Salt Lake City, at long last, is reportedly close to landing an NHL team that would give the state of Utah a brand new professional sports club.
According to a report from NHL insider Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, the Arizona Coyotes are working on a deal that will see the franchise get sold to Ryan Smith and the Smith Entertainment Group. Smith is the owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz:
“Sources tell Daily Faceoff that the NHL, Arizona Coyotes and Smith Entertainment Group have made significant and meaningful progress on an agreement that would see the Coyotes franchise sold and relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah. The machinations of the potential deal, which would have a renamed and rebranded franchise playing in Salt Lake in October, are mentioned below in the original story from Wednesday morning.
The NHL sent an update memo to the Board of Governors on Wednesday amid media speculation. Sources said Coyotes players have been informed a “verbal” agreement is in place, but we have received pushback on that characterization of talks. To date, no deal has been completed. There is much work to be done, and it’s complicated and will involve many layers and lawyers. Stay tuned.”
Earlier in the day, Seravalli had reported that the league was “drafting two versions of a league schedule matrix for the 2024-25 season.” Here, one draft was based on the franchise playing in Arizona, and another in the event that they relocated to Salt Lake City.
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The Coyotes, who relocated from Winnipeg to Phoenix in the 1996-97 season, have been the subject of never-ending NHL relocation rumors for more than a decade now. Despite low attendance, lackluster performances on the ice, arena issues and a change of ownership, commissioner Gary Bettman has long been committed to keeping the franchise in the Copper State.
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The Coyotes play their home games at Mullet Arena on the campus of Arizona State University, a venue that only seats 5,000. With no long-term arena plan in place, the door has opened for Salt Lake City to step in and acquire the NHL franchise.
Salt Lake City Is Ready For An NHL Team
Fans in Utah have loved their Jazz, through the good and bad days, since the franchise relocated there from New Orleans in 1979-80.
This is a passionate sports market that would quickly come to embrace a hockey team. They already have a pro hockey team in the Utah Grizzlies, who play in the ECHL. And on top of that, Salt Lake City was home to the Golden Eagles, a minor league club that operated from 1969 to 1994.
With Utah directly above Arizona, the NHL won’t have to worry about divisional realignment whatsoever. They can play in the Central Division, and die-hard Coyotes fans can still root for their team that won’t be far away.
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