Back In The Game

He was dismissed by the Buffalo Sabres earlier this year, but former GM Darcy Regier has found a new home as he landed in Glendale, Arizona as the Coyotes' senior vice-president and assistant general manager. I'm not sure how one can be a senior vice-president while being an assistant GM as you'd think that the assistant GM would answer to the GM who, in turn, would answer to a president or vice-president, but I'm not filling out the flowchart of jobs for the Coyotes. What I do know is that Regier brings 17 years of experience as Buffalo's GM to the job, and he should be a help to GM Don Maloney.

The 58-year-old Regier was the guy in Buffalo who was in charge of all the hockey operations as well as Buffalo's AHL affiliate in the Rochester Americans. He saw players drafted, developed, and move through the Sabres' organization as the GM, and he'll be counted on to help the Coyotes see the same progress with some of their young guns in the organization.

Regier has extensive knowledge in contracts and salary cap rules, and he'll be working under a budget within the Coyotes organization. Where Regier may shine, though, is with his knowledge of AHL players. Rochester has had solid teams despite some lean years in the 17 seasons that Regier was in charge in Buffalo. If Phoenix is looking to improve their affiliate status, Regier is a good brain to pick when to comes to raw talent in the AHL.

"Bringing Darcy into this organization is a really good thing for us," Maloney told Dave Vest. "The wealth of knowledge he has garnered as a long time General Manager in the National Hockey League is invaluable to us. He is a great addition to our staff."

Surprisingly, Maloney had approached Regier in April after he had been fired by the Sabres about this position, and Regier initially needed some time to mull over his options. He accepted the position after returning from a family vacation where he had rediscovered his passion for the game. He'll spend this week getting acquainted with the Glendale area and watching over the Coyotes' prospects in Scottsdale before working with Don Maloney on his position. One thing that is for sure is that Regier will be a part of the hockey operations department quite quickly.

"We're thrilled to bring him on," Maloney stated. "I think he's a great resource for the organization... for me. He's intelligent, creative, experienced, knows the league, knows people in the league, knows players. I can't imagine a better hiring for this organization than Darcy."

The Coyotes now have a couple of guys who have sat in the GM chair of two organizations that pinched pennies harder than most others. Together, Maloney and Regier have squeezed a pile of talent out of every dollar they've spent for their respective teams, and they should be a formidable team going forward when it comes to getting the most bang out of their buck.

Maybe the Coyotes will have some teeth this season after all!

Until next time, keep your sticks on the ice!