Logan Cooley: Tempe’s refusal inspired him to return to the NCAA

In recent days, the Coyotes’ arena project has been the talk of the town. The team had high hopes for a referendum to build an arena in the city of Tempe, but the proposal was rejected by local residents.

Clearly, this was a tough setback that hurt the club’s chances of staying in Arizona very badly. Sure, they’ll play at Mullett Arena again next year, but with no real plan for the future, let’s just say it doesn’t smell good.

And that’s even if the team’s Twitter account is having fun with polls and a “Rick Roll“.

That said, it’s also starting to have an effect on the players. After Clayton Keller’s father stated that his son would no longer be playing for Arizona (although he later added that he had been hacked), now it’s having an impact on Logan Cooley, the team’s top prospect.

In fact, Cooley himself admits that the referendum result influenced his decision to stay in the NCAA for next season. Had the Coyotes won the vote, he probably would have made the jump to the pros, but since that didn’t happen, he preferred to return to university.

This is obviously a very bad sign for the Coyotes. The fact that Cooley, an elite prospect who wanted to be drafted by the Coyotes last year, is afraid to commit to the organization shows that the situation is scaring the players.

Maybe Keller’s father (or the hacker who took over his account, if you can believe it) wasn’t on the wrong track after all.

As long as Arizona doesn’t have a clear long-term plan, it’ll be almost impossible for them to attract players to town. Forget the big autonomous players this summer, clearly.

I’m repeating myself, but I find the situation truly horrible for Coyotes fans. It’s all out of their control, and as much as they love their club, what’s happening right now looks like a bad joke.

Arizona fans are often laughed at, but they do exist, and some of them are really passionate. It’s for them that I’m particularly sad.

I’m really looking forward to seeing how the case develops, and Cooley seems to be remaining somewhat optimistic. I don’t know if I’d be as optimistic in his place, but good for him.

In gusto

– No surprise to see the Maple Leafs at the top of the list.

– Indeed.

– Surprise in the Bronx.

– Tough loss for the Spurs.

– Wow.