NHLPA in discussions with NHL, Coyotes over concerns about playing at ASU's arena

The Arizona Coyotes announced on Thursday that the AZ Board of Regents has approved an amended development plan that will see the NHL franchise temporarily play at the new home of the ASU Sun Devils, which is scheduled to open this fall.

They said in a statement that they will play at Arizona State University's new arena beginning in the 2022-23 season and going until the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, with an option for the 2025-26 campaign.

ASU's new arena has a capacity of only 5,000, but that may be reduced to 3,200 for Arizona Coyotes games.

In a statement on Thursday evening, the NHLPA told Craig Morgan of PHNX Sports that they are in discussions with the National Hockey League and the Coyotes over concerns regarding their plan to play at ASU's arena.

"We are presently in discussions with the NHL and the club about concerns raised by the Coyotes' agreement to play in the new, but much smaller arena at ASU. Obviously this works only in the short term while a new arena is built. We trust that plans will be finalized and construction will begin as soon as possible."

While the PA didn't state specifically what its concerns are, players' salaries and escrow are directly linked to team revenues. Allowing an NHL team to play in a 5000 seat arena sets a precedent that could lead to lower revenues for other teams in the future.

The Coyotes have to vacate Gila River Arena in Glendale as of June 30th, 2022 after the city decided not to renew their lease with the team. A permanent move to Tempe, Arizona is in the works with an arena plan being discussed with Tempe city council.

Just received this statement from the NHLPA regarding the ASU-Coyotes deal. https://t.co/fRi37pi16W pic.twitter.com/zw3Q2SX8bT— Craig Morgan (@CraigSMorgan) February 11, 2022

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