Edmonton Oilers CEO Bob Nicholson has narrowed down the list of candidates in his search for a new general manager, TSN's Darren Dreger reported on Monday's edition of ''Insider Trading.''

Dreger listed Kelly McCrimmon, Dave Nonis, Keith Gretzky, Sean Burke, Mike Futa, and Mark Hunter as candidates, though he noted there could be others. Gretzky has served as the Oilers' interim general manager since Peter Chiarelli was fired in January.

Nicholson would like to begin seeking permission to speak with these candidates in the next 10-14 days, Dreger added.

The new hire, if not Gretzky, would mark the Oilers' fifth general manager since 2008. The team has made the playoffs just once over that span.