The biggest question in the NHL right now may not be about who will win the Stanley Cup, but rather where the Coyotes will be playing next season.
Various reports emerged Wednesday, with the Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli first to break the news, placing a very real possibility that the ‘Yotes could relocate from the Phoenix area to Salt Lake City, with Jazz owner Ryan Smith potentially purchasing the franchise from current owner Alex Meruelo.
A statement by NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly to The Athletic’s Pierre LeBrun on Wednesday evening did little to quell any speculation.
“The League is continuing to work on a solution to what has been a challenging and difficult situation. But we are not in a position to comment beyond that,” Daly said.
The NHL did send out a memo to the league’s Board of Governors on Wednesday about the situation developing in Arizona and the prospects of a move to Salt Lake City, LeBrun reported.
“A couple of sources who read the memo said there’s still nothing done, still moving parts to the whole situation. But obviously everyone is on notice at least to the possibility of re-location for the Coyotes,” LeBrun wrote about the league-distributed memo.
An announcement about a sale and relocation could come as early as April 18, both Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman and Seravalli reported.
Seravalli also indicated that “significant and meaningful progress” had been made between the league, Coyotes and Smith Entertainment Group that would lead to the sale and relocation of the hockey franchise.
A potential move by the Coyotes remains a complicated maneuver with the NHL situated as a broker between the Coyotes’ current owner and the prospective new one.
A situation that could play out would be Meruelo getting $1 billion for the Coyotes and Smith paying $1.2 billion to buy the hockey team, according to Friedman.
The sale could also include an offer to Meruelo of a five-year exclusive window for an expansion franchise to bring the Coyotes back to the Phoenix area, which the NHL has an appetite to do.
The league is reportedly concerned with the Coyotes’ plans for a new arena in the area – which includes them having to win a public land auction in June – and the prospect of the team having to play at least three more seasons at Mullett Arena, the college hockey home of Arizona State University.