NHL insider drops major hint about the future of the Arizona Coyotes

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Josh Tupper
September 9, 2023 (10:43)

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Rumors of relocation have cast a shadow on the Arizona Coyotes for years now. Those rumors picked up again after a vote to build a new arena and entertainment district in Tempe failed to gain support from the city's residents.

Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo claims that he remains committed to keeping the team in Arizona. Meruelo has already begun searching for a new location and looks to purchase land in order to build a new arena, with Mesa being mentioned as a possibility back in August.

However, if things continue to go south, relocation is certainly on the table. While Houston has been floated as a potential destination for the Coyotes, another cory has emerged in the last couple of months as the heavy favorites - Salt Lake City.

On Friday's edition of the 32 Thoughts podcast, Elliotte Friedman weighed in on topic and nearing the 30-minute mark said the following:

"The shadow of Salt Lake City looms large in Arizona.

Friday 32 Thoughts: 30-35 minutes of news & interview podcast. Featuring: Aleksander Barkov, Pierre Engvall, Tim Stutzle and JJ Peterka. Enjoy!https://t.co/wJGUkV3wgs� Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) September 8, 2023

Salt Lake City is no stranger to hockey, having hosted the 2002 Winter Olympics and the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL play in the suburbs, 20 minutes outside of Salt Lake City.

This summer, Ryan Smith, the owner of the Utah Jazz confirmed that he is trying to acquire an NHL franchise in his city and has reportedly met with Commissioner Gary Bettman.

For someone like Friedman to even mention Salt Lake City it truly feels like things are further along than some have been willing to admit.