The Coyotes general manager John Chayka appears to have been fired.

If not, he appears on the verge of being fired.

Things started last week when it was revealed that Chayka wasn't in attendance of a dinner where the team's other power players were courting Taylor Hall.

Since firing Chayka at this point in time would seem idiotic (what if the Coyotes go on a run and win the Cup with his team?) I assumed this was just some gossipy nonsense.

But then yesterday the news came out that Chayka wasn't joining the team in the bubble, and rumours of his dismissal started to circulate.

And then, minutes ago, this:

In the interest of due diligence, I asked a Coyotes spokesperson again this morning:
Is John Chayka still the GM?
Answer: "No comment."

— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) July 25, 2020

Craig Morgan is about as plugged into the situation as anyone, and this is a crazy quote.

If you don't answer yes to this question, the GM is fired.

I can see no way in which a no comment about a guy's job is anything but a confirmation that he's fired.

If so, this is a pretty poorly timed power grab, and one which will most likely screw the team up for years.



Some people don't like Chayka because he is vaguely called a "stats guy" while other "stats guys" don't consider him to one of them.

But he's done a great job with the Coyotes, taking risks that a team like the Coyotes has to be willing to take in order to have a chance at winning.

He's assembled a strong roster with a chance to be really strong roster. His biggest fault was sticking with a horrible head coach in Rick Tocchet.

Interesting to see what happens. More to come, obviously.

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