During the last game of their 2023-24 season, the Coyotes played the Edmonton Oilers and won 5-2. Since there had already been rumors and talk of a move, fans were in tears after the game as they anticipated what was to come.
Following the game on April 18 2024, it was announced that the Arizona Coyotes were officially moving to Salt Lake City, Utah as the NHL Board of Governors voted unambiguously to approve the sale of the Arizona Coyotes to Smith Entertainment Group. The owners, Ryan and Ashley Smith stated that they were «All IN» regarding the managing of the team and while hearts were left broken in Arizona, hockey fans in Utah were cheering about the good news.
Utah deserves to have a hockey team, it definitely seems like the appropriate state for one, however the Arizona Coyotes also deserved better from management. There should have been a better plan way in advance to prevent the Coyotes from having to leave Arizona so suddenly. Having problems from the get go hasn't worked in the Coyotes' favor and it seems that their luck hasn't changed, even with the move to Utah as it looks like they are now having housing issues.
Having problems with a hotel stay should be the last thing these hockey players should have to deal with especially since the transition to Utah hasn't been the easiest. ESPN was told by multiple points of contact that the Coyotes were having multiple issues with payments and negotiations when it comes to hotel bills and stays. The reason why they are having to deal with these issues is currently unknown. What is known is that this could in fact now become a domino effect and reflect poorly on Smith Entertainment Group.
