Austin Konenski
The NHL used to have a franchise in Arizona; however, it all came falling down due to arena, financial, and ownership issues. The Arizona Coyotes moved to Utah in 2024, eventually becoming the Mammoth. However, will the league ever return to Arizona? Based on one NHL insider, that should be the expectation.
TSN’s Darren Dreger joined Barn Burner and discussed the possibility of the NHL returning to Arizona, According to Dreger, the sport will eventually find its way back to the desert.
“They’re going back, the NHL is going back to Arizona,” Dreger said. “They’ll find their way back there.”
The Coyotes mainly left Arizona due to a failed, long-term failure to secure a suitable arena. The team played its final two seasons at Arizona State University’s Mullett Arena, a college-sized venue with 5,000 seats that was unacceptable to the NHL.
Arizona moved to Mullett Arena starting in the 2022-23 NHL season after being kicked out of its former Gila River Arena in Glendale. The organization needed a new location after the City of Glendale terminated their lease agreement, leaving them with no arena.
Utah has become a promising NHL market, and the organization is pushing for a spot in the 2026 Stanley Cup Playoffs. While it was a disappointing outcome for Arizona hockey fans, the Mammoth sold out their inaugural season at Delta Center and has built a competitive team with high fan engagement.
If the NHL can find an owner and secure an arena in Phoenix area, Arizona could land another franchise. With the sport looking into expansion, Houston, Atlanta, and Arizona would all be excellent destinations in the United States. Meanwhile, Quebec would make sense for Canada.
Arizona deserves a team and the NHL could find itself back in the desert soon.
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