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Arizona Coyotes Expected To Fire General Manager Don Maloney

By Jason Harrison

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Arizona Coyotes general manager Don Maloney announces Brendan Perlini (not pictured) as the number twelve overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Arizona Coyotes general manager Don Maloney announces Brendan Perlini (not pictured) as the number twelve overall pick to the Arizona Coyotes in the first round of the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Arizona Coyotes are expected to fire general manager Don Maloney today according to multiple reports from around the league.

There was some recent talk of the Arizona Coyotes potentially moving on from general manager Don Maloney.

This morning, reports from all over the NHL began to surface that Maloney will indeed be relieved of his duties today.

The move comes as a bit of a surprise after the Coyotes remained in the playoff race for the majority of the 2015-16 season while getting valuable experience for a wealth of rookie talent.

With Max Domi, Anthony Duclair, Jordan Martinook, and Louis Domingue all showing signs of success and progress in their first seasons in the NHL, it seemed like the Coyotes future was looking just as sunny as the climate they played in.

Securing Christian Dvorak in the second round and drafting potential franchise center Dylan Strome last year had Coyotes’ fans hopes riding high, but future prospects doesn’t appear to have been enough to satisfy the Arizona Coyotes’ ownership that Maloney was the man to lead the charge moving forward.

Now with the reports of Don Maloney’s departure, it raises questions about the future of the Arizona Coyotes and what direction the new general manager will take.

Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reported that John Chayka, the Coyotes assistant general manager, will have a greater role with the organization moving forward. He is reportedly not the next general manager, nor will head coach Dave Tippett be taking on those duties.

Head coach Dave Tippett is rumored to have greater control over personnel moving forward, however.

Who will fill the general manager vacancy for a Coyotes team in transition? Whoever it is will be charged with grooming the talented crop of forwards Don Maloney has drafted in recent years, while also guiding the franchise through the rumored relocation to a new arena in Tempe or Phoenix.

With John Chayka’s hiring in 2015 coming due to his analytics background, it would seem a safe bet that the Yotes may be looking to delve a little deeper into the stats and perhaps exploit one of the few advantages they can have over bigger market teams which may or may not have already embraced the numbers.

Next: Coyotes Forwards Outlook: This Season's Crop And Moves For 2016-17

After all of the woes that have beset the Arizona Coyotes in recent years, it does seem an odd move by ownership to part ways with Maloney after a resurgent season. We don’t have any official inclination into the reasons behind the move, but hopefully we get some clarity on that this afternoon.

The Arizona Coyotes have scheduled a press conference for 12:30 where the move is expected to be announced.

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