Report: Arizona Coyotes moving on from Todd Nelson, circling coach with Arizona ties

The Grand Rapids Griffins may not need to search for a new coach as soon as they originally thought.

Head coach Todd Nelson, who recently won the Calder Cup as the coach, was one of many candidates for the Arizona Coyotes coaching job and it looks like he isn’t going to be a finalist according to a report from Helene St. James.

The Coyotes are looking to head in a direction that centers around a coach that has ties to Arizona in some way. That should lead many to believe that Rick Tocchet, most recently an assistant coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins, is the leader in the clubhouse for the job.

Dave Tippett recently left the Coyotes in a messy situation and because of it, left a big hole in the coaching and front office. The team is filling the head coaching vacancy with whoever they hire.

Nelson is currently present at the Red Wings’ Development Camp where all 11 prospects drafted in the 2017 NHL Draft are expected to participate.