It looks like the Arizona Coyotes are staying put. They have agreed to a three-year deal with the Arizona State University Sun Devils. They will share the Sun Devils’ home arena until the arena in Tempe is constructed.
BREAKING: AZ Board of Regents has approved capital development plan for ASU’s multi-purpose arena that includes Coyotes’ added team areas at NE corner.
ASU will be Coyotes’ temporary home for at least 3 seasons (approved for more) as they await word on proposed Tempe arena. pic.twitter.com/WU7KyT1K8u— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) February 10, 2022
Arizona Coyotes Agree to Deal With ASU For New Arena
The deal with ASU will be a three-year deal. The current project in Tempe hasn’t been moving along as well as both the NHL and the Coyotes wanted. Unfortunately, it has been delayed due to legal issues and problems with the city of Tempe.
As a temporary fix, the Coyotes will play on ASU’s campus until the Tempe project is done, with the capacity for the arena being an eye-watering 5,000 people, which puts them below the Winnipeg Jets for the smallest arena in the NHL. This new arena gives them a temporary space to call home and gets them out of Glendale after the relationship between the team and the city fell apart after the Coyotes began missing rent payments due to severe financial issues.
The current deal has a lot of NHL fans up in arms. A lot of people are complaining about how viable NHL markets have been denied teams, but the Coyotes continue to lose money.
For the first time in a long time, the Atlanta Thrashers have been in the conversation. Many people are mentioning how quickly the NHL gave up on them, but have kept the Coyotes on life support for almost three decades.
How This Determines The Future Of The Coyotes
As mentioned earlier, this is a temporary fix until the Tempe arena is finished. Although it wouldn’t be surprising at all if this were the
This decision stirred a lot of controversies when the proposal was first revealed. There are many questions about the financial health of the Coyotes in the desert. These questions will only increase with such a small arena. Also, cities like Houston and Quebec City have been pestering the NHL about getting a team. It will only be a matter of time until something changes.
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