Confirmed with Link: Arizona Coyotes to remain Glendale through 2018-2019

[CC96]

The Arizona Coyotes will remain at Gila River Arena in Glendale for at least one more season.

The Coyotes plan to renew their year-to-year lease with the City of Glendale through the 2018-19 season, the team confirmed to ABC15 on Tuesday.

"We are absolutely planning to play next season at Gila River Arena and are focused on building a winning hockey team, positively contributing to our community, and achieving success in all aspects of our business," Coyotes COO Ahron Cohen said.

Arizona Coyotes to remain in Glendale through 2018-19 season

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[SniperHF]

Doesn't the lease auto-renew unless they explicitly opt out? Or did I read something wrong awhile back.

Anyway, yay moar garbo hockey!

 

[RemoAZ]

"and are focused on building a winning hockey team"

Horse shit.

 

[BigMac1212]

"and are focused on building a winning hockey team"

Horse ****.

You have to say something positive after this abysmal season.

 

[TheLegend]

Doesn't the lease auto-renew unless they explicitly opt out? Or did I read something wrong awhile back.

Anyway, yay moar garbo hockey!

Yup...

Window for either party to notify the other they were cancelling opened around Dec. 1 and closes Dec. 31. No notifications were sent so barring any surprises they be staying another season.

 

[SniperHF]

Yup...

Window for either party to notify the other they were cancelling opened around Dec. 1 and closes Dec. 31. No notifications were sent so barring any surprises they be staying another season.

I've always assumed if it's just one year, any owner making that move would be willing to eat that penalty if they had to make it happen right away. I don't see that happening this offseason though.

 

[XX]

I've always assumed if it's just one year, any owner making that move would be willing to eat that penalty if they had to make it happen right away. I don't see that happening this offseason though.

You are correct. There is no assurance they are staying if there's only one year to buy out. The league generally does not like having zero options so they'll always have a fallback if a sale falls through. I think there's still an excellent chance they are in Houston next year.

 

[ck26]

Every time Clayton Keller and Max Domi and Chris Fischer make me happy, this issue makes me sad again.

 

[Alberta Yote]

Bring back ice edge clowns

 

[Dirty Old Man]

You are correct. There is no assurance they are staying if there's only one year to buy out. The league generally does not like having zero options so they'll always have a fallback if a sale falls through. I think there's still an excellent chance they are in Houston next year.

You do know you fall for this every year, right? I mean, I get the whole pessimism angle, but theres a certain contingent here that seems to put more credence into relocation rumours than they ever deserve, otherwise wed be in Hamilton, no wait Winnipeg, no wait Seattle, no wait Quebec, no wait Las Vegas, no wait Seattle again, no wait Houston...

I mean if they ever are right I'll vanish, and it will be like I was never here, but until that day comes....

 

[XX]

You do know you fall for this every year, right? I mean, I get the whole pessimism angle, but theres a certain contingent here that seems to put more credence into relocation rumours than they ever deserve, otherwise wed be in Hamilton, no wait Winnipeg, no wait Seattle, no wait Quebec, no wait Las Vegas, no wait Seattle again, no wait Houston...

I mean if they ever are right I'll vanish, and it will be like I was never here, but until that day comes....

Up until now, there hasn't been an appealing market for the league to shunt the team off to if so desired. Houston is now open to a hockey team and very desirable for the league. I know you know this. You're welcome to talk yourself out of believing it's a possibility but we have definitive threats to move the team, talk of the other owners being fed up with the situation, and now an easy way out. There's still no new arena on the horizon and it's not like Barroway is making money to pay off the incredible amount of debt the franchise has.

Seattle is going to get a team, and relocation is an option there as well.

The obfuscation has stopped and the candor has kicked in. That should worry anyone that wants to see the team stay.

 

[Alberta Yote]

As long as there are people out there willing to spend $650 mill for an expansion team relocation seems less likely.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

As long as there are people out there willing to spend $650 mill for an expansion team relocation seems less likely.

Seattle gets a $650M expansion team, and the Coyotes relocate to Houston with a relocation fee (expansion minus franchise value). That puts the NHL in the Pacific Northwest, solves the resulting divisional dilemma by putting the Coyotes in the Central, adds a team to a bigger market than Phoenix with a top-shelf NBA-shared arena and a billionaire owner and a made-to-order local rivalry, and floods the league coffers with almost a billion and a half dollars that all the remaining owners can share. And nobody has to mention the words "Arizona" and "hockey" in the same sentence ever again.

How does this not look like a dream scenario for Bettman and the BoG?

 

[MIGs Dog]

Seattle gets a $650M expansion team, and the Coyotes relocate to Houston with a relocation fee (expansion minus franchise value). That puts the NHL in the Pacific Northwest, solves the resulting divisional dilemma by putting the Coyotes in the Central, adds a team to a bigger market than Phoenix with a top-shelf NBA-shared arena and a billionaire owner and a made-to-order local rivalry, and floods the league coffers with almost a billion and a half dollars that all the remaining owners can share. And nobody has to mention the words "Arizona" and "hockey" in the same sentence ever again.

How does this not look like a dream scenario for Bettman and the BoG?

Phoenix metro is 4.5 million humans and growing fast. The NHL wants to be in the market. I believe they will fight on until no more options exist.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Phoenix metro is 4.5 million humans and growing fast. The NHL wants to be in the market. I believe they will fight on until no more options exist.

They've already said publicly that there is only one option left, and that involves suckering another Valley city into paying the lion's share of arena construction AND ongoing maintenance costs through public subsidy. There is no appetite for this locally.

If they have to trade Phoenix for Houston, they'll do it. It's like trading Lauri Korpikoski for Lawson Crouse.

 

[MIGs Dog]

They've already said publicly that there is only one option left,

Maybe, but I would say that is a negotiating tactic.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Maybe, but I would say that is a negotiating tactic.

Oh, it totally is. And they've used it before. But when the league itself threatens a relocation, it's not an empty threat.

 

[cobra427]

As long as there are people out there willing to spend $650 mill for an expansion team relocation seems less likely.

With that kind of expansion fee and Phoenix being a top 5 population market and growing, the NHL isn't moving this team. They'll continue to cut and paste until it all works out. Expansion fees and metro market size dictate this outcome. Nothing to worry about and if they were going to move it would have happened 10 years ago.

 

[Tom Polakis]

If this is true, I'll have to revise my prediction: just to torture me, 2019-20 will be the Cup champion season, when they're located elsewhere.

 

[Jakey53]

Bring back ice edge clowns

And DT.

 

[Jakey53]

As long as there are people out there willing to spend $650 mill for an expansion team relocation seems less likely.

Exactly.

Phoenix metro is 4.5 million humans and growing fast. The NHL wants to be in the market. I believe they will fight on until no more options exist.

Correct.

Maybe, but I would say that is a negotiating tactic.

Absolutely.

With that kind of expansion fee and Phoenix being a top 5 population market and growing, the NHL isn't moving this team. They'll continue to cut and paste until it all works out. Expansion fees and metro market size dictate this outcome. Nothing to worry about and if they were going to move it would have happened 10 years ago.

Yup. The team will be sold yet again to someone who will keep the team here.

 

[Alberta Yote]

But until someone steps up that is actually pro sports owner wealthy and has significant local business and political connections the circle **** that is this team would just continue.

 

[Dirty Old Man]

Man, if I had just bought the Houston Rockets right now and want an NHL team, I don't even *think* about the Coyotes until after expansion (presumably to Seattle) and the whole Flames situation settles down. I mean, if you're starting from square one today, which team do you want?

- Vegas 2.0 (which seems to have worked out well the first time)
- Flames
- Coyotes

I could just as easily see Seattle getting team 32, the Flames to Houston, Calgary buckles and someone steps up with a new arena there a la Winnipeg (coz they "gotta have it!"), and they get us

hehe, 2024 - Calgary Coyotes

("but Calgary is just a negotiating tactic! they'll never move!" mmhmmm, okay)

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Man, if I had just bought the Houston Rockets right now and want an NHL team, I don't even *think* about the Coyotes until after expansion (presumably to Seattle) and the whole Flames situation settles down. I mean, if you're starting from square one today, which team do you want?

- Vegas 2.0 (which seems to have worked out well the first time)
- Flames
- Coyotes

The Coyotes, and it's not even close. The Flames are a better team but have a heftier salary weight and aging vets like Smith. The Coyotes pipeline is full of great prospects - all it needs is a coaching change (which Fertitta could easily afford) and signing some solid vet players (which he can also afford, especially given how much cap room the team has).

Expansion was great for Vegas because of the context - new market, no other local sports competition, the need to vest symbolic ownership with the fanbase. Houston is a much different scenario. If they can get a "plug and play" package that can compete immediately with the right tweaks, they take it, along with a healthy check from the Seattle expansion.

 

[Jamieh]

The Coyotes, and it's not even close. The Flames are a better team but have a heftier salary weight and aging vets like Smith. The Coyotes pipeline is full of great prospects - all it needs is a coaching change (which Fertitta could easily afford) and signing some solid vet players (which he can also afford, especially given how much cap room the team has).

Expansion was great for Vegas because of the context - new market, no other local sports competition, the need to vest symbolic ownership with the fanbase. Houston is a much different scenario. If they can get a "plug and play" package that can compete immediately with the right tweaks, they take it, along with a healthy check from the Seattle expansion.

I wouldn't be so sure about the Coyotes being better in the young guys dept?? The Flames have Gaudreau, Monahan, Bennett, Ferland, Tkachuk, Hamilton , and Jankowski all proven NHL players under the age of 25. And it's not like the Coyotes have a proven NHL goalie or one in the pipeline either.