Arizona Coyotes to Relocate to Salt Lake City in Major NHL Shake-Up
In a groundbreaking move, the Arizona Coyotes are set to pack their bags and move to Salt Lake City for the upcoming NHL season. After a unanimous vote by the NHL’s Board of Governors, league sources have confirmed the team’s relocation, marking the end of a 28-year run in Arizona.
The sale of the team’s hockey assets for $1.2 billion saw current owner Alex Meruelo pocket $1 billion, with the remaining $200 million split among existing NHL owners as a relocation fee. The move comes after the Coyotes struggled to secure a new arena in Tempe, with voters rejecting proposals for a state-of-the-art facility.
The team bid farewell to Arizona with their final game at the 4,600-seat Mullett Arena on the campus of Arizona State University. However, Meruelo retains the team’s logos and branding, with a five-year window to potentially bring an expansion franchise back to the Phoenix area if a suitable arena is built.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has expressed support for Meruelo’s efforts and the loyal hockey fans in Arizona. The arrival of the NHL in Salt Lake City fulfills the vision of Ryan Smith, owner of the Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake, who will introduce a new NHL team to Utah for the 2024-25 season.
Smith has acquired Arizona’s hockey-related assets, including players, coaching staff, and management groups, and plans to develop new logos and branding for the Utah team. The team will start play with a significant number of draft picks for the upcoming June draft, following an aggressive selloff of players after Meruelo’s purchase of the Coyotes in 2019.
Players and staff from the Coyotes have been invited to tour facilities in Salt Lake City and will make the city their new home by the fall, signaling a fresh chapter for NHL hockey in Utah. Stay tuned for more updates as the team gears up for their debut in Salt Lake City.
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