John Chayka’s trade history in Arizona didn’t feature wise blockbusters

His tenure there was no blueprint for success

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Published Apr 30, 2026  •  Last updated 5 minutes ago  •  4 minute read

General Manager John Chayka of the Arizona Coyotes speaks during a press conference to introduce Taylor Hall (not pictured) at Gila River Arena on Dec. 18, 2019 in Glendale, Ariz. Photo by AP photo

John Chayka’s tenure as general manager of the Arizona Coyotes wasn’t marked with blockbuster moves.

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During Chayka’s four-year reign, from 2016 to 2020, the team made approximately 40 trades.

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In the first three years, the Coyotes missed the Stanley Cup playoffs.

In the fourth year — the 2020 post-season impacted by the COVID pandemic — the Coyotes beat Nashville in the qualifying round before falling to Colorado in the first round of the playoffs, with all games played in the bubble in Edmonton.

Chayka wasn’t there to see it, though. On the eve of the 2020 playoffs, he abruptly resigned from his role as Coyotes GM and months later was suspended by National Hockey League commissioner Gary Bettman for conduct deemed detrimental to the game.

With Chayka in line to become the 19th GM of the Maple Leafs — a development that may hinge on whether Mats Sundin decides to become a member of Toronto’s front office — the trade history of Chayka in Arizona takes on relevancy.

What will Chayka’s options be in retooling Leafs roster?

It’s not a deep pool of unrestricted free agents who will be available this summer, and the Leafs don’t have a wealth of prospects lining up to earn jobs.

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If the Leafs remain true to the notion that it’s going to be no more than a retool this offseason, and depending on how we define retool, trades are going to have to be at the forefront.

The Coyotes became the Utah Hockey Club in 2024-25, before adopting the Mammoth name last summer, and some players acquired in the Chayka era remain impactful as the team gives Vegas a good run in the first round of the 2026 playoffs.

Clayton Keller and Barrett Hayton were Coyotes first-round picks while Chayka was GM and Nick Schmaltz and Lawson Crouse were among those acquired in trades.

Many trades made by Chayka didn’t move the needle one way or another, though there were attempts. If you’re not making the playoffs, and Chayka didn’t, not many trades will have made a difference.

One of the biggest swaps was in December 2019, when forward Taylor Hall was acquired from the New Jersey Devils for a package that included defenceman Kevin Bahl and a 2020 first-round pick which New Jersey used to select Dawson Mercer. Hall departed Arizona the following year, after Chayka had stepped down, to sign with Buffalo in free agency.

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Prior to free agency in 2019, Chayka traded his 2017 first-round pick, defenceman Pierre-Olivier Joseph, to the Pittsburgh Penguins in a multi-player deal that sent Phil Kessel west. Joseph never played for the Coyotes and has bounced around, skating in 225 NHL games with three teams. Kessel’s best NHL days were behind him but he would go on to win the Cup with Vegas in 2023.

Interestingly, with Tie Domi being part of the connective tissue between Sundin and Chayka in relation to the Leafs’ front-office jobs, Chayka traded Max Domi to Montreal in a one-for-one swap in June 2018.

Going to Arizona was Alex Galchenyuk, who, like Domi, would go on to play for the Leafs. The trade came about partly because Tie Domi wanted his son to get greater exposure in a larger NHL market. In 2018-19, the younger Domi had his best NHL season, scoring 28 goals and recording 72 points.

And there was one lone trade during Chayka’s time as Arizona GM involving the Leafs. It was in December 2016 when Toronto, run then by Lou Lamoriello, shipped forward Peter Holland to the desert for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2018.

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The condition was that the Leafs would receive the pick only if the Coyotes signed or traded Holland. Neither happened, as Holland signed with Montreal the following summer, and the Leafs wound up with nothing in return.

Should there be optimism when viewing Chayka’s trade history?

In short, never mind the past six years, during which Chayka didn’t have an NHL job, little he did in Arizona in the way of trades are seen through the lens of recent history with a sense of awe. Not that reaction was much different when trades were made.

As for the coaching side, Chayka made one change during his reign, hiring Rick Tocchet in July 2017 after the club parted ways with Dave Tippett.

Fact is, there aren’t going to be a lot of Leafs trade options for Chayka, provided nothing unforeseen happens and he indeed is hired.

Chayka is bound to talk to Morgan Rielly and the veteran defenceman’s thoughts on potentially waiving his no-movement clause, but that doesn’t mean a trade is going to happen.

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If captain Auston Matthews and William Nylander are off the table, then the Leafs’ best trade assets are Matthew Knies and Easton Cowan. But how much better off would the Leafs be if one or the other is traded, no matter the return, considering the potential of each?

Chayka’s tenure in Arizona, no matter how it’s dissected, was not a blueprint for success.

More than a few middling trades were part of that.

Like his draft history in the desert, which didn’t produce a ream of Grade A prospects, Chayka had a spotty trade history.

If you’re one of those wondering why the Leafs couldn’t have landed a bigger front-office fish, that’s one reason.

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