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Price per head - Onshore Bookmakers
Patrick in the hunt as B’s search for new GM: Process rife with rumors
By Stephen Harris
The process continues as the Bruins try to find an architect who can build a winning team from the rubble of the past season.
According to sources with knowledge of the B’s search for a new general manager, three men now appear to be the leading contenders for the job: former Los Angeles Kings GM Dave Taylor, ex-Pittsburgh Penguins GM Craig Patrick and Nashville Predators assistant GM Ray Shero Jr.
Interim GM Jeff Gorton is also seen as a legitimate candidate, and, according to one source, will definitely remain with the B’s in some capacity even if he’s not the GM.
The oft-heard question overriding the situation: Who will make the decision - team president Harry Sinden or team owner Jeremy Jacobs’ son, Charlie Jacobs, the team’s executive vice president?
It seems clear that Sinden, despite negative comments about him in March from the elder Jacobs, is still very much involved in the process.
For some observers, that suggests the B’s will hand the reins to an “old school” sort of guy, with Patrick seen as the leading contender. But some insiders contend the 60-year-old Patrick is weary or burned out after four poor seasons with the Penguins and may not be up for tackling the immense task of sorting out the Bruins’ mess.
According to sources, Patrick already interviewed with Sinden and Jeremy Jacobs. There has been speculation the job was offered to him and the deal could be done shortly.
On the other hand, if Charlie Jacobs, who seems destined to take over Sinden’s job as club president, is the primary power broker here, then the 50-year-old Taylor would seem the obvious choice. Taylor apparently will be in town for an interview this week.
Taylor and Jacobs have a long-standing relationship. After his graduation from Boston College, Jacobs’ first job was with Taylor’s Kings, working in the areas of finance, marketing and sales.
“If the kid (Charlie Jacobs) has pull, Taylor could be the guy,” one source said.
Another name surfaced over the weekend, with a Minneapolis Star-Tribune report that former Bruin Brian Lawton, who has had a long career as a player agent, has a good shot at the post. The Rhode Island native, the 1983 No. 1 overall pick by Minnesota, whose so-so career included a brief stop in Boston, seems like a longshot.
There also was speculation from Toronto Sunday that the Bruins are considering former Winnipeg and Chicago GM Mike Smith, a longtime Martha’s Vineyard resident who is frequently seen at B’s home games.
An added twist to this rumor: Smith would then bring in deposed Maple Leafs coach Pat Quinn to replace Mike Sullivan. There is also speculation the B’s could turn to fired Vancouver coach Marc Crawford to take Sullivan’s post.
But the betting here is that the Bruins will not make a coaching change, considering that Sullivan did the best he could this season with the weak team he was given.
There could be some logic in the Smith candidacy since he is said to be friendly with Sinden. A big black mark against Smith: Sources say it was he who recommended the B’s sign free agent center Alexei Zhamnov last summer, a signing for which the Bruins could end up paying more than $9 million for a guy who scored one goal.
There seems to be almost unanimous agreement that the perfect choice was Dean Lombardi, the newly named GM/president of the Los Angeles Kings. Sources say Lombardi, 45, interviewed at least twice for the B’s job and very much wanted it. But when they did not act quickly, Lombardi took the job in Los Angeles, reportedly landing a sweet five-year, $5 million deal.
“Lombardi was jacked to come to Boston, but the Bruins told him to wait,” a source said. “He should have been the guy for them. He was perfect, but they kind of got caught with their pants down.”
Said another source, “The Bruins dragged their feet. They could have gotten Lombardi before LA was even in the picture.”
Having missed on Lombardi, the B’s search goes on. With so much work to be done, the powers-that-be would be well advised to make up their minds pretty soon.
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