The NHL suspended former Arizona Coyotes general manager John Chayka until December 31, 2021, a source confirmed to ESPN.
Commissioner Gary Bettman made the decision on Monday and distributed a memo to all teams that said Chayka was involved in “conduct detrimental to the league and the game.” Bettman’s decision also said that Chayka “violated his obligation to the club”.
The suspension is linked to Chayka pursuing other opportunities while on contract with the Coyotes and terminating his contract with the remaining three years, a source said.
Chayka, 31, left the Coyotes suddenly in July, just before the playoffs. In a statement at the time, the team said: “The club is disappointed in their actions and timing as the Coyotes prepare to enter the central NHL city of Edmonton, where the team will start playing in the postseason for the first time since 2012. Chayka chose to leave a strong and competitive team, a dedicated team and fans of Arizona Coyotes, the biggest fans of the NHL. “
In his own statement in July, Chayka wrote: “I love our players, coaches, team and fans and would very much like to be able to be with the team in Edmonton. Unfortunately, the situation created by the property has made this an impossibility.”
Sportsnet first reported Chayka’s suspension.
According to sources, the suspension – which prevents him from working for any NHL club, in any capacity – is not related to the sanctions the league imposed on coyotes in August. The team was stripped of its choice for the second round in 2020 and its choice for the first round in 2021 for violating the scouting policy of conducting physical tests of draft-eligible players, which occurred under Chayka’s supervision.
Chayka was hired by Arizona in 2016 at the age of 26, becoming the youngest general manager in the league.
Recently, there has been a significant turnover in the Coyotes executive team. Bill Armstrong, a former assistant general manager in St. Louis, was hired to replace Chayka. Xavier Gutierrez was hired as president and CEO in June. And this month, the club announced that franchise legend Shane Doan was returning to the organization as director of hockey development.