The Florida Panthers reportedly have a new general manager, and its Columbus Blue Jackets vice president of hockey operations Bill Zito, who won the job over an extensive list of interviewed contenders.
After a long run as a player agent, Zito joined the Blue Jackets as an assistant general manager in 2013. He became the general manager of the club’s AHL affiliate, the Lake Erie Monsters in 2015 before stepping into his current role in 2019.
This will be Zito’s first crack at being a general manager at the NHL level. The 55-year-old former player at Yale University, has been a candidate for several top-level front-office openings in the past few seasons, having interviewed with the Philadelphia Flyers, New Jersey Devils and the brand spanking new Seattle Kraken, among others.