The Arizona Coyotes have relocated to Salt Lake City. As part of that deal the Arizona Coyotes brand did not move with the team. The plan was for the Arizona Coyotes franchise to go on hiatus with a plan to bring the team back in the next five years. The Arizona Coyotes had to figure out their arena situation. Playing at their former arena on the campus of Arizona State University was not going to work out long term. With a failed attempt in 2023 it was only a matter of time before the team relocated. Their latest arena attempt which was the last hope for the franchise, has now gone under.
The Arizona Coyotes were going to buy some land for an arena in the Phoenix area. They were going to buy this land from an an Arizona state land auction. The auction was set to take place this weekend. Without notice, the state cancelled the auction. With this particular land auction being very publicized, I speculate that something else has been going on behind the scenes. Politically it seemed that some people did not want the Arizona Coyotes to move forward with their plan for an arena. Someone behind the scenes could have easily stopped the auction because they did not want the Arizona Coyotes to return. From what I understand no reason has been given as to why the land auction did not move forward.
What does this mean for the future of the Arizona Coyotes? This is a huge road block that the organization must now navigate. It is unclear at this time what the National Hockey Leagues plan is with the franchise moving forward. I doubt that a five year plan for a return to Arizona will happen. This is a huge setback. With no where to play and no plans for the future, the NHL will have to reevaluate its timeline for a return. Everything is up in the air. The NHL wants to be in the Phoenix market. It is one of the largest markets in the United States. The question now is how do they move forward? Will they continue to pursue a new arena in Arizona? Will they continue with the same ownership group? Will they start accepting bids from other ownership groups? It is very early but it is a possibility that the NHL abandons the Arizona market until a stable plan is in place. That could push the Arizona Coyotes return back decades.
Quebec waited fifty nine years for a return to the NHL only to now be waiting again what has been twenty nine years. Hamilton has never gotten another NHL team. Pittsburgh waited thirty seven years for the NHL to return. Philadelphia waited thirty six years for the NHL to return. Ottawa waited fifty eight years for the NHL to return. St Louis waited thirty two years for the NHL to return. Brooklyn waited seventy three years for the NHL to return just for them to leave after five years. The Bay Area waited fifteen years for the return of the NHL. Kansas City has been waiting for the NHL to return for forty eight years. Cleveland has been waiting for the NHL to return for forty six years. Atlanta waited nineteen years for the NHL to return just to now be waiting another thirteen years. Colorado waited thirteen years for the NHL to return. Minnesota only had to wait seven years for the NHL to return. Hartford has been waiting for twenty seven years. Now Arizona waits.
Zac Electrifly 
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