Are the Arizona Coyotes finally on the verge of moving to a new location?
According to NHL Insider Frank Seravalli, the National Hockey League is currently drafting two sets of playing schedules for next season. One of them sees the Coyotes playing in their current home of the 4,600 seat Mullett Arena, and the other sees them playing in Salt Lake City, Utah.
An excerpt from the article:
"The NHL is concurrently drafting two versions of a league schedule matrix for the 2024-25 season, one with the Arizona Coyotes and another with the Coyotes franchise playing in Salt Lake City in the event of relocation, multiple sources told Daily Faceoff.
That does not mean the NHL has firmed up plans to relocate the franchise yet, just that the league has a viable contingency plan for next season. But the news comes on the heels of billionaire prospective owner Ryan Smith publicly soliciting potential names for an NHL team in Utah earlier this week.
As the NHL has been working on dual paths, multiple sources indicate Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo is intimately involved in both. The first, of course, involves the Coyotes remaining in the Phoenix area by building a new arena via Arizona State Land Trust auction, which is scheduled for June 27.
But there is a real possibility that the Coyotes franchise is not based in Arizona come June 27."
Just moments ago, Seravalli reported on social media that there has been "significant progress" on relocating the Coyotes to Salt Lake City:
"BREAKING: Sources tell @DailyFaceoff - NHL, Arizona Coyotes & Smith Entertain. Grp have made significant progress on the framework of an agreement to relocate #Yotes to Salt Lake City, Utah. #NHL memo updated Governors today. NOT done. Many layers and lawyers. Much work to do."
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