Arizona Coyotes staff members laid off, furloughed

The Arizona Coyotes are yet another professional sports franchise to have laid off and furloughed staff members because of financial difficulties caused by the coronavirus pandemic. 

While the Associated Press (h/t ESPN) was able to confirm the cuts, the Coyotes didn't announce how many staff members lost their jobs or which departments within the franchise were affected by the decisions. 

ESPN obtained and shared an official club statement: 

"These are incredibly challenging times for everyone and we've had to make some extremely difficult decisions. Today, we reduced our operations to help us deal with this unprecedented health and financial situation. We care deeply about all our team members and understand the impact this will have on them and their families."

Arizona took part in the 24-team NHL resumption held inside hubs in Toronto and Edmonton to crown a 2019-20 Stanley Cup champion. The Coyotes advanced past the Nashville Predators in the Stanley Cup qualifier series but lost four of five to the Colorado Avalanche in the tournament's opening round. 

With the virus continuing to spread throughout the country, NHL teams can only guess when fans will again be permitted to watch games inside arenas. Both the NHL and American Hockey League are targeting early December for the starts of 2020-21 campaigns, but Canadian quarantine restrictions could prevent teams from traveling to and from the United States for the foreseeable future. 

As noted by BBC News, the Canadian border remains closed to non-essential travel through at least Sept. 21. That closure has repeatedly been extended throughout the pandemic.