NHL Rumors: Latest Buzz on Panthers' GM Search, Mitch Marner Trade

After losing to the New York Islanders in four games in the NHL's qualifying round, the Florida Panthers are undergoing changes at the top.

On Monday, the team announced it was parting ways with general manager Dale Tallon, whose contract had previously been extended to get through the end of the 2019-20 season. Now, the Panthers will begin looking for their next GM, and it appears they have already zeroed in on one of their first targets.

According to Pierre LeBrun of The Athletic, Florida has received permission to speak with Scott Mellanby, who is the assistant general manager of the Montreal Canadiens. Tim Reynolds of the Associated Press noted that "it's believed that the Panthers will look outside the organization for a new GM" in their search.

Mellanby has been Montreal's assistant GM since 2014, and he previously served as the team's director of player personnel2. Before that, he spent three years working in the Vancouver Canucks front office and two seasons as an assistant coach for the St. Louis blues.

During his 21-year playing career in the NHL, the 54-year-old spent eight seasons with the Panthers, the most he spent with any team. He played 552 games for Florida from 1993-2001, tallying 157 goals and 197 assists.

In addition to Mellanby, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman listed New York Rangers assistant GM Chris Drury, Toronto Maple Leafs assistant GM Laurence Gilman and former Los Angeles Kings assistant GM Michael Futa as names who could be in the mix for the Florida job.

This season, former Panthers goaltender Roberto Luongo was hired to be a special advisor to Tallon, and Reynolds reported he is expected to remain with the team, although he's "not believed to be a GM candidate."

Since Tallon was hired prior to the 2010-11 season, Florida is 0-3 in postseason series. The Panthers have won only three playoff series in franchise history, all of which came on their path to the Stanley Cup Final in the 1995-96 season.

Could Leafs Consider Marner Trade?

Jeff Chiu/Associated Press

The Toronto Maple Leafs' 2019-20 season didn't end as they had hoped, as they lost in five games to the Columbus Blue Jackets in their playoff qualifying round. It was the only best-of-five series to go the distance, with Toronto falling 3-0 in Sunday's Game 5.

Now, the Maple Leafs' focus will shift to the offseason. And during an appearance on Sportsnet's Writers Bloc podcast Monday, Friedman looked ahead to the moves Toronto could make before next season.

Among the Maple Leafs' core players, Friedman believes the only one they might trade is right winger Mitch Marner, although he's "not convinced" the 23-year-old will be dealt.

"I know that Marner's year started really crazy with contract negotiations, but I know that before the restart happened, they were really happy of the way Marner got through the year," Friedman said. "I know they were feeling very good about him."

Toronto selected Marner with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NHL draft, and he just finished his fourth season with the team. In 2018-19, he had 94 points (26 goals and 68 assists) while playing all 82 games. This year, he had 67 points (16 goals and 51 assists) in 59 regular-season games and four assists in five games during the qualifying round.

Marner is under contract through the end of the 2024-25 campaign after signing a six-year, $65 million extension with the Maple Leafs prior to this season. It's a sizable deal, but at 23, Marner could draw interest if Toronto decides it wants to explore a trade.