Arizona Coyotes: Former GM Don Maloney Hired By Calgary

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

Former Arizona Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney has been hired by the Calgary Flames as a pro scout.

Former Arizona Coyotes General Manager Don Maloney said that his firing earlier this offseason was “not unexpected.”

The longtime executive has been scooped up by the Calgary Flames to work with their organization as a pro scout.

The Flames are led by Brad Treliving, who was once the Assistant General Manager to Don Maloney here in Arizona.

Now he’s brought his old boss along for the ride and it’s fair to assume he’ll at least be able to provide plenty of intel on the Arizona Coyotes roster.

Speaking with AZCentral.com’s Sarah McLellan, Maloney touched on his dismissal by Coyotes ownership and what led up to his firing.

“Philosophically, I didn’t communicate well enough,” Maloney said. “There were some things that I think that the ownership wanted or needed from me that either I wasn’t sure what it was or how to get it across or whatever. It was one of those things you know or just feel it was going sideways.”

That echoes some of the talk the organization and CEO Anthony LeBlanc espoused prior to hiring John Chayka. They wanted a communicator in the role. Someone who wouldn’t keep them in the dark.

Maloney’s tenure in the desert may have ended abruptly, but he did leave a wealth of prospects behind.

He intimated that in the interview, stating, “I still think there’s some growing that needs to be done in Arizona…I hope they’re on the right track and I think I can take some satisfaction in thinking I helped.”

Good luck in Calgary, sir.

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