Expansion team and Meruelo?

[WaitingForThatCab]

Jep and this is their way of getting rid of him.
He is a stubborn son of a gun. And he will not get help.
So they throw him a bone to get him to sell. But they know that he will not succeed to build an arena or district in time.
And e voila they are rid of him without any major problems.
And they can take about 10 years to find a new owner with deep pockets.
Or get Ishbia to be interested in Hockey and have him build an arena for both the suns and new team.

Overall this whole thing is just a bone for Muerelo. So that he tries, fails and the NHL gets to boot him.

I think this is spot on. The NHL clearly doesn't want to give up on hockey in Arizona, but they have to cut bait with this moron in a way that actually compels him to sell and mitigates future attempts at legal action.

There's basically no chance that this human dumpster fire is suddenly going to get an arena lined up and built within five years, but the NHL now has pretty compelling evidence that they were square with him.

And if it’s year 3 and he still doesn’t own any land? We just wait two more years for it to be up. That’s my only point. Like either shit or get off the pot. They’ve been at mullet for two full seasons and he’s got some plans on the computer and zero land. When I said extend the timeline, I meant timeline for the NHL to get back to Arizona. That’s why I was saying I hope there are some checkpoints for him to hit along the way.

The more time that goes by with no team, the worse it is imo

You have a point here, and for the sake of the 'Yotes fans, I agree that it's a painful process. However, I think the important thing here is to get good ownership, so that when the team returns, it will STAY, and without all of the stupid drama. The first step in achieving that goal is to send Alex Meruelo into the sun.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

I’d be surprised if he doesn’t figure an arena out and get the team back in 5 years. He seems very set on it.

At the end of the day the NHL, Utah, and the Smith’s are big winners here. Best case for AM is that he figures the arena out and then gets his team back but has to fully start from scratch. This is actually a pretty shitty deal for him but he was under a ton of pressure.

 

[chaser17]

"Go on, take the money and run. HOO-HOO-HOO!" -Gary Bettman

 

[WaitingForThatCab]

He seems very set on it.

Unfortunately for Meruelo,

 

[Divine]

It seems very unlikely he will meet the conditions to get another NHL team and the NHL seems to know that.

He'd have to build the arena and pay a billion dollars within 5 years. This is the team that wasn't paying their hotel bills until the league forced them to.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

It seems very unlikely he will meet the conditions to get another NHL team and the NHL seems to know that.

He'd have to build the arena and pay a billion dollars within 5 years. This is the team that wasn't paying their hotel bills until the league forced them to.

He has to pay back the billion dollars so it’s just the arena. Literally nothing has changed for him in that sense other than having way less pressure on him while he’s trying to figure it out. He’s clearly very committed to it so as much of an issue’s as he’s had until now I’d be surprised if he doesn’t figure it out.

 

[Divine]

He has to pay back the billion dollars so it’s just the arena. Literally nothing has changed for him in that sense other than having way less pressure on him while he’s trying to figure it out. He’s clearly very committed to it so as much of an issue’s as he’s had until now I’d be surprised if he doesn’t figure it out.

If the NHL felt confident in his ability to figure it out, we wouldn't be in this situation. We know how resistant the NHL was to relocate Arizona. I'd be surprised if he's able to meet the conditions within 5 years.

I think the NHL probably has hope of going back to Arizona, but they don't want to do it with Alex Meruelo.

 

[TLEH]

You have a point here, and for the sake of the 'Yotes fans, I agree that it's a painful process. However, I think the important thing here is to get good ownership, so that when the team returns, it will STAY, and without all of the stupid drama. The first step in achieving that goal is to send Alex Meruelo into the sun.

Essentially. There has to be some sort of “point of no return”.. No stadium district in 5 years means essentially, you better break ground in year 2, year 3 at the latest. Anything else is just wasting all of our time. (Which is his f***ing speciality). If you don’t have something going by year 3, then piss off so we can get someone in Arizona who will.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

If the NHL felt confident in his ability to figure it out, we wouldn't be in this situation. We know how resistant the NHL was to relocate Arizona. I'd be surprised if he's able to meet the conditions within 5 years.

I think the NHL probably has hope of going back to Arizona, but they don't want to do it with Alex Meruelo.

Don’t see how that’s true whatsoever. It’s a time issue entirely. They don’t want them playing in Mullet anymore and the arena solution was likely going to leave them there far longer than the NHL hoped. They were only supposed to be in Mullet for three years which wasn’t ideal in the first place. AM technically has an extra 2-3 years and way less pressure to figure out the arena now. I think there’s a very good chance he does figure it out. He’s clearly confident in it.

 

[Henry Miller]

Lol no.

 

[Divine]

Don’t see how that’s true whatsoever. It’s a time issue entirely. They don’t want them playing in Mullet anymore and the arena solution was likely going to leave them there far longer than the NHL hoped. They were only supposed to be in Mullet for three years which wasn’t ideal in the first place. AM technically has an extra 2-3 years and way less pressure to figure out the arena now. I think there’s a very good chance he does figure it out. He’s clearly confident in it.

Rumour has been the NHL had to give him that clause to be able to relocate that team without him fighting it legally, not because they believe in him.

Let's see what he does. You have a lot more faith in him than me.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

Rumour has been the NHL had to give him that clause to be able to relocate that team, not because they believe in him.

Let's see what he does. You have a lot more faith in him than me.

That’s not a rumour. Thats the most obvious part of this whole thing and goes to my point. He wouldn’t have sold it otherwise. He only sold it because they gave him an easy way back in once he figures the arena out.

The NHL wants a team there and he obviously really wants to own the team there. He’s got a lot of more time now and less pressure to figure the arena out.

 

[Divine]

That’s not a rumour. Thats the most obvious part of this whole thing and goes to my point. He wouldn’t have sold it otherwise. He only sold it because they gave him an easy way back in once he figures the arena out.

The NHL wants a team there and he obviously really wants to own the team there. He’s got a lot of more time now and less pressure to figure the arena out.

He does have more time.

I think he's happy with the billion and trying to save face and cater to the upset Arizona fans. Pretty sure he'll underbid (if he shows up at all) at the land auction and say I tried my best.

 

[Captain3rdLine]

He does have more time.

I think he's happy with the billion and save face and cater to the upset Arizona fans. Pretty sure he'll underbid (if he shows up at all) at the land auction and say I tried my best.

I highly doubt that’s anything close to his intention. Regardless of what he’s done and what people think of him, the one thing that can’t be argued against is that he clearly really wanted/wants to own the Arizona Coyotes.