Eddie Olczyk
(Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)

The New Jersey Devils are shockingly linked to broadcaster Eddie Olczyk as the team’s next general manager.

Uncertainty surrounds the New Jersey Devils in relation to management and who the team’s bench boss is moving forward. While Gerard Gallant and Peter Laviolette have been linked to Jersey for the head coaching position — there’s been minimal chatter about interim general manager Tom Fitzgerald and who will take over full time.

The whispers around the Devils’ GM role grew louder after SportsNet’s Elliotte Friedman shared his 31 Thoughts segment on Thursday. His second thought read:

“New Jersey is continuing conversations around its GM position. (It’s also possible the position is called “Chief Operating Officer.”) Incumbent Tom Fitzgerald remains a candidate. According to a couple of sources, one of the interviewees was NBC/Blackhawks broadcaster Ed Olczyk. Asked via text if he’d spoken to the Devils, Olczyk replied, ‘I speak to a lot of people in the NHL.'”

Yes, you saw that correctly.

The report is, well, shocking.

Olczyk, a former 1994 Stanley Cup champion with the New York Rangers, also coached the Pittsburgh Penguins for the 2003-04 campaign and then was relieved after 31 games during Sidney Crosby’s rookie season back in 2005-06.

Since that brief stint behind the bench, Olczyk has spent time in the broadcast booth covering the Chicago Blackhawks and on national TV alongside the one and only Doc Emrick for NBC.

No one question Olczyk’s knowledge for the game, at all. The former Blackhawk and Ranger has done a fantastic job as a color commentator for over a decade now and is efficient at sharing his knowledge with viewers.

This report likely comes to a surprise considering he’s blossomed in a broadcasting role, but has never officially been linked to GM openings in the past — or at least to the general public’s knowledge.

Side note, fans have to appreciate his Lou Lamoriello-like response over a text message, no?

Until further notice, everything is “status quo…”

Kyle McKenna is a freelancer who covers the NHL for Elite Sports New York, Hooked On Hockey Magazine & Fansided. Follow him on Twitter @KMcKenna_tLT5 and use the hashtag #McKennasDigest to have your NHL questions featured in an article or answered over his weekly NHL podcast.