Okay, well Salt Lake City, Utah is in the NHL news headlines again today. So, basically all this is is a confirmation of part of the information that was provided last time. Ryan Smith the current owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, seems to be heading the drive to move this forward.
The More We Listen, the More We Learn About the NHL’s Move to Salt Lake City
Updated link, there is still work to be done, but Coyotes players and staff addressed about move to Utah by GM:https://t.co/BcOhfrUzIx
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) April 13, 2024
When you are receiving tweets from Elliotte Friedman, you listen. He’s always the first one to break the big news. We look to be in an evolving, fluid transition period. When more possibilities are revealed, the more everyone seems to know.
The confirmation that happened tonight was that the Arizona Coyotes players were indeed informed of a meeting. That is big news. Furthermore, it is now expected that players and staff of the Coyotes franchise will visit Salt Lake City. Wednesday, after the game, they will travel there and check out the facilities. Therefore, with all the facts considered a move to Salt Lake City is possible at this time. We say possible, because given the venue availability of the Delta Center, it is a huge cost to the NHL to not play in Utah. We shall see what the NHL ultimately does in the offseason.
Then, it does appear Friedman confirmed the team is moving. However, the open-ended nature of it, leaves some uncertainty. Why, probably because it is such a huge price tag to relocate, would the vendors be able to distribute the balance of power in time.
What’s Good for the Goose, Is Good for the Coyotes
There is a different feel amongst the Coyotes players these days. Players like Dylan Guenther, Logan Cooley, and of course, Clayton Keller, want to win, know they are good enough to win, and are already extremely talented at the NHL level. In addition, the Coyotes boast a very strong defence. Conversely, that was used to leverage the trade deadline return, so more power to them.
Main photo: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports