Per Friedman: Coyotes players told team moving to Utah starting next season (Mod warning post #50)

[Legion34]

Yep. The mayor of the adjacent town trashes the project and the potential Utah owner is soliciting names.

Totally normal

 

[Koivu11]

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Makes sense.

I also think the brand could use a total reboot. They seem to have little (see pretty much none?) goodwill locally.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Meruelo getting an expansion team once an arena deal is confirmed and set up, while the "Coyotes" relocate to SLS is interesting and feels like it would solve several issues at once. The league is obviously very committed to Arizona, but at a certain point, regardless of the reasons, you can understand why they can't just keep playing the waiting game for things out of their control to fall into place.

 

[Dr Pepper]

Meruelo getting an expansion team once an arena deal is confirmed and set up, while the "Coyotes" relocate to SLS is interesting and feels like it would solve several issues at once. The league is obviously very committed to Arizona, but at a certain point, regardless of the reasons, you can understand why they can't just keep playing the waiting game for things out of their control to fall into place.

Makes me wonder why they didn't just do that two years ago, instead of stubbornly resorting to playing out of a glorified rec-center at ASU. Could've just shipped the Coyotes elsewhere, with the caveat that Arizona would be next in line for expansion once they got all their ducks in a row and finally figured out how to build an NHL-sized arena.

Now here we are two years later and it looks like the clock's about to strike 12.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

If this is it for them the least they could do was at least give the fans a couple of home games to say goodbye, even if it's just temporary. Would be kind of crappy to just turn the key once the season is over with no announcement.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

Makes me wonder why they didn't just do that two years ago, instead of stubbornly resorting to playing out of a glorified rec-center at ASU. Could've just shipped the Coyotes elsewhere, with the caveat that Arizona would be next in line for expansion once they got all their ducks in a row and finally figured out how to build an NHL-sized arena.

Now here we are two years later and it looks like the clock's about to strike 12.

Not that I disagree with the premise, but I suspect the 'Break in Case of Emergency' Salt Lake City glass is a relatively new development in terms of being able to turn it around in months.

 

[viper0220]

Meruelo getting an expansion team once an arena deal is confirmed and set up, while the "Coyotes" relocate to SLS is interesting and feels like it would solve several issues at once. The league is obviously very committed to Arizona, but at a certain point, regardless of the reasons, you can understand why they can't just keep playing the waiting game for things out of their control to fall into place.

Would Meruelo pay the expansion fee?

 

[JKG33]

Shane Doan makes his debut with the Jets, they relocate to Phoenix.

Josh Doan made his debut with the Coyotes.. they relocate to SLC?

 

[Guttersniped]

Makes me wonder why they didn't just do that two years ago, instead of stubbornly resorting to playing out of a glorified rec-center at ASU. Could've just shipped the Coyotes elsewhere, with the caveat that Arizona would be next in line for expansion once they got all their ducks in a row and finally figured out how to build an NHL-sized arena.

Now here we are two years later and it looks like the clock's about to strike 12.

If they won the arena vote last May they would be 1-2 years away from having a new arena.

 

[JKG33]

Meruelo getting an expansion team once an arena deal is confirmed and set up, while the "Coyotes" relocate to SLS is interesting and feels like it would solve several issues at once. The league is obviously very committed to Arizona, but at a certain point, regardless of the reasons, you can understand why they can't just keep playing the waiting game for things out of their control to fall into place.

I've been thinking this for a while now too. Arizona is a valuable market and with a proper arena could work. But a college barn just ain't it for the big leagues.

Moving to SLC now, if they're ready for a pro hockey team, makes a lot of sense. Then Arizona can get an expansion team with Atlanta, Houston, and whoever #4 is (KC? QC?) when they have an arena ready.

I always thought it'd be Houston not SLC getting the cheaper relocation team, but this makes sense too

 

[Last Rat Standing]

If they move and get it back in let's say 5 years, do they get to keep the history ala with endless up happening with the Ravens/Browns in the mid 90s?

 

[sonic92]

If they move and get it back in let's say 5 years, do they get to keep the history ala with endless up happening with the Ravens/Browns in the mid 90s?

NO!

The NHL didn't do that for the Jets, they won't do that here.

 

[Transplanted Caper]

How is that confirmed? Can he get an arena built?

Atlanta and Houston are big markets too, and if they can get an arena built while Meruelo can’t, then the NHL won’t come back.

A NHL team can’t play in Mullett Arena for ~5 years, it’s really not feasible.

How is what confirmed? I'm speaking to a hypothetical the article outlines. You move the team to Salt Lake City, now, Then see how the land auction unfolds, and if it falls into place, you start working towards an expansion deal for Arizona.

 

[JKG33]

If they move and get it back in let's say 5 years, do they get to keep the history ala with endless up happening with the Ravens/Browns in the mid 90s?

I'd say that's a likely scenario. I mean they don't have much worthwhile NHL history as the Jets/Coyotes, but I'd imagine SLC would be looked at as an expansion team and Arizona would retain theirs much like the Browns

 

[93LEAFS]

I've been thinking this for a while now too. Arizona is a valuable market and with a proper arena could work. But a college barn just ain't it for the big leagues.

Moving to SLC now, if they're ready for a pro hockey team, makes a lot of sense. Then Arizona can get an expansion team with Atlanta, Houston, and whoever #4 is (KC? QC?) when they have an arena ready.

I always thought it'd be Houston not SLC getting the cheaper relocation team, but this makes sense too

Somehow the NHL having 36 teams while having arguably the smallest talent pool of the Big 4 leagues seems wrong.

 

[JKG33]

NO!

The NHL didn't do that for the Jets, they won't do that here.

I think it's a different situation where the Jets came back 15 years later because circumstances changed. Where the Arizona thing feels a lot more pre-planned

 

[JKG33]

Somehow the NHL having 36 teams while having probably arguably the smallest talent pool of the Big 4 leagues seems wrong.

I don't know that they have the smallest talent pool. They're certainly more global than football.

But I'm thinking more in terms of a market share perspective. Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa all have no buisness being in the "big leagues" if it weren't hockey. So as it stands the NHL only has 28 big league markets where the other 3 have 30+. From a market perspective it makes sense that they'd wanna get that number to 32 (or 31 depending if QC is involved).

I'm being generous with Montreal, Vancouver, and Columbus who all don't have other pro teams, but each sport has teams thatre "one offs" too

 

[yianik]

All I know is whoever is a Yotes fan must be pretty hard core to put up with all of this, year after grinding year.

 

[LPHabsFan]

If they move and get it back in let's say 5 years, do they get to keep the history ala with endless up happening with the Ravens/Browns in the mid 90s?

One problem. There's no actual history there to keep. Unless we're talking about bankruptcy, shitty owners, little fan interest, and screwing over municipalities.

 

[Last Rat Standing]

NO!

The NHL didn't do that for the Jets, they won't do that here.

Jets got that Thrashers history of ASG and 1 playoff appearance.

 

[93LEAFS]

I don't know that they have the smallest talent pool. They're certainly more global than football.

But I'm thinking more in terms of a market share perspective. Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa all have no buisness being in the "big leagues" if it weren't hockey. So as it stands the NHL only has 28 big league markets where the other 3 have 30+. From a market perspective it makes sense that they'd wanna get that number to 32 (or 31 depending if QC is involved)

I would think more people play Youth and High School football would be higher than the combined amount of people who play youth hockey. The United States is massive population-wise, and outside Russia and Canada, most of the other Hockey nations are quite small (Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Finland). Even then, Canada is about the size of California population wise. It's growing in some bigger markets like Germany, but the player base still isn't large. Due to how Football is funded, it is a way more accessible sport to play. Whereas people who go far in hockey are generally skating by like 4 or 5, and playing on expensive travel teams by like 8. It requires a unique skill set, whereas Basketball and Football require more freakish athletic ability that you can get a late start on if you have those attributes.

 

[Voight]

If they move and get it back in let's say 5 years, do they get to keep the history ala with endless up happening with the Ravens/Browns in the mid 90s?

NFL did that because of the Browns history. I.e. they had been a longtime NFL franchise and were a significant part of the leagues overall history. It's not the same with Phoenix.

I would think more people play Youth and High School football would be higher than the combined amount of people who play youth hockey. The United States is massive population-wise, and outside Russia and Canada, most of the other Hockey nations are quite small (Sweden, Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Finland). Even then, Canada is about the size of California population wise. It's growing in some bigger markets like Germany, but the player base still isn't large. Due to how Football is funded, it is a way more accessible sport to play. Whereas people who go far in hockey are generally skating by like 4 or 5, and playing on expensive travel teams by like 8. It requires a unique skill set, whereas Basketball and Football require more freakish athletic ability that you can get a late start on if you have those attributes.

Yea, there's plenty of guys (dont have the stats but its probably the majority of players) who started playing football in 9th or 10th grade vs hockey where most guys start well before that.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

I don't know that they have the smallest talent pool. They're certainly more global than football.

But I'm thinking more in terms of a market share perspective. Winnipeg, Calgary, Edmonton, and Ottawa all have no buisness being in the "big leagues" if it weren't hockey. So as it stands the NHL only has 28 big league markets where the other 3 have 30+. From a market perspective it makes sense that they'd wanna get that number to 32 (or 31 depending if QC is involved).

I'm being generous with Montreal, Vancouver, and Columbus who all don't have other pro teams, but each sport has teams thatre "one offs" too

Except that Montreal and Vancouver would be multiple sports towns if they were located in the US based on the size of their market and metro pop (I know Montreal had the Expos but still). If we're going by size, Montreal would be a 4 team town for example if you compare it to American cities of its size.

 

[GKJ]

There’s nothing that’s ever held the NHL back from retroactively acknowledging both iterations of the Jets as one franchise. The NBA did it with the Charlotte Hornets.