Coyotes Plan To Buy Land In Mesa, Continue To Fight To Stay In Arizona

The Arizona Coyotes have announced plans to buy land in Mesa and build a privately-funded arena.

This comes as the franchise has been in limbo after a previous attempt at building an arena was voted down by residents.

"We can confirm that Coyotes Owner, Chairman & Governor Alex Meruelo has executed a Letter of Intent to purchase a parcel of land located in Mesa, Arizona to be the potential site for a sports arena and entertainment district for the Club," the team said in a statement.

"The Coyotes remain committed to building the first privately funded sports facility in Arizona history and ensuring the Valley as the Club's permanent home. In addition to this property in Mesa, the Club will continue to explore other potential sites in the East Valley."

While the sale hasn't gone through yet, Coyotes fans (there are some out there) will be breathing a slight sigh of relief.

The Arizona Coyotes will once again call Mullett Arena home during the 2023-24 NHL season. (Photo by Norm Hall/NHLI via Getty Images)

Coyotes Are Trying Their Best To Stay In Arizona

This announcement didn't say that a new arena was imminent, but it did show that there is work going on to keep the team in Arizona.

That's big because at times it seemed like they were running out of options. Meanwhile, cities like Houston, Salt Lake City, and Kansas City all have NHL-ready arenas for the 'Yotes to move to and seemed like tantalizing relocation options.

In the same statement, the Coyotes thanked the NHL for supporting the club in its search for a new arena and then touted some of their many offseasons additions.

"Our incredibly loyal and passionate fan base is extremely excited about our team and the incredible additions we've made this summer including Matt Dumba, Jason Zucker, Alex Kerfoot, Nick Bjugstad, Troy Stecher, Sean Durzi and the top prospect in the world, Logan Cooley," the team wrote.

No disrespect to Logan Cooley, but there's a guy named "Bedard" in Chicago who would like a word.

While the team's future is still in flux, they will once again play their home games at Arizona State's Mullett Arena for the 2023-24 NHL season.

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