Everything you need to know about the Arizona Coyotes’ search for a permanent arena

The Arizona Coyotes have officially kicked off their tenure in Mullett Arena at Arizona State University.

The 5,000-seat arena is both the National Hockey League’s newest and smallest venue. It’s located right in the heart of the upscale campus and just east of downtown Tempe.

Mullett Arena is a fascinating temporary fix for a team seeking both to grow its fanbase and find a long-term home in the valley.

The Coyotes have their sights on a site less than two miles west of ASU at the northeast corner of the Rio Salado Parkway and Priest Drive. It’s 46 acres, owned by the City of Tempe, situated along the south bank of the Salt River.

A full-time move to Tempe would mark a big change for a team that once played in a remote suburb. The Coyotes’ previous home, Desert Diamond Arena, is now without a major tenant after an acrimonious split between the team and the City of Glendale in 2021.

But the Coyotes’ plans in Tempe have yet to be finalized, with multiple civic hurdles still left to jump over before construction can begin. Here’s a look at the status of the Coyotes’ ideated Tempe entertainment district, plus some of the potential alternatives the franchise can pursue if a deal doesn’t come to fruition.

The Coyotes are looking to build a 16,000-seat arena in downtown Tempe, Arizona that would serve as the team’s permanent home for the foreseeable future.

Back in June, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the Coyotes would have to sign a 30-year “non-relocation agreement” if their plan is approved by Tempe City Council.

Tempe previously voted 5–2 to begin negotiations with the Coyotes on their plan. PHNX Sports’ Craig Morgan has since reported that another council vote is expected on November 29, but that Tempe will also likely refer the proposal to its citizens for a referendum in 2023.

Daily Faceoff visited the site the Coyotes seek to redevelop. It’s currently home to a compost yard, and the Coyotes have pledged to cover $48 million of the reported $70 million cost to remediate the two parcels of land.

Beyond the NHL-sized arena, the Coyotes are intent upon building an “entertainment district” with hotels, restaurants, stores, and 1,600 apartments.

The total cost of the development is expected to land around $2.1 billion, with most of that projected figure being privately financed by the Coyotes — although, in the deal, the club also seeks $200 million in Tempe sales tax revenue generated by the completed entertainment district.

Sky Harbor International Airport in Phoenix has been a major detractor of the proposal, honing in on the possibility of its flight paths negatively impacting residents in the residential areas of the Coyotes’ entertainment district.

Morgan reported over the weekend that two separate polls of Tempe citizens pin the public support level of the Coyotes’ plan at around 60 percent, although that figure could change significantly in either direction by the date of the referendum.

No doubt, the Coyotes have a lot riding on this proposal. What happens if a vote doesn’t go their way? Could they, for instance, remain at Mullett Arena for more than their initial residency timeline of three to four years?

The Coyotes have said they project to bring in more revenue at ASU compared to Glendale, but it’s also not difficult to imagine both the NHL and its Players’ Association objecting to the club sticking around in such a small venue.

It’s also important to note that Mullett Arena isn’t the Coyotes’ building. It belongs to the University, and there’s no telling whether that entity would be comfortable with allowing an NHL franchise to bunk in with the Sun Devils indefinitely.

That said, there are more existing venues in the Phoenix area the Coyotes could potentially explore as backup options if their Tempe arena gets shot down.

The Footprint Center, home of the NBA’s Phoenix Suns, is one of them. The Coyotes know it well — they previously played there from 1996 to 2003, although the sightlines weren’t ideal for hockey — and its location in downtown Phoenix would be very attractive for the franchise.

Under the ownership of Robert Sarver, the Suns have had “no interest” in sharing the arena with the Coyotes. But, in September, Sarver — embattled by personal scandals — said he has begun the process of selling the team.

Bettman spoke at the NHL’s Board of Governors meeting in October about what the Suns sale could mean for the future of the Coyotes. Here’s what Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had to say in recapping Bettman’s comments:

Beyond the Footprint Center, there is also the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, located just two miles northwest of downtown Phoenix on the Arizona State Fairground.

Moving into the Veterans Coliseum would bring its own range of issues. For one, the Coyotes would have to operate around the State Fair, which takes place annually around the start of hockey season. It was in full swing while Daily Faceoff was down in Arizona.

Second, the arena is nearly 60 years old. It first opened back in 1965 and was the facility the Footprint Center replaced as the home of the Suns.

The Veterans Coliseum bears an uncanny resemblance to the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, and its leaky roof is even more problematic. It lacks luxury boxes of any kind and its listed capacity for ice hockey is just 13,780. There are fixer-uppers, and then there’s this.

But don’t expect a reunion with Glendale anytime soon. Desert Diamond Arena is in an awful location for the Coyotes and their fans, and the city already tore up its lease with the team.

The only way Glendale would be feasible is as a temporary solution, and the Coyotes already have one of those. It’s more likely the Coyotes relocate than it is they return to Desert Diamond Arena.

Relocation is the outcome many fans in Canada want. It’s been 11 years since an NHL club changed cities; Quebec City finished building its 18,259-seat Videotron Centre, which could easily support an NHL club, in 2015.

Of course, the Quebec City metropolitan area contains just over 800,000 people. The Phoenix area is home to nearly five million. The concentration of hockey fans in those locations is another thing, but Phoenix is a top media market in the United States and, on paper, is more viable for the NHL. That said, the same could be said for Atlanta against Winnipeg.

The difference between the situations in Phoenix and Atlanta is the Coyotes’ existing ownership group has repeatedly expressed its commitment to staying put. But there are still many questions left to be answered before they can begin to construct a new permanent home.

For now, the Coyotes still seek their first win at Mullett Arena. They’ll look to change that when they take on the Florida Panthers on Tuesday evening at 7:00 p.m. PT.