Sarah McLellan

azcentral sports

Evaluating the Coyotes was at the heart of former general manager Don Maloney’s responsibilities during his nine seasons on the job.

And it will continue to be one of his duties as Maloney was hired Wednesday by the Flames to be a pro scout, an opportunity he was in position to accept after getting fired earlier this offseason.

“In all candor, it was not unexpected,” Maloney said Wednesday of his departure from the Coyotes. “The last couple months, I just felt – I said to a good friend of mine a couple months back – I didn’t see any way, shape or form this was going to end well for me at the end of the season.”

The Coyotes released Maloney on April 11, only two days after the 2015-16 season wrapped and with two years remaining on his contract, before naming John Chayka as his replacement.

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Since he was hired May 29, 2007, Maloney oversaw a Coyotes team that went 326-291-87 and made the playoffs three times. He ranks as the winningest GM in franchise history.

“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.”

Although ownership didn’t cite the team’s four-year playoff absence as motivation for Maloney's exit, instead calling for a change in leadership, Maloney believes a GM is responsible for a team’s performance and the Coyotes’ recent track record was “hard to hang your hat on.”

But Maloney, who will remain based in Arizona, has no hard feelings regarding his dismissal, making it clear he was treated well by the organization.

“I just have to move on,” he said. “I don’t spend a lot of time thinking about it, and hey, that’s life. I learned some things, and some things, yeah, would I probably have done a few things a little different? Yeah, probably. That’s life, too.”

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Maloney’s legacy with the Coyotes continues to be visible.

Not only did he draft or acquire a handful of key players such as goalie Mike Smith, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson, wingers Max Domi and Anthony Duclair and prospect Dylan Strome, but the 57-year-old also set in motion the rebuild that is still ongoing.

“I really felt a couple years ago the only way this team ever has a chance to win is to bottom out,” he said. “Obviously there was a huge prize in bottoming out when Connor McDavid was available, and the ownership – they were all on board and it made sense. But there’s a time frame and nobody wants to hear it, but the reality is it does take some time to be competitive with the best teams in the conference.”

While he unplugged for much of the summer, golfing and working around the house, Maloney also kept up with the Coyotes’ offseason makeover. He praised the addition of Clayton Keller with the seventh overall pick at the draft and is curious to find out how Strome, Christian Dvorak and Brendan Perlini perform at training camp.

As a Western Conference scout for the Flames, Maloney will be tasked with sizing up the Coyotes, among other clubs, and offering his insights to team brass. Calgary GM Brad Treliving, via text message, called Maloney "an excellent hockey man."

And what Maloney currently sees in the Coyotes is a team positioned to improve in the future, potential that perhaps he helped spark.

“I still think there’s some growing that needs to be done in Arizona,” he said. “I don’t think it’s a finished product quite yet. But certainly for their sake, I hope they’re on the right track and I think I can take some satisfaction in thinking I helped.”

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.