The Coyotes could soon be on the move.
Arizona's NHL club has a cloudy future after a recent vote for a new arena in Tempe failed to pass. With the Coyotes having no pending site to play out of, it could force the NHL's hand to relocate the franchise.
The news of the Coyotes potentially moving isn't necessarily anything new. The franchise has struggled out in the desert since relocating from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996, with poor management, disagreements with cities and underwhelming on-ice performance playing factors.
However, it has never gotten to the point it has now, and a decision on the future of the club is likely to come in the next few weeks.
According to ESPN's Greg Wyshynski, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that the Coyotes are going to play next season at Mullett Arena, the rink on Arizona State's campus that the programs shared this past year. However, after 2023-24, it's up in the air.
Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on his latest 32 Thoughts podcast that there are a number of cities already being considered by the NHL if the Coyotes do end up having to relocate.
MORE: What to know about Coyotes' future after rejected Tempe arena plan
The Sporting News takes a look at the potential relocation cities for Arizona if the team is forced to move.
Potential Coyotes NHL relocation cities
Atlanta
- Pro Teams: Falcons (NFL), Hawks (NBA), Braves (MLB)
- Arena Status: Built (State Farm Arena)
- Market Size: Ranked 6th in the U.S.
Could the third time be the charm for Atlanta? Almost every time a new location for an NHL team is discussed, Atlanta is always brought up as a potential destination.
The region is the largest market in the U.S. that does not currently have an NHL team. An NHL club could move right back into State Farm Arena, which is the current home of the Hawks and the former host site of the Atlanta Thrashers, the league's second attempt at having hockey in Georgia.
That, of course, is the downside to Atlanta. The NHL has tried twice to have a hockey team in the city and both times have failed. The Thrashers operated from 1999 to 2011, when the franchise was moved to Winnipeg and became the Jets. There also was the Atlanta Flames which were in the league from 1972 to 1980 when the club was relocated to Calgary.
Not only that, but Atlanta is in the east and would require another team to be moved to the Western Conference. Based on Friedman's reporting, the NHL would rather keep the Coyotes franchise out west rather than shuffling around conferences again.
Houston
- Pro Teams: Texans (NFL), Rockets (NBA), Astros (MLB)
- Arena Status: Built (Toyota Center)
- Market Size: Ranked 7th in the U.S.
One of the most logical destinations for a hockey team is Houston. The city, located about 240 miles south of Dallas, home of the Stars, is the second-largest U.S. market that does not currently have a hockey team, trailing only Atlanta. It also is one of the few cities that has a professional team in the NBA, NFL and MLB, but not NHL.
While it would be the city's first NHL team, hockey has been in Houston before. The Houston Aeros, the former AHL affiliate of the Wild, operated from 2003 to 2013 before the franchise was relocated to Iowa.
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One of the positives for Houston is that there already is an arena that can house hockey games. The Toyota Center, home to the NBA's Rockets, previously hosted the Aeros and is built for hockey games.
In addition, the Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has been very open about bringing an NHL team to Houston since acquiring the NBA franchise in 2017.
Kansas City
- Pro Teams: Chiefs (NFL), Royals (MLB)
- Arena Status: Built (T-Mobile Center)
- Market Size: Ranked 33rd in the U.S.
Could another NHL franchise be coming to the Midwest? Kansas City is seen as a potential option for the Coyotes to relocate to, which would give the NHL two teams in the region, joining the Blues who are out of St. Louis.
The city already has two professional teams the Royals and Chiefs. Additionally, the ECHL already has a team in the city as well, as the Kansas City Mavericks joined the league in 2016.
The knock on Kansas City is that, like Atlanta, the NHL has tried a team in the city and it didn't pan out. The Kansas City Scouts were an expansion team in 1974, but lasted just two seasons before the franchise was relocated to Colorado, and then New Jersey, where they are the Devils today.
There is the T-Mobile Center available to house a hockey club, which is the city's primary indoor arena and can fit roughly 17,500 fans for hockey. However, it has never hosted a hockey team before and would need to be approved by the NHL.
The Mavericks play out of Cable Dahmer Arena, which only houses 5,800, not nearly enough for an NHL team. Hy-Vee Arena, previously known as Kemper Arena when it was the old home of the Scouts, was downsized to a youth sports and gym facility in 2017, wiping that out as an option.
Sacramento
- Pro Teams: Kings (NBA)
- Arena Status: Needs to be built
- Market Size: Ranked 20th in the U.S.
Sacramento doesn't immediately jump out when you think of expansion locations, but the Northern California city is reportedly in the mix for a hockey club.
A club in Sacramento would give the league four teams in California, joining the Ducks, Sharks and Kings. The league has enjoyed success out on the West Coast and there's reason to believe a team in Sacramento would work.
If the Coyotes were to move to Sacramento, then either a new arena would need to be built, or the Golden 1 Center would need to be renovated for hockey. The facility, home to the Sacramento Kings, currently is built for only basketball and concerts.
The possibility of the Golden 1 Center being retrofitted was discussed in 2019, but nothing came from it. It would come at a much cheaper cost than the construction of an entirely new building.
Salt Lake City
- Pro Teams: Jazz (NBA)
- Arena Status: Built (Vivint Arena)
- Market Size: Ranked 29th in the U.S.
Hockey in Utah? It's certainly a possibility. Salt Lake City has been mentioned as an option for the Coyotes to relocate to, bringing the state its first-ever NHL franchise.
Currently, there is only one major professional team that operates out of Utah, which is the NBA's Utah Jazz. However, the Utah Grizzlies, the ECHL affiliate of the Avalanche, have been playing in the suburbs of Salt Lake City since 2005, so the game of hockey has been present in the area.
There's already a building in Salt Lake City that is made for hockey games. Vivint Arena, the home of the Jazz, would be the new home for the hockey club. Since 2021, the building has hosted the annual Frozen Fury, a preseason game between the Kings and the Golden Knights.
Jazz owner Ryan Smith already has expressed interest in bringing an NHL club to Utah. In April, Smith tweeted out that a move to get a hockey team in Salt Lake City was "in motion". He also was one of the potential bidders for the Penguins during their sale in late 2021.
