GLENDALE, Ariz. — Former Arizona Coyotes General Manager John Chayka has been suspended by the National Hockey League through Dec. 31, 2021 "for conduct detrimental to the league."
The news was first reported by Elliotte Friedman.
This comes after the divorce between the organization and Chayka in the summer of last year.
Chayka had left the organization in July 2020 prior to postseason play without an explicit reason given at the time. He had three years remaining on his contract.
The Coyotes put out a blistering statement in July 2020 saying Chayka quit on the team prior to postseason play.
"Chayka has chosen to quit on a strong and competitive team, a dedicated staff, and the Arizona Coyotes fans, the greatest fans in the NHL," the team said in the press release.
Chayka's own statement claimed he wanted to be in Edmonton for postseason play but "the situation created by ownership made that an impossibility."
Friedman previously reported that Chayka had received an offer from another organization that he wanted to take and Coyotes ownership was shocked.
Chayka signed a long-term contract with the Coyotes in November of 2019, just months after Alex Meruelo took over ownership of the team.
In a memo sent to teams regarding Chayka's suspension, the NHL concluded "Chayka engaged in conduct detrimental to the league, breached his obligation to the club, and was properly terminated by the club."
Chayka had been with the Coyotes since 2016 and was promoted to President of Hockey Operations in 2017. He was the youngest GM in NHL history at 26 when he was hired in 2016.
12 News reached out to the Arizona Coyotes regarding Chayka's suspension. The organization said it will not be commenting on the matter.
The NHL leveled a heavy penalty in August 2020 on the Coyotes for violating the league's NHL Combine testing policy, taking away Arizona's 2nd-round pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and a 1st-round pick in the 2021 NHL Draft, since the team already didn't have a first round pick in the 2020 draft.
That investigation was launched by the NHL in Jan. 2020 when Chayka was the general manager.
The Coyotes hired Bill Armstrong to replace Chayka in September 2020.
