David Stern
Well-Known Member
I mean the only possible answer to this is yes, and I’m fine with the idea of tanking next year and distracting myself with a new hockey team. I pray that he doesn’t help with any of the necessary rebranding.
Is Ryan buying the Coyotes to distract us from how bad the Jazz will be next year?
- Thread starter David Stern
- Start date
TheStormofWar
Well-Known Member
No. Dude's had a raging joyboner for the NHL for forever.
I hope we can make a significant/competitive move this offseason, but trading Lauri/JC/Sexton for a haul and entering "full-tank" mode for 2025 is exciting in a different way.
Of course, that almost completely depends on whether or not our pick conveys this draft (still hope it does - always hoped it did). 3 picks + ours being virtually guaranteed of top ~6 in next year's draft would be fun. It's not just Cooper Flagg (who is super special), there are a number of top end guys in that draft that I'm excited about.
Of course, that almost completely depends on whether or not our pick conveys this draft (still hope it does - always hoped it did). 3 picks + ours being virtually guaranteed of top ~6 in next year's draft would be fun. It's not just Cooper Flagg (who is super special), there are a number of top end guys in that draft that I'm excited about.
Utah will build a hockey arena, monetize it with an NHL franchise, then use it for their Olympic bid.
What do you mean by necessary rebranding? Are you implying that Salt Lake City Coyotes isnt a credible name?
This seems like a very likely plan. Utah has pushed for World Championship events in downhill, biathlon, cross coutry among other winter sports and they seem to have regular world cup events for all those sports. Ski jumping I'm not sure about, but it seems the facilities for everything else have seen some additional investments in them since the 2002 olympics.
TheStormofWar
Well-Known Member
Agreed, though I don't consider Ski Jumping an actual sport. Too many arbitrary rules they seem to make up on the fly (no pun intended).
Regardless, it'll be interesting to see how they work with the new arena and what happens with the DC. If they don't tear it down, I suspect they'll use the new digs for Hockey and the DC for Figure Skating and Short Track. I also imagine that's part of the reason for the speed at which this seems to be moving. Bettman can see the advantages of using SLC and the coming Olympics as free advertising for the game, the NHL, and a local franchise.
TheStormofWar
Well-Known Member
The deal is basically the current Yotes owner keeps the brand and would get a 5 year exclusive window to bring in an expansion franchise to Phoenix while Smith gets the franchise. The NHL gets about two to three hundred million for laundering the deal.
Though the thing has lost more money than the Hindenberg, the Coyotes are a brand that's there for about 28 years. So there is some recognition, even if it isn't all good. Also, the fact that the franchise has been through a bankruptcy and currently plays in an 5000 seat college arena named after a meme hairstyle isn't great optics.
So their choices are
a.) Move the team to a market that can support it with ownership and local and state governments willing to invest with immediately upgraded facilities and plans already in place and just waiting for an excuse to break ground.
b.) Wait for a new arena that doesn't seem like it'll materialize.
c.) Move it to a different market later while continuing to play in the Mullett and bleed cash.
d.) Contract the franchise.
Seems simple enough to me.
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It was more of a humoristic pun about Coyotes being a good brand name for a team based in SLC..