(NHL) Arizona Coyotes Told Their Arena Lease is Terminated as of 2022, Should They Leave Arizona?

[PGen98]

I don't know how many hockey fans we have here, but I find this to be an interesting point of discussion and hopefully others will, as well.  The City of Glendale have informed the NHL's Arizona Coyotes that they will not be renewing their lease on the Gila River Arena as of the 2022-2023 season.  This leaves the Arizona Coyotes with nowhere to play their home games after this upcoming season.  This begs the question -- After a torrid time in Glendale, does the team pick up and leave Arizona, or do they stay and find a new home?

Some out of state suitors have already proclaimed their interest in having the Coyotes come to their town to play, including:

-Houston, Texas -- As a Stars fan I like this.  It opens up a new rivalry for the Stars, it keeps the Coyotes in the Central division so there's no more shuffling again, and they have facilities the Coyotes could move into quickly, along with ownership groups willing to put up a lot of money into the team.

-Kansas City, Kansas -- Another suitor, Kansas City, have stepped forward as a potential suitor, as they have facilities, willing investors and also keep the team in the Central division, so they are strong runners in any potential out-of-state move.

-Quebec City, Quebec -- Desperate to restore their Nordiques, Quebec are always a front runner whenever relocation is mentioned, and this is no exception.  I don't see this as a fit as it would cause too much disruption in the divisions which were just recently reshuffled to accommodate the arrival of the Seattle Kraken into the league.  So, good option, but no.

What i personally think will happen is that the Coyotes will stay in Arizona, share facilities with the Tucson Roadrunners until their new facility is built in...Tempe, Arizona.  Tempe have tried to get the Coyotes to move their way in the past and they're hot in the market once again, with a vibrant college atmosphere and quite close to Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, it makes a lot of sense as a location, and it appears the Coyotes are already scouting locations here.  Many want them to move to Scottsdale, but this does not seem like a fit for the team, so I'm backing them to stay in Arizona and to settle in Tempe, in particular.

[The Blackangel]

I'm a hockey nut as well. My team is the Red Wings.

As for relocation, if they do leave Arizona behind, I would like to see them go to KC. Being a Missouri native, it would give another team here and lessen the hometown bullshit that everyone has towards the god damn blues. The blues is the one team in the league that I can't stand. I would love to see the team dissolved and the players recruited to other teams.

But the Coyotes have a lot of reason to move, not just the ending of the lease. They have never really brought enough revenue to the state for them to keep up with the cost of a professional hockey team. If they were in a different part of the country it would be different. But the in southwest part of the US, they just don't usually have interest in "winter" sports. NFL, NBA, MLB are always going strong down there, but the NHL just doesn't have that hold.

Not only do we have to accommodate for the Kraken, but also the Golden Knights. They are just a couple seasons older than the Kraken. So the NHL is still adjusting to that. I know Quebec would love to have another team, but I honestly don't see them crossing the border.

They'll stick around, but I'm pretty sure not in Arizona.

[PGen98]

On 9/11/2021 at 1:00 PM, The Blackangel said:

I'm a hockey nut as well. My team is the Red Wings.

As for relocation, if they do leave Arizona behind, I would like to see them go to KC. Being a Missouri native, it would give another team here and lessen the hometown bullshit that everyone has towards the god damn blues. The blues is the one team in the league that I can't stand. I would love to see the team dissolved and the players recruited to other teams.

But the Coyotes have a lot of reason to move, not just the ending of the lease. They have never really brought enough revenue to the state for them to keep up with the cost of a professional hockey team. If they were in a different part of the country it would be different. But the in southwest part of the US, they just don't usually have interest in "winter" sports. NFL, NBA, MLB are always going strong down there, but the NHL just doesn't have that hold.

Not only do we have to accommodate for the Kraken, but also the Golden Knights. They are just a couple seasons older than the Kraken. So the NHL is still adjusting to that. I know Quebec would love to have another team, but I honestly don't see them crossing the border.

They'll stick around, but I'm pretty sure not in Arizona.

I completely agree with you, KC would be a great market for hockey, and the Blues could do with a team in their own back yard taking away from their fanbase!  Houston is another possibility, which would make for an interesting rivalry with the Stars, and either market would suit the needs of the divisions, so there are definitely options.  I don't see the Coyotes folding anytime soon, but I do think it's well within the realm of possibility that they make a change in their location.