Arizona Coyotes v Washington Capitals — Arizona Coyotes may be forced to relocate to Utah

NHL Rumors: Arizona Coyotes may be forced to relocate to Utah as new arena has no bearings

Modified Jan 26, 2024 06:25 GMT

There have been rumors about the Arizona Coyotes possibly having to move to Utah.

This comes after Smith Entertainment Group (SEG), the parent company of the NBA's Utah Jazz, announced that they have the immediate ability to bring an NHL team to Salt Lake City and have requested that the expansion process be initiated.

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Notably, the announcement came after the midway point of the NHL season and the Arizona Coyotes' future in the league remains uncertain.

The Coyotes are in their second season of playing home games at Mullet Arena, which has a seating capacity of 5,000 on the Arizona State University Campus.

The reason behind speculations of moving to Utah can also be due to the new arena in Arizona reportedly boasting no bearings. What is more concerning for the Arizona Coyotes is that NHLPA Marty Walsh expressed his opinion that time is running out for the team to find a new place to call home.

Despite initial talks of finding a new location quickly, it appears that no progress has been made so far. This adds to the uncertainty surrounding the Coyotes' future in Arizona.

Additionally, Elliotte Friedman mentioned that the NHL has set a deadline for the Arizona Coyotes to decide their situation, and that deadline is approaching quickly with the All-Star break just around the corner:

"They were talking about, ‘Oh, we’re going to find a new place pretty quickly.’ The year has gone by and they haven’t found anything, at least to my knowledge. So the clock is ticking on Arizona, in my opinion.”

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Last year, the league and NHLPA executives expressed a desire for a timely resolution regarding the Coyotes' long-term plans in Phoenix Arena.

The Coyotes, meanwhile, did not comment on the Salt Lake City release but have been insistent about remaining in Arizona despite a failure in Tempe last year.

Also Read: Is the next NHL expansion team headed to Utah? All the details we know about Jazz owner Ryan Smith's bid

How long have the Arizona Coyotes been in the NHL?

The Coyotes, originally known as the Winnipeg Jets of the WHA, played from 1979 to 1996 in the NHL.

In 1996, the Jets were renamed the Phoenix Coyotes and played in the league under the same name until 2014. Since 2014, the Coyotes have been known by their current name.

The Coyotes play their home games at Mullett Arena and represent the Central Division of the Western Conference.

The NHL last expanded to Seattle and formed the Seattle Kraken hockey club in 2021. It remains to be seen if the Coyotes are to be on the list as the next potential relocation team.