The Arizona Coyotes saga will officially continue for another season, as it has just been confirmed by Bill Daly, the NHL's deputy commissioner, that the team will stay where it is next year, even if the franchise owner does not succeed in purchasing a new site for building a real arena.
"Bill Daly mentioned today that the Coyotes will play in Arizona next season, even if they are not able to purchase the land put up for auction (Phoenix) in June. A possible relocation will have to wait another season." - Renaud Lavoie
Worse still, Gary Bettman's hope of keeping the franchise in Arizona, despite the resounding failures and the monstrous financial losses accumulating year after year, is still very much alive.
"Obviously, we want a new arena and we want to see the club in Arizona. Alex [Meruelo] wants to win the auction so that it can happen." - Gary Bettman, via TVA Sports
The commissioner's persistence borders on madness, as even if the league's management issues ultimatums to the Coyotes to find a site for building an NHL-standard amphitheater as quickly as possible, Bettman always manages to give more time to the owner.
This time, even if Alex Meruelo does not obtain his land in June, the Coyotes will stay in Arizona for another season, which indirectly buys another year for the owner to find a solution to his problem.
However, TVA Sports adds another relevant piece of information related to a potential relocation, mentioning the name of Quebec City.
According to information from Sportsnet's hockey insider Elliotte Friedman, who spoke in a recent "32 Thoughts" column, another failure in the Coyotes' efforts could prompt the league to consider a different scenario, namely a move to another city interested in hosting an NHL team. Quebec City is among the contenders, along with Salt Lake City, Atlanta, and Houston. - via TVA Sports
It will be interesting to see what happens in June with the purchase of this famous land.
