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Islanders hunting far and wide

Wang seems to be leaving no stone unturned in GM search



BY ALAN HAHN

Newsday Staff Writer



May 3, 2006



Charles Wang's extensive search for a new general manager has cast a

wide and indiscriminate net. From Phil Esposito to Neil Smith to John

Weisbrod and even player agents such as Brian Lawton and Mark

Gandler: Come one, come all.



But the greatest intrigue involves some highly regarded assistant

GMs, such as Detroit's Jim Nill, Ottawa's Peter Chiarelli and

Nashville's Ray Shero.



  Nill, 48, has mostly been in charge of Detroit's amateur scouting

over the past eight years and boasts late-round draft-pick gems Pavel

Datsyuk (1998, sixth round) and Henrik Zetterberg (1999, seventh

round). But he is also under contract with the Red Wings through next

season, has established roots in suburban Detroit for almost 20 years

and, most of all, would need permission from the Red Wings to

interview for an opening elsewhere.



Chiarelli, 40, also has not yet been granted permission to interview

with another team because the Senators are still in the playoffs.

Chiarelli handles contracts and CBA matters for GM John Muckler and,

considering Muckler's age (72), there is some doubt that Ottawa would

want to let Chiarelli go.



Shero, 43, is the son of former Rangers player and coach Fred Shero.

He has emerged recently as a hot commodity and could be given

permission to interview now that the Predators have been eliminated

from the playoffs. He has been with Nashville since the franchise's

first season in 1998-99 and before then was assistant GM in Ottawa.



One assistant GM who appears to be no longer among potential

candidates is Vancouver's Steve Tambellini, who has opted not to

interview. Tambellini, a former Islander, was traveling in Europe and

could not be reached for comment. Some others who have recently

expressed interest include former Los Angeles Kings GM Dave Taylor

and former Pittsburgh Penguins GM Craig Patrick.



Want a wild-card candidate? Consider the name Kevin Cheveldayoff, the

young and very successful GM of the AHL Chicago Wolves and a former

Islanders' draft pick.



The search has become a topic of great speculation around the NHL

mostly because of a shroud of secrecy Wang has placed over it, to the

point that even outgoing GM Mike Milbury is believed to be out of the

loop. Wang, who has declined requests for an interview about the

search, has instructed all candidates to not talk to the media.



A decision might not be made until June, so it appears e that the

Islanders will conduct the NHL draft with their current scouting

staff, led by Tony Feltrin.