Salt Lake City's NHL Buzz: Coyotes Relocation Imminent?

Crunch Time for NHL Expansion in Salt Lake City

Are you ready for some fresh ice? The NHL has been cooking up plans that might just bring the heat to Salt Lake City in the form of a brand new hockey team—and get this, it could all go down by this fall! Stealthily and in the public eye, the gears are turning. The big question on everyone's mind: will the Arizona Coyotes pack their bags for Utah? 🏒

Ryan Smith, the hotshot potential owner and Utah Jazz bigwig, threw a hail mary earlier this week, rallying fans for team name ideas. Now the word on the street is that the NHL's got its hands on not one, but two schedule drafts—one for the Coyotes staying put, and another with a shiny new team lighting up Salt Lake City.

"We still have some time," says Commissioner Gary Bettman, playing it cool on the deadline for these draft schedules. But let's be real, late June is right around the corner, and with the Stanley Cup, the draft, and free agency season kicking off on July 1st, it's showtime, people!

Will the Coyotes Find a Den in Salt Lake City?

While the NHL's been tight-lipped on their dual schedule shenanigans, word's already out that they've been whispering in team owner's ears with juicy memos about the potential move. Speculators are speculating, and Smith Entertainment Group's been tossing out hints faster than a slapshot!

Utah's tipping the scales with its upcoming 2034 Winter Olympics gig, making it hard to ignore its siren call. Now, let's spill the beans: the NHL Players' Association's Marty Walsh? Not the Coyotes' biggest fan due to their less-than-ideal digs at a 5,000-seat spot in Tempe.

Rolling out the red carpet isn't new to Smith, who's been courting the NHL since last year, all wide-eyed with visions of Utah as a prime hockey hotspot. We're talking possible price tags with $1 billion written all over, folks. Salt Lake City's got the Delta Center raring to go and plans for a spanking new arena down the line.

So, fans, friends, and frozen puck aficionados, keep your eyes peeled: will Arizona wave goodbye to the Coyotes, or can we expect a shakedown in Utah? One thing's for sure, the NHL's not dousing the expansion flames anytime soon.