RALEIGH, N.C. — After the sudden resignation of Hurricanes president and general manager Don Waddell, Eric Tulsky was named interim GM and could be considered the top candidate for the job.
Don’t rule out the team’s other assistant general manager.
Darren Yorke has been with the team since 2010, climbing the organizational ladder and being promoted to assistant GM in January 2021. Yorke has been a key voice in the team’s collaborative front office, and he runs Carolina’s amateur scouting and player development, and the team’s draft.
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Yorke spoke with The Athletic about Waddell’s split from the team, how the front office is currently operating during its search for a GM, and his preparedness for the job should team owner Tom Dundon pick him to lead the Hurricanes’ front office. This follows a similar interview with Tulsky this week.
Were you surprised at Don’s decision and his departure?
For sure. I don’t think any of us in the organization expected this. So as you’re told about it, it’s a little bit of a shock and, obviously, you just want to make sure that Don is happy and made the best decision for him and his family.
Did you have any idea that this could happen before it was announced?
No. I think, really, it just came as a shock, as I’m sure it did to you. And, ultimately, Don had to make a very difficult decision. He wears a lot of different hats in the organization. He’s built up a lot of relationships in the organization and outside in the community, so I’m sure this was something that he wrestled with for a while. It was just really a shock for myself and probably everyone else in the organization.
There’s a lot going on this summer with the team. Has Tom given any indication of a timetable for when he wants to decide on the next GM?
No. Obviously, Tom’s got to manage a lot, but that’s not something that I’m really thinking about. Like you said, we’ve got a lot of things going on right now. And it’s imperative for myself and everyone in the organization to concentrate on the task at hand and continue to — whether it’s draft players, signing players, whether it’s our own free agents or other players — to finish the job. So whatever is happening outside in terms of the GM search, that’s more on Tom’s radar than mine.
So how are negotiations with players being handled right now?
In the grand scheme of things, not much is changing in our organization. We’ve always been very collaborative in terms of getting the information from whoever is making the phone calls, then we’ll discuss.
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So whether it’s Eric talking to an agent or talking to the teams, whether it’s Aaron (Schwartz, director of hockey operations), whether it’s Tom, whether it’s myself, we’re trying to gather as much information as we can, and then we’ll discuss it as a group and we’ll make the best decision that we can moving forward.
Does Don’s departure change any of your negotiating positions with the players?
Don leaving, obviously, you lose a big piece of the organization. But in terms of us taking a step back, everyone is trying to step up and continue to make sure nothing gets dropped. That’s the biggest thing here moving forward is that we’re picking up as much as we can to ensure that everything is running smoothly.
We understand what needs to get done. We understand the challenges that this offseason is bringing, and Don’s decision is maybe a little speed bump. But once we get over that hump, we’re going to continue to run as efficiently as we have in the past.
The team said in the press release that Eric is the interim GM, but they made a point to mention you, and you’re part of that collaborative process. Does the way you work with Eric, or the way he works with you, change at all right now?
No. Eric and I have worked together for 10-plus years, so whatever happened Friday, nothing’s really changing between us. I think in any situation where there may be a little bit of change, it’s imperative that senior leaders remain the same. Once you get back into the office, you need to be in a leadership position, and we’re not changing, irrespective of what was stated in a press release.
Is there anything that you believe makes you the best candidate for this job?
I’ve been very fortunate to work alongside multiple different general managers to gain a lot of different perspectives. I think I’ve been very fortunate to wear a lot of different hats in the organization, which allows me to see a lot of different viewpoints to ultimately get a decision. But whatever happens, in terms of who Tom hires to be the next general manager and leader of the organization, the job is to try to win. And I’m looking forward to trying to do whatever I can to help the team win.
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So if you don’t get this position, you don’t feel that changes your relationship with the team or that you need to go somewhere else or anything?
There are 32 jobs open for this. It’d be silly to think that somebody is the one and only person and that you’re not able to help in the organization. I’m not even worried or thinking about if I am not chosen to be the next general manager — I’m not going to take my toy and run away from the sandbox.
How important is it to have an understanding of Tom and how he operates, how he thinks and his involvement, which is a little uncharacteristic compared to other teams?
Relationships matter, fit matters. Any time you’re in that type of leadership role, it’s important to work with them as best you can. I think as a general manager, the two biggest people that you have to manage and work well with are your head coach and your owner.
What would be something that maybe the public doesn’t understand or know about you?
I think, at times, organizations end up feeling like they’re siloed. I may be overseeing a couple of different departments, but I think in terms of our organization, especially with how collaborative we are, I get my hands in a lot of different aspects of the organization. I give my opinions on a lot of different aspects of the organization. So whether it’s me or someone else in the Hurricanes, we’re not necessarily siloed into just the draft or just player development.
Do you think that if you were to get promoted you would have to leave behind the amateur scouting and your other responsibilities?
Once a decision is made, whether I am tapped to be the next leader of Carolina Hurricanes, there’ll be lots of time to discuss how the different roles may or may not change.
How bad is the timing of Don’s departure?
I don’t know if it’s really bad. I think timing and your suggesting it may be very bad sends panic off. And that’s not what’s what’s happening in the organization. The ball is not getting dropped on any type of free agent or any type of draft prep or pro scouting meetings or figuring out the next head coach of the Chicago Wolves. Everything is being handled in the same manner. So whether this happened May 1, July 1 or Aug. 1, the organization’s in strong hands and we’re able to deal with the challenges that are ahead of us.
Don said you were the one heading the coaching search with the Wolves. How is that going?
We’re in the middle of having first interviews with multiple different head coaches, and we’ll continue to run a very similar process that we did in years past. Obviously, (coach) Rod (Brind’Amour) will get an opportunity to speak with a smaller candidate pool, and then we’ll reconvene and hopefully have the next head coach of the Chicago Wolves wrapped up pretty quickly.
Are you kind of filling the role of Wolves GM in the interim right now, just overseeing what’s going on there?
It’s still collaborative in terms of what’s happening with Chicago. Aaron’s doing some stuff on Chicago. As we get closer to July 1, we’ll end up signing players and continue to build a roster. I’m just leading the head coaching search at the moment.
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Is there anything about the GM position that makes you nervous or anxious, or is there something you have to charge into to catch up on that you haven’t had to deal with in your current role?
I think I’ve been very fortunate to have had some amazing on-the-job training, and seeing four general managers through the work that they’ve done. With that, I think I’ve been very fortunate to have teachers. I think any time that you are in a position where someone is talking about you to succeed in a leadership role, you’re you’re only able to get to that point with good teachers, and I’ve been very fortunate to do that. And because of that, I think I can talk about the possibility of getting that opportunity with confidence that I’d be able to deal with the unknown that happens with that decision.
How did Don help you prepare for becoming an assistant GM or the possibility of becoming a GM?
I think Don did a great job of walking through a thought process as you’re ultimately making decisions. That’s the challenging aspect that ends up being on-the-job training. And I think for Don, Ron (Francis), Jim (Rutherford) and then even before I got to the Hurricanes with (former Sabres GM) Darcy Regier, walking through the thought process and being open with the information that is sort of percolating in their brains before that decision is happening.
And I’ll stress, the leaders that I’ve been fortunate to work alongside have been excellent teachers. Without that, you’re not able to speak confidently that if an opportunity were to arise, that I’d be able to handle it because of all the the excellent teaching that I had.
(Photo: Cato Cataldo / NHLI via Getty Images)
Cory Lavalette is a freelance writer covering the Carolina Hurricanes. He is senior editor for North State Journal, a statewide newspaper based in Raleigh covering North Carolina, and has written about the Hurricanes for several outlets since 2008. He is a graduate of Utica College (now Utica University) and has lived in the Triangle since 2000.
