Dave Litman
The Arizona Coyotes are long gone from the desert. But one of the most plugged-in insiders in Phoenix has responded with disbelief that the Toronto Maple Leafs would hire former Coyotes exec John Chayka as their new general manager.
John Gambadoro watched the stunning news conference introducing Chayka in Toronto and posted to X (Twitter) outlining some of the alleged wrongdoings that the league’s youngest GM committed.
This is incredible. Chayka was a total fraud here (in Phoenix). Cost the Coyotes first and second round picks for cheating. Quit on the team right before the bubble. Stabbed Don Maloney in the back to get the gig here. The way he treated (legendary Coyotes player) Shane Doan was despicable – wanted him GONE – would not even consider letting him play one last year on the third line – was just jealous of him. Chayka is a fake. Only his connection to (Leafs alumni Tie) Domi is getting him this job.
Wow.
Chayka was the youngest GM in NHL history when he got the Coyotes job in 2016 at the age of just 26. He was gone four years later, and some of his violations not only cost the Yotes those draft picks, but also got him suspended by commissioner Gary Bettman for a year.
Chayka’s credentials questioned by former Coyotes insider
But Gambadoro didn’t stop there. He went on to list off the brutal drafting record of Chayka while in Arizona. He passed over some elite players while conducting the team’s NHL Draft selections.
And Maple Leafs fans don’t look at his past drafts – While he did draft (Clayton) Keller let’s not forget 2017 when he took Pierre-Oliver Joseph over Jake Oettinger and Jason Roberton OR 2018 when he took Barrett Hayton and passed on Quinn Hughes, Evan Bouchard and Noah Dobson. 2019 you ask – we got Victor Sodestrom but could have had Matt Boldy, Cole Caulfield, Thomas Hartley, Connor McMichael or Shane Pinto….Enjoy him Toronto his drafts were awful!!!!
Gambo certainly does not paint a rosy picture for Chayka’s draft decisions. Though, to be fair, five other teams also passed on Quinn Hughes, while two other teams passed on Bouchard (nine teams in all) after Hughes was taken, and 11 teams passed on Dobson. The year before, in 2017, no less than 25 teams passed on Oettinger, while Jason Robertson didn’t even go until the second round.
Certainly, no GM has a perfect drafting record. Far from it. But it’s clear that Chayka’s time in Arizona was far from successful. Or all above board.
Many others around the sport are trashing the Leafs for their new front office hires as well. And they have continued to pile on now that the official introductions to the press corps have been made.
But the proof, as they say, will be in the pudding. Chayka is 10 years older now from his days in Phoenix. He’s learned some lessons the hard way (or at least MLSE hopes he’s learned), and we have to sit back and see how things unfold.
But there are definitely some frayed nerves around Leafs Nation. Insider Chris Johnston summed up Monday’s press conference as “uncomfortable.”
Grab some popcorn. This should be an entertaining summer and year ahead in Leaf Land.
