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

[McGarnagle]

Never want to see a city lose their team, hopefully the Yotes figure it out. The Salt Lake Soakers would make for an interesting team though.

They can't shoot into the net but they can hold the puck in the crease and have a linemate push their stick into the net

 

[Voight]

I feel bad for the actual Coyotes fans if this comes to fruition. I know there aren't enough of them currently for the market to be viable, but there are clearly passionate fans who will be hurt by the team moving. Anyone who tries to go to games, watches on tv or waste as much time here as we do.clearly cares.

As for Arizona getting an expansion team? Possible, but I don't think they immediately jump to the front of the line unless the arena is built. You have to think the NHL has more interest in Houston and Atlanta just based on market size. And, it's not like those cities don't have wealth/large companies and aren't also rapidly growing too.

Wasting time or... as I like to call it, avoiding doing any actual work

 

[Telos]

Glad the Coyotes are moving, but feel that SLC is a questionable choice for relocation. May be trading one problem for another, but we'll see I guess.

 

[Lt Dan]

AS SOON AS APRIL 18th

This deserves the Triple Keanu

 

[FlyguyOX]

Come on man, show some respect. This shouldn't be a place for dancing on corpses.

Arizona deserves the NHL, but this did need to happen.

I can't tell if you're serious. This is wayyyy overdue and has been a complete embarrassment

 

[These Are The Days]

AS SOON AS APRIL 18th

NHL, Arizona Coyotes preparing for possible relocation to Utah

The NHL and the Arizona Coyotes are preparing for the possibility of a move to Utah as soon as April 18, multiple sources confirmed Wednesday.

www.sportsnet.ca

My heart goes out to the Coyote faithful if there is (in fact) a relocation. Guys like @RABBIT and @TheLegend in particular have been nothing but class every time I've talked to them. Anyone who would celebrate this at their expense is openly an asshole.

 

[CheckingLineCenter]

Yes, I believe against Motorcycles and stuff too. You can violate it, but if you get injured doing it, they can void your contract. Tons of activities deemed high risk that if you get injured doing can get your contract voided.

I’d be interested to see the language. I know all these guys wakeboard/wakesurf and many Cali guys surf so wonder where the line for teams is.

Always hard to feel bad for player lifestyle but has to sting a little — hard to imagine being a young millionaire in SLC and you can’t ski.

 

[Spring in Fialta]

Aren't players already being told?

 

[BKarchitect]

Yeah, this seems like more tangible news but the amount of back-side covering in these reports that follows in fine print after the big attention grabbing headline tells me once again this isn’t nearly as close to some sort of lock as now pretty much everybody here is assuming it is.

I’ll believe it when the moving vans are en route to Tempe.

 

[Summer Rose]

I’m becoming a full-time Tampa Bay Lightning fan if we move. Just felt like saying that somewhere.

 

[Empoleon8771]

I'm not convinced Meruelo would even stick around to build An arena if the team moves.

Sure, there's a money making aspect (tho I'm sure he has lots of opportunities available) but he has no ties to the area.

It sounds like a stipulation of Meruelo selling is that they bring back the Coyotes with an expansion team once the Phoenix arena situation gets sorted out.

Complete speculation on my part:

-Salt Lake City went to the NHL adamant about getting an expansion team, where the NHL realized that Salt Lake City can support a team right now.
-The NHL went to Meruelo and basically said "we'll buy the Coyotes off of you to sell them to a team that will move them to Salt Lake City"
-Meruelo and the NHL are negotiating what the deal would look like for that so that it doesn't end up in court, with Meruelo getting things like a guaranteed expansion team (if he gets an arena), a reduced expansion fee and stuff along those lines.

The NHL seems like the one that is pushing this move, just so they don't have to keep the Coyotes playing in Mullett Arena and be stuck in limbo going forward. It sounds like the NHL is trying to convince Meruelo to sell the team to them, rather than Meruelo trying to back out of having a NHL team.

 

[red devil]

Aren't players already being told?

 

[These Are The Days]

I can't tell if you're serious. This is wayyyy overdue and has been a complete embarrassment

No. Your behavior is embarrassing. The ideas are not mutually exclusive. Ask any Coyote fan if they thought playing at Mullett was a good idea and if they aren't frustrated at their local government dragging the team through the sand. I have gone through this as a Rays fan since like 2006 and thankfully have not lost my team.

 

[not a troll]

And I'm already a Jazz fan since the 90s, so I could cheer for these idiots too.

Bring Karl Malone out to drop the puck and I'm in too.

 

[FlyguyOX]

My heart goes out to the Coyote faithful if there is (in fact) a relocation. Guys like @RABBIT and @TheLegend in particular have been nothing but class every time I've talked to them. Anyone who would celebrate this at their expense is openly an asshole.

I'm celebrating it because it's an embarrassment to a league who already struggles with legitimacy in the US. If Arizona wants a team then get an owner who is committed to making it happen. I was an ATL fan, lost the team because of moron owners which was right for the league (for the most part), and now we have committed ownership ready to bring them back.

Revisit once you get committed ownership.

 

[quesosauce]

Glad the Coyotes are moving, but feel that SLC is a questionable choice for relocation. May be trading one problem for another, but we'll see I guess.

ownership will be key

 

[Spirits]

I’m becoming a full-time Tampa Bay Lightning fan if we move. Just felt like saying that somewhere.

When the Vikings were in talks about moving to LA, I had decided I was going to become a Baltimore Raven fan if that happened. When your team is teetering on the edge of existence, it is worth looking to what you will do if they leave.

 

[FlyguyOX]

No. Your behavior is embarrassing. The ideas are not mutually exclusive. Ask any Coyote fan if they thought playing at Mullett was a good idea and if they aren't frustrated at their local government dragging the team through the sand. I have gone through this as a Rays fan since like 2006 and thankfully have not lost my team.

I have been there as an ATL fan. I regret nothing. Great for the league.

 

[Thallis]

Vegas was gifted a top team by the NHL.

Just like Seattle...

...wait.

 

[Spirits]

Bring Karl Malone out to drop the puck and I'm in too.

I belive Thurl Bailey of 1983 Wolfpack fame is still in SLC (former Jazz alumni). Really loved that guy!

 

[Terry Yake]

really sucks for coyotes fans who have put up with decades of dogshit ownership and mismanagement as well as the plaguing arena issues only for it to end like this

 

[Summer Rose]

When the Vikings were in talks about moving to LA, I had decided I was going to become a Baltimore Raven fan if that happened. When your team is teetering on the edge of existence, it is worth looking to what you will do if they leave.

Luckily I’d kind of given up on the season already, married a Bolts fan four years ago, and live in Florida now already.

 

[Spirits]

Luckily I’d kind of given up on the season already, married a Bolts fan four years ago, and live in Florida now already.

Are you from AZ?

 

[Coaches Coroner]

ring around the rosey

 

[Summer Rose]

Are you from AZ?

Yes. Born and raised there, lived there the first 33 years of my life, and was a Coyotes season ticket holder when I lived there.