After the Arizona Coyotes moved to Utah, many might've thought that was the end of Arizona. But could the NHL return there?
The NHL would probably consider other places first, but...
Could the NHL return to Arizona?
In 1996, the then Winnipeg Jets moved to Arizona. However, several issues led Ryan Smith to purchase the Coyotes and move them to Salt Lake City, Utah. This led to a new franchise being born - the Utah Mammoth.
Right now, it seems the first North American professional sports league to expand beyond 32 teams might be the NHL. The NHL has some cities it might be targeting: Austin, Houston, Atlanta, and perhaps Phoenix.
The NHL expanding to Texas would probably make the most sense given Houston's size and Austin's recent growth. Atlanta, meanwhile, would be a big risk after two franchises have failed in that city. In other words, both Atlanta and Phoenix would be risky because of the respective cities past.
Among the four, Houston is the one that might stand out as a city that could host an NHL team. Houston has every other major sport and is the fourth-largest city in America, while Austin is growing, but remains relatively close to Dallas, the home of the Dallas Stars.
It would be interesting to see the NHL return to Arizona after the franchise's failure. Plus, for Mammoth fans, it would be interesting to see a potential rivalry.
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