Chiefs' Patrick Mahomes suggests NHL's Coyotes move to Kansas City

The Coyotes have had a perilous existence since moving to Arizona from Winnipeg in 1996. The franchise has dealt with owners going bankrupt, years of NHL control and, most recently, a failed vote this week for an arena project that may finally end the Coyotes' time in Arizona.  

The Coyotes will probably stay in Arizona at least through the 2023-24 season, but their destination after that is truly unknown. While the usual suspects, such as Houston and Quebec City, have already been mentioned as potential homes, Kansas City is also in the conversation. 

Hockey is not foreign to Kansas City, nor the Hunt family, who signs Mahomes' paychecks. Lamar Hunt Jr. owns the Kansas City Monarchs of the East Coast Hockey League, an affiliate of the NHL's Seattle Kraken. With enough push from Mahomes and others, the Hunt family might jump deeper into the hockey pool. 

While Kansas City has supported its fair share of minor league hockey clubs, its NHL history isn't as rosy. Granted an expansion team by the NHL in 1974, the Kansas City Scouts, better known as the New Jersey Devils, in 2023.

The Scouts lasted only two seasons in Kansas City, moving to Colorado in 1976. The franchise remained the Colorado Rockies until 1982 before moving to New Jersey to become the Devils we know today. 

The city's most recent brush with the NHL could have gone better too. In 2007, the Pittsburgh Penguins seemed destined for Kansas City after being offered the T-Mobile Center rent-free. However, the deal fell through, and the Penguins ultimately stayed in Pittsburgh after pulling off an agreement to build PPG Paints Arena.