When Bill Armstrong took over the reins as the Arizona Coyotes’ general manager on Sep. 17, 2020, he inherited a roster overflowing with players whose salaries vastly exceeded the value of their contributions.
Previous GM John Chayka had set out in May 2016 with the apparent goal to assemble a supporting cast with a wealth of experience and past success to help ease his future draft picks—including Jakob Chychrun, Clayton Keller, and Barrett Hayton—into the NHL.
In many cases, Chayka invested far too much either to acquire or retain the services of these secondary players.
For instance, Chayka dealt the seventh overall pick in the 2017 Draft and young defenseman Tony DeAngelo to bring high-priced center Derek Stepan and goaltender Antti Raanta to the desert.