SportsHockey

Coyotes on the move? Something seems to be brewing in Arizona, Salt Lake

Colton Pankiw
Colton Pankiw
|
Feb 7 2024, 11:18 pm
Coyotes on the move? Something seems to be brewing in Arizona, Salt Lake
@Sportsnet/X

It seems like we could soon see an NHL team in Salt Lake City, though it may not come in the form of expansion.

Several NHL insiders reported that the NHL is not happy with the Arizona Coyotes’ ownership brass and their inability to find a new arena for the team. Speaking on The Jeff Marek Show, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman suggested that the Coyotes’ current ownership group could be on the outs.

“I think that we are coming to the end of the line with this ownership group,” Friedman said. “I believe there isn’t something had and fast in place in the very near future. They will begin the process of selling the team, or the NHL taking over the team and selling it to someone else. I believe we will get there. I believe one of the reasons you hear the commissioner say nothing negative about them is he knows this could end up in a big legal fight, and he doesn’t want to say or do anything that will end up being used against him.”

Speculation regarding the future of the Coyotes began swirling during the All-Star break, though shortly after, it was reported that the team was moving forward with a plan to buy state trust land in Phoenix. Friedman went on to report on The Jeff Marek Show that he has heard that things aren’t going well on that front.

“Put it this way, it doesn’t [sound] promising. Now, I’ve learned not to jump to conclusions with the Coyotes because deadlines become movable.”

Bally Sports’ Andy Strickland reported similar news this afternoon, saying that the NHL repurchasing the Coyotes is possible.

“Expect the NHL to make an announcement related to the Arizona Coyotes situation sometime soon after the Super Bowl,” Strickland wrote on X. “The league has been pressuring the team for answers on a daily basis for some time. The league buying the team from the Coyotes’ current owners is in play. That’s if the Coyotes don’t present a plan that satisfies the league and their owners.”

Adding even more fuel to the fire this afternoon was ESPN’s Kevin Weekes, who posted a very cryptic tweet of the Salt Lake City skyline.

This information all comes just weeks after Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith put forth a proposal to the NHL asking to initiate the expansion process and bring a team to Salt Lake City. Smith also said that the Delta Center, which serves as the Jazz’ home court, is prepared to serve as an interim home for an NHL team until a new arena is constructed.

It has been a rough go for the Coyotes, who have faced relocation rumours for over a decade. League commissioner Gary Bettman has done everything in his power to keep the team from moving, but based on several reports today, his patience is wearing thin. From the sounds of things, Arizona could soon lose the only NHL team they have ever had.

Since moving out of Gila River Arena at the end of the 2021-22 season, the Coyotes have been playing at Mullett Arena, home of the Arizona State University Sun Devils. While a great arena for a collegiate team, it is not suited for the NHL, given its max capacity of 4,600.

Even prior to the Mullett Arena fiasco, the Coyotes have had plenty of issues, including struggles with attendance. The franchise was forced to file for bankruptcy in 2009, forcing the NHL to purchase the team. They went on to own it for four years before selling it in 2013.

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