Friedman on TJMS talking next round of expansion: “Jeff, you and I are both on the same page that they are going to expand at some point and I believe too if they leave Arizona eventually they will go back there, they will not leave that market open”.
– NHL Watcher (@NHL_Watcher) June 13, 2023
![The NHL will never leave the Arizona market abandoned](https://cdn.buminteractif.com/2023/06/Capture-decran-2022-08-03-214309.jpg)
Right now in Arizona, things aren’t going very well. The TV contract situation is good, but otherwise, the desert market doesn’t seem to be working… at least, not in the NHL.
Because in the MLB (Diamondbacks), NFL (Cardinals) and NBA (Suns), without being the best sports markets in the world, they’re nowhere near as deficient as the one in the NHL. So, what’s the problem with the Coyotes? Quickly, I can list several, but the fact that the team doesn’t have an amphitheatre that looks good is one of them.
Gary Bettman is a big fan of the desert market. Will he dare move them? He might. One thing’s for sure: if the Coyotes have to leave Arizona, they’ll be back one day. A bit like the Jets and possibly a field hockey team in Atlanta.
Currently, expansion is not in the cards. In the space of six years, Bettman brought in the Vegas Golden Knights and the Seattle Kraken. But whether Bettman is still in office or not, expansion will happen in the years to come. On the Jeff Marek show, Elliotte Friedman is certain that the NHL won’t leave the Arizona market open.
After all, as I mentioned, the other three major professional leagues have a club in Arizona, and that’s not a problem. In the MLB, the Diamondbacks are currently in first place in a big division. They are ahead of the Dodgers and Padres, among others. In the NBA, the Suns have been one of the best clubs in recent years. The team led by Devin Booker finished fourth in the Western Section. And finally, the Arizona Cardinals are the NFL’s oldest team. In recent years, they haven’t had the success they’d hoped for, but they do have some talent on their roster, including their quarterback, Kyler Murray.
In short, there’s a market in the NHL too, that’s for sure. Perhaps a change of ownership or a different arena location will ensure that the Coyotes are no longer the laughing stock of the NHL. It remains to be seen whether they’ll move before speculating on their possible return.
In gusto
– Patrick Roy confirms he knows Andlauer well.
Patrick Roy knows the new @Senators owner @tvaqc @TVASports pic.twitter.com/o8be9i4X16
– StĂ©phane Turcot (@StephTurcotTVA) June 13, 2023
– The end of an era.
Carey Price & his family’s last week living in Montreal before moving to Kelowna, BC… pic.twitter.com/fF0qRjWLeO
– /r/Habs (@HabsOnReddit) June 13, 2023
– An important role.
He’s a great mentor, listening, consoling and advising his young teammate. https://t.co/t4qnJYH4gt
– Passion MLB (@passion_mlb) June 14, 2023
– Maybe it all ends tonight!
Which Golden Knights player do you think deserves to win the Conn-Smythe Trophy đź’Ą pic.twitter.com/Wc0ibqmWiV
– Field hockey 360 (@hockey360) June 13, 2023
– Nice read.
My column on where road to the Canadiens and a new eight-year, US$62.8-million contract started for Cole Caufield #Habs #HabsIO: https://t.co/qUtv3eNGzc
– Stu Cowan (@StuCowan1) June 13, 2023