NHL Reportedly Wants Arizona-Utah Coyotes Situation Wrapped Up Before The Playoffs

The Stanley Cup Playoffs get underway this weekend, so you can understand why the NHL reportedly wants the situation surrounding the Arizona Coyotes' move to Utah done and dusted before it starts.

Of course, that's much easier said than done.

TSN's Pierre Lebrun reported that the NHL is hoping to get everything with the Coyotes finalized before the playoffs.

While nothing has officially been announced yet, it's everyone's full expectation that Wednesday night's game at Mullett Arena between the Coyotes and the Edmonton Oilers will be the franchise's last in the desert. The fact that the get-in price is over $1,000 is a pretty good clue that a lot of people believe this is it.

However, it's been widely reported that any deal would be complicated. Not that there's any sale of a sports team that isn't complicated, but this one has a few more moving parts.

That's because, according to the Associated Press, the deal would allow current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo to sell the team to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith, but also allow Meruelo to get an expansion franchise if he can get an NHL-caliber arena built within five years.

According to reports, there's a scenario in which the Arizona Coyotes return, if current owner Alex Meruelo manages to get a new arena built. (Photo by Derek Cain/Getty Images)

The current plan — which was announced before all of the talk of the ‘Yotes relocating popped off — is for Meruelo to buy a piece of land in Phoenix in a public auction next month. If that worked out, he could build a proposed arena and entertainment district on it, and — voila! — the Coyotes could be resurrected as an expansion franchise.

Can they get all of this finalized by this weekend so that the Coyotes situation doesn't bleed into the playoffs? I'm sure they can, but it sounds like a tall order.

Nonetheless, this is ideal for the league. They get the Coyotes out of their rough arena situation, however, they have a window to return to Phoenix — a huge market — if the situation improves over the next couple of years.