One last desperate attempt pulled by Coyotes in do or die situation!
I can’t believe this is what they’re trying to do now…
HockeyFeed
The pressure is on the Arizona Coyotes despite many signs that the future of the team in the desert is bleak. They keep saying they’re working hard at finding a site and starting the construction of a new arena in Arizona, but no result have come of this and now, they are running out of options. Many insiders reported earlier this week that the time has come for the team to be sold or the NHL taking over the team to relocate it. Just yesterday, Frank Seravalli claimed that the league is already considering relocating the Coyotes to Salt Lake City, Utah at the start of the 2024-25 season.
However, it has now been reported by Craig Morgan on the PHNX Show that an independent government source reach out today to say that the Coyotes’ proposed 100-acre arena deal was, in fact, discussed today in the AZ Land Department executive session and that the meeting went “very well.”
“Again, we don’t know how the NHL’s going to react to any of this. We don’t know what’s coming from Gary Bettman after the Super Bowl, but the idea that this could be wrapped up in three months was interesting to hear.
“The other thing I can tell you is the 100 acres that they’re looking at, it’s right at the corner of the 101 and Scottsdale Road. That’s the parcel that they’ve narrowed it down to.
“I had mentioned before that there’s a lot of discretion with the Land Department. ‘It could be 10 weeks, it could be 17 weeks.’ It feels like the Land Department can just say, ‘Hey, we want to fast-track this.’ That’s what the gov’t source said to me.”
Is this what is going to save them?
Ever since the move to Arizona 1996, the Coyotes have been struggling to keep a steady home, moving from Phoenix to Glendale and now currently playing at Mullett Arena in Tempe which only holds about 5,000 fans. The plan was for the Coyotes to build a sports and entertainment district in Tempe, they did not secure enough votes in a special election last May causing them to move forward with the project.
Over the All-Star weekend in a press conference, NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh expressed his frustration with the lack of progress made in Arizona.
Walsh said: “If there’s no plan in Arizona, I would encourage a move to another location, absolutely. If Utah’s the place, Utah’s the place. I’d encourage it. I haven’t seen the data to back it up if Utah’s the place.”
Let’s see if this last attempt from the Coyotes and their ownership works and is what keep them in Arizona.
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