Jeff Vinnik? Tom Dundon maybe?
If Waddell ever leaves Carolina, that's probably the ideal spot for Gillis, with Eric Walsky as a perfect fit as his GM.
Carolina, didn't Dundon lowball someone who was highly thought of at the time in terms of salary? Gillis would want, depending on his role, something close to his $2 million that he last made with the Canucks. Plus, the cost of his management team in comparison to what most other clubs have in place.
Vinnik, they seem sometimes up and down, changing direction depending on whether they get immediate success with their go for it strategy.
Whenever you have 2 separate teams, there is competition in terms of us getting our guy vs the other group getting theirs, because you want your work to be vindicated/rewarded.
Again, I don't see Gillis returning to the NHL. He was let go when he was 54.5 years old, and he just turned 62 in December. Will be out of the game for 7 seasons by the time the playoffs roll around in April. I think by the end of the regular season in 2016 is when I would have expected Gillis to actively look for another opportunity. Gives him 2 years to get a break after 6 years on the job. Go explore and learn new stuff.
So, we are closing in on 5 years since then and how many GM changes have there been over that time? Has to be like half the NHL or more right? If he hasn't landed anywhere by now, I don't see him getting a second opportunity.