Chayka reportedly told the Coyotes that he wanted to stay through the playoffsGETTY IMAGES
The Coyotes now are "going to ask" NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to sort out its situation with former GM John Chayka, who terminated his contract on Friday and left for reasons that are disputed by the team, according to Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman. About 4-6 weeks ago, a team approached the Coyotes and said, "'We'd like to speak to John Chayka,' and initially the Coyotes said no and eventually they said yes." The Coyotes' "side of the story" is Chayka "misled them, he said he was just going to listen and see if he could get any valuable intel but he was never going to leave." The other team "had a contract with him ... and apparently when he had that meeting he was given an offer, like in the 'Godfather,' that he could not refuse and suddenly wanted to go forward with it." Friedman said he believes Chayka told the Coyotes that he "wanted to stay through the playoffs ... but he wanted an exit strategy to leave." Friedman: "The team said, 'No, we're not willing to talk about this. We'll talk about it after the playoffs as to whether you can leave.' The two sides couldn't agree and Chayka terminated his contract" (“NHL Tonight,” NHL Network, 7/27).
JUST THE BEGINNING: In Phoenix, Richard Morin wrote although there are "conflicting accounts regarding the events that led to Chayka's sudden departure from the Coyotes, one thing that remains clear is that both sides are extremely unhappy." One NHL source asked rhetorically, "Have you ever heard of a general manager quitting just as their team is about to enter the playoffs?" Morin: "As messy as the Coyotes v. Chayka saga is already, the eventual airing of grievances and respective dragging of names through the mud is expected to get much, much worse" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/28).
