The Detroit Red Wings’ search for a new general manager may have taken another sharp turn.

According to an Octopus Thrower report published Tuesday, assistant general manager Shawn Horcoff is no longer a finalist for Detroit’s permanent GM job. The report cites sources close to the situation and marks a notable shift in the public read of the search after Horcoff represented the Red Wings on Tuesday’s NHL virtual call with general managers and head coaches.

That appearance had fueled more speculation that Horcoff might be gaining traction for the role. Instead, this report points the other way.

It also needs to be framed carefully. This is not a Red Wings announcement, and it has not been independently confirmed by one of the larger national insiders tied most closely to Detroit’s search. Still, if the report is accurate, it removes one of the most visible in-house options from a process that already looked thinner after Detroit began trimming candidates earlier in the month and after Jeff Greenberg withdrew from consideration.

Detroit’s internal path may be narrowing

Horcoff was always an understandable name in this search. He has spent years in Detroit’s front office and remained in a prominent enough role to handle league business while the organization continues looking for Steve Yzerman’s successor.

If he is indeed out, the natural follow-up question is simple: how much of the internal path is left?

Kris Draper was already reported to be out of the search, and the Red Wings have yet to announce any permanent hire. That does not guarantee Detroit is headed toward an outside candidate, but it does make that possibility feel more realistic than it did a few days ago.

The calendar is starting to matter

Detroit does not need to rush into the wrong hire, but the timing is becoming harder to ignore. The club’s main training camp is scheduled for Sept. 17-20, which leaves little room before hockey operations decisions begin to intensify again.

That matters because this front office still has unresolved business surrounding Dylan Larkin, Simon Edvinsson and Alex DeBrincat, along with the usual camp and roster decisions that arrive every September.

Horcoff representing Detroit on the NHL call suggested continuity. This new report suggests continuity may not be the same thing as candidacy.

For now, the Red Wings still do not have a GM. If this report holds up, they also have one fewer familiar option to fill the job.