NHL Making A Major Move With the Arizona Coyotes Franchise

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Joshua Deeds
April 10, 2024 (6:04 PM)

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It appears that the Arizona Coyotes' time in the desert may be coming to an end with recent announcements according to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli of DailyFaceoff.com

The Coyotes appear to be in flux, as Smith Entertainment Group who has been working diligently to become the next state for expansion has been in talks to help move the Arizona Coyotes to Salt Lake City, Utah.

Rejoice! Clayton Keller will no longer have to play in a college arena any longer.

The memo regarding the Coyotes move was sent to the Board of Governors, Wednesday.

The agreement in place is currently "verbal" but there's no official confirmation of this, as Dailyfaceoff.com notes, there's been a drive to not use this characterization of this agreement.

With this new development in the Coyotes future, the league has had to shift gears and draft 2 different schedules for 2024-2025.

One schedule will feature the Arizona Coyotes who will remain in the desert, while another draft features the team in Salt Lake City, Utah. This is just a stopgap measure, while there are no official plans to relocate the team just yet. Coyotes owner Alex Meruello is currently involved in both schemes for the schedule.

Sources: #NHL is drafting two schedule versions for next season - one with #Yotes in Arizona, another with the relocated franchise playing in Salt Lake City.

Fluid situation. Lots of moving parts. Details on dual paths and a potential transaction.

Link: https://t.co/wvc66RJpT9 pic.twitter.com/mI98R6GEU8� Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 10, 2024

It seems however a real possibility that the Meruelo Group will not own the Arizona Coyotes by June 27th. The Meruelo Group could end up selling to the Smith Entertainment Group, to the tune of more than $1.2 Billion, as they will have an expansion fee attached to the deal, which would of course be distributed amongst current team owners.

Smith currently owns the NBA's Utah Jazz, and the Arizona Coyotes, who are not yet renamed, would share the Delta Center together.

It seems likely that an announcement of the team's fate could happen as soon as April 18th, after the Coyotes' final season game in the 4,600 Mullett Arena.

However, to this day, Meruelo and the NHL are working doggedly to find a new home for the team in the desert, before moving on to other options.

If the team is sold, Mereulo could receive up to $1 Billion dollars for the team, and the situation itself still remains fluid to this day.

«Lots of moving pieces,» one source said. «Nothing is resolved at this point.»

The NHL deputy commissioner mentioned that should things turn for the worse, and a land auction date doesn't arrive until June, the team could be shacked up in the college arena next season as well.