Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic: The Arizona Coyotes and GM John Chayka have parted ways. Statement from the Coyotes.
“John Chayka has quit as the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations of the Arizona Coyotes,” the statement reads. “The Club is disappointed in his actions and his timing as the Coyotes prepare to enter the NHL’s hub city of Edmonton, where the team will begin post-season play for the first time since 2012. Chayka has chosen to quit on a strong and competitive team, a dedicated staff, and the Arizona Coyotes fans, the greatest fans in the NHL.”
The Meruelo’s bought the Coyotes a year ago and signed Chayka to an extension last November.
A source said that Chayka only found out about the Taylor Hall dinner meeting with ownership and the new President and CEO afterward. Another source said Chayka knew about the meeting and had set it up.
Craig Morgan of the AZ Coyotes Insider: Part of the statement from John Chayka yesterday afternoon.
”The past four years have been the most enjoyable of my life. In Arizona, I became a husband and a father, while working as hard as possible to make the Coyotes a Stanley Cup contender. I love our players, coaches, staff and fans and I very much wish I could be with the team in Edmonton. Sadly, the situation created by ownership made that an impossibility.
“That’s all I intend to say on this matter for now. A fuller, more detailed explanation may be necessary in the near future.”
Steve Sullivan has been named the interim GM of the Arizona Coyotes.
One source said that Chayka asked for permission to pursue another opportunity that wasn’t with another NHL team and that six weeks ago he asked for his release. Another source said that is not true.
“John Chayka is a liar and a quitter,” the source said.
The source said that another team approached the Coyotes and Chayka told ownership that he’d been allowed to talk to other teams in the past. Ownership was upset and said that now isn’t the time.
“There’s this narrative that members of this organization started to take job functions away from John like talking to players and agents, but the reality is John abandoned the organization,” the source said.
There will be a contract dispute according to the source and it’s not known if he can pursue other opportunities.
Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet: Multiple sources are saying that Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will be asking Gary Bettman to adjudicate the split between them and John Chayka.
“This is a contractual dispute,” one source said Sunday afternoon.
From what has put together. About a month ago another team owner approached the Coyotes about Chayka and was denied access to speak with him. Speculation has the Sabres and Devils. Owner Meruelo finally gave in and allowed them to talk.
The offer that Chayka received was not a lateral move according to sources the ownership group may have teams in other leagues as well. The Coyotes weren’t impressed. Any title given to Chayka couldn’t include “general manager” and/or “president of hockey operations” as that would be lateral move.
Chayka was going to go into the bubble with the Coyotes as late as last Thursday, but after they couldn’t reach an agreement on a “transition plan,” Chayka terminated his contract on Friday.
Darren Dreger: Sources say that the Buffalo Sabres weren’t the team that approached the Coyotes about John Chayka.
John Wawrow: The more looks into the Sabres – Chayka talk, the more it seems that it is just speculation.
Jim Matheson: “Steve Sullivan is a sharp hockey guy, thrust into the GM role with Coyotes but we’ve also heard Peter Chiarelli’s name for awhile in a management capacity in the desert. So we’ll see…”