NHL Approves Deal Giving Utah A New Franchise And Coyotes A Way To Return

Well, we all knew this was coming, they clearly knew it was coming after their season finale against the Edmonton Oilers, but the Arizona Coyotes are now officially moving to Salt Lake City, Utah… kind of.

At least their players and some staff are.

On Thursday, the NHL announced that they had approved the establishment of a new franchise in Utah that will begin play for the 2024-25 NHL season and will be owned by Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and his wife Ashley's Smith Entertainment Group.

The NHL had reportedly wanted to get a deal done before the Stanley Cup Playoffs begin this weekend, and they managed to do it, despite the somewhat unusual nature of the deal bringing a team to Utah.

"We are honored to bring an NHL team to Utah and understand the responsibility we have as stewards of a new NHL franchise," Ryan and Ashley Smith said in a statement released by the NHL. "This is a transformative day for our state and our fans. Our intention had always been to pursue an expansion team. Commissioner Bettman conceived and proposed an ingenious plan that would allow us to acquire an NHL franchise while also helping to address and remedy an immediate need of the NHL. When he approached us and asked us for help resolving this situation, we made the bold decision to introduce a new franchise in Utah, fully understanding that we are stepping up to do something in a time frame and way that has never been done before in professional sports under these circumstances."

Smith has purchased the Arizona Coyotes' "existing hockey assets," i.e. its current roster, its hockey ops department, and draft picks.

He didn't, however, purchase the Coyotes branding, name, or logo and that's because the Coyotes will be considered "inactive" with the team owner Alex Meruelo having the ability to reactivate the team within 5 years if certain conditions are met.

The biggest is a suitable arena, which is how this situation started in the first place.

"I agree with Commissioner Gary Bettman and the National Hockey League, that it is simply unfair to continue to have our Players, coaches, hockey front office, and the NHL teams they compete against, spend several more years playing in an arena that is not suited for NHL hockey," Meruelo said in the statement. "But this is not the end for NHL hockey in Arizona. I have negotiated the right to reactivate the team within the next five years, and have retained ownership of the beloved Coyotes name, brand and logo. I remain committed to this community and to building a first-class sports arena and entertainment district without seeking financial support from the public."

The Salt Lake City-based NHL franchise will play at Delta Center in Utah.  (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

This Is A Big Win For The NHL

This deal is unlike previous NHL sales and relocations. For instance, when the Coyotes moved to Arizona from Winnipeg, they retained the history of the Winnipeg Jets. Those current Jets? Those are technically the zombified remains of the Atlanta Thrashers.

What a unique solution that looks to have checked several boxes for the league. They've got a new market, have the Coyotes' embarrassing arena situation off their back, and have a clear path back to Phoenix — a huge market — if and when the situation improves.

This is a big win for the NHL, hockey fans in Utah, and even fans in Arizona, because there's a chance the Coyotes aren't dead after all.

So, what are the earliest of early returns? Well, for the yet-to-be-named Utah franchise, pretty good.