The Arizona Coyotes, which are less than a week from making their first playoff appearance in 10 years, announced on Sunday that the team's general manager John Chayka has resigned from the job.

"John Chayka has quit as the General Manager and President of Hockey Operations of the Arizona Coyotes. The Club is disappointed in his actions and his timing as the Coyotes prepare to enter the NHL's hub city of Edmonton, where the team will begin post-season play for the first time since 2012. Chayka has chosen to quit on a strong and competitive team, a dedicated staff, and the Arizona Coyotes fans, the greatest fans in the NHL," said the Coyotes in a statement.

Assistant general manager Steve Sullivan will take over as interim general manager. "He has the full support of the entire organization including team ownership, executive leadership, players and coaches," said the Coyotes.

"I love our players, coaches, staff and fans and I very much wish I could be with the team in Edmonton. Sadly, the situation created by ownership made that an impossibility. That's all I intend to say on this matter for now. A fuller, more detailed explanation may be necessary in the near future," said Chayka in a statement. He still has three years left his contract with the team.

When Chayka got the job in May, 2016, he was only 26 years old, the youngest GM of the whole league. In the following four seasons, the Coyotes' record was 131-147-38 in total. The team did not make the playoffs in the six years before Chayka's return and Chayka failed to change that.

By the way, the team were qualified for the playoffs this season only because the NHL expanded the playoff pool to 24 teams after the COVID-19 pandemic almost shut the 2019-20 season down.

The Coyotes will challenge the Nashville Predators in a best-of-five series in Edmonton this Sunday.