoughts the Podcast with Elliotte Friedman, the Sportsnet insider explained that Mackinnon was a finalist for the vacant GM position with the Oilers.

“One other thing I just wanted to mention about the Oilers is that everyone knows right now Stan Bowman is the general manager of the team who was hired a couple of weeks ago,” Friedman began to explain.

“I heard one of the people who went really far in that process is Dan Mackinnon who is the assistant GM in New Jersey. I heard that he was one of the finalists for the job. We’re always wondering about new names, new contenders out there. That’s a name I was very intrigued about. I heard he went pretty far down the process.”

The Oilers have certainly been in the headlines this summer, having suffered at the hands of the St. Louis Blues who extended offer sheets to Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg. As Friedman mentioned, Bowman was controversially hired as the general manager just a few weeks ago.

However, hearing Mackinnon’s name in the ring for a potential GM job in the NHL shouldn’t come as a surprise. Mackinnon has essentially followed Devils GM Tom Fitzgerald dating back to their days in management with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He’s served as the Devils’ assistant GM dating back to the 2019-20 season. Mackinnon was also the GM of the Utica Comets last season, and will work in the role again during 2024-25.

Mackinnon also previously interviewed for the GM job in Pittsburgh.

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