SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City could be the home of a National Hockey League franchise as early as next week, according to a hockey insider.
Writing for the Daily Faceoff, Frank Seravalli reported Wednesday that "significant progress" has been made between the NHL, Coyotes and Ryan Smith on the "framework of an agreement" to bring the franchise to northern Utah.
The Coyotes would reportedly be renamed and rebranded if a move took place.
Seravalli added that a league memo updated the NHL's Board of Governors on Wednesday. ESPN reports that the Board is next scheduled to meet in June, but they could convene earlier via Zoom.
In an earlier report, Seravalli said an announcement on the sale and relocation of the Coyotes could come as early as April 18, which is one day after the team's final regular season home game.
"NOT done. Many layers and lawyers. Much work to do," Seravalli posted on social media.
The status of the Coyotes in Arizona is murky at best, especially after a local mayor spoke out in opposition of a new arena being built for the franchise. Team leadership has said they are committed to winning a public land auction and build a home for the franchise.
While the auction is set for June 27, Seravalli claims "there is a real possibility" that the Coyotes will not be based in Arizona by that date, and that there is a "path" that current team owner Alex Meruelo would sell control of the franchise to Smith, the owner of the Utah Jazz, and the Smith Entertainment Group for over $1.2 billion.
ESPN reports the league would actually buy the team from Meruelo and then sell the franchise to Smith.
"The NHL has a deep-pocketed owner that desperately wants the team and that they want to have part of the family," a source told ESPN.
According to Seravalli, the NHL is currently creating two versions of a 2024-25 schedule, one with the Coyotes remaining in the Phoenix area, and another should the team relocate to Utah.
Although things appear to heading in Utah's favor, a source told Seravalli that there are “lots of moving pieces,” and “nothing is resolved at this point.”
The Smith Entertainment Group had no comment on the reports.
Smith has long shared his desire to bring the NHL to northern Utah and have the team temporarily play at the Delta Center before moving to a new arena that would house both the Jazz and hockey team. The Utah State Legislature passed a bill earlier this month that was signed by Gov. Spencer Cox that would help fund the new arena.
Earlier this week, Smith shared a social media post asking fans for suggestions on a nickname for a proposed Utah NHL team.
The Coyotes have struggled for years to find a permanent home that they own in Arizona. Falling short a number of times, the team currently plans in a 4,600 seat arena on the campus of Arizona State University.
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