Calgary Flames plan to pursue permission to interview Maple Leafs’ Brandon Pridham for GM vacancy

As reported by Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli Monday morning, the Calgary Flames plan to pursue permission from the Toronto Maple Leafs to interview assistant GM Brandon Pridham for the Flames’ GM vacancy.

Pridham, 49, first joined the Leafs organization as special assistant to the GM in 2014-15 before being promoted to assistant GM beginning in 2018-19. Prior to joining the Leafs organization, Pridham had spent more than a decade working for the NHL with Central Scouting and the Central Registry. During his time there, he was a key point of contact for NHL executives for matters relating to the salary cap and collective bargaining agreement. He carried that expertise into his work with the Leafs and has been known as the team’s resident “capologist,” assisting with all matters relating to the salary cap and contract negotiations.

The Flames, having narrowly missed the playoffs in 2022-23, are in the midst of a major leadership overhaul this offseason. After the season, they and GM Brad Treliving mutually agreed to part ways. Two weeks later, they fired mercurial head coach Darryl Sutter, who had clashed with players so much that many reportedly rescinded trade requests the moment Sutter was out of the picture.

The Leafs, having freshly been eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs, face a turbulent summer of their own. After the Florida Panthers eliminated them in five games in the second round, they have now won a single playoff series in seven years of the Auston Matthews / Mitch Marner era. General manager Kyle Dubas does not have a contract in place for next season. It remains to be seen whether he and the franchise decide to commit to each other for next season and beyond.