Gilman, 53, was hired by the Winnipeg Jets out of law school in the late ’90s to work in their finance department before advancing with the organization and serving as the assistant GM of the Phoenix Coyotes for five seasons between 2002 and 2007.
Gilman was then hired as the VP of Hockey Operations and Assistant General Manager with the Vancouver Canucks for seven seasons between 2008-2015. In that role, Gilman was primarily responsible for contract negotiations and salary cap management. He was there during the highs of the Canucks’ back-to-back President’s Trophy-winning teams — including the Stanley Cup Finalist iteration in 2011 — before being let go by President Trevor Linden as part of a culling of the Canucks’ front office staff in 2015.