Evan’s NHL Daily: Coyotes Relocation Escalates, Could Avalanche Change Divisions?

Things escalated quickly around the NHL on Wednesday morning. That June 27 auction date for the Arizona Coyotes might not matter much when it comes to next season, as it appears the wheels are already in motion to move the Coyotes to Salt Lake City for next season.

If that is the case, could the Colorado Avalanche be changing divisions?

All that and more in this Thursday edition of Evan’s Daily.

Colorado Hockey Now

I may have already seen enough – the performance on Tuesday night could be enough for Nathan MacKinnon to lock up the Hart Trophy.

Defense leads to offense, and that’s what happened for the Avalanche against the Wild (+)

The Avalanche sent Chris Wagner to the AHL on Thursday, clearing the way for a Mikko Rantanen return. Colorado is off again on Thursday but will be back practicing Friday.

Are Coyotes Moving To Salt Lake Next Season?

We might have an NHL team in a new city next season. Salt Lake City, come on down.

On Wednesday, we went from thinking the Coyotes were going to at least spend another season in Arizona while we wait for the results of the June 27 auction. By the end of the day, it seemed all but confirmed that the Coyotes appear headed to Salt Lake City next season.

Daily Faceoff was first on the report, stating that the NHL is working on two schedules next season to prepare for a potential move. As it turns out, that June 27 date might mean something completely different. While nothing is confirmed, an announcement of the sale and relocation could come as early as April 18. That June 27 date would then mean something completely different, as the Coyotes current ownership group would try to win the land to build a new sports and entertainment district with the hope that he can lure the NHL back with an expansion team.

A fresh start, essentially.

Later on Wednesday, insiders around the league made it seem like a done deal, with everyone in the NHL working around the clock to make sure it gets done before all the players leave for the summer.

"They are working around the clock to get this done by next week. There is a real desire to have it put together before the players break off." @FriedgeHNIC says a deal to relocate the Coyotes to Salt Lake City is rapidly approaching. pic.twitter.com/YErSVhAFLA

— PHNX Coyotes (@PHNX_Coyotes) April 10, 2024

I feel bad for Coyotes fans and employees, who have gotten the run around for years now regarding a new arena. The ownership there has been a mess, and they’ve been the ones that have suffered for it. Maybe a fresh start wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world for them. Get a new team in there with a clear arena plan and some actual structure, then build from there.

Would The Avalanche Change Divisions?

Movement sometimes mean some shuffling when it comes to divisions, and it’s possible the NHL moves the Avalanche to the Pacific.

Best guess is NHL moves Colorado and Salt Lake to the Pacific, Alberta goes Central. https://t.co/cFbG1Ztgje

— Travis Yost (@travisyost) April 10, 2024

Again, nothing is confirmed, not even the move of the Coyotes, but it’s worth discussing. The Avalanche are in a weird spot. The closest team to them, travel wise, is probably the Coyotes. If they move to Salt Lake City, that would remain the same. Edmonton and Calgary both are in the Mountain Time Zone, so a move like this would just swap those teams. I don’t quite understand the need to move things around if only one team is changing zip codes, but there’s probably a lot more that goes into these decisions than I would ever know.

From a selfish standpoint, I dislike it a lot. Moving to the Pacific would mean a lot more late starts, as those games in California don’t get started until 8 or 8:30 PM MST. That’s tough during the season. We see a lot of those starts for the Avalanche at home in the playoffs, so I guess they’re used to it, but I don’t have to like it. It’s not like it would be new to the Avalanche. The old Northwest Division had the Canucks in it, and that’s a pretty long flight.

There’s still a lot that has to happen over the next few months for this to take place, but it’s something to keep on your radar.

National Hockey Now

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Keep counting the Predators out. They prefer it that way, apparently.