NHL COO John Collins is a "high-profile candidate reportedly being considered" to replace outgoing MLSE President & CEO Tim Leiweke, according to Josh Rubin of the TORONTO STAR. Collins through a spokesperson "declined to comment on whether he’d be interested in the job." He has been with the league since '06 and "played a key role in the NHL’s business success over the past several years." Collins "has been a driving force behind several of the league’s biggest sponsorship deals and TV contracts." The job could "help boost his credentials if he eventually wants to become commissioner of the NHL, or another pro sports league." With NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "looking well-entrenched after more than two decades at the helm, running a multi-sport conglomerate with real estate and broadcast interests could be the best way of adding to Collins’ CV in the meantime." USC Sports Business Institute Exec Dir David Carter said, "There’s limited upward mobility at his level. Being able to say he ran a business would enhance his credentials. It’s not something people would look at and say ‘my god, why did he do that?’ It’s not a step down" (TORONTO STAR, 10/10).
