NHL Relocation and the Curse That Follows it

The desert franchise has had terrible ownership in the past. Arena problems have caused much of the rumors that they may be the next NHL relocation victim . While their current ownership is stable, with Alex Meruelo being a billionaire, they still need a permanent place to play. Since leaving Glendale, they have been playing at Mullett Arena, owned by Arizona State University. The ownership attempted to build a new arena in Tempe, but it was rejected by a public vote. Since then, the franchise has been evaluating different possible sites to build a facility. It would include retail and residential opportunities along with the hockey arena. The exception being… no public vote required.

We should know more by March 14th. The state land that the Coyotes want to bid on will be held in an auction. Then, there would be a 10-week waiting period, pushing any firm decision to June.

Because of the uncertainty of getting a new arena built, the rumors of the team relocating to Salt Lake City began to catch fire. While the NHL is interested in adding a franchise in Utah, it more than likely will be an expansion team rather than a relocation process. See, the NHL wants that juicy expansion fee which could be at about the $1 billion price tag. Add in that NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman really wants to keep an NHL team in the Phoenix area, and it becomes very intriguing.

Winnipeg May Need to Relocate

If the Jets can’t determine what is causing their attendance issue, they, too, could be facing NHL relocation rumors. They have an excellent team with a record of second place in the Central Division and will more than likely be a tough playoff opponent. The attendance issue in Winnipeg is aggravated by the fact that just 15 percent of their ticket sales are generated from business entities. Some NHL cities sell up to 50 percent to corporate sponsors.

The Jets and Chipman will have a heart-to-heart discussion with Bettman before next Tuesday’s game against the St. Louis Blues. Don’t we all wish we could be a fly on the wall for that meeting? Chipman admits there’s work to be done. “We’ve had to reinvent ourselves,” Chipman said. “For 10 years, we weren’t a sales organization; we were a service organization, and I’m not sure we were that good of a service organization, to be honest with you.”

Is it a Curse, or Just Current Economics?

We all know that the pandemic almost financially ruined the sports world. The Jets, like all other NHL teams, felt the brunt of the worldwide health issues limiting public places. They seem to be trying to fix the attendance issue, and you can be certain that Bettman and the NHL will be listening to their approach to solve the problem. While the team has the second cheapest ticket prices in Canada, they must meet the demands of the economy. They have done things to improve the team as well. Recently, they handed out $119 million in long-term contract extensions to Connor Hellebuyck and Mark Scheifele in October. They extended Nino Niederreiter in December. And they got a jump on the competition by trading a first-round pick to the Montreal Canadians for Sean Monahan during the All-Star break.

As for the Coyotes, they are forging forward even with all the controversies and negativity in the national press. Gary Bettman may, however, be at the end of his rope in waiting for the Desert Dogs to get it done. Time will tell, but how much time do they really have? Curses are like that, you just don’t what to expect or when to get ready for it.

Both Winnipeg and Arizona will try their darndest to stay put, but the intangibles are difficult to judge. Now, we wait…