Report: Coyotes Play In Utah On Version Of 2024-25 NHL Schedule Draft

PHOENIX – The NHL is currently drafting a 2024-25 schedule that includes two versions, and one has the Arizona Coyotes franchise playing in Salt Lake City, Utah, reports Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli.

Combined with Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reporting that Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo spoke with potential buyers for the team and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith going to the public with questions about what to name a hockey franchise that he’s already publicly stumped to own in the near future, it raises questions about whether the Coyotes could be on the move.

The NHL is reportedly drafting a 2024-25 schedule to prep for the Coyotes playing in Salt Lake City. https://t.co/6FEXg2dWnX

— Arizona Sports (@AZSports) April 10, 2024

More from Seravalli:

As the NHL has been working on dual paths, multiple sources indicate Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo is intimately involved in both. The first, of course, involves the Coyotes remaining in the Phoenix area by building a new arena via Arizona State Land Trust auction, which is scheduled for June 27.

In Arizona, the Coyotes have remained steadfast that Meruelo is targeting a piece of land in northeast Phoenix to build a new arena. However, the team would not be able to own that land until winning a June 27 auction.

A potential move to Utah is the latest news on the Coyotes’ plans after a failed public vote in May squashed the NHL franchise’s plans to build a new arena in Tempe.

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Seravalli reports that Meruelo could sell to Smith Entertainment Group for more than $1.2 billion, which would include a relocation fee. Smith has said the Jazz’s home arena, Delta Center, is capable of hosting hockey until a new hockey-focused arena is built.

Sources: #NHL is drafting two schedule versions for next season – one with #Yotes in Arizona, another with the relocated franchise playing in Salt Lake City.

Fluid situation. Lots of moving parts. Details on dual paths and a potential transaction.

Link: https://t.co/wvc66RJpT9 pic.twitter.com/mI98R6GEU8

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) April 10, 2024

“We are interested. We are ready, and we’re a partner,” Smith told The Athletic. “The arena is done. We think we have a solution. And that’s my message to the NHL.”

Servalli added that the situation remains fluid.

Sources continually cautioned that no deal is done, Meruelo remains steadfast in his belief that he can build a gleaming new palace for the Desert Dogs, and the NHL is working hard to avoid a long and protracted battle that could surface if Meruelo is not satisfied with the terms of a transaction. Sources briefed on the ongoing discussions indicated Meruelo could receive up to $1 billion for the Coyotes. The exact figures of the proposed transaction are speculated and all details and mechanics of a proposed deal remain fluid.

The Arizona State Land Department last Thursday listed the auction for the tract of land on the northwest corner of the Loop 101 and Scottsdale Road near Desert Ridge Marketplace.

The tract of land would require the Coyotes to pay for development costs such as water, sewage and additional roadway changes to handle large crowds of an entertainment district. Neighboring Scottsdale and the Arizona State Land Department have written in some requirements about what would be on the team, though Meruelo in a statement acknowledged he could be on the hook for $100 million just to develop the land that is currently without utilities.

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