Coyotes finalize purchase of land in Phoenix for arena construction

The Coyotes have been playing in a university arena since last year, after citizens voted 56% against an amphitheater project in Tempe.

It’s far from ideal, but hey. There’s a reason why the idea of relocating the club has been talked about at length for several months now.

But wait a minute. There could be another turn of events, in this file that seems to be so complicated…

According to what Darren Dreger reported on Twitter, the Coyotes are finalizing the purchase of land in Phoenix for the construction of a new arena.

Dreger also notes that the franchise hopes to announce plans for the project next month :

Not sure commissioner Bettman or the Arizona Coyotes will expand on this today. As mentioned last night on @TSNHockey, the Coyotes are finalizing the purchase of a piece of land in Phoenix for an arena build. They’re hoping to announce project plans next month.

– Darren Dreger (@DarrenDreger) December 5, 2023

If there’s one thing to understand about all this… it’s that we in Arizona really aren’t ready to give up.

They’ve been trying for years and years to find a way to keep the team in town, and the level of commitment is impressive, for real.

It hasn’t been confirmed yet, but we can expect the NHL to think about expanding the league in the next few years.

Pierre LeBrun explained in an article that it’s practically inevitable, because there’s too much money to be made for the NHL to avoid the project.

But before thinking about this idea, the league needs to focus on the Arizona Coyotes file, because it could change a lot of things.

If the new arena project falls through for reason X, there will have to be a new idea to secure the club’s long-term future in Arizona, and that’s not in the cards either.

Because if the Coyotes have to move… It completely changes the location plan for the next expansion teams.