TEMPE. Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes will likely be sold to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith shortly after the team’s final game and will include a provision guaranteeing current owner Alex Meruelo an expansion team if a new arena is built within five years, a person with knowledge of the deal told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The $1 billion sale is expected to happen between the Coyotes’ final game of the 2023-24 season on Wednesday and the start of the playoffs on Saturday, barring unforeseen circumstances, the person said on condition of anonymity because the planned deal has not been announced.
The deal will transfer the franchise’s hockey operations first to the NHL and then to Smith, who plans to move the team to Salt Lake City, and Meruelo will maintain business operations to move forward with a planned $3 billion project that will include a new arena in north Phoenix. Meruelo also will continue to own the Tucson Roadrunners, the franchise’s AHL affiliate, and plans to move that team to Mullett Arena in Tempe, the current temporary home of the Coyotes.
Meruelo and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman are expected to announce the deal at a joint news conference next week once the deal is completed. Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong traveled to Edmonton on Friday night to inform players and coaches of the team’s plans after news of the potential relocation to Salt Lake City was leaked.
“We are focused on a myriad of issues that are unresolved and therefore we are unable to make any official comments at this time,” Meruelo said in a statement released on Saturday. “However, you have my commitment that I am going to speak on all of these issues and publicly address all of your concerns as promptly as possible.”
The NHL had supported the Coyotes’ plan to buy a tract of land at auction to build a new arena, but was hesitant to have the team continue playing at 5,000-seat Mullett Arena, which they share with Arizona State University’s hockey team. The Coyotes had hoped to close a deal on the land valued at $68 million by the end of last year before delays pushed the auction until June.
Meruelo has been adamant about not wanting to sell the team and rebuffed numerous offers through the years, but is going through with the deal because he felt it was unfair to the players to continue playing in an arena that’s not up to NHL standards, the person said. The uncertainty of the land auction meant the Coyotes couldn’t guarantee a new arena was built, which, given the franchise’s past struggles finding a permanent home, led the NHL to push Meruelo to seek other options.
The Coyotes have been on uncertain ground almost since the day the franchise relocated from Winnipeg in 1996.
In recent years, the city of Glendale ended a lease agreement with the team at Gila Arena, forcing the Coyotes to play the past two seasons at Mullett Arena, which has a seating capacity of just 4,600 for NHL games. The Coyotes had hoped to build a $2.3 billion entertainment district with a new arena in Tempe, but voters overwhelmingly turned down the referendum last year.
SATURDAY’S GAMES
RANGERS 3, ISLANDERS 2: Artemi Panarin scored late in the third period to tie game and then tallied the shootout winner as the Rangers set a franchise record with their 54th win.
Igor Shesterkin made 33 saves, Braden Schneider scored a short-handed goal and Vincent Trocheck ended the shootout with a goal as the Rangers inched closer to winning the Presidents’ Trophy for the NHL’s best regular-season record. New York is one point ahead of Dallas, with one game left for each team.
The Islanders, meanwhile, moved closer to clinching a playoff spot, thanks to their late-season surge under Patrick Roy who replaced Lane Lambert as head coach on Jan. 20. The Islanders are two points away from clinching third in the Metropolitan Division, with two games remaining.
PANTHERS 3, SABRES 2: Sam Reinhart got his 55th goal of the season with 1:02 left in overtime, and Florida clinched home ice for at least Round 1 of the Stanley Cup playoffs by beating visiting Buffalo.
The Panthers moved one point ahead of Boston for first place in the Atlantic Division, though the Bruins had three games remaining entering Saturday night’s game at Pittsburgh, while Florida has just one game left.
STARS 3, KRAKEN 1: Defenseman Miro Heiskanen had a goal and two assists, and Jason Robertson added a goal and an assist as Dallas won at home to clinch the Central Division title for the first time in eight years.
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