Report: Coyotes to ask Bettman to judge split with Chayka

Arizona Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will ask NHL commissioner Gary Bettman to adjudicate the split between the organization and former general manager John Chayka, sources told Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman.

It was revealed earlier Sunday that Chayka terminated his contract with the team despite having three years remaining. The exact reason for his departure is unclear.

A disruption in the relationship between Chayka and ownership occurred after Meruelo was approached around a month ago by another NHL owner for permission to speak to Chayka about a job opportunity, according to Friedman. Meruelo initially denied the request but eventually allowed it to happen.

That conversation involved an ownership group with teams in other leagues, which meant Chayka could have involvement in those teams, according to Friedman.

Coyotes ownership insists that Chayka's breach of his contract won't allow him to serve as president of hockey operations or general manager of another team in the league for the life of his deal, according to AZcoyotesinsider.com's Craig Morgan.

The Coyotes released a statement condemning Chayka's actions, saying that he "quit" and that the organization is "disappointed" in him. Chayka responded by saying that "the situation created by ownership" made it impossible for him to remain the team's general manager.