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Report: Coyotes interview Penguins assistant GM Jason Karmanos

Bruce Bennett / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The Arizona Coyotes may be considering adding some championship pedigree to their front office.

The Coyotes interviewed Pittsburgh Penguins assistant general manager Jason Karmanos for Arizona's vacant GM role Thursday, multiple sources told NHL Network's Craig Morgan.

Karmanos is in his third season as the Penguins' assistant GM. He was Pittsburgh's vice president of hockey operations from 2014-17, helping to oversee its Stanley Cup-winning squads in 2016 and 2017.

Before working with the Penguins under current GM Jim Rutherford, the 46-year-old spent 15 years as an executive with the Carolina Hurricanes from 1998-2013. Rutherford served as Carolina's GM from 1994-2014, and both men helped the Hurricanes win the title in 2006.

Karmanos is the son of former Hurricanes and Hartford Whalers owner Peter Karmanos. Carolina fired the younger Karmanos four days before training camp in 2013, and his father - who ran the team at the time - referred to it as a "family matter." Three of the elder Karmanos' sons, including Jason, sued their father for $105 million in 2016. The lawsuit was ultimately settled in mediation.

Former Coyotes general manager and president of hockey operations John Chayka terminated his contract in late July, after which the team accused him of "quitting" on the club as it was about to begin postseason play. Chayka spent four years with Arizona after the Coyotes anointed him as the youngest GM in NHL history upon giving him the job at the age of 26.

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