The NY Islanders have been granted permission to speak with Toronto Maple Leafs President, Brendan Shanahan

In a search that seems to be lasting forever, there is a new twist in the NY Islanders' quest for a new general manager and potentially a President of Hockey Operations, as the organization will meet with Brendan Shanahan for one of the vacancies.

Chris Johnston of TSN and The Athletic reported that the Islanders were seeking permission to speak with Shanahan, whose contract expires with the Maple Leafs on June 30th, with Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet soon after reporting that permission had been granted.

The Isles will speak with Shanahan

The Islanders announced they would be moving on from President and GM Lou Lamoriello on April 22. Nearly a month into the search and the only info we really have is that Marc Bergevin and Mathieu Darche have had second interviews.

With Shanahan now in the mix, he’d likely be in the mix for POHO, with Bergevin and Darche as the front runners for GM.

Leading the search for a new front office on Long Island has been Operating Partner John Collins. Collins and Shanahan worked simultaneously for the NHL from 2009-2014, with Shanahan in the role of NHL Vice President of Hockey Operations and Business Development, followed by NHL Senior Vice President.

Shanahan then became the President of the Maple Leafs, where he remained in that role.

Shanahan saw plenty of regular season success while leading the Leafs, but that success stalled in the playoffs, winning just two rounds during his tenure.

A familiarity of Shanahan for Collins could make him the new favorite for the role, and could potentially help lure Mitch Marner to Long Island as he’s set to hit free agency on July 1.