Arizona Coyotes Might Finally Move After Latest Bizarre Scandal

The Arizona Coyotes moved from Winnipeg to their current home back in 1996. It seems since that happened people have been talking about them moving somewhere else.

When one talks of an NHL relocation, the Coyotes are the team everyone brings up first. Whether they are being put in Seattle, Las Vegas or Quebec City, there aren’t many scenarios in which they will stay in Arizona.

Many thought that was changing when they signed a 15-year lease agreement worth $225 million to play in the Gila River Arena back in 2013. There was a clause in that contract saying if losses had exceeded $50 million after five years, the team could relocate.

Well it seems that this deal could be killed well before that. It is expected that the city of Glendale will vote to kill this lease agreement after the city has experienced losses of over $8 million each season during the agreement.

There are still many details that are extremely hazy in this situation. The Coyotes have said that they plan on continuing their agreement with the city and the arena. The NHL talks about how they are disappointed in the city. The city’s mayor Jerry Weiers says he cannot disclose the reason for the city’s decision. He speaks of executive sessions and other political lines that keep him safe. The fact is that Glendale is seriously considering life without hockey.

The city is saying they are looking towards fixing the agreement the team has with them. Glendale is looking to spend less money in this deal, and they say they hope a new agreement could be drawn up. At least, that is what they are telling the media. It seems weird that the city did not discuss this with the team prior to coming to this conclusion. The Coyotes had to find out about this from the website for the city, just like everyone else.

The Coyotes are not innocent in all of this. The city has some rightful claims, saying the $15 million per year that is supposed to be spent on managing the arena has been spent on the owner’s debts. That could be seen as a breach of contract, which could get them out of the deal in certain situations.

The city is checking every letter in the agreement to see if they can get out of this deal. It was controversial from the start, with Mayor Weiers voting against it originally. If they do decide to let the Coyotes go, this could end up going to the courtroom with the Coyotes claiming a breach of contract. No matter the finish in this situation, the Coyotes fans are once again the loser here. They felt like they could finally get used to having their team stay in Arizona, after more than a decade of turmoil. Now, they go back to waiting to see if their team will return next season.