TEMPE, Ariz. — The Arizona Coyotes players were told they are moving to Salt Lake City in a meeting before their game in Edmonton Friday, according to a new report from PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan.
This comes just days after news broke that the NHL and the team were exploring a move to Salt Lake City.
The news was first reported by Elliotte Friedman in a post on X, formerly Twitter, but Friedman has deleted his posts.
Both PHNX Sports' Craig Morgan, a Coyotes insider, later confirmed the move. ESPN confirmed Morgan's report.
Coyotes General Manager Bill Armstrong appears to be the person who delivered the news, as he flew up to Edmonton to speak with the team before their game against the Oilers on Friday night.
Morgan said the official announcement could come as soon as April 17, which is the date of the Coyotes' final regular season game.
This news came just hours after players spoke about the relocation rumors for the first time since the news broke earlier this week.
During Friday night's game, team broadcaster Todd Walsh asked Coyotes rookies Josh Doan and Logan Cooley how they felt after Armstrong spoke to the team.
"Yeah, I think it was awesome that he came in and talked to us and cleared some things up," Doan said. "Obviously, the main focal point was still that we had a game tonight vs. Edmonton who is a really good team and a playoff team and another opportunity for a lot of us to prove ourselves and prove that we’re a team that can be a threat here in the next coming years. And I think that everyone in that room’s thankful that he came in and did that. But at the end of the day the focal point was tonight’s game.
"Yeah, it’s huge I think it’s big for, not only for us players but, you know, fans and the coaching staff, everyone, the trainers, it’s, you know, it just makes everyone feel almost a little more comfortable," Cooley said. "You know, you’ve got, like you said, some clarity. But, like I said, nothing changes inside that locker room. We have (the) third period left then two more games to play the right way. So, we’ve just got to manage the puck the right way and keep doing what we’re doing."
The week that led to the Coyotes leaving Arizona
On Wednesday, the Coyotes beat the Pacific Division-leading Vancouver Canucks 4-3 in overtime. The game came at the end of a day of rumors that began when the Daily Faceoff's Frank Seravalli posted on X, formerly Twitter, that the NHL was drafting two versions of next year's schedule: One with the Coyotes in Arizona, and another with the Coyotes in Salt Lake City.
That later developed into reports that the Coyotes could be sold to the owner of the Utah Jazz, Ryan Smith, rebranded and moved to Salt Lake City. ESPN's Greg Wyshynski and Emily Kaplan report that if the team is sold, it would first be sold to the NHL. The league would then sell the team to Smith.
Whyshynski and Kaplan also reported that as part of the deal, current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo would get a chance to purchase an expansion franchise if the NHL decides to return to Arizona.
A report from Arizona Sports 98.7 FM's John Gambadoro says the official announcement about the sale could come as soon as April 18.
So far, the Coyotes have not commented on the rumors, outside of a statement posted on X by the Coyotes.Central account, which was credited to "Coyotes ownership." The official team account reposted the statement.
"Let the fans know we hear them & we are doing everything we can to keep the Coyotes in Arizona with a forever home," the statement read. "We feel their pain. It sucks. And we are sorry they have to go through this."
The Coyotes originally came to the Valley after relocating from Winnipeg, Manitoba, in 1996.
So far, eight players born in Arizona while the Coyotes played in the Valley have made it to the NHL (Toronto's Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies, Ottawa's Brady Tkachuck and Mark Kastelic, Florida's Matthew Tkachuck, Buffalo's Tage Thompson, Montreal's Jesse Ylönen, and Arizona's Josh Doan).
Arizona sports
The city of Phoenix is home to five major professional sports league teams; The NFL's Arizona Cardinals, NBA's Phoenix Suns, WNBA’s Phoenix Mercury, MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks and NHL's Arizona Coyotes.
The Cardinals have made State Farm Stadium in Glendale their home turf and the Footprint Center in downtown Phoenix is home to both the Suns and the Mercury. The Indoor Football League’s Arizona Rattlers play at Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale. The Coyotes play at Mullett Arena on ASU's Tempe campus.
Phoenix also has a soccer team with the USL's Phoenix Rising FC, who play at Phoenix Rising FC Stadium in Phoenix.
The Valley hosts multiple major sporting events on a yearly basis, including college football's Fiesta Bowl and Guaranteed Rate Bowl; the PGA Tour’s highest-attended event, the WM Phoenix Open; NASCAR events each spring and fall, including Championship Weekend in November; and Cactus League Spring Training for 15 Major League Baseball franchises.
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