The Arizona Coyotes have played their final game in Arizona as the Franchise is set to relocate to Salt Lake City in Utah following the purchase of the team by Utah Jazz team owner Ryan Smith.
There’s a lot to discuss and break down here, so let’s get right into it. How will things look for the newly located franchise, and most importantly, will the Coyotes be getting an expansion draft upon their re-entry into the league?
*For the purpose of this article we will call them by their former name Arizona as they have yet to be named, all we know for certain is they will be called Utah (something).
The Arizona Coyotes receive an incredible send off from broadcaster Todd Walsh 😢❤️
Take 5 minutes out of your day to watch this…👏pic.twitter.com/IXEyD4qhWc— Gino Hard (@GinoHard_) April 18, 2024
Why Did the Coyotes leave Arizona?
It came as a huge disappointment for Coyotes fans that the team will be relocating to Salt Lake City for the foreseeable future.
The Coyotes essentially left Arizona as they were unable to find a new arena to play in. Their current arena was only a 4,600 seater in Tempe on the grounds of Arizona University, and it was unfair to everybody involved that they should have to play hockey in this arena. For comparison, the second smallest in the league is the Winnipeg Jets at 15,600.
The good news however is the “Arizona Coyotes” franchise can be Reactivated if Alex Murelo can build a stadium for the team within a five-year period.
Murelo is committed to doing everything in his power to get the Arizona Coyotes back into the valleys as it would be one of the only markets in the country with four professional sports teams.
Some more good news for Arizona is the fact they will be granted an expansion draft should they re-enter the league within the five-year period.
What’s Next for The Arizona Coyotes
Essentially the Arizona Coyotes are an inactivated team for now, as we discussed Murelo has a chance to reactivate the team within the next five years if he can build them an arena approved to host hockey in Arizona.
As for the new Utah team, their owners have been seeking an NHL expansion team for a while now and the perfect opportunity came up for them when Arizona was essentially bowing out of the league (for now).
With that said, it’s not a brand-new franchise, as all of the Coyotes’ former assets will be heading Utah’s way, including players, draft picks, coaching staff, etc.
Utah Proving Popular with Fans
The first puck hasn’t even been dropped in Utah and there have already been more than 22 thousand submissions for season tickets, it’s clear from this figure alone that there are NHL fans in Utah who are excited about a franchise coming to their state.
The owners already know they have an uphill battle, from renaming the team to bringing all the operations from Arizona to Utah, and on top of all that they need to win to keep those 22,000 fans and more interested in the franchise.
Everybody loves a new team but not when they’re the worst team in the league year after year. Although the Coyotes were rarely the worst team year after year, they did only make the playoffs once since 2012, and that was during the COVID-19 pandemic season, when a lot of crazy stuff happened.
Luckily for this new Utah franchise, they already have the makings of a strong team, a team the general manager has been rebuilding for three seasons. With strong players such as Clayton Keller, Nick Schmaltz and Logan Cooley, plus some decent draft picks and plenty of upcoming promising youngsters. This Utah franchise could be in for some success early doors.
Conclusion
In a nutshell, the Arizona Coyotes’ name, logo and position in the league is dormant or inactive for at least five seasons. If the owner can build an arena that’s NHL-worthy and approved by the league then they will re-enter the league with an expansion draft.
As for now, all the current Coyotes assets will be relocating to Utah to form a new franchise, like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, only it’s not in Phoenix Arizona, it’s in Salt Lake City. Will you be placing your NHL bets on the new franchise?
