Denver, CO -- (Sports Network) - The Colorado Avalanche fired head coach Tony Granato on Wednesday and named Greg Sherman the club's new general manager.

Granato's ouster was not unexpected after the Avalanche last month had offered Hall of Fame goaltender Patrick Roy the head coaching position. Roy backstopped the Avalanche to Stanley Cup titles in 1996 and 2001, but opted to remain in the junior ranks for family reasons.

Colorado finished with the worst record in the Western Conference last season, going 32-45-5. General manager Francois Giguere was the first to go in the shakeup on April 13.

In addition, assistant coaches Jacques Cloutier and Dave Barr were relieved of their duties on Wednesday, as were goaltender coach Jeff Hackett, video coordinator P.J. DeLuca and assistant to the general manager Michel Goulet.

The last-place finish in the conference was the worst for the franchise since the Quebec Nordiques were last in the old Wales Conference in 1991-92.

Granato just completed the first season in his second stint as the team's head coach and had two years left on his contract. He also served behind the bench for parts of two seasons from 2002-04, posting a record of 72-44-17 in the first go-round with a pair of playoff appearances.

Finding a new coach will be the first priority for Sherman, who has been with the franchise for the past 13 seasons and had spent the last seven years as the team's assistant general manager.

"I look forward to the challenge," said Sherman. "We all know the task ahead and we need to get to work. There are a lot of things to be done here. We are looking towards the future with a lot of optimism. Our fans can rest assured that every effort will be taken to bring an exciting brand of hockey back to Pepsi Center."

In addition to Sherman's appointment, the Avalanche also filled numerous other positions in the front office.

Former NHL goaltender Craig Billington was named vice president of hockey operations/assistant general manager. He has been part of the club's front office for the past six years.

David Oliver, the general manager of Colorado's AHL affiliate in Lake Erie, was named director of player development, while Eric Lacroix was given the job as director of hockey operations.