Arizona Coyotes face major delay in return to NHL

"#BREAKING: The NHL has officially confirmed that the Arizona Coyotes have been sold and the team is moving to Salt Lake City, Utah."

"The league is going to buy the Coyotes for a billion dollars, and the current owner Alex Meruelo is going to have a five year window to prove he can put together a new arena, go to the land auction, win it, get shovels in the ground... everything that he has to do to prove he can build a new arena."

"After much consideration, the Arizona State Land Department (ASLD) has determined that it is in the best interest of the Trust to cancel the auction and reorder the steps. ASLD recently confirmed that the proposed arena use will require a Special Use Permit, and as a result we are requesting that the applicant file for and receive a Special Use Permit prior to the auction. This affords the applicant & ASLD certainty that the applicant can build what it intends to build for its anchor tenant. It is not uncommon for ASLD to require applicants to secure zoning/use permits prior to auction. We understand the delay in an auction is a disappointment for our applicant and members of the public, but the change in timing is the prudent decision for the Trust. ASLD remains open to working with our applicant to bring the land forward to auction in the future if a special use permit is received."