Getty Arizona Coyotes
Hockey’s days in the desert could be numbered – at least for now.
As first reported by Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff and later confirmed by ESPN’s Greg Wyshinski and Emily Kaplan, among other sources, the NHL has prepared a contingency plan that would involve relocating the Arizona Coyotes to Utah as soon as next season.
More specifically, the league is drafting two versions of a league schedule matrix for the 2024-25 season – one with the Coyotes playing in Arizona and another with the franchise playing in Salt Lake City in the event of relocation.
Coyotes’ Arena Uncertainty Dates Back Several Years
The Coyotes have been searching for a permanent home since their former owner took the franchise into bankruptcy in 2009. The team appeared to have found a long-term solution in Gila River Arena, but the city of Glendale backed out of a multimillion-dollar lease agreement in 2015. The Coyotes then continued to lease Gila River Arena on a yearly basis before the city terminated its lease following the 2021-22 season.
The team moved to 4,600-seat Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University in 2022 while seeking a more permanent solution. The franchise proposed a privately-funded project in Tempe that would include a 16,000-seat arena in a proposed $2.1 billion entertainment district, but voters rejected that plan in May 2023.
GettyArizona Coyotes at Mullett Arena
In March of this year, the Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals unanimously approved a $68.5 million appraisal of a 95-acre parcel of land in north Phoenix. The Coyotes organization announced its commitment to winning the land auction, which is set for June 27, and to “develop the land into an unrivaled sports, lifestyle and entertainment district without taxpayer funding.”
If they won the auction, Coyotes President and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez said the team planned to start construction in the second quarter of 2025, adding, “We hope to drop the puck in the fall of 2027.”
Committed to keeping Coyotes Hockey in the desert & building an arena in Phoenix.
Gutierrez and company were met with yet another roadblock, however, as Scottsdale mayor David Ortega opposed the Coyotes’ plans to purchase the land in North Phoenix — bordering Scottsdale — to build their arena. In an opinion piece written on April 8 for the Arizona Digital Free Press, Ortega said:
“The prospect of a rookie developer attempting to buy Arizona State Trust Land with absolutely no infrastructure on the Phoenix side of Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road intersection at the doorstep of Scottsdale is not feasible, or welcome.”
Ortega’s concerns stem from the infrastructure needed to sustain a hockey arena where the plot of land is located. He has demanded that any infrastructure be pulled from Phoenix, not from Scottsdale, because his city’s water assets are “absolutely not available.”
Coyotes’ Relocation to Utah Becomes More Realistic
While the Coyotes continue to wander in the desert, the NHL has prepared a backup option that would sell the team to Ryan and Ashley Smith, owners of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, in a relocation move to Salt Lake City. The Smith Group has said that it would be immediately able to host an NHL team in Salt Lake City, using the Delta Center before building a new arena that would be “designed for professional and Olympic hockey.”
The NHL hasn’t firmed up plans to relocate the Coyotes franchise yet, but news of the league’s contingency plan comes on the heels of Ryan Smith publicly soliciting potential names for an NHL team in Utah earlier this week.
“We are interested. We are ready, and we’re a partner,” he told The Athletic’s Ian Mendes this week. “The arena is done. We think we have a solution. And that’s my message to the NHL.”
What are the Coyotes’ Options?
According to Sportsnet NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, the NHL is working as the broker, handling negotiations with both Smith and current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo. Initially, the hope was to let the June 27 land auction play out, but concerns emerged about not only the possibility of Meruelo losing the auction but also the possibility of three more seasons at Mullett Arena. According to Friedman, “there wasn’t much enthusiasm for the latter.”
However, Friedman also said that multiple sources had indicated that a “real scenario” would be Meruelo being paid $1 billion for the team, and Smith paying $1.2 billion to purchase. Those same sources indicated that Meruelo could be offered a five-year exclusive window to “bring back” the Coyotes as an expansion franchise, although there would be “certain language stating what would need to be accomplished” for a return to take place. Per Friedman, the NHL “definitely desires a return to the market if it leaves.”
GettyAlex Meruelo, Arizona Coyotes
Essentially, this leaves Meruelo with three options: sell the team outright, relocate temporarily to a suitable arena or sell the team and have the option of returning to the league as an expansion club. Though nothing has been finalized, Friedman’s report indicates that the latter is the most likely scenario at this time.
What Comes Next
An announcement on a sale and relocation could come as soon as April 18, the day after the Coyotes’ final regular season home game at Mullett Arena.
The team’s relocation would need to be approved by the NHL’s board of governors, which is next scheduled to meet in June. The board also could convene a meeting anytime before that over Zoom.
The NHL still has time to let this play out, but the clock is ticking. If a Coyotes sale and relocation does not materialize by late May, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said last month that waiting until a June land auction date would likely ensure the Coyotes will play at least one more season at Mullett Arena.
“To date, no deal has been completed,” Seravalli said in his initial report. “There is much work to be done, and it’s complicated and will involve many layers and lawyers. Stay tuned.”