Las Vegas team hopes to name GM by Aug. 1

With a franchise now guaranteed to Las Vegas, it is time for the club to begin building its front office.

Owner Bill Foley and company have begun meetings in Montana with the process of putting in place the staff, which includes the hiring of a general manager.

"My hope is we'll have our general manager on board no later than Aug. 1," Foley said, according to Steve Carp of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We've had a lot of people reach out to us, and we've got some people we're interested in who we've yet to speak to. We hope to identify who we want to speak to from these meetings."

Foley and his team are new to the process and have had meetings with the league as to learn how to appropriately speak to candidates currently under contract with other teams.

"We talked to the NHL last week, and we were explained how the protocol works when it comes to contacting other teams," Foley said. "We want to play by the rules and not make any mistakes. The NHL told us what we have to do, and we're good with that."

Foley plans to narrow down a list to three to five candidates who will then be interviewed for the job.

On the business side of things, Foley and company continue to work alongside sales staff. Season-ticket sales are approaching 16,000 where after Foley plans to put a cap as to leave room for single-game tickets.

As for the club's name and mascot, a decision is still forthcoming, as Foley admits it has not been easy.

"It's a very long process," he said. "You really can't rush it. The NHL has to approve everything."

Foley plans to unveil the team's name, color scheme, and mascot at a viewing party in September or October.

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