Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
The Arizona Coyotes’ offseason of aggressive personnel movement is reportedly set to reach new heights in the next few days, with some front office shuffling seemingly on the horizon.
As reported by PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan, the Coyotes are expected to name John Ferguson Jr. as the team’s new Assistant General Manager, tasking him specifically with overseeing operations for the franchise’s AHL affiliate in Tuscon, which happened to operate without a designated general manager for parts of last season following the firing of Steve Sullivan.
Ferguson Jr. is an extremely well-known figure in the hockey world, coming to Arizona with 23 years of experience as an NHL executive that includes a four-year stint as general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Following his departure from the Maple Leafs in 2008, Ferguson then joined the San Jose Sharks as Director of Professional Scouting until 2014 before making the jump to Boston where he served as the Bruins’ Director of Player Personnel and General Manager of the AHL’s Providence Bruins up until this summer.
The AHL Bruins never missed the post-season under Ferguson’s leadership, even making it to the third round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in 2016-17 before ultimately losing to the Syracuse Crunch in five games. And when it came to player development, Ferguson also oversaw the promotions of the likes of Colin Miller, Brandon Carlo, Matt Grzelcyk, and Danton Heinen to the NHL under his watch, among many others.
With the Coyotes having begun one of the most aggressive rebuilds in recent memory, Ferguson Jr.’s role of running the day-to-day of the team’s farm system is as important as ever. And with a track record like his, all signs seem to point towards this being a good fit.
