Report: Coyotes may relocate if they lose land auction

Relocation will be a possibility for the Arizona Coyotes if they lose a land auction scheduled for June.

The Coyotes' ownership is keen to win the auction, Sportsnet's Elliotte Friedman reported on "Saturday Headlines."

"However, there is also an admission that the status quo cannot continue," according to Friedman.

"(It's unclear) what the timeline would be if they do win it, and how long it would take," he added. "As a result of that, especially if the Coyotes don't win the auction, relocation will be on the table."

The franchise is reportedly preparing for both scenarios.

On Thursday, the Arizona State Land Department Board of Appeals unanimously approved a $68.5-million appraisal for a 95-acre plot of land in Phoenix, clearing the way for the Coyotes to bid on it. That price will be the starting point in the auction, and it must be advertised for 10 weeks beforehand.

The Coyotes' potential relocation has been a talking point for years. However, it's reached a boiling point this season as they've been looking for an alternate plan to avoid remaining at Mullett Arena, the 5,000-seat NCAA facility they were forced to move into starting in 2022-23.

They had a plan to build an arena in Tempe, but a public referendum squashed that possibility last spring.

In January, Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith made a formal request to bring the NHL to that state. Then in February, NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh lambasted the Coyotes over the uncertainty of their situation. He said he was "extremely disappointed" in the ownership of the club, that he had "serious concerns" about it, and asked, "How long do you wait to get a home?"

The original Winnipeg Jets relocated to become the Phoenix Coyotes in 1996.