Coyotes announce newest arena plan in Phoenix suburbs

Stop if you've heard this before: The Arizona Coyotes have a plan to build a new arena that will keep them in the state.

The team announced that it is in the process of purchasing land in Mesa, Ariz., Phoenix's largest suburb that is located east of the city. This comes nearly three months after Tempe voters rejected a proposal to build a new arena and entertainment complex in their city.

In their statement, the Coyotes spoke of their intent to finally put an end to their vagabond saga in the state:

"We can confirm that Coyotes Owner, Chairman & Governor Alex Meruelo has executed a Letter of Intent to purchase a parcel of land located in Mesa, Arizona to be the potential site for a sports arena and entertainment district for the Club. The Coyotes remain committed to building the first privately funded sports facility in Arizona history and ensuring the Valley as the Club's permanent home. In addition to this property in Mesa, the Club will continue to explore other potential sites in the East Valley."

The Coyotes will play a second season at Mullet Arena, a 5,000-seat venue on the campus of Arizona State University. The team ended up at ASU after basically being evicted from its previous suburban home, Gila River Arena (now Desert Diamond Arena) in Glendale after the 2021-22 season.

The original Winnipeg Jets relocated to Phoenix for the 1996-97 season as part of the NHL's new push to Southern and Western markets in the United States. After playing in the home of the Phoenix Suns and Mercury, then-America West Arena (now the Footprint Center) for three seasons, the Coyotes moved to Glendale in hopes that having their own venue would allow them to reap all the financial benefits. Between ownership changes — including the NHL taking over the team — and financial mismanagement, instability has been the only constant in the franchise since moving from Canada.

Building a new arena isn't the only problem facing the 'Yotes. The future of Bally Sports Arizona is also up in the air after the Suns, Mercury and Diamondbacks left the regional sports channel in recent months. The Coyotes stated that they are committed to the channel for now but will consider options on where games will be broadcast in the near future.