Coyotes players told team is moving to Salt Lake City

EDMONTON — Arizona Coyotes players have been informed the NHL club is expected to relocate to Salt Lake City, according to a person with knowledge of the meeting.

General manager Bill Armstrong flew to Edmonton to tell players about the team’s potential move to Utah before its game against the Oilers, the person told the Associated Press on condition of anonymity Friday because the decision has not been announced.

Players and officials will visit Salt Lake City next week, possibly as soon as after the season finale Wednesday, which could be the final game at 5,000-seat Mullett Arena in Tempe.

The news comes amid buzz that Ryan Smith, owner of the NBA’s Utah Jazz, has been working to acquire an NHL team, a move that could include the league buying the Coyotes from Alex Meruelo and flipping it. Smith earlier this week solicited name ideas for a possible team in Salt Lake City, and the league has been working on two different drafts of the 2024-25 schedule based on whether the franchise is playing in Arizona or Utah.

The Smith Entertainment Group in January said it was interested in bringing a hockey team to Salt Lake City and had the immediate ability to facilitate that. The team would play in the Delta Center until a new arena could be built.

In recent weeks the Coyotes said they were committed to winning a land auction for a potential arena site in Scottsdale, north of Phoenix. If that auction succeeds, it could lead the NHL back to the desert later this decade with an expansion team.