In this past week’s episode of “32 Thoughts,” Elliotte Friedman discussed several potential candidates for the Red Wings’ GM and/or president of hockey operations job, and the Hockey News’s Julian Gaudio took note of Florida assistant GM Brett Peterson’s name being mentioned…
Brett Peterson’s name has once again circulated among NHL GM vacancies, as trusted insider Elliotte Friedman revealed on his podcast, 32 Thoughts, that the Detroit Red Wings have potentially engaged in discussions with the Florida Panthers’ assistant GM.
Peterson was in the running for several job openings this summer, highlighted by the Toronto Maple Leafs job, which was eventually taken by John Chayka, and the Nashville Predators job, which Chris MacFarland took.
Peterson has worked with the Panthers since the 2020-21 season as their assistant GM. During this time, Peterson has served as a GM for Team USA at the World Championship twice.
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Alongside Peterson, Friedman mentioned Jeff Keatly, a San Jose Sharks assistant GM, as an option for the Panthers GM job. Keatly has worked in the NHL since the 2001-02 season, holding multiple roles with the Predators, including amateur scout, director of amateur scouting, director of scouting, and assistant GM.
While Keatly has superior NHL experience to Peterson, Peterson has had plenty of success in his short time in the NHL.
As did Detroit Hockey Now’s Kevin Allen, who noted that Peterson has a small tie to the Red Wings organization:
He played 18 games with the Grand Rapids Griffins in 2008-09, his final season as a pro hockey defenseman.
Peterson, 44, never advanced beyond the AHL as a player, but he has been an impact performer in hockey management. Massachusetts native Peterson joined the Panthers in his current role in 2020 to become the NHL’s first Black assistant general manager.
Undoubtedly, the Red Wings are interested in the role Peterson played in helping the Panthers win back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. I
USA Hockey officials appointed Peterson as general manager of the U.S. Men’s National Team at the 2024 IIHF World Championship in Prague and Ostrava, Czechia. He put together a team that posted a 5-0-1-1 record in group play.
Before joining the Panthers, Peterson worked as a player agent, once representing Boston Bruins goalie Tuukka Rask among others. Peterson played his college hockey at Boston College.
