Arizona Coyotes hit massive road block in bid to get back to the NHL

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TJ Tucker
June 23, 2024 (9:13)

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The person looking to get the Arizona Coyotes back in the NHL has released a statement after learning he's hit a huge barrier in his plans

The saga of the Arizona Coyotes and its messy run in the NHL continues after a surprising new development that has the owner of the rights for the team fuming. Alex Meruelo has released a statement expressing shock and disappointment at the State of Arizona for cancelling a land auction at the last minute.

According to the statement released by Meruelo, the auction for a piece of land that he was planning to buy in order to build a new arena for the Coyotes has been shut down.

"It has been made very clear to the State of Arizona that the Coyotes are fully committed to building out the infrastructure, going through the necessary approvals and developing the site into a world-class destination, yet the [Arizona State Land Department] ASLD has cancelled the auction despite the objections of the Coyotes less than a week before the scheduled auction date."

Meruelo insists the state is losing millions, "and potentially billions" of dollars by delaying the sale of the land. For its part, the ASLD told the Associated Press it wants to start the whole registration process over, with Meruelo now having to apply for a special use permit for the property before submitting a bid.

"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."

Meruelo sold the Coyotes to Ryan Smith of Utah earlier this year on the condition that he got to keep the Arizona Coyotes' name and could apply for re-entry into the NHL as soon as a new arena was built for the team.