Relocation would be on the table for the Arizona Coyotes if they lose the land auction
Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on Saturday Headlines on the Arizona Coyotes arena situation. If the Coyotes don’t win the land auction, what is next for the organization?
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Ron McLean: “So we did some reporting on Atlanta back in the picture. How about Arizona Coyotes situation?
Friedman: “Okay, well, Ryan spent a lot of time looking into this this week and we’ve reached a fork in the road for the Arizona Coyotes. Now, the first one which is the one I think that the NHL prefers and the ownership there prefers, is that they win the auction that they now know what’s going to happen and they buy the land and eventually build the arena and the Arizona Coyotes stay in Arizona.
NHL Rumors: Things are Different in Atlanta Now Than They Were for the Flames and Thrashers
And I’ve been told multiple times this week, do not underestimate Arizona ownership’s willingness to do this and to prove that it can do this. However, there was also an admission that the status quo can not continue.
And there are a lot of variables here, and that is that the auction won’t take place until June. What happens if the Coyotes don’t win it? There’s a lot of unsure nature about what the timeline would be if they do want it and how long it would take.
So as a result of that, especially if the cuttings don’t win the auction, relocation will be on the table. And so there are parallel conversations going on right now. One for the Coyotes to go ahead and win the auction and stay there and the other for what happens if they don’t end up winning the auction and what the future would be.
NHL Rumors: NHL Expansion Talk is a Hot Topic Again
And in that case, Ron relocation would be on the table and we’ll see how this goes. But again, the Coyotes maintained it is their goal to win the auction and stay in the state.
