With the fate of the Arizona Coyotes being decided with a relocation to Utah, will the Valley of the Sun receive an expansion team within five years? According Frank Seravalli, it could come as soon as five years down the road.
Seravalli’s Prognostication
Appearing on the Clean Hits podcast recently, Seravalli predicted that within five years, the NHL will return to Arizona.
Many Coyotes fans were upset when Seravalli announced that the team was relocating to Utah. He was correct, then. Could he be accurate again? He has his sources and has been doing this for 15 years. He broke it all down in a PHNX Sports interview in April. It was sad news for the Phoenix area hockey fans.
It happened for various reasons, mainly because of poor ownership. Playing in a college arena with a capacity of 4,600 seats would only work for a short period. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman and the other NHL owners knew that. Alex Meruelo dreamed of building a fantastic arena and keeping the team in the Phoenix area long-term. Unfortunately, he was inept about owning an NHL franchise. He made extensive errors, like not paying his bills and not informing the players of their future fate.
NHL Expansion Predictions
To the surprise of many, Seravalli also predicted that when the NHL expands to 34 teams, he thinks it will be Atlanta and Arizona receiving franchises as opposed to Atlanta and Houston. His analysis is solid in that the league has already made significant commitments over the last several decades to the point where they owe it to themselves to choose Arizona over Houston.
Bettman has supported hockey in Arizona to the point where he has been criticized for doing so. Will he still be the NHL commissioner in the next five years? That is questionable, but deputy commissioner Bill Daly has pretty much the same philosophy regarding having a team in Arizona.
Of course, expanding to 34 teams will again cause issues with uneven conferences. While it may not happen simultaneously, going to 36 teams would be ideal for numerous reasons. The downside may be whether the talent will be available to support that many teams. The NHL will, of course, be looking at the financial gains that will bring colossal expansion entry fees. The starting number is expected to be at least $1 billion to add an NHL franchise.
For that reason, an arena getting built in the Phoenix area MUST be the first priority. The NHL will only consider the area for a new team with that commitment. They wish to avoid returning to the dilemma they just left with the Meruelo mess. Of course, to build a new hockey arena, they will need strong ownership. Many hope someone like Coyotes legend Shane Doan gets involved with an ownership group. His ties to the area are significant, as he played most of his NHL career with the Coyotes.
The Mat Ishbia Possibility
There has been talk about Mat Ishbia, the owner of the NBA Phoenix Suns and WNBA Phoenix Mercury, being interested in owning an NHL team—specifically the Coyotes. Sportico.com initially reported this in July. He has a building, the same facility the Coyotes used when they relocated from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996. Yes, it’s that old, but it recently underwent some improvements.
Related: Why the Coyotes Won’t Be Moving to Footprint Center
While it is not configured for hockey (which sounds familiar to Utah Hockey Club fans), installing the ice-making equipment that has been removed would cost some. Ishbia also stated that he would like to build an entirely new building to house his basketball and future hockey teams. That hang-up is that his Footprint Center lease doesn’t expire until 2036.
From the Coyotes’ perspective, it would go back to being a tenant as they were when they arrived in 1996: less revenue and second choice as to game dates. Even concession and parking revenue should have been shared but weren’t.
The Hunger For NHL Hockey in the Desert Still Exists
NHL hockey fans in the Phoenix area are still hungry for the sport to return. It should have stayed, but poor ownership and team failures caused the relocation. That can all be resurrected with the right ownership group, cooperation from the local city government, and an arena not built using public funds.
It may be a lot to ask for, but it is possible. The NHL realizes the potential of the Phoenix area market, which wants to be a four-major sports city once again. Now, if things can fall into place, the Arizona Coyotes can rise from the ashes within five years.
