The New Jersey Devils and Arizona Coyotes have both lost their GMs that made the Taylor Hall trade.
The New Jersey Devils had a rough go of it in 2019-20. They were a bad team and we had to watch the most exciting player on the team be shipped off to the Arizona Coyotes. Taylor Hall is the only player in the history of the New Jersey Devils to ever win the Hart Trophy as the league MVP, so it was very sad to see him go. He was joining a Coyotes team that seemed to have everything going for them.
It obviously wasn’t Hall’s fault, but they definitely took a slide in the standings once he jumped in the lineup. There were some injuries and other developments that contributed to it, but it really does seem like wherever Hall goes, the team starts to fall apart. Now, it is a fact that both GMs involved in this trade are no longer with those respective teams.
The New Jersey Devils fired their general manager Ray Shero in the second half of the season. It was a bit surprising, but it seemed like things weren’t working out anymore. He made some splashes in the summer of 2019 but nothing translated for them on the ice once the puck was dropped. Shero did some good things and made some mistakes but it was a really interesting development when he was fired.
On Sunday, after rumors all weekend, the Arizona Coyotes announced that they have parted ways with their general manager, John Chayka. Chayka had three years left on his contract after being the GM of the team since 2016. He was 26 years old when he was hired, which made him the youngest person in the history of the league to hold that position.
The Coyotes statement that they released made it seem like things didn’t end well. They reminded fans that they were disappointed in his decision because they are getting ready to start their first playoff series since 2012. They also said he “quit”, which doesn’t leave a lot to the imagination how they feel about Chayka now. It is tough to hear, but it is definitely strange that both GMs involved in this Hall trade is already out of office.