I believe the NHL will come back to Arizona, but I don’t believe the league has any plans to be a 36 team league within the next 10 years.
Realistically, we are most likely not going to be the next expansion team. It’s probably going to be Atlanta in the East, and then I would imagine a city like Houston is the city in the West. That would put us at 34 teams and I can see that happening within 5 years.
I think Arizona has a real shot after that, but I imagine the timeline is somewhere around 10 to 15 years from now. I also believe the Coyotes brand is dead. With all the turmoil around it, I don’t think they can simply come back like the Jets did.
So, with all that said, it’s probably time to decide whether you’re following the team to Utah, picking another franchise, or washing your hands of the NHL and reassessing if/when a team comes back to Arizona.
I’m too much of a fan of hockey too wade in the waters, so I’m embracing Utah.
I do think this news of Alex Meruelo walking away is beneficial in a sense that we finally have real closure. Every casual sports fan I talk to about the Coyotes leaving always mentioned something along the lines of “well the owner will bring them back within five years.” I always knew that was bullshit, and never going to happen.
Now we can finally close the book on the Coyotes and any lingering hope that we see them back on the ice by 2030. Now, much like Las Vegas and Seattle, we can sit out of bounds and be pleasantly surprised when the NHL chooses our market for an expansion team. We can be one of those promising markets who will always be in the expansion rumors, and no longer the laughing stock of the league.
With all that said, I’m glad I get a chance to officially mourn the Coyotes. The memories are nostalgic, the brand iconic, and the memories are forever. The team brought me so much joy over my years, and I am very grateful for that. Now, it’s on the next, and I’m glad I am not holding my breath any longer.