McCammon to Discuss Anaheim NHL Position : Hockey: Former coach of Flyers and Canucks also was the general manager in Philadelphia. He now directs a junior team.

Bob McCammon, former coach of the Philadelphia Flyers and Vancouver Canucks, is expected to be interviewed for the Anaheim hockey franchise’s general manager position, an NHL source said Tuesday.

McCammon, the president, general manager and coach of the Western Hockey League’s Tri-City (Wash.) Americans, acknowledged that he “had been approached” by officials of Walt Disney Co., which will own the franchise, and has “shown an interest” in the job.

“My strength is evaluating players and putting teams together--I’ve done that for 20 years--and that would be a fun situation,” McCammon, 51, said. “This is going to be the best situation for expansion the league has ever had. Other expansion teams didn’t have much of a chance.”

McCammon is viewed as an astute judge of talent, a necessary quality for an expansion team’s general manager. In Philadelphia, he was largely responsible for the 1983 entry draft as the team’s general manager, a draft that yielded center Peter Zezel (41st overall pick), left wing Derrick Smith (44th) and right Rick Tocchet (121st).

The Anaheim franchise, expected to begin play this fall, would have the fourth or fifth pick in the June entry draft, which experts consider one of the strongest amateur drafts in years.

The 24 existing teams will be allowed to protect only one goaltender in the June expansion draft, leaving a stronger pool of candidates for new franchises. In the last expansion draft, for Ottawa and Tampa Bay last season, teams were allowed to protect two goalies.

McCammon spent eight years in the Flyer organization--four in the minor leagues. He twice coached the Flyers, succeeding Fred Shero and later following Pat Quinn. His first tenure was from the 1978-79 season to 1979-80 and the second was from 1982-83 to 1983-84.

Two other candidates for Anaheim’s general manager position are Jack Ferreira, former San Jose Sharks general manager who, according to an NHL source, has received a second interview from Disney officials, and Mike Keenan, former Chicago Blackhawks general manager and coach, who has been contacted by officials from Disney and the South Florida expansion franchise, according to NHL sources.

Times staff writer Lisa Dillman contributed to this story.