Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo to face competition during land auction

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Cooper Godin
June 12, 2024 (9:23)

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Later this month, we're set to find out the fate of Alex Meruelo's bid for land in Phoenix to build a new arena and bring the Coyotes back to Arizona.

However, with just over two weeks to go until the land auction, it appears that Meruelo will face some competition in the land auction which could prove his chances at bringing the Coyotes back fairly difficult.

According to former NHLPA consultant Richard Rodier, four bidders have already registered for the land auction on June 27th including Alex Meruelo. This means that Meruelo will need to outbid the other three people in order to win the land auction and potentially bring the Coyotes back.

"Sources: the June 27 land auction in Phoenix already has 4 bidders registered including Meruelo. That means there will be at least 3 bidders against Meruelo, and maybe more as there is still plenty of time for others to register. Should be interesting." Rodier said.

Back when the National Hockey League moved the Coyotes' players and staff to Utah to form a new franchise, they granted Alex Meruelo a five-year window to bring back Arizona as an expansion team, if he was able to prove himself and build an arena up to their standards.

Given the competition he's about to face in the land auction, with the potential for more bidders to register in the coming days, the return of the Arizona Coyotes is going to be tough but there's no doubt that Alex Meruelo is going to do whatever it takes to bring the NHL back to that market.