John Chayka’s exit was the first sign of bad things to come. Reading back through Katie Strang’s article and everything makes sense.

"Chayka’s tenure was far from unblemished – the illegal prospect testing scandal happened under his watch – but there was the sense internally that he tried to shield employees from the tension with the new owner over financial matters and day-to-day operations."

"In May, the Arizona Republic reported that promises to pay the arena’s part-time and hourly staff members had not been met. The team and arena management company, in response to the report, said they would “finalize our support plan that will be executed within the next 30 days.” The team then released a second statement later the day the report was published that said the club “provided their agreed upon contribution to Gila River Arena this week.”

In July, after prospect Tyler Steenbergen did not receive his bonus on time, his agent, Rick Valette, sent a strongly worded email (the contents of which were shared with The Athletic) to the team over what he called a “serious breach” of contract. In September, The Athletic reported that a handful of players did not receive their signing bonuses on time."

“They default on a bill and then chisel you down to what you accept and then they pay you,” said one vendor.

One executive at a company that provided services to the team, said that once his unpaid invoices started stacking up, months before COVID-19, he feared he wouldn’t be paid at all. He eventually got a call from one of Meruelo’s associates, who questioned a litany of items on each invoice, asking who had signed off on an expenditure or whether someone who no longer was working for the organization had authorized it. The vendor felt defensive and flustered, which he now suspects was the intent.

Eventually, against legal advice, the vendor agreed to be paid a lesser amount. Afterward, he says he felt as if he had been duped. “You could tell they’ve done this a million times,” the vendor said. “That’s the feeling I got.”

"However, during interviews for the Coyotes GM position, multiple GM candidates said they felt that Meruelo, Gutierrez and Alex Meruelo Jr. displayed a general lack of awareness about the requirements of the job. Those candidates said they were uncomfortable with Meruelo Jr.’s apparent level of influence over hockey operations despite his limited understanding of organizational hierarchy, the salary cap and day-to-day operations."

"Last week, another high-profile termination was announced, that of Steve Sullivan, the assistant GM and executive vice president of hockey operations. A former NHLer, who played 1,011 games in the league and won the Masterton Trophy in 2009, Sullivan declined to comment on the matter. Stacy Gabriel, his attorney, said she will be filing a demand for arbitration with the commissioner’s office.

“It’s our position that the Coyotes breached the contract – he has an employment agreement and they breached that agreement – and we intend to pursue remedies through the arbitration process,” Gabriel said.

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/2390146/2021/02/16/arizona-coyotes-investigation-toxic/