Coyotes sign GM Chayka to long-term extension

The Arizona Coyotes signed John Chayka, their president of hockey operations and general manager, to a long-term contract extension on Monday. Terms were not disclosed. "John is one of the brightest and hardest-working general managers in the entire NHL and over the past four seasons, he has done an excellent job of rebuilding our franchise and transforming the Coyotes into a contender," majority owner Alex Meruelo said in a press release. "I am fully confident that John is the right person to lead us moving forward and help us bring the Stanley Cup to Arizona."

Chayka, 30, was only 26 when he was hired on May 5, 2016, becoming the youngest GM in NHL and North American major sports history at the time. He was promoted to president of hockey operations on July 12, 2017.

"I am very grateful to the Meruelo family for believing in our vision for the Coyotes franchise," Chayka said. "This is a testament to our entire hockey operations staff for the work they've done to get this club on track. We look forward to continuing to build on our foundation in order to reach our ultimate goal of winning a Stanley Cup." The Coyotes, who haven't been to the playoffs since 2011-12, are off to a 9-6-2 start entering Monday night's road game against the Washington Capitals.

Since taking over as GM, Chayka has reshaped the roster by trading for forwards Phil Kessel, Nick Schmaltz, Derek Stepan, Carl Soderberg, Lawson Crouse and Vinnie Hinostroza. He also acquired defensemen Niklas Hjalmarsson, Jason Demers and Jordan Oesterle and goaltenders Antti Raanta and Darcy Kuemper. Chayka also signed free agents Alex Goligoski and Michael Grabner and drafted forwards Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton along with defenseman Jakob Chychrun.

Chayka hired Rick Tocchet as head coach in July 2017.

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