There are many rumors surrounding the Arizona Coyotes in recent times as the NHL team has undergone steps to move from Tempe, AZ, to Salt Lake City, Utah.
Talk of a new team forming or a current team moving to Utah started as far back as the NHL All-Star game in February 2024 as Utah has expressed interest in having a NHL team for a while.
Rumors of the Coyotes move has exploded as of the past week because the NHL created two schedules, one with the team based in Arizona and one with the team based in Utah.
This information came only a few days after the team had released images of plans to build a new stadium in Arizona, leaving many confused as to the team’s plans.
Owner of the NBA team the Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith, has expressed interest over the past few years in acquiring an NHL team to own and move to Utah. This interest has not gone unnoticed.
“The Utah expression of interest has been the most aggressive and has carried a lot of energy with it,” said NHL commissioner Gary Bettman at the 2024 NHL All-Star Game via ESPN.
Smith, however, is not only interested in the Coyotes, but is interested in whichever team he can acquire easily.
“Our goal is NHL in Utah. And I’ll leave the rest up to Gary,” said Ryan Smith via ESPN.
It seems that all the necessary steps have been taken to move the team to Utah. The only step left is to receive the NHL’s approval of the trade.
Sources at ESPN have placed deal estimates at roughly $1.2-1.3 billion to acquire the team, with roughly $1 billion going directly to the Arizona Coyotes owner, Alex Meruelo.
Mereulo has expressed a desire to continue the expansion and rebuilding of the Coyotes stadium, leaving many people confused as to what lies in store for the team.
Meruelo seems to still want to own the Coyotes, but $1 billion could be a convincing number.
Another possible way for the Coyotes to move to Utah could involve the NHL buying the team from Meruelo and then selling it to Smith so that it’s a cleaner and easier process.
Other possibilities include either expanding the NHL, creating a new team in Utah, or creating a new team in Arizona after the team has moved.
The most popular theory is transferring ownership from Mereulo to Smith and moving the Arizona Coyotes to Utah, undergoing a name change in the process. The situation continues to develop as fans are left wondering where they will see the Coyotes play next.
