EDMONTON, AB — The Arizona Coyotes could soon trade Mullett Arena for the Delta Center in Salt Lake City, according to multiple reports, with an official announcement coming as soon as April 18, the day after the Coyotes final game this season.
Now, players are speaking about the possibility of leaving Arizona for the first time since the news broke earlier this week.
"I mean, we’re blocking everything out," Coyotes left wing Lawson Crouse said. "I think last game was a great example of that. Obviously, we have three big games remaining for our group. You know, a lot of guys are up for contracts, a lot to play for, so, team game, when the team does better, everyone does better, so that’s what we’re focused on."
On Wednesday, the Coyotes beat the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in overtime on Wednesday. The game came at the end of a day of rumors that began when the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the NHL was drafting two versions of next year's schedule: One with the Coyotes in Arizona, and another with the Coyotes in Salt Lake City.
That later developed into reports that the Coyotes could be sold to the owner of the Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith, rebranded and moved to Salt Lake City. ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan report that if the team is sold, it would first be sold to the NHL. The league would then sell the team to Smith.
Whyshynski and Kaplan also reported that as part of the deal, current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo would get a chance to purchase an expansion franchise if the NHL decides to return to Arizona.
A report from Arizona Sports 98.7 FM's John Gambadoro says the official announcement about the sale could come as soon as April 18.
So far, the Coyotes have not commented on the rumors, outside of a statement posted on X by the Coyotes.Central account, which was credited to "Coyotes ownership." The official team account reposted the statement.
"Let the fans know we hear them & we are doing everything we can to keep the Coyotes in Arizona with a forever home," the statement read. "We feel their pain. It sucks. And we are sorry they have to go through this."
Coyotes general manager Bill Armstrong also flew up to Edmonton to speak to the team before tonight's game against the Oilers, according to team broadcaster Todd Walsh.
Coyotes players, coach react to relocation rumors
Coyotes right wing Clayton Keller admitted Friday that all of this has been weighing on the team.
"Yeah, I mean, it was definitely in our heads, you know," Keller said. "Just, you know, you could say it’s not a distraction sometimes, but obviously, you know, buddies, family, you know, people are always texting, keep putting it in your head. So, you know, (Coyotes head coach André Tourigny) said, like, we have another opportunity to kind of deal with the same thing and, you know, learn from our past mistakes."
"I mean, yeah, like we saw it everywhere, just like everyone, but we don’t know anything more than what everyone else is seeing, so we’re just worried about tonight, controlling what we can control and that’s all we can think about," Crouse added.
Keller said going through the Coyotes leaving Glendale to play in Tempe is helping him deal with the possibility of leaving the Valley.
"And like I’ve said, I think, you know, myself, um, you know, tried to, you know, help the other guys and the guys that have been here a while, you know, Lawson Crouse, Nick Schmaltz," Keller said. "Whether it’s different owners or moving from Glendale to Tempe or things like that, so I think you just try to focus on the hockey. And I still have an amazing job and love what I do, so I’m thankful for that."
Tourigny said he is proud of how the team is handling what is a very hard situation.
"I think it’s a tough situation for everybody. It’s a tough situation for the league, it’s a tough situation for our ownership, it’s a tough situation for everybody because there’s rumors everywhere," Tourigny said. "So I don’t, we don’t know, we, I assume everybody has stuff they can say, stuff they cannot say, it’s the same thing for everybody, so it’s not my job to comment on that. My job is just to make sure our team is ready to play in those circumstances. It’s to make sure we’re ready to fight for each other and that’s my job and that’s what I have to do. The rest is out of my, out of my hands."
Coyotes impact on the NHL
Players from around the NHL are also beginning to comment on the Coyotes possibly leaving Arizona, including Toronto's Matthew Knies, who grew up in the Valley.
"Not too happy with the situation," Knies told SportsNet Thursday. "It's pretty unfortunate. The Coyotes did a lot for me growing up, and I loved going to the games. It was a big reason as to why I got into hockey. But that kind of situation is out of my control. I'm hopeful that they can stay there, because it meant a lot to me, but I guess we're gonna have to see what happens."
Knies is the first NHL player from Arizona to comment on the Coyotes situation.
Over the past few years, the impact of the Coyotes moving from Winnipeg to the Valley almost 30 years ago has been felt in the NHL.
This year, Toronto's Auston Matthews is the league's top scorer with 68 goals. Matthews grew up in Scottsdale. His teammate, Knies, grew up in Phoenix.
Ottawa Senators captain Brady Tkachuk was born in Arizona, as was his brother, Matthew, who plays for the Florida Panthers. Their father, Keith, moved with the Coyotes from Winnipeg and played in Arizona from 1996 to 2001.
Other players born in the Valley include Buffalo Sabres right wing Tage Thompson (Phoenix), Philadelphia Flyers center Sean Coutruier (Phoenix), Montreal Canadiens right wing Jesse Ylönen (Scottsdale), Ottawa center Mark Kastelic (Phoenix) and Coyotes right win Josh Doan (Scottsdale).
Doan's father is Coyotes legend Shane Doan, who played in Arizona for 20 years. Doan is Arizona's all-time leader in goals (402), assists (570), points (972), power play goals (128), game-winning goals (69) and games played (1540).
All of the players mentioned above, except for Courturier, were born after the Coyotes moved to Arizona in 1996. Courturier was born in 1992.
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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