Arizona Coyotes' relocation is 'possible,' GM Armstrong tells players

It is possible for the National Hockey League's (NHL's) Arizona Coyotes to move out of Phoenix, the team's general manager Bill Armstrong told their players on Friday, according to The Athletic.

There were a series of reports about the Coyotes moving to Salt Lake City in the past week, but no detail has been confirmed. The Athletic revealed that the NHL wants the Coyotes ready in Utah for the 2024-25 season. Its board of governors received a status-report memo on Wednesday.

Armstrong flew from Minnesota to Alberta, Canada, and addressed the Coyotes ahead of their game against the Edmonton Oilers. After the Coyotes beat the Oilers 3-2 in overtime (OT), their players were not available for the press.

"We've been through adversity. When the first time that rumor [of relocation] came around, we didn't manage it well. We (shot) ourself in the foot and went on a 14-game losing streak," the Coyotes' head coach Andre Tourigny said. "It's not every season and it's not every time you have a second opportunity. Our guys are showing how proud they are and how much they care for each other and how much they want to have success together. So, it's cool to feel that."

The Coyotes have been struggling during the 2023-24 season, winning only 35 of their 80 games. They had a five-game winning streak from November to December 2023, but other than that, they never won more than two straight games. Defeating the Oilers on Friday was the second OT win they secured this week after beating the Vancouver Canucks 4-3 on Wednesday.

Billionaire Ryan Smith, who is also the owner of the NBA's Utah Jazz and Major League Soccer's Real Salt Lake, formally requested the NHL expand to Utah in January. "If an NHL team were to come to Utah, what should we name it?" he wrote on X when reposting a tweet by KSL Sports.