At the most recent Board of Governors meetings in early December, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman reportedly set a January 2024 deadline for the Arizona Coyotes to produce a concrete, arena-building plan. The Coyotes, however, have come up with nothing as the calendar flipped into February.
NHLPA head Marty Walsh met with assembled media in Toronto during the 2024 All-Star Weekend festivities to discuss the situation. Walsh has been highly critical of the franchise’s ownership group, led by Alex Meruelo, and took the missed deadline as his latest opportunity to fire away at them.
“I’m extremely disappointed in the ownership of Arizona,” Walsh told PHNX Coyotes’ Leah Merrall. “They have not reached out to the PA to talk to us about what the situation in Arizona is. We have a team in Arizona that doesn’t seem interested in having a conversation with a union that represents the players that play on their team. Unfortunately, we’ve had two unofficial deadlines to come up with some movement and we’ve gone past both of those.”
Under the current CBA, Walsh and the players have no paths of action against the Coyotes to force the team’s hand. Arizona’s original plan, an arena to be built in Tempe, was shot down by a referendum last May. Walsh’s main concern is that something like that may happen again, further extending the process.
“You can buy a piece of land,” Walsh said. “How long will it take you to permit the land? Do you need a referendum? Is there hazardous waste, do you need to remediate the land? So you can talk about buying land in Arizona and it can be 10 years before a shovel goes in the ground. How long do you wait to get a home? They’re playing in a college arena and they’re the second tenant in that arena. This is not the way to run a business.”
The Coyotes have a deal to continue playing at Arizona State’s Mullett Arena next season if needed but the hope was for the franchise to have already found a new home by the start of that year’s schedule. The NHL has said in the past that they “will be prepared for any contingency” if urgent relocation of the team is needed.
The most prime suitor to accept a Coyotes move appears to be Salt Lake City, Utah after Smith Entertainment Group — owners of the Utah Jazz — threw their hat in the ring for an NHL franchise in late January. Relocation seems to be exactly what Walsh would prefer at this point.
“If there’s no plan in Arizona, I would encourage a move to another location, absolutely,” Walsh told The Athletic’s Mark Lazerus. “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. ”
Walsh’s biting comments ring even louder when compared to Bettman’s words from earlier in the day. The commissioner says he’s “reasonably confident” that Meruelo will deliver a new arena in Arizona.
“There’s nothing new,” Bettman said. “Alex Meruelo is focused on one piece of property and we’re focused with him on what that timeline is. My guess is that it’s something that will be addressed in the next few weeks.”
Bettman also addressed that the league has received interest from several cities other than Salt Lake City about expansion or even relocation. He listed Cincinnati, Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, and Omaha in that group and was directly questioned about another Canadian team in Quebec City.
Despite listing names that may perk up ears, he immediately threw cold water on the idea of anything happening in the near future.
“We’re not looking at the moment at either,” Bettman said. “If someone wants to express interest and tell us they want an expansion team, we’ll talk to them. There seems to be an increasing and vibrant expression of interest in having an NHL team in places where there aren’t.”
Update: The Arizona Coyotes announced after the press conference that they bought land in North Phoenix.
Confirmed. We have every intention of staying in the desert. We owe it to the best fans in the world to make it happen. #YotesForever https://t.co/wp3hVN0UHe
— Arizona Coyotes (@ArizonaCoyotes) February 3, 2024
