Coyotes take next step to leave Arizona after the NHL's executive committee approves a move to Salt Lake City... with the league's Board of Governors next to vote on relocation

The Arizona Coyotes potential move to Salt Lake City, Utah has been approved by the NHL's executive committee - a key step to the team leaving the desert.

After giving the franchise as much leeway as possible (some might say much more leeway than necessary) to find a new home, it appears the NHL is fed up with the attempts to try and find a new home - with the executive committee giving the green light for a move to Utah.

In a complicated move, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo will be selling the team to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith in a deal worth $1.2billion.

But the team will be re-branded in time for the 2024-25 season - with Meruelo retaining the rights to the Coyotes name, logos, and trademarks.

Meruelo will keep these trademarks in the hopes of establishing an expansion franchise in Arizona. He'll continue to pursue building a $3billion arena in North Phoenix - with the NHL giving him five years to get it done.

Of the $1.2billion, Meruelo will keep $1billion while the remaining $200m will go to the NHL - which is brokering the deal. If he gets the expansion franchise, he'll pay the $1billion back to the NHL as a franchise fee.

Meruelo will also keep ownership of the Tucson Roadrunners - the Coyotes AHL affiliate. 

For years, the Coyotes have been one of the worst performing teams in the National Hockey League and those issues have been compounded by the franchise getting kicked out of its former home in Glendale, now known as the Desert Diamond Arena.

Since that eviction, the team has struggled to find a new and future home with multiple plans for different sites in the area falling apart. 

The Coyotes have been playing their games at Mullett Arena, the home for the hockey team of Arizona State University. It's a move that's been criticized as the facilities have been sub-par for professional hockey.

But those issues will soon be behind the team - as they're set to move to the Delta Center, home of the NBA's Jazz for next season.

Meruelo purchased the Coyotes for $425million back in July of 2019. At the time, Arizona was the least valuable NHL franchise - worth $675million.