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LeBrun: Coyotes Relocation Announcement Next Week "A Little Hopeful"

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A relocation to Salt Lake City for 2024-25 seems the overwhelmingly likely end to a years-long solution to the Coyotes’ long-term future in Arizona. Reporting yesterday indicated significant progress had been made between Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo, the NHL, and prospective Salt Lake owner Smith Entertainment Group on an agreement to sell the club. Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli and Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman also told PHNX Sports that a move to Utah had a “90 to 95 percent chance” of going through.

What’s less certain is a timeline. Speaking on “Insider Trading” on Thursday, TSN’s Pierre LeBrun said an official announcement coming immediately after the Coyotes’ season ends next week is “a little hopeful.” Out of the multiple reports that circulated yesterday, a few suggested the sale to SEG could be announced as soon as April 18. When the Atlanta Thrashers moved to Winnipeg in 2011, the most recent instance of NHL relocation, the sale wasn’t made official until late May. However, LeBrun says that’s too far down a potential timeline. If the league hasn’t confirmed a move to Salt Lake before then, it’s likely not happening this offseason, and another season in Arizona at Tempe’s Mullett Arena is likely in store.

Other news and notes from the Central:

  • Wild forwards Frédérick Gaudreau and Mats Zuccarello did not travel with the team on their West Coast road trip due to personal reasons and are both doubtful tomorrow against the Golden Knights, head coach John Hynes told Michael Russo of The Athletic. Considering there’s a possibility they may travel and join the team in Las Vegas tomorrow, it’s unlikely they’ll miss the entirety of Minnesota’s three-game road swing, their last of the season. Regardless of their availability, 2022 first-round pick Liam Öhgren will make his NHL debut, said Hynes, although it may impact where he plays in the lineup. He’s currently projected to occupy a third-line role at left wing alongside Marat Khusnutdinov and Vinni Lettieri. Gaudreau, 30, has struggled mightily in the first season of a five-year, $10.5MM extension, limited to five goals and 15 points in 65 games while posting a team-worst -21 rating. Meanwhile, Zuccarello is chugging along in his age-36 season, still sitting just south of point-per-game territory with 62 in 68 appearances.
  • The Blues could be without defenseman Torey Krug and winger Jake Neighbours tomorrow against the Hurricanes due to upper-body injuries. Krug is listed as questionable, while Neighbours has already been ruled out, interim head coach Drew Bannister told Lou Korac of NHL.com and The Hockey News. The former has missed a couple of games recently, sitting out last weekend’s contest against the Sharks due to illness and missing a late-March contest against the Senators with a lower-body injury. He’s been hot lately when in the lineup, recording three points in his last three games. He’s got 39 in 77 appearances, tying last season for his worst points-per-game rate since 2015. It’s been a more successful campaign for the 22-year-old Neighbours, who’s broken out for 27 goals and 38 points in 77 games in his sophomore campaign.

Coyotes Recall Vladislav Kolyachonok, Re-Assign Maksymilian Szuber

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The Arizona Coyotes are swapping a pair of defensemen this evening as they are recalling Vladislav Kolyachonok from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL and re-assigning Maksymilian Szuber. Szuber was recalled from Tucson two nights ago and made his NHL debut last night against the Seattle Kraken, logging nearly 17 minutes and going -1. The 21-year-old didn’t look out of place as he registered a pair of hits, as well as a blocked shot, and a takeaway. The former sixth-round pick has had a surprisingly quick ascension to the NHL and could be in line for a longer look next season.

Kolyachonok has also seen just one game of NHL action this season, suffering an injury in a game against the Vegas Golden Knights back on November 25th. Despite the limited NHL minutes this season, the 22-year-old does have 35 career NHL games to his name, the bulk of which came in the 2021-22 season when he played 32 games as a 20-year-old. Kolyachonok has a goal and two assists over parts of three seasons and has struggled with turnovers in his young NHL career.

With Travis Dermott out of the lineup for the rest of the season, and Matt Dumba now a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning, the Coyotes will likely be looking at some of the young defensemen in their farm system as they close out the season. Given the prospects and draft picks that the Coyotes have available, they could have a very different-looking defensive core to start next season, one that Kolyachonok and Szuber would no doubt like to be part of.

NHL Drafting Contingency Plan If Coyotes Relocate Before Next Season

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The NHL is preparing a contingency plan in the event the Arizona Coyotes relocate to Salt Lake City as soon as this offseason, Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff reports.

Multiple sources indicate the league is drafting two different schedule matrices for next season, one with the Yotes remaining in Tempe’s Mullett Arena and the other with the franchise moving to the Delta Center in Salt Lake, Seravalli says. Relocation is a less likely outcome after the plot of land the Coyotes intend to use for a new arena and entertainment district in north Phoenix was officially listed for auction last week, but Seravalli reports majority owner Alex Meruelo is “intimately involved” in a backup plan that would sell control of the franchise to Ryan Smith, majority owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, before the June 27 land auction.

Per Seravalli, the Smith Entertainment Group would spend over $1.2B to acquire the franchise, including a relocation fee distributed to the league’s other 31 owners. Meruelo could still get paid for his majority stake at a valuation north of $1B after purchasing the franchise at a valuation of $300MM in 2019, a figure Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro reported last week that Meruelo was seeking in preliminary discussions to sell the club.

However, if no sale is announced before the end of May, that’s a nearly surefire sign that the Yotes will remain at the 4,600-capacity Tempe venue for 2024-25. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has said that “waiting until a June land auction date would likely ensure the Coyotes will play at least one more season at Mullett Arena.”

Even in the overwhelmingly likely event that Meruelo wins the June land auction, that’s not a guarantee this franchise remains in Arizona past next season, Seravalli says. The Phoenix area won’t be without an NHL club for long, though, as indicated repeatedly by the league in recent months. Sources said to Seravalli that part of an agreement to sell the team “could include language that would allow Meruelo to ‘reactivate’ the Coyotes franchise in future years, including name and trademarks, if a new arena is built and terms and conditions of the agreement with the NHL are met.” That would pave the way for the Coyotes to start fresh with an expansion draft after the development is built, perhaps bringing hockey back to Arizona before the end of the decade.

All indications point to Meruelo’s (and the league’s) preference to bypass relocation altogether, keeping the team at Mullett until the proposed new arena is finished, which would likely be for the 2027-28 season. That would also leave Salt Lake City open as an expansion market rather than a relocation one, a more financially lucrative option for owners.

Coyotes’ Travis Dermott Out For The Season With Injury

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The Arizona Coyotes have announced that defenseman Travis Dermott will be sidelined for the rest of the season with an upper-body injury. Forward Nick Bjugstad is also facing an upper-body injury, carrying a day-to-day designation (Twitter link). The Coyotes have five games remaining in their season, including a Tuesday night matchup with the Seattle Kraken.

Dermott has been limited to just 50 games this season, with a month-long absence in November headlining an injury-plagued year. It’s been a disappointing start to Dermott’s time in Arizona after he signed a one-year deal with the team this summer. It was his first time signing a free-agent contract, with all of his previous deals coming with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Dermott certainly found an improved role in the desert, averaging 17:17 in ice time that flirted with his career-high. But it didn’t lead to improved scoring, as he managed just two goals and seven points, matching the measly scoring he posted in 60 games last year. Dermott will be set to re-enter free agency this summer, with this injury likely not helping his bid for a new team if the Coyotes don’t re-sign him.

Rookie Maksymillian Szuber is expected to make his NHL debut in Dermott’s place. Szuber has recorded six goals and 24 points in 67 games as an AHL rookie, after spending the last three seasons in Germany’s DEL. He’ll become the first skater selected outside of 2022’s top two rounds to play in the NHL. Szuber moving into the lineup removes Arizona’s extra defender, though the team could recall an option like Victor Soderstrom or Vladislav Kolyachonok for added depth.

Arizona Coyotes Recall Jan Jenik

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Before the team’s game tonight against the Seattle Kraken, the Arizona Coyotes have recalled forward Jan Jenik from their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, on an emergency loan. The news of Jenik’s call-up likely means that forward Barrett Hayton will not be able to make his return to the lineup in tonight’s contest.

This transaction will mark Jenik’s third call-up of the season, with the last coming in mid-November. During that callup, Jenik was able to play in his first and only game of the season for Arizona, registering zero points in just 8:21 of ice time.

In what has become a recurring theme throughout his tenure with the Coyotes organization, Jenik has been given a much larger opportunity and thus has produced much better in Tucson. In 54 games for the Roadrunners this season, Jenik has scored 16 goals and 36 points, good for third on the team in scoring.

Even though his season down in the minors has been respectable, it is a marketable drop-off from his recent production in Tucson. Over the last two years prior, Jenik has scored 24 goals and 70 points in 81 games, a 0.20 PPG increase compared to his current output.

Still, with the Coyotes still maintaining 12 healthy forwards on their active roster despite Hayton’s absence, it is unlikely that Jenik will be able to build upon his 2023-24 season at the NHL level. When Hayton is healthy enough to return to the lineup, Jenik will rejoin the Roadrunners for the 2024 Calder Cup playoffs, as they have already clinched a postseason nod in the AHL’s Pacific Division.

Coyotes Notes: Szuber, Dermott, Scottsdale

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The Arizona Coyotes have recalled defenseman Maksymilian Szuber on an emergency basis from the Tucson Roadrunners of the AHL. Szuber was the Coyotes sixth-round pick (163rd overall) in the 2022 NHL entry draft and has been solid in his first season of North American hockey.

In 67 AHL games, Szuber is +11 and has registered six goals and 18 assists as well as 48 PIMs. The native of Opole, Poland is unlikely to play in his recall and will likely serve as a depth option, but if he does, he will make his NHL debut. It’s safe to say that Szuber is ahead of schedule at this point in his career as very few sixth-round picks ever make it to the NHL and almost none of them get a recall just two years after being drafted.

In other Coyotes notes:

Szuber’s recall likely signifies that Coyotes defenseman Travis Dermott could be questionable to play tomorrow night when Arizona takes on the Seattle Kraken. Dermott left yesterday’s game against San Jose with what is being called an upper-body injury and did not return, the team did not provide an update on the 27-year-old since then. Dermott has dressed in 50 games this season for Arizona, posting two goals and five assists along with a -14 plus/minus rating.

Scottsdale Mayor David Ortega has publicly stated that the Coyotes new proposed arena would not be feasible on the land that the team is looking at and he went on to issue a warning of sorts to the franchise saying that the team should stay away from that area because he would not support the endeavor. The Coyotes have been looking at a 95-acre parcel of land that would fall within Phoenix city limits, but Ortega believes that the lack of infrastructure would be a problem and also asserts that Scottsdale has no available water assets to spare.

Coyotes To Participate In June Land Auction For New Arena

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It was announced late Thursday night that the Arizona State Land Department has officially posted a 95-acre parcel of land in northeast Phoenix for auction. It is this land that the Arizona Coyotes will hope to use for their next arena, per PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Web link). The auction will take place on June 27th and carry a minimum bid of $68.5 million. Other interested bidders aren’t currently public at this time, though Morgan references recent research that suggests only 22 percent of Arizona land auctions since 2017 have had multiple bidders (26 of 117 auctions).

That means that the Coyotes could end up unopposed as they pursue the site of their new home. That’s great news for the team’s visioning staff, who have mocked up an in-depth rendering of what Arizona’s new rink could look like (YouTube link). Per the rendering, the 95-acre plot would become the home to a 17,000-seat arena, an adjacent practice arena, a training facility, a theater, residential areas, and an entertainment area. The plan carries an estimated cost of more than $3B.

Morgan did an interview with team president and CEO Xavier A. Gutierrez, where it was revealed that owner Alex Meruelo does not plan to use taxpayer dollars to fund this project. Gutierrez also shared that the land should transfer ownership within 30 days of the auction, if the Coyotes organization were to win. He added that this site shares all of the same zoning that the land parcel in Tempe carried, giving the team the ability to fully carry over their plans.

It seems things are turning around for the better for the Arizona Coyotes, who now have a date to look towards in their pursuit of a new home.

Coyotes Gauging Interest In Potential Buyers

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According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has contacted multiple parties, including groups inside and outside the state, to gauge their interest in buying the franchise. He’s seeking an asking price of $1B, $50MM more than the Senators sold for when Michael Andlauer purchased the club last summer.

Gambadoro notes that the Coyotes have recently met with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman to update him on their current bid to remain in Arizona, which revolves around winning an auction for a plot of land on the city’s north side. When approached for comment by Gambadoro, the Coyotes said, “Mr. Meruelo and the team are solely focused on the land auction and winning the bid. And to keep the Coyotes in Arizona.”

The lack of a suitable arena has plagued the Coyotes’ long-term future ever since the city of Glendale, which oversaw their previous full-time home, Gila River Arena, opted not to renew their operating agreement in the 2021 offseason due to large debts the club owed to the city. Meruelo struck a deal with Arizona State University to share the brand-new 4,600-seat Mullett Arena through at least the 2024-25 season, heading to the Phoenix suburb of Tempe after the club submitted a bid to build an arena and surrounding entertainment district in the city. However, a public referendum of Tempe voters in May 2023 failed to greenlight the project, sending Arizona back to square one.

Unfortunately, Arizona state law dictates that the land auction could occur as late as 240 days after the city’s board of appeals approved the sale, which occurred on March 14. That could punt the Coyotes’ certainty on landing the plot into next season, as late as November 9. That’s a tough pill to swallow for the league, facing mounting pressure from NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh to provide a suitable major league environment for Coyotes players. The auction won’t happen until mid-June at the absolute earliest, as state law also rules that “there must be an auction advertisement in print media for a minimum of 10 weeks before the auction.” That has yet to occur.

Interested parties outside the state surely include Ryan Smith, the majority owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz. His Smith Entertainment Group filed a formal request for the league to initiate an expansion process in January and has been public recently about his desire to bring an NHL franchise to Salt Lake City, whether by expansion or relocation. The city has an NHL-ready but not necessarily ideal venue in the Delta Center, which has a capacity of 20,000 for NBA games but would be significantly reduced in a hockey configuration. The franchise would have a new arena by the end of the decade, though, as the city has already approved the construction of a new downtown venue ahead of the 2034 Winter Olympics.

Bettman has stated the league will return to the Phoenix market in the near future if the Coyotes relocate. They’ll likely hold off on doing so until a suitable, more central-location venue becomes available, however.

Coyotes Sign Sam Lipkin To Entry-Level Deal

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The Arizona Coyotes have signed 2021 seventh-round pick Sam Lipkin to a three-year, entry-level contract. The deal will begin in the 2024-25 season, carrying a $925K cap-hit and $277.5K in signing bonuses, per CapFriendly (Link). Lipkin is expected to sign an amateur try-out agreement with the AHL’s Tuscon Roadrunners for the remaining season, per PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link).

Lipkin has caught fire since being drafted with the second-to-last pick in 2021, serving as an integral member of Quinnipiac University’s championship run in 2023, scoring the overtime goal that would take Quinnipiac to the championship and assisting on the title-clinching goal from Jacob Quillan. Lipkin brings a hefty energy every single shift, showing no fear in diving into the gritty areas of the ice, and often emerging with the puck. He’s a hard-nosed player not scared of taking risks – an attribute that ultimately earned him 78 points across 78 collegiate games. Lipkin entered college on the back of a phenomenal season in the USHL, where he managed 36 goals and 71 points while serving as the captain of the Chicago Steel.

Lipkin joins teammates Quillan and Collin Graf in signing their first pro deals – with Quillan joining the Toronto Maple Leafs and Graf moving to the San Jose Sharks. This trio represents one of the school’s best scorers, sharpest playmakers, and grittiest forecheckers – marking a major blow to the team’s 2024-25 roster. Legendary coach Rand Pecknold will look to mend those holes with Boston Bruins draft pick Christopher Pelosi leading a group of 15 commits headed to Quinnipiac next season.

Coyotes Reportedly Unable To Work On Contract Talks; Sam Lipkin To Decide Soon About Turning Pro

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The Coyotes have a lot of work to do contract-wise on their back end for next season as none of their regulars are under contract for 2024-25.  However, Daily Faceoff’s Frank Seravalli reports (video link) that the team does not have the green light to start working on contracts for next season at this time.  As has been well documented, their arena situation is once again in some question for a few more months at least, pending a possible land purchase which would be late in the spring.  It was also reported after the trade deadline that GM Bill Armstrong wasn’t able to retain salary, limiting the returns they received on Jason Zucker and Matt Dumba.  At this point, it’s far from a must to begin extension discussions at this point in the season but if those internal restrictions continue into the offseason, it could be something to keep an eye on.

Elsewhere around the hockey world:

  • Still with the Coyotes, prospect Sam Lipkin is expected to decide between turning pro or returning for his junior year within the next 24 hours, reports PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan (Twitter link). The 21-year-old was the second-last pick in the 2021 draft, going 223rd overall but has outperformed his draft stock, scoring 78 points in 78 games over his first two seasons with Quinnipiac, yielding a contract offer from Arizona.  Quinnipiac’s leading scorer (Collin Graf) is expected to sign soon while their second-leading scorer (Jacob Quillan) signed with Toronto earlier this week; those signings could significantly impact Lipkin’s decision.
  • The Blue Jackets intend to keep defenseman David Jiricek up for the remainder of the regular season, relays team reporter Jeff Svoboda (Twitter link). Columbus recalled the 20-year-old yesterday, the latest of a busy series of transactions as it’s his fifth recall of the season.  Jiricek has played in 36 games with the Jackets this season, notching a goal and eight assists while averaging a little under 15 minutes a night.  He has been more productive in the minors, however, collecting seven goals and ten helpers with the Monsters.  Notably, he’s four NHL appearances away from accruing a season toward UFA eligibility.  Accordingly, while Columbus might keep him up for the last couple of weeks, it wouldn’t be surprising to see his game action limited as a result.

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