Multiple NHL execs critical of Coyotes’ plan to play at 5,000-seat ASU arena

The Coyotes’ newest plan for sticking around in Arizona involves playing at a college rink.

Last week, word came out that the Coyotes were in advanced talks with Arizona State University to play home games at their new 5,000-seat arena that opens up in the fall of 2022. The plan is for the Coyotes to play at ASU for a few seasons while their $1.3 billion stadium in Tempe gets built.

The Coyotes are in need of a new home for the 2022-23 season and beyond because the City of Glendale has opted out of the joint lease agreement for the Gila River Arena.

While rumors have swirled that the Coyotes could be sold and relocated to Houston, the organization has stated that they’re committed to a future in Arizona.

“As we have said many times, we are completely committed to building our future in Arizona,” the Coyotes said in a statement on Monday. “As part of that process, we are excited to be exploring some great temporary arena options here before we move into a new permanent home in the Valley.”

While the NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said that the league would be supportive of the Coyotes’ proposal to operate out of ASU for multiple seasons, executives around the league have been critical of the plan.

According to The Athletic, one anonymous NHL exec said the plan would be “just a nightmare all around” while others referred to it as “embarrassing.”

A major concern raised by these executives is the effect it would have on hockey-related revenue, which comes largely from in-person purchases, such as tickets, merchandise and concessions.

ASU’s arena only seats 5,000 spectators, which is well below Arizona’s current 11,575 reported average attendance. The revenue from those three aforementioned in-person categories would decline with the Coyotes playing at a college-sized rink, as would the value of arena advertisements because of the smaller crowd.

This won’t just affect the Coyotes. The NHL has a revenue-sharing model in which the top-third of teams in terms of earnings share money with the bottom two-thirds of teams. The Coyotes would surely be team No. 32 playing at a 5,000-seat arena and other teams would have to pay to compensate.

“They should be excluded from revenue sharing. Why should they be rewarded?” said an executive whose team is also on the receiving end of the league’s revenue-sharing agreement. “My owner is pi--ed about it, other owners are p---ed about it. I’m sure the players are also p---ed about it.”

The only player who has spoken publicly about the Coyotes’ plan is Boston Bruins winger Brad Marchand, who said on Twitter “the only way [the Coyotes] get 5,000 fans at their games now is if they give 4,500 away for free so wouldn’t change much.”