Arizona Coyotes' new arena plans miserably fail following recent report

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Joshua Deeds
June 23, 2024 (3:42 PM)

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It appears NHL in the desert may be dead on arrival, soon after it had just left for the greener pastures of Utah.

The story of the NHL's Arizona Coyotes has been a cautionary tale since their inception. As owner Alex Meruelo has encountered opposition to his plan to revive the Coyotes in Arizona.

The state of Arizona had canceled a land auction and this slab of land was one where Meruelo was planning on building the new home for the Coyotes there:

"It has been made very clear to the State of Arizona that the Coyotes are fully committed to building out the infrastructure, going through the necessary approvals and developing the site into a world-class destination, yet the [Arizona State Land Department] ASLD has cancelled the auction despite the objections of the Coyotes less than a week before the scheduled auction date."

Meruelo is crying foul, as he claims the state is losing millions and "potentially billions" in tax revenue, as they shut down the auction for the land. However, according to the ASLD, it told the AP that it wanted Meruelo to re-submit the bid with an application for special use for the property. A definite lack of oversight in business practices by the Coyotes it seems.

"We understand the delay in an auction is a disappointment for our applicant and members of the public, but the change in timing is the prudent decision for the Trust."

Meruelo sold the team to Ryan Smith of SEG Group and made a deal to retain the rights to the name of the Arizona Coyotes in plans to re-enter the NHL, as soon as a suitable arena was built for the team.