Most of the players in the NHL come from Canada or overseas, so the fact is, most teams aren't in markets that produce superstars - which is why this is such a unique situation for Arizona
There was certainly a buzz in Toronto after Tavares signed with his hometown team, but the Leafs sellout regardless of whether they're winning or losing
Do you have any examples of a young superstar joining his hometown team that didn't have a positive effect on attendance?
This would essentially be uncharted territory
NHL teams improve attendance off of winning. That is the only thing that has been proven to be true. If the Coyotes stay a non-playoff team, whatever short term boost Matthews provides is unlikely to hold.
Do you think there would be less buzz if the Leafs signed Malkin or Karlsson instead of JT? I don't think the hometown stuff mattered at all. It was the fact we got an elite center in free agency. The hometown stuff is just the narrative pushed because it is a selling point that gains traction when journalist write stuff up. This isn't the NBA, individual players don't sell tickets at home, the only thing that has shown to fix attendance long-term is winning.
Chris Chelios in Chicago is the closest, and he didn't dramatically alter attendance or fanfare around the team. It took winning to do that.
I would think they double or triple their season ticket sales next summer if he's signed
I think that statement is comical. He wouldn't. They still play out in the middle of nowhere. For people to be excited about signing Matthews, they have to have some interest in hockey and care about Matthews. What do you think Matthews Q score in that market is? I bet he's not even close to the top 50 in that market among athletes. Your whole argument comes down to people liking their own. What about the fact only 38% of people who live in Arizona were born there (therefore they have a significant transplant population).
Historically, North American sports fans only care about one thing, and that is winning. Anything outside of that is a short term gain.
Auston Matthews doesn't fix the Coyotes. Coyotes winning and getting an arena in Phoenix or Scottsdale does.