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John Chayka

NHL Suspends John Chayka For Rest Of 2021

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Former Arizona Coyotes GM John Chayka has been suspended through the end of 2021 for his actions last summer according to Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet. Chayka “engaged in conduct detrimental to the league, breached his obligation to the club and was properly terminated by the club” when he tried to resign after an offer was made by another organization (thought to be the New Jersey Devils’ parent company, which also owns the Philadelphia 76ers and Crystal Palace FC). Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reports that the league will not be commenting or releasing any information on the ruling. Darren Dreger of TSN clarifies that the suspension means that Chayka cannot be involved in any NHL business until 2022.

In July, the Coyotes released a statement saying the Chayka had “quit as the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations of the Arizona Coyotes” but the executive blamed a “situation created by ownership.” At the time, Chayka was less than a year removed from a contract extension with the team. Coyotes ownership filed a grievance with the league, which has now been ruled on.

The ugly, public exit came just before the team entered the playoff bubble, where they still managed to defeat the Nashville Predators in the qualification round only to be eliminated by the Colorado Avalanche. The team hired Bill Armstrong as their new GM in September and have made sweeping changes to the front office, particularly in the scouting department that was penalized by the league for prospect testing violations.

Chayka, who is still just 31, will now have to wait out his suspension if he intends on having anything to do with the NHL again.

Morning Notes: Chayka, Coaches Poll, SKA

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The wild John Chayka situation in Arizona continues, with more details emerging daily. This time it’s from Greg Wyshynski of ESPN, who confirms the previous speculation that it was the New Jersey Devils ownership group that offered Chayka a position. Josh Harris and David Blitzer also own the Philadelphia 76ers, Crystal Palace FC, and are potential contenders to purchase the New York Mets.

As Wyshynski and other reporters have explained, the situation is expected to be dealt with by NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at some point before Chayka takes a new position.

  • Craig Custance and Michael Russo of The Athletic published their coaches poll today, with some interesting results. The NHL coaches that were asked feel as though the Pittsburgh Penguins are the team that most benefited from the break, while others pointed out Nathan MacKinnon’s ability to carry his team to the Stanley Cup. The entire poll provides good insight into how those intimately involved feel about the return to play tournament.
  • The Vancouver Canucks have their sights set on the ultimate prize this summer, but their prospect pipeline continues to be an interesting subject of conversation. Vasily Podkolzin, selected tenth overall last year, isn’t even signed by the team yet but could be a difference-maker in the future. Unfortunately, Rick Dhaliwal of TSN reports that Podkolzin’s team, SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL, has temporarily shut down training camp due to COVID-19 concerns. Podkolzin has not tested positive.

More On John Chayka, Arizona Coyotes

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One of the biggest stories in the hockey world over the weekend was the abrupt end to John Chayka’s tenure with the Arizona Coyotes. After several years as general manager and president of hockey operations, which included a recent contract extension, Chayka terminated his deal and walked away from the club. The team promoted assistant GM Steve Sullivan to interim GM for the time being, but there are still plenty of questions as to why the relationship soured so quickly.

Today, some new information came out about what exactly happened and what is next for the former Coyotes executive. First of all, Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider reported that the rumors of Chayka heading to the Buffalo Sabres are “inaccurate.”  Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet writes that he thinks it could be the New Jersey Devils, or at least the ownership group that also runs the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA and Crystal Palace of the English Premier League. Friedman notes that the position is “a major position in an organization that owns teams in more than one sport” but that he doesn’t know exactly what it would be.

The real story may take some time to come out, but in the meantime, Friedman also reports that he believes the offer made to Taylor Hall from Arizona ownership—the first inkling of a problem between Chayka and the rest of the organization—was five years at $7.25MM per season. With so much confusion surrounding the Coyotes now, Hall’s pending free agency has become even more interesting. The playoffs could obviously be a perfect place for the former MVP to show he deserves a lot more than that, though with a flat salary cap it may be difficult for him to find a full market.

For now, the Coyotes will have to operate without a full-time GM as they navigate the 24-team postseason. As they prepare for 2020-21, Sullivan will be given “every opportunity” to show he deserves the job.

Latest On John Chayka’s Situation In Arizona

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Sunday: LeBrun reports that he’s heard from a league source that Chayka terminated his contract with the Coyotes 48 hours ago. However, there has been no confirmation from the team.

Saturday: Friedman provided an update on the situation, reporting that the issue stems from a job opportunity that they allowed Chayka to pursue.  It wasn’t a lateral move either.  Craig Morgan of AZ Coyotes Insider clarifies (Twitter link) that the job opportunity wasn’t with another NHL team either but instead another professional opportunity.  At one point, Friedman noted that a transition period was discussed which would see Chayka stay on through the end of the season was discussed although those talks fell apart.  As things stand, Chayka is still the GM in title but does not appear to be involved in the day-to-day operations of the team.

Friday: Earlier this week, it was reported that the Coyotes held a meeting with pending UFA Taylor Hall.  On the surface, that’s not a big deal as they’d naturally want to touch base with someone they paid a fair bit to get and would like to keep.  However, the fact that GM John Chayka was not involved (or even aware) of the meeting certainly raised some eyebrows.  President and CEO Xavier Gutierrez headlined Arizona’s representation at that meeting.

It appears that this isn’t a one-off situation.  A source indicated to Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman that Chayka’s office has been cleaned out while earlier in the day, Friedman noted that Chayka’s presence on the 52-person roster (including players and staff) wasn’t guaranteed.  While a general manager being with the team isn’t a must-have proposition, most are expected to join their teams in the bubble.  Friedman also added that other stories have come out about conversations with agents that haven’t involved Chayka.

Earlier this season, word came out that the Coyotes had been caught working out draft-eligible players with punishment still pending from the league.  Friedman mentions that Chayka’s mysterious absence has nothing to do with that.

Chayka has been at the helm in Arizona since 2016 and received a contract extension back in November even though he had a year and a half left on his deal at the time so to see questions about his future at this time comes as somewhat of a surprise.  Pierre LeBrun of TSN and The Athletic adds (Twitter link) that Chayka has three years left on his deal, meaning the extension was for two years even though it wasn’t announced at the time.

While the Coyotes haven’t had a lot of success under Chayka’s tenure (they’ve missed the playoffs in his three seasons with this year’s placement to be determined), he has assembled a decent core group with their defense and goaltending being among the stronger groups in the league.  However, it appears as if there’s some sort of chasm between him and ownership with both Friedman and LeBrun suggesting the two sides could be heading for a divorce.  That would be quite the turn of events considering the recent public vote of confidence but it seems like things are heading in that direction.

Could John Chayka Be Headed To Buffalo?

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Plenty has been written about the status of Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka over the last couple of days. NHL writers Elliotte Friedman and Pierre LeBrun both indicated that the Coyotes and Chayka could be headed for a divorce despite three years remaining on Chayka’s contract. The belief is that Chayka was given permission to speak to another “professional opportunity,” six weeks ago. However, with a new owner and new management in place in Arizona, it’s not surprising if the team might prefer to bring in its own GM.

The Province’s Patrick Johnston has another theory, however. The scribe wonders whether that opportunity might have been with the Buffalo Sabres as the franchise fired their general manager six weeks ago and is currently operating with a skeleton executive office staff. Granted, the GM position is currently filled by newly-hired Kevyn Adams. However, the Sabres’ ownership, the Pegulas, own quite a bit more than just the Sabres. They own the Buffalo Bills, the Rochester Americans, the ice rink and a hotel nearby. He could be a candidate to run the whole entertainment combination. Buffalo, a team who has struggled with both success on the ice and struggles to generate much income on their own, might need someone who has had some success in that area, although the Coyotes haven’t necessarily shown that success on the ice as of yet.

Chayka was a candidate for Buffalo’s GM position three years ago before the team opted to go with Jason Botterill. However, the Coyotes refused to allow the Sabres the opportunity to interview him for the position. Throw in the fact that Chayka is a native of Buffalo, having grown up 40 minutes from there in Jordan Station and the dots do connect to a possible opportunity for Chayka if the Coyotes eventually let him out of his contract.

Pacific Notes: Kraken Coach, Lennstrom, Hall, Chayka

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With Seattle revealing their team name on Thursday, the next big decision they have will be who becomes their inaugural head coach.  According to TSN’s Darren Dreger on the latest Insider Trading, the Kraken aren’t close to making a choice on that front and will wait until the conclusion of the upcoming playoffs at a minimum before doing so.  That will allow them to get a sense for any other candidates that may become available depending on how things go.  In the meantime, they have several veterans that they can do their due diligence on.  Dreger singled out Gerard Gallant who would be a logical choice given how he performed in a similar situation with Vegas in their inaugural season.  He mentions that Gallant is in the mix but considering how early in the process they still are, he’s far from an early contender.

More from the Pacific Division:

  • Earlier this week, the Oilers loaned defenseman Theodor Lennstrom to Frolunda but there was no word on whether or not it would be a full-season loan of a short-term one. GM Ken Holland confirmed to Postmedia’s Jim Matheson that it is indeed the latter and that the Swedish team is aware that Edmonton will want the 25-year-old back when the 2020-21 season is set to get underway.  Lennstrom is likely AHL-bound to start the season to get acclimated to the smaller North American rinks but could be a recall option at some point.
  • The recent meeting between Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez and pending UFA winger Taylor Hall raised some eyebrows considering GM John Chayka wasn’t present. However, Kent Somers and Richard Morin of The Arizona Republic note that a low-ball offer was tendered to Hall at the meeting, suggesting that Gutierrez is running point on any negotiations at this juncture.  That would be an odd approach to take given that the GM has had little trouble getting their core players to agree to long-term extensions throughout his tenure in Arizona.
  • Even odder is that there are questions as to whether or not Chayka will be a part of Arizona’s 52-person roster in the bubble, reports Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman (Twitter link). While it’s ultimately expected he will be, the fact that it’s uncertain plus him being taken out of talks with Hall for the time being is something to certainly keep an eye on.

Morning Notes: Hall, KHL, Romanov

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The Arizona Coyotes and Taylor Hall have re-engaged in contract talks, according to Craig Custance of The Athletic, but with an interesting twist. Coyotes CEO Xavier Gutierrez is “running point” on the talks instead of GM John Chayka, and Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet reports that Chayka was not even present at a recent dinner meeting between the team and their star forward.

Hall’s agent Darren Ferris told Friedman that the plan is still to wait until the end of the season to begin any negotiations. The 28-year old former Hart Trophy winner had 52 points in 65 games when the season was ended early and will be one of the biggest names in free agency should he reach it in October.

  • Avangard Omsk has withdrawn from a KHL preseason tournament after 20 positive COVID-19 tests from players and staff. According to an Associated Press report, GM Alexei Volkov explained that most are not experiencing “obvious symptoms.” Omsk is coached by former NHL bench boss Bob Hartley and has several former NHL names on the roster including Reid Boucher, Corban Knight, Jiri Sekac, and Alexei Emelin. The identity of the players who have tested positive was not revealed.
  • Alexander Romanov, who will burn the first season of his entry-level contract without playing for the Montreal Canadiens, will also not be getting a chance to take part in the Phase 3 training camp. The Russian defenseman will report directly to Toronto and serve his quarantine there before joining the team. The Canadiens hope to get Romanov acclimated to teammates and the organization this summer before he competes for a roster spot next season.

Arizona Coyotes, Taylor Hall Discussing Potential Contract

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Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka is using his downtown to work on multiple issues. One of those issues appears to be talking to the agent of his top unrestricted free agent, Taylor Hall. The GM admitted to Craig Morgan of The Athletic (subscription required) that he has taken advantage of the break to gather information and discuss a potential deal with Hall’s agent, Darren Ferris.

“Obviously, our intent was always to get through the season and not having any conflict with Taylor’s play,” said Chayka. “This leaves us in a bit of a limbo where it’s obviously not technically the end of the season, but it also wouldn’t conflict with his play to talk. All I would say right now is that both sides are gathering information and having some discussions. Where that goes I’m not entirely sure today. As we talk, we’ll see where things go.”

The Coyotes acquired Hall from New Jersey in December in hopes of convincing the soon-to-be unrestricted free agent to sign a long-term deal with them. Hall was supposed to give the Coyotes a Hart Trophy winning star on a team that is sound defensively, but has struggled scoring points. Hall has been solid with Arizona since then, scoring 10 goals and 27 points in 35 games, but hardly been that star yet. However, being traded does require an adjustment to a new coaching system and new linemates, so his lack of dominance so far isn’t that surprising as that could just come with time. Unfortunately, for Hall and the Coyotes, the season was suspended which has halted any progress Hall has made with those issues. To make matters interesting as well, Arizona has struggled since they acquired Hall, going 14-17-4, but some of that is the fact the team also lost the first-half MVP, Darcy Kuemper, to injury.

The trouble for Chayka is that he didn’t want to discuss contract with Hall or Ferris until the season was over as he didn’t want the negotiations to affect his play. Because the season is on hold with no knowledge on whether the team will continue playing even if play resumes (as Arizona is currently sitting outside the 16-team playoffs at the moment), there are plenty of questions, hence why Chayka has been in contact with Ferris often, although he does admit the two sides have not exchanged numbers yet.

Arizona Coyotes Pursuing Alexander Barabanov

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It was reported last month that there were several NHL executives set to scout KHL forward Alexander Barabanov in person, and now Elliotte Friedman of Sportsnet has identified one of them. John Chayka, general manager of the Arizona Coyotes, was recently in Russia meeting Dan Milstein of Gold Star Hockey who represents Barabanov. Friedman notes that the Coyotes are the “most ardent pursuers” of the 25-year old who currently plays for SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL.

Last season Barabanov was one of the most productive offensive players in the entire KHL, scoring 46 points in 58 games. It hasn’t been so rosy this year after his ice time was reduced, but the Coyotes obviously still believe he could be an asset to their organization.

Barabanov will become a free agent at the end of the KHL season and should have several interested NHL parties, though it is obviously unclear what kind of impact he could have on North American ice. He had very similar production last season to Ilya Mikheyev, who is finding success with the Toronto Maple Leafs, but was also outscored significantly by Vadim Shipachyov who failed to make an impact for the Vegas Golden Knights and Nikita Gusev who has struggled with the New Jersey Devils.

The 5’10” forward has represented Russia several times on the international stage, even winning a gold medal at the 2018 Olympics and two bronze medals at the World Championships.

Coyotes’ Niklas Hjalmarsson Out Three Months With Broken Leg

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When Niklas Hjalmarsson did not return to Saturday night’s game against the Colorado Avalanche after blocking a shot, Arizona Coytes’ players, executives, and fans held their collective breaths that he hadn’t suffered a serious injury. Unfortunately, he has. The Athletic’s Craig Morgan reports that Hjalmarsson has a cracked fibula in his left leg. Morgan adds that recovery time is expected to be three months, meaning Hjalmarsson is done for the calendar year.

Visiting Colorado on Saturday, Hjalmarsson went to knee to block a shot from Erik Johnson. His left leg, which rested on the ice, took the full force of the howitzer from his Avalanche counterpart. Hjalmarsson skated off under his own power, but was clearly in pain. He went directly to the locker room and did not return. Prior to the revelation of the extent of his injury, the team recalled Kyle Capobianco, which implied that Hjalmarsson was prepared to miss some time. However, Morgan calls this three-month timelines the Coyotes’ worst fear.

It goes without saying that Hjalmarsson would be a major loss for any team. One of the more poised and consistent defensive defensemen in the whole league, Hjalmarsson has an omnipresent effect when he is on the ice and can be relied upon for perfect positioning, timely clears and outlets, and of course clutch shot-blocking. Yet, for Arizona in particular, this is a major blow. Expected to take a step forward this season, the ‘Yotes are out to a 1-2-1 start and have the league’s most anemic offense. While Hjalmarsson is a defensive specialist, his dependability allows other defenders to jump in on offense and creates a sense of calm when he is on the ice that contributes to more offensive focus. The Coyotes could hardly afford this setback as they look to get off to a good start in their pursuit of a return to the playoffs. Instead, they will have to deal with this loss well into January at the earliest. It’s another stroke of bad luck, as the long-time Chicago Blackhawk is now in his third season with the Coyotes, but it will be his second missing a large chunk of the season due to injury. Expect GM John Chayka and company to try replacing Hjalmarsson internally at first, but don’t be surprised if they look elsewhere for help if the losses continue to mount.

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