I agree with your take above Peng and that is typically the case. Existing GM needs to prove their worth and sometimes it's just an impossible task as the new owners mind is already made up. Happens with coaches when new GMs are brought in, and on down the line. However, from what I am reading, this situation appears to be different in that it was Chayka who wanted to move on based on information I've found so far and that Arizona and their owner liked him and weren't interested in losing him and had just signed him through 2023-2024. Specifically I'll reference Freidman's most recent 31 Thoughts (link below) as a good source of info. From what I've read there are a couple points that stick out here:
- It sounds like the Coyote's owner, Meruelo, was a big Chayka fan and Chayka was one of the primary reasons he bought the team and opened up the coffers to spend more money to try and build a competitor
- Meruelo initially didn't want to grant him permission to talk to anyone as they didn't want him to leave, but that Chayka talked him into it with some assurances in place (don't know what they might have been) but it turned out Chayka was offered a deal he couldn't refuse
- Chayka agreed to see out the playoffs, but wanted a transition plan in place while the Coyotes wanted to wait until after the playoffs to discuss anything, so Chayka left
The above three points are not facts, but seem to be why the Meruelo is so angry at Chayka and this situation.
https://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/nhl/...-chayka-split/
Friedman also notes that he thinks it's the New Jersey Devils organization (owners Blitzer and Harris) and that the new job is a multi-team job (76ers, soccer team, pushing for Mets), like some kind of leader of statistical analysis. Friedman also points out that Chayka is very detailed oriented and probably wouldn't have created this situation by leaving if it wasn't for a reason, indicating he was likely advised legally that this is what he should do.