NHL Rumors: NHL Continues To Listen About Potential Expansion and Relocation
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The Fate of Coyotes Determines What Happens in Utah, Houston, and Atlanta

Dave Pagnotta of The Fourth Period joined Steve Kouleas and Carter Hutton on the Sirius XM NHL Network Power Play Segment on Monday and was asked about the potential of Salt Lake City getting a franchise and what it means that groups from Houston and Atlanta are meeting with the League.

** NHLRumors.com transcription

NHL Rumors: Expansion is on the Horizon in the NHL

Steve Kouleas: “News of the day: Arizona, Atlanta, Houston. I know that’s why you’re working. You’re not sitting on the side of a hill. So what do we know? And you know, I’m sure there’s a Salt Lake City vibe as well. What the heck is going on out there?”

Dave Pagnotta: “Yeah, I mean Utah, Utah more than anything, you know, they’re there. You got Ryan Smith, the head of the group, coming out tweeting, ‘Hey, what do you want to call this team, if we were to one hat somehow get a get an NHL franchise? What do you what do you think of the local potential fan base? What do you think?’

That’s not been by accident. None of anything that is happening there is done by accident. I’ve said it on the show. I’ve said it a number of times: Utah is going to be team number; well, I thought they were going to be seen 33. Obviously, we have to wait and see what’s going on with the Arizona Coyotes.

NHL Rumors: Expansion Will Be Decided By the Arizona Coyotes

Scottsdale Mayor throwing some shade on their project. Don’t ask them for some flour or some eggs, neighbors, but this is a project that was done within potentially done within Phoenix if they can secure the land and move forward on it. That’s what everybody’s waiting on. So we’ll see how that auction takes place.

The league right now is doing their due diligence, and we’ve had Gary Bettman on the Network and talking about the potential of the league expanding. He has said a number of times, he said it the last time here on the channel during the Stadium Series that they’re, they’re listening. They’re not going through a formal process, but if there’s an interested party, the league is going to listen, and that’s what they’re continuing to do.

With Weekes reporting today that the groups in Houston and one of the groups in Atlanta meeting with the league.

Again, this is all due diligence that’s being done on the League side to try to see exactly where things kind of fit right now. And it’s it’s difficult to predict because we just don’t know until this auction in in Phoenix takes place.

Once we have a definitive answer, I think that’s coming on June 27. Neatly, the day before the NHL Draft, we’ll have a better idea and a proper direction as to where this franchise is, is looking at. All indications are they’re playing out a Mullet again next season regardless of kind of what happens.

NHL Rumors: NHL Expansion is coming and splitting the difference down the middle

But if they secure, for argument’s sake, they secure that land, and they win the auction and the bid for it. Then the focus will then shift towards that project, as well as a potential team 33 out in Utah. They are a backup, not the backup for the Coyotes if this land auction doesn’t happen and ultimately forced to relocate, but there are other variables that are certainly in play here.

But this is all interesting, convenient timing. Ryan Smith’s group putting out a tweet what would you like the team name, groups in Houston and Atlanta meeting with the league? And obviously, the stuff with, with Arizona so usually where there’s smoke, there’s fire. There’s definitely smoke with respect to the league growing.”