The NHL board of governors voted in favor of the sale and relocation of the Arizona Coyotes to Utah for the 2024-25 season.
The league is giving control of the franchise to Ryan and Ashley Smith while awarding former Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo the right to reactivate the team should he secure a fully constructed NHL-appropriate arena within five years.
The Smiths run the NBA’s Utah Jazz, and the two organizations will share the Delta Center beginning next season, according to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan. The arena has a hockey capacity of 12,000. The franchise collected 11,000 season-ticket deposits within hours of the sale announcement, notes The Athletic’s Chris Johnston.
