Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka sits during an interview with The Doug & Wolf Show on Arizona’s 98.7 FM sports station on February 11, 2019. (Arizona Sports / Matt Layman)
The Arizona Coyotes on Sunday expressed disappointment with John Chayka’s decision to resign as General Manager and President of Hockey Operations.
“The club is disappointed in its actions and timing as the Coyotes prepare to enter NHL core city Edmonton where the team will begin playing after the season for the first time since 2012,” the team posted in a communicated on its official website.
“Chayka has chosen to resign from a strong and competitive team, dedicated staff, and fans of the Arizona Coyotes, the best fans in the NHL.”
The team also announced that Steve Sullivan will take over from Chayka as interim general manager.
In a statement to Craig Morgan, Chayka said that his time in Arizona has been the most enjoyable time of his life and he wishes he could be with the team in Edmonton, but “the situation created by the property was impossible.”
John Chayka’s statement to @CraigSMorgan pic.twitter.com/qpGX3JBjit
– Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) July 26, 2020
That is all he intends to say on the matter for now, he added, with a possibility of more detailed explanation in the near future.
The relationship between Chayka and the team soured due to another job opportunity, according to reports.
Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman said the team gave Chayka permission to explore another job opportunity during the coronavirus pandemic, but declined when it appeared that Chayka might be leaving the team.
Friedman heard from a source that Chayka’s job opportunity was not as another team’s general manager, and Morgan said the opportunity was unrelated to hockey.
From an NHL source: Chayaka lied to Coyotes about his opportunity with another team that he wasn’t related to hockey. Yotes would never have given him permission to quit, it was for a hockey job. He resigned from the players, coaches and staff as a team prepared to leave for Edmonton.
– John Gambadoro (@ Gambo987) July 26, 2020
Rumors of a possible problem between Chayka and the team began to surface after he was not in a meeting with owner Alex Meruelo, Meruelo’s son, Alex Jr., and CEO Xavier Gutiérrez with free agent Taylor Hall.
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