Ever since moving to Arizona in 1996, the Arizona Coyotes have been one of the worst-run organizations in sports. From season after season of disappointing play. To constantly changing ownership groups. To declaring bankruptcy in 2009. Saying that the NHL adventure into Arizona has been a circus, would be an understatement. However, the Coyotes’ days in Arizona seem to be numbered as their recent stadium proposal was denied. This leaves the Coyotes without a place to play past 2025. All signs are pointing toward relocating
Now the question is, where do the Coyotes move to? There are a number of good options out there like Quebec City, Hamilton, Milwaukee, and Houston. All of which would be great places for an NHL team. However, there is one city that stands out above the rest, and that is Salt Lake City, Utah. Salt Lake City would give the Coyotes much-needed stability.
Ryan Smith’s Interest in the Coyotes
The reason why Salt Lake City would give the Coyotes stability is because of the interest Ryan Smith has shown in hockey. Ryan Smith currently owns the Utah Jazz and has a partial stake in Real Salt Lake. However, he has been very vocal about wanting to bring an NHL to Salt Lake City. He has even had a meeting with Commissioner Gary Bettman and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly about what hockey would look like in Salt Lake City.
Now whether or not Smith buys the Coyotes is irrelevant. As long as he’s involved with the process it gives Salt Lake City credibility. It shows that there is genuine interest in the team. That he cares about the team, and won’t go through the scandals this team has gone through.
There is also the fact that Smith can offer the Coyotes a stadium to play in. Smith is also the owner of Vivint Arena, home of the Jazz. Meaning that the Coyotes won’t have to worry about securing a stadium lease because Smith can just have them move in. And the stadium is able to support NHL hockey because they have played pre-season games there in the past. It’s not going to be like when the Islanders move to Barclays Center, and it wasn’t built to support hockey.
The Benefits of Salt Lake City
So now that we understand why Ryan Smith gives the Coyotes stability, let’s look at why Salt Lake City is such an appealing option. To begin with, Salt Lake City has a young population. According to the 2020 census, Utah has an average age of 31.1, which is the youngest in the United States. Now this is the exact demographic the NHL wants to go after. They want the young audience to get more involved with the game of hockey.
It’s also a market with very little competition. The only other major sports teams in the city are the Jazz and Real Salt Lake. Meaning there won’t be that much competition for people to pay attention. It’s not like they’re going to a city with a team in every sport. They are moving to a city, that’s sports-crazy, but doesn’t have that many teams. Just look at how they support the Jazz. The Jazz had an average attendance of 18,206 in 2023. Of course, things might be different for an NHL team. But it shows that there is an interest in sports. People are going to show up if you put a good product on the ice.
It’s also a non-traditional hockey market, which is something the NHL will love. For the past 30 years, the NHL has been moving to non-traditional hockey markets, in the southern part of the US. They have been doing this in order to grow the game and make people who haven’t been exposed to hockey, hockey fans. That’s why the Coyotes have been in Arizona for so long, and other struggling teams have stayed in the south. While cities like Quebec City and Hartford are stuck begging for a team. Salt Lake City isn’t a traditional market for hockey, so it would continue the NHL goal of trying to build hockey popularity in the southern US. With all this factored in it’s a no-brainer for the Coyotes to move to Salt Lake City
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