The Bruins’ off-season isn’t even a week old, and one domino has already fell.

On Wednesday, the team announced that they have relieved Peter Chiarelli of his General Manager duties after nine years on the job.

Chiarelli’s track record will likely land him a job for one of the vacant GM spots across the National Hockey League. Getting his replacement will be a task that CEO Charlie Jacobs and President Cam Neely will want to fill sooner rather than later.

Neely and Jacobs confirmed that they’ll be looking for candidates both internally and externally during Wednesday’s press conference. At the same time, Claude Julien’s fate lays in the hands of whoever the next GM is. That will be a discussion for another day, but for now here are some names to keep an eye on to fill Chiarelli’s void as the next General Manager of the Boston Bruins.

Don Sweeney – The leading internal candidate bleeds Black and Gold. As a player, Sweeney solidified his role as a top-4 defenseman playing in 1,115 games with the Bruins from 1988-2003. His management career began in 2006 when he was named Director of Player Development, and one year later he earned a promotion as Director of Operations and Player Development. In 2010, he was named Assistant General Manager and has interviewed for numerous General Manager vacancies in the past.

Ray Shero – Like Chiarelli in Boston, Shero was the first to go in Pittsburgh after the Penguins blew a 3-1 series lead to the New York Rangers in the Eastern Conference Semifinals during the 2014 Stanley Cup Playoffs. The eight-year Pens GM is currently part of the Team Advisory Group for Team USA for the 2015 World Championships in the Czech Republic. Shero was a frequent visitor on the Level 9 press box at TD Garden this season. He was also a candidate for the same B’s GM job in 2006 before choosing the Pens over the Bruins.

During his time in Pittsburgh, Shero orchestrated some key acquisitions including Marian Hossa, Pascal Dupuis and Bill Guerin. With the exception of Jordan Staal, his draft history was nothing to write home about, however, as several of his top picks didn’t pan out –the jury is still out on Olli Maatta.

Still, it’s hard to argue against Shero’s track record in Pittsburgh that included two Eastern Conference titles, a Stanley Cup and a postseason appearance in each of his eight years at the helm. If the B’s are looking for someone with a proven track record to help get the team back on track, then Shero has a good shot, again, of becoming the next GM in Boston.

Jeff Gorton – When Chiarelli signed his contract in 2006, he did not officially take the helm on a permanent basis until the middle of July. During this time, Gorton filled in as the interim GM and played a key role in the Entry Draft — selecting players like Milan Lucic and Brad Marchand — and helped orchestrate the signings of Zdeno Chara and Marc Savard on the first day of free agency. Gorton is currently the Assistant GM of the New York Rangers, and it’s safe to say that his name will appear on the radar of several GM vacancies.

George McPhee – Like Shero, McPhee was fired in the 2014 off-season after spending 17 years as the Capitals’ GM. His most notable moves included drafting Alex Ovechkin and Niklas Backstrom. The Caps appeared in the 1998 Stanley Cup Final where they were swept by the Detroit Red Wings and captured the 2010 Presidents’ Trophy while he was at the helm.

Paul Fenton – An Assistant GM for the Nashville Predators, Fenton has some local ties. The Springfield, Mass. native played collegiately at Boston University and spent seven seasons in the NHL, two of them with the Hartford Whalers.

Mike Babcock – If Babcock were to leave Detroit, he’d most likely want to have complete control of personnel as a head coach and General Manager. This is a long shot, but stranger things have happened.