Coyotes, NHL reportedly making progress towards relocation to Salt Lake City

The Arizona Coyotes have struggled to find a new home arena like they had expected. Currently playing at the 5,000-seat Mullett Arena, the home facility of the Arizona State Sun Devils, the Coyotes were banking on landing a new arena in Tempe in addition to an entertainment district, but that lost by double digits in a vote last May. Even with the crushing defeat, the Coyotes had expressed their persistence to keep the team in the Grand Canyon State.

But now, it appears the NHL is ready to move on, just in case their latest plan doesn't pan out.

Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reported earlier Wednesday that the NHL had created two schedules for the 2024-25 seasons, one in Arizona, and the other in Salt Lake City, Utah. Then, hours later, Seravalli followed up, saying that the NHL, Coyotes, and Smith Entertainment Group made "significant progress on the framework" to relocate the team to Salt Lake City.

Smith Entertainment Group is led by Ryan Smith, the current owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz. The Coyotes name would be rebranded upon finalization of an agreement, which could come as soon as Apr. 18, per Seravalli.

Coyotes reportedly making progress towards relocating to Salt Lake City

Seravalli notes that this is still far from a done deal, citing that lawyers will be getting involved, so it could take a while. However, Seravalli notes that the NHL sent a memo to the Board of Governors on Wednesday.

This comes after the Coyotes unveiled their plans and draw-ups of a new arena and entertainment district in North Phoenix last week. But first, they needed to win a land auction set for June 27. Again, the Coyotes unveiled their plan without even securing the land for a new arena yet. A bit of overconfidence in the organization for releasing their plans without security of having the location in their possession.

As for the Salt Lake City relocation, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo would sell the team to the Smith Entertainment Group for $1.2 billion, which would cover the fees and to split $300 million among all NHL owners, per ESPN's Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski. The Coyotes would play in the Jazz's home arena, the Delta Center until a new arena can be built to house both teams. Per Kaplan and Wyshynski, the NHL owners want the Delta Center to have proper renovations to house the NHL team, which Smith is willing to do.

While the Coyotes have expressed a desire to stay in Arizona, their options are running out. The team has until the end of the 2026-27 season until their agreement with the Mullett Arena runs out. While they did plan to bid on the land in north Phoenix, it appears the team and the NHL are seriously considering selling and moving the team to Salt Lake City.

UPDATE: On Friday, Coyotes players were informed by general manager Bill Armstrong that the team is expected to be relocated to Salt Lake City after this season. The players were also told they would be invited to Salt Lake City to check out the facility and the city once the season ended. These comments came before the Coyotes' 3-2 overtime win over the Edmonton Oilers on Friday night.