Coyotes fire Steve Sullivan

The Arizona Coyotes continued their cleaning up of the staff by ending their association with assistant general manager and vice president of hockey operations Steve Sullivan on Thursday.

Last July, general manager John Chayka had gone through a difficult divorce with the Coyotes.

The 31-year-old had been refused his transfer request to the New Jersey Devils. He was also singled out for violating National Hockey League (NHL) recruiting guidelines for last year’s draft.

Sullivan was of course working in concert with Chayka, and his duties had been greatly reduced since the arrival of GM Bill Armstrong in September, according to journalist Craig Morgan.

The Coyotes will not comment on the departure of Sullivan, who had been with the team since September 2014. The organization will not seek to fill the vacant position this season.

The 16-year NHL veteran was also general manager for the Coyotes’ AHL branch, the Tucson Roadrunners, for three years.