Is Dale Tallon on his way out as the Chicago Blackhawks’ general manager? Seems implausible, given that the Blackhawks just completed their finest season in a decade, largely with a team that Tallon built, but two sources indicated Monday night that a change could come as early as this week; that Tallon was never president John McDonough’s first choice to run the team; and that last week’s problems filing offer sheets to six of the team’s restricted free agents was a turning point in their relationship.
Tallon, it is said, will be offered another position in the organization, but that a new GM would be appointed in his place. The two primary candidates for the position would be Stan Bowman, son of hockey legend Scotty Bowman, and Al MacIsaac, the team’s senior director of hockey administration and assistant to the president.
Tallon has been GM of the team since June, 2005, and this past season, it managed 104 points, most since the 1992-93 season and advanced to the Western Conference final, where it lost to the Detroit Red Wings. Tallon drafted, among others, Patrick Kane and Jonathan Toews and made one-sided deals to acquire Patrick Sharp and Kris Versteeg for the team.
