Arizona Coyotes

The story behind the Arizona Coyotes has been bizarre. Highlights of this NHL franchise's history include the league taking ownership at one point and the team playing in a temporary arena that seats less than 5,000 without plans for a permanent home.

For years, I have just wanted the situation to be resolved. This could be finding a way to succeed in Arizona, or it could be relocation. You might think that I'm pleased now that the league has announced relocation, but I still have big issues. For starters, the league completely mishandled the situation. They did a ton to keep the team in Arizona, but it seems odd that they waited to push for relocation until there were plans for a new arena. Another big issue is that even though there were rumors circulating about the move, there was no official statement on the issue until after the team played their last game.

Before I go any further, I'm not the biggest fan of people claiming that a team has been stolen. Arizona had multiple opportunities to resolve this situation. In the end, the league could no longer justify the arena situation.

Starting next season, the Coyotes will be playing under a different name in an arena that might be an improvement but still has concerns. I have heard rumors that the league has required upgrades, but I have not heard anything along these lines from official sources. Even if they make upgrades, will that be sufficient to turn it into a suitable arena? As far as I can tell, the league fixed the problems with an unsuitable arena by relocating the team to a different unsuitable arena.

Residents of Utah have a response to this concern. There are plans for a new arena. Although it appears that they are further along in the process, this new arena is not yet in development. There are still ways in which their plans can fall apart. It seems to me that these plans should have been solidified before the league agreed to relocation.

Even if they get the new arena, I'm not sold on this move. Like Arizona, Utah is not a traditional hockey market. For a non-traditional market, the Salt Lake City area is probably too small. For years, the Coyotes playing out of Glendale was considered a problem. Glendale is larger than Salt Lake City. The metro area the Coyotes were playing in is much larger than the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. There might be success in the first couple of years due to the novelty value of the new team, but can an NHL team have sustained success in a small non-traditional market?

What about the Jazz? They seem to have succeeded in that market. There are actually two big issues with a potential comparison. The first matches what I have already been saying. Utah is not a traditional hockey market. Any place with asphalt could be considered a traditional basketball market. I don't think there's any question that Utahans have an easier time warming up to basketball than hockey.

Something that a lot of people might overlook is how there are competitive elements between these leagues. There's not much to do in Utah. The lack of competition in the region really benefits the Jazz. Adding an NHL team can drastically change this situation. If an NBA team can succeed without a competing NHL team, why should we assume that an NHL team can succeed with a competing NBA team?

Perhaps Utah can prove that my concerns are misguided. Keep in mind what I wrote earlier. I want the situation with this team resolved. There are a lot of things that seem like they can go wrong. I am going to need some convincing. Until then, it feels like the problems have been moved rather than resolved.

There are definitely problems with the arena situation in Arizona. With plans emerging for a new arena, I think they could have found another solution. One possibility would be to temporarily require the team relocate. They still could move the team to Salt Lake City. They could then allow that market to prove themselves. If the Coyotes had a new arena, they could move back. This would also allow Salt Lake City to prove themselves if an expansion or relocation opportunity becomes available. If the Coyotes failed, either Salt Lake City could become their permanent home, or they could find a permanent home elsewhere.

Rumors indicated that the league would likely expand back to Arizona once an arena was built. The official announcement seems to back the rumors. The Coyotes are considered inactive, and they intend to reactivate the team if they build an arena in the next five years. That would make 33 teams, but they don't usually expand by a single team. Even in the case of Las Vegas, they were clearly waiting for an arena to be built in Seattle. If they add another team in Arizona, they will likely add another team elsewhere. At this point, the league is already too large. I am not a fan of this solution.