There are paths forward for Phoenix hockey. Sadly I don't think they involve the Coyotes. I'm in the "region needs a reset" camp. I just don't think you can fix this in an offseason, and the Coyotes are out of time.
You need to come back in with a solid plan and a stadium that is literally already being built that will be both enjoyable and affordable for everyone involved. I don't think you can do that on the fly. After 10 years of planning, though, it could probably be done and be successful.
One of the lessons learned from the debacle of the Coyotes is that it is a whole HELL of a lot easier to succeed if you plan first, move second, then if you try to do it the other way. The legacy of Arizona hockey is that "we'll figure it out as we go along" is not actually a substitute for a viable plan.
Unfortunately-unfortunately there aren't a lot of places where you can just plug and play a team as troubled as the Coyotes either. You can't just plunk a team down for a few years in one place with every expectation of moving them again. The fans won't wear that, and I don't blame them. The Milwaukee Braves and KC A's in baseball are both pretty strong evidence of this. if the team does move, it's going to be to a new hopefully-permanent home. Which is why they're probably not moving this offseason and they will continue to hemorrhage money and goodwill in the short term.
This also removes a lot of otherwise intriguing options whose arena situation would be best described as "makeshift." This franchise has had nearly a quarter century of makeshift. Unless a building already exists or is literally going up as we speak, the town is probably not in consideration.
I don't envy the people who have to untangle this mess. The badwill in Glendale and the greater Phoenix area says the team can't stay, but it's not going to be easy to find a place for such a terribly run franchise to go either. Clean slates are sometimes hard to come by after all.
I agree with a lot of this. Possibly another shot in 10-plus years as seems to be the trend with Atlanta. Honestly, the franchise itself may be too tarnished to flip over to another market at this point.
With another poster's suggestion of folding the team, maybe this isn't so far-fetched. Especially if the NHL can immediately grant an expansion franchise.
Disperse the roster (and shitty LTIR contracts) which does sting but stings all 31 teams a little vs. 1 team a whole lot. Then cash in on an inflated 'expansion fee' and set the new team up with the template that's been used with LV and SEA.
Give the 1979-1996 history and records to Winnipeg.
It's not apples to apples, but the MLS did something similar a couple of times. First with San Jose moving to Houston and then quickly returning 2 years later. They did it again with Chivas folding and LAFC being announced 3 days later. LAFC did start play 4 years after that announcement but set a debut season wins record with a brand new stadium and won their first championship in their 5th season.
In terms of markets for the NHL, there certainly are options as other posters have shared. Even counting the 'makeshift' venues, we're talking about close to 25. And, aside from 2 which are in 'traditional' locations, most of these metros are easily over 1m people:
Portland, Sacramento, Oakland, San Diego, SLC, OKC, Tulsa, Austin, SA, Houston, KC, NOLA, Milwaukee, Indy, Cincy, Cleveland, Hamilton, QC, Hartford, Baltimore, Norfolk/HR/VB, Charlotte, Atlanta, Jacksonville, and Orlando.
The only issue is whether an ownership group wants to invest. A few names have been mentioned and I am sure that list grows once Ottawa is sold.
