The NHL announced that former general manager for the Arizona Coyotes, John Chayka, will be suspended from the league through December 31, 2021. He served as the general manager for the team from May of 2016 through this past summer. Right before entering the bubble in Edmonton, he resigned from the team, leading to the hiring of Bill Armstrong before the draft.
Former Coyotes General Manager Suspended From the NHL
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In another installment in the John Chayka saga in Arizona, he is now unable to be in an NHL job through the end of 2021. On top of this. Chayka was, allegedly, looking for a job outside of the Coyotes organization without the club’s permission. According to Elliotte Friedman’s ’31 thoughts’, Chayka was being screened for a major front-office job by another organization. The ownership of that team, supposedly, is in multiple sports leagues around the states and overseas. He goes on to speculate the New Jersey Devils may have been calling his name for a job in the organization. Under his previous contract with the team, this was not allowed. This led to a muddy relationship between the two after his resignation.
Under John Chayka’s guidance, the Arizona Coyotes had made the postseason one time. This came at the tail end of a pandemic that forced the league to shut down. This led to an expanded postseason. Most notably, he was deemed by media as one of the leading figures in NHL front offices that favoured the use of analytics in the team’s hockey operations. His drafting record was alright in his time with the club. He was in charge of bringing in players like Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton.
What This Means for Chayka
For Chayka, his ability to get another job in the NHL after the suspension is up shouldn’t be hindered too much. Knowing his track record, however, teams might naturally stay away from hiring him anyway.
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