RABBIT
Years of my life w you f*cks only to get relocated
Jon Elkin will not return as the Coyotes prospect goaltending coach next season, Coyotes assistant general manager Steve Sullivan confirmed on Sunday. The Coyotes have begun the search for his replacement and are also still working to find a new head coach for the Tucson Roadrunners after Mike Van Ryn accepted an assistant coaching job with the St. Louis Blues.
The Coyotes hired Elkin two seasons ago as their goalie coach, primarily to work with his longtime pupil, Mike Smith. They hired Corey Schwab as their prospect goaltending coach at the same time. Smith was traded to Calgary last summer, but Elkin began the 2017-18 season in the same position before the team opted to swap the two coaches, sending Elkin to Tucson to work with top prospects Adin Hill, Hunter Miska and Langhamer while Schwab became the Coyotes goalie coach.
With Coyotes starter Antti Raanta injured often over the first half of the season, backup goalie Louis Domingue struggled to replace him before being waived on Oct. 29. Elkin felt Domingue’s struggles played a role in his demotion.
“Relationships allow you some leeway, some opportunity to right the ship when things don’t go the way they should,” Elkin said. “I just wasn’t able to curry favor with the new coach.”
Elkin said coach Rick Tocchet was also looking for more from him.
“I think he was looking for a guy to do a lot of the assistant coach type of stuff and really, my thing is goaltending,” Elkin said. “I know hockey as it pertains to goaltending, but to break down systems and be a real asset outside of goaltending, that’s not my forte. My forte is goaltending and that just wasn’t enough. That’s his prerogative. He has to have people around him that he feels comfortable with. I understand that.”
Chayka tenders offers to 6 RFAs; Elkin departs; Dvorak report refuted
The rest of the article has interesting bits in it as well.
