Report: Coyotes 'Informed' of Relocation, Join Jazz in Salt Lake City

It seems the Utah Jazz are set to get some company joining them in their city.

Apr 10, 2024; Vancouver, British Columbia, CAN; Arizona Coyotes defenseman Josh Brown (3) and / Bob Frid-USA TODAY Sports

It looks like basketball won't be the only professional sport being played in Salt Lake City.

As first reported by Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports, the Arizona Coyotes have been "informed" that a relocation to Utah is bound to take place to bring an NHL franchise to Salt Lake City as soon as next season.

"Per multiple sources, the Coyotes have been informed that relocation to Salt Lake City is real.
Now hearing it could actually be announced on April 17; the date of the Coyotes’ final game at home vs. Edmonton. It’s going to be quite an atmosphere that night at Mullett Arena."

The Coyotes will join the Utah Jazz as the second major professional sports franchise to call Salt Lake City home. Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith have remained persistent in his pursuit of bringing a hockey franchise in to the city, and it seems those efforts are finally coming to fruition.

Phoenix has been home for the Coyotes since the franchise's 1996 move from Edmonton. However, consistent arena issues and poor ownership have caused some concerns for the team's long-term outlook in the city.

ESPN's Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski gave details earlier this week on the relocation to SLC, crediting the move to potential hurdles taking place in building a new arena within Phoenix.

"Even though the NHL remains convinced a franchise should be in Arizona, the league is skeptical about the Coyotes' newest plan to build an arena in Phoenix, which involved Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo's bid to win a land auction in June. The NHL has prepared a backup option that would sell the team to Ryan and Ashley Smith, owners of the NBA's Utah Jazz, in a relocation move to Salt Lake City, multiple sources said."

In less than a week, we'll have some more concrete answers on how the moving process from Phoenix will go down after spending close to 30 years in the city.

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