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Coyotes clean house, fire AHL GM and coaching staff

Don Maloney

Phoenix Coyotes general manager Don Maloney watches a Coyotes NHL hockey practice Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2013, in Glendale, Ariz. The NHL will start its 119 day lockout-shortened season Jan. 19. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

AP

In advance of their AHL affiliate moving to Springfield next season, the Arizona Coyotes have relieved the entire Portland Pirates coaching staff -- Ray Edwards, John Slaney and Trent Whitfield -- of its duties.

Edwards, who also served as the team’s GM, had been with the Coyotes organization since the days of the San Antonio Rampage affiliation, and was given an extension last spring (that also included his promotion to GM.)

“Ray is a good man,” said Pirates Chief Operating Officer Brad Church in a statement, per the Maine Hockey Journal. “I’d been hands on for the last season and a half and I thought as GM he did a good job on surrounding the prospects with quality character veterans and put together a competitive team with what he was given by the Coyotes.”

Slaney, an ex-NHL defenseman, had spent the last four seasons as Edwards’ assistant. Whitfield, who was playing with the Bruins’ AHL affiliate up until 2013, was in his first year behind the bench.

The move comes with Arizona eying some potentially significant front office maneuvers this offseason. Sean Burke, the club’s goalie coach and assistant to GM Don Maloney, is interviewing for other gigs across the league and it’s expected former Sabres GM Darcy Regier, brought aboard last season, will take on a more prominent role (per the MHJ, Regier had already assumed some of Edwards’ duties as AHL GM.)