Arizona Coyotes hand John Chayka long-term extension

The Arizona Coyotes have today announced a new long-term extension for General Manager and President of Hockey Operations John Chayka.

Chayka, the youngest general manager in the NHL, originally joined the Coyotes organization in 2015 - then as assistant general manager under Don Maloney.

The Coyotes are experiencing a recent upturn in fortunes and Chayka’s stamp has firmly been placed on the team, both on and off the ice.

“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.” - Owner, Alex Meruelo to NHL.com

After revamping the team’s scouting department, Chayka has set about developing a team built around strong defensive characteristics and an improved youth development system.

The roster gas undergone tremendous turnover during Chayka's administration. In fact, the only players currently on the team that were acquired prior to his promotion are: Oliver Ekman-Larsson, Christian Dvorak, Christian Fischer, Conor Garland and Brad Richardson.

This extension for Chayka is a clear sign of approval from the organization’s new majority owner, Alex Meruelo, with the Coyotes (9-6-2) finally starting to move towards being a playoff-quality team for the first time since 2012.

Now that Chayka has pledged himself to the team for the long-term future, fans will undoubtedly be interested to see what the next stage of his tenure brings and hope it continues to bring more success.