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Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith is seeking fan input on naming a potential Salt Lake City-based NHL expansion team.
“If an NHL team were to come to Utah, what should we name it?” Smith tweeted on April 8, posting a link to a survey. His Smith Ownership Group had submitted a bid for an expansion team in January.
Later that day, hockey insiders Frank Seravalli and Tyler Yaremchuk discussed the unexpected development on the “Daily Faceoff” podcast.
Discussing the survey, Seravalli and Yaremchuk speculated that something might be brewing in the NHL offices regarding an expansion.
“Nothing that any prospective franchise owner does, is done without permission,” Seravalli said. “You can bet with 100% certainty that Ryan Smith advised the NHL that he will be putting out a survey today collecting team names for a potential franchise.”
According to Seravalli, expansion does not appear imminent, suggesting that relocation of the Arizona Coyotes is a possibility.
“If it were to be an expansion franchise, why would you need to do it now? They wouldn’t be beginning play next season,” Seravalli said. “So, what’s the hurry? If the Arizona Coyotes are relocating.”
The Coyotes’ bid for a new arena in the Phoenix area has hit a roadblock, renewing talk of possible relocation to Salt Lake City, according to an April 9 report by The Arizona Republic.
The NHL is drafting two schedules for the 2024-2025 season, one of which will include a Salt Lake City team, according to an April 10 story by Seravalli on Daily Faceoff.
“That does not mean the NHL has firmed up plans to relocate the franchise yet, just that the league has a viable contingency plan for next season,” he wrote.
NHL Insider Weighs In on NHL Expansion into Utah
Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period also considered the time of Smith’s tweet revealing, given the Coyotes’ situation.
“This is all interesting, convenient timing,” Pagnotta said during an April 8 appearance on Sirius SM’s “The Power Play,” according to NHL Rumors. “Ryan Smith’s group putting out a tweet, groups in Houston and Atlanta meeting with the league … and obviously, the stuff with Arizona.
“Usually where there’s smoke, there’s fire. There’s definitely smoke with respect to the league growing.”
Utah Wants to Land an NHL Franchise in Salt Lake City
Smith Entertainment Group, which also owns the Utah Jazz, formally requested that the league begin a process to expand the NHL to Salt Lake City in late January 2024.
The company told the NHL that Salt Lake City can “welcome an NHL franchise as soon as next season, using Delta Center, the home of the Jazz, as an interim home arena.”
The NHL released a statement answering to the SEG petition shortly after their submission for an expansion.
“The NHL appreciates the interest expressed by Smith Entertainment Group to bring NHL hockey to Utah,” the statement started. “During conversations over the course of the past two years, we have been impressed by Ryan and Ashley Smith’s commitment to their community and their passion and vision for Utah, not only as a hockey market, but as a preeminent sports and entertainment destination.
“Utah is a promising market, and we look forward to continuing our discussions.”
No news has emerged since then, and it probably won’t with the collective bargaining agreement between the NHL and NHLPA running through the end of the 2026 regular season.
On top of that, and considering the problems not having a proper arena is giving the Coyotes, it’s also fair to assume that the NHL would like SEG to have an agreement for the building or acquisition of a stadium in place before adding an SLC-based team to the league.
“Look, we’ve known this forever: You don’t get an NHL franchise without kissing the ring. You have to play by Gary Bettman’s rules,” Seravalli said.