Who’s to Blame for Coyotes Relocation?

Not to mention, the players’ lives are changing drastically by moving to a completely different state without very much notice. This isn’t like being traded where it might be expected or something of that nature; their careers are being flipped. While there is lots of uncertainty regarding the entire situation and there’s still plenty of news to come out in the coming weeks, people now ponder and ask, who’s to blame for the relocation?

Many Coyotes fans will blame owner Alex Meruelo and solely Meruelo, and while lots of that is likely justified, plenty of other actions went down to put the blame on. If they had won the Tempe Entertainment District vote, that would’ve put relocation rumors to rest. Things could have worked out if they didn’t move out of what was known to be, Gila River Arena in Glendale.

Now let’s see who is likely to hold most of the blame for losing what was, as we know them, the Coyotes.

1. Owner, Alex Meruelo

When you ask a Coyotes fan who to blame for the relocation of the troubled franchise, they’ll likely respond with Meruelo’s name, and it’s 100 percent warranted. Meruelo, who bought the team in the summer of 2019, has always had an interesting relationship with the fans. For starters, he rarely, if ever, speaks to the media or any outlets of that nature. While that has its positives, it also has plenty of drawbacks, as it looks like he doesn’t care, and to some fans, that’s how they see him.

So why would it be Meruelo’s fault? At the end of the day, it’s the NHL moving the Coyotes to Salt Lake City, right? Well, not quite. Yes, commissioner Gary Bettman is playing a big role in this whole situation, but Meruelo is allowing it to happen. After the disastrous Tempe Entertainment District vote was shot down, the message was that he was going to remain committed to Arizona and to the fans and players of the team. But then, out of nowhere, comes the news of relocation, with Meruelo making a profit of nearly $600 million. This sudden decision and the significant profit he stands to make is seen by many as a betrayal at its finest. 

“There has been a lot of discussion in recent days about the future of the Arizona Coyotes,” Meruelo said. “I understand and empathize with the concerns of our fans, our community, our partners, our players, our front office, and all of our team members. I hope to address these issues as soon as I am able to speak on the topics. We are focused on a myriad of issues that are unresolved, and therefore we are unable to make any official public comments at this time. However, you have my commitment that I am going to speak on all of these issues and publicly address all of your concerns as promptly as possible.”

This was the message he sent to fans on April 13, the first time he’s spoken since the news initially broke. Not only that, but he wasn’t even the person to tell the players they were relocating; general manager (GM) Bill Armstrong did. While yes, he’s the GM, he’s by no means expected to break the news that their lives are going to be changed and their careers will take a turn. This lack of leadership and communication is not only unfair to the fans, but especially to the players who deserve so much more. They should absolutely not be hearing news and updates at the same time fans are; that’s not cool. 

If Meruelo wins the highly anticipated June 27 auction in north Phoenix, it’s said he’ll have a shot at the Coyotes returning, this time as an expansion franchise, whenever that may be. He would have to cross several bridges to reach that point, but building an arena would be step one. Regardless, though, he’s lost the trust of most of the fanbase with this entire situation, and while not all the information is public, he’s handled it very poorly, and his efforts in the past and present show that. 

2. Tempe Vote

After the Coyotes decided to sign a multi-year deal with Arizona State University to play at Mullett Arena, change was on the horizon, and at the time, it seemed like it was for the better. The formerly named Gila River Arena wasn’t drawing in fans due to the far commute in Glendale, and the team was entering yet another rebuild. Along with the already uneven relationship between the city of Glendale, it was time to move on.

This led them to submit the proposed project to the council and people of Tempe, and that’s where the real kicker comes in. They had to climb the hill to convince people that this project was privately funded and would not cost taxpayer dollars. While getting that message across seems like it would be no issue, it was for the Coyotes for various reasons. One was a very poorly run campaign that started much later than its counterpart, Tempe First, which opposed the project.

Ultimately, they were outclassed and out-schooled by a much smaller group and, quite frankly, were flat-out embarrassed. It was a disaster for everyone involved with the Coyotes, as the next steps were unknown. If they had pulled off the Tempe vote as they should’ve, they would no longer be dealing with relocation rumors. They would be close if they had not already been cleaning up the landfill that resided on the plot of land, which is still there today.

We can’t reverse time, but having the Tempe vote go in the Coyotes’ favor would likely have saved them from relocation.

3. Mullett Arena

One of the key reasons for the relocation is the unsuitability of Mullett Arena for NHL games. Originally built to house Arizona State hockey, among other sports such as volleyball and even concerts, it simply does not meet the requirements of an NHL arena, with a capacity of just 4,600 people. For comparison, Bell Centre, home to the Montreal Canadiens, holds nearly five times more than Mullett Arena can. This stark difference in capacity underscores the need for a more suitable venue for the Coyotes.

It’s also true that the experience for the players and fans was not ideal. Sure, it was a unique experience for an East Coast team to come over to play once every year. Still, for the Coyotes to play 41 games there each season, it was a situation that needed resolving quickly, mainly because they would’ve been at Mullett Arena until at least through the 2027-28 season, as the new arena would need time to be built. Due to this, the NHL wanted a fixture to this entire sticky situation and as it turns out, relocation was the best option.

Nonetheless, Mullett Arena is not an NHL arena, and the NHL and the Coyotes observed that, which is likely the main reason why the Coyotes are heading to Salt Lake City.

Next Steps Include Many Hurdles for Coyotes

While plenty of other people and places could be blamed for the Coyotes’ relocation to Salt Lake City, there’s no need to, as we’d be here for days. But now, for the entire organization heading north to Utah, plenty of challenges and hurdles will be faced. The arena is number one. Delta Center isn’t tabbed as an NHL arena, so significant renovations must be done. It’s also fair to assume several players won’t want to play in Salt Lake City. That could cause an array of issues for Armstrong, who already has waves of draft capital for years to come. While this situation is very fluid and has several moving parts, make sure to follow The Hockey Writers for the latest updates.