The ramifications of the Arizona Coyotes’ potential relocation to Salt Lake City are reverberating around the league and some members of the Toronto Maple Leafs aren’t immune to the latest developments.
There are few similarities between Toronto and Arizona’s hockey markets, as the Maple Leafs are an 107-year-old franchise with multigenerational wealth and outreach, whereas the growth and excitement around hockey in Arizona hasn’t been met with the same corporate and institutional support as you’d expect in a major Canadian city.
Auston Matthews and Matthew Knies are the great exponents of the NHL’s experiment in Arizona. Knies was particularly annoyed about a potential Coyotes’ relocation to Utah, speaking to reporters Thursday morning.
“Not too happy with the situation,” Knies said via Sportsnet’s Luke Fox. “It’s pretty unfortunate. The Coyotes did a lot for me growing up, and I loved going to the games. It was a big reason as to why I got into hockey. But that kind of situation is out of my control. I’m hopeful that they can stay there, because it meant a lot to me, but I guess we’re gonna have to see what happens.”
Matthews wasn’t made available to reporters but one would expect that he shares similar sentiments to Knies.
“When I was growing up, it wasn’t the hockey hotbed Colorado or Chicago or Detroit was. But it was definitely growing, and you could see the potential there,” Knies said.
“The Coyotes were a big part of that, and so it’s definitely gotten a lot better. I know a lot of kids are starting to pick up a hockey stick now, and it’s just really good to see. So, again, hope they can stay there.”
Beyond Knies and Matthews, special assistant to the general manager Shane Doan was a franchise icon for the Coyotes, spending 21 seasons with the organization as a player, before moving into a front office role in January 2021.
It’s been a difficult few years for the Coyotes, who failed to secure an NHL-caliber arena for the past two seasons. Going forward, one can only hope that this news doesn’t suppress the growth of the game in the American Southwest.
