An intriguing name has surfaced with regards to potential NHL job openings: Sean Burke.
Burke, the goaltending coach and assistant to GM Don Maloney in Arizona, has been granted permission by the club to speak about management gigs with other organizations, per Fox Sports Arizona.
“I haven’t wanted to say much about it and I haven’t gone down the path to doing interviews yet,” Burke said, noting that he’s already spoken to a number of teams. “I really thought that was something that should wait until the season is over.”
Burke’s versatility will make him a hot commodity on the open market. A former player, he’s has knowledge of and contacts throughout the league, having suited up for eight different organizations over a 19-year career. He’s also held in high regard as a coach, viewed as something of a “goalie whisperer” after reviving the careers of Ilya Bryzgalov, Mike Smith and Devan Dubnyk.
Burke has plenty of hockey operations experience as well. He’s worked under Maloney since 2012 and recently served as part of Hockey Canada’s management team for the 2015 World Juniors in Montreal and Toronto.
Per Fox Sports, it’s “unlikely” that Burke -- who’s in the final year of his deal with the Coyotes -- will be back with the club next season. It’s clear he wants to be in a full-time management role.
“I wanted to manage from the moment I retired,” he said. “Coaching is good because it gives you an additional avenue of experience, being in that dressing room every day, but when you stay in that role too long, it becomes more difficult to get where you want to go.”