The Arizona Coyotes find themselves in an interesting situation this time of year. Usually, there is little to no chatter about the Coyotes during the playoff months. Although, with a crucial vote on the Tempe Entertainment District, the Coyotes have been in headlines recently. With the Tempe vote on May 16th, the Tempe Wins campaign has been pushing out the correct information and telling the city of Tempe what they’re voting on. As this is a massive deal for the Coyotes’, there is also a huge hill to climb—the NHL Draft Lottery. With the likes of Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, and Leo Carlsson, there is no shying away from some elite players.
Now what is to make of these two events, and will they work out in the Coyotes’ favour?
What the Tempe Arena Deal Means to the Coyotes’
It’s been forever since the Coyotes’ moved here that there haven’t been relocation rumours of some sort. There always is. This Tempe Entertainment District can potentially shut all of that for good. The proposed Coyotes’ arena would make it one of the best NHL arenas’ once it’s all said and done. Now, we can look into the future all we want, but this is something that has still not gotten approved. So far, ballots were mailed to houses on April 19th, and in-person voting will begin on May 8th.
With much talk surrounding the proposed arena, what does it mean for the Coyotes? It means a lot. To stay in the heart of Arizona is vital to seeing big crowds. The sky’s the limit with this project, as it has the potential to have the atmosphere of any other arena. Just like the Bucks having the ‘Deer District.’ An electric arena/district where the atmosphere is always hyped up. Other intriguing facts are that this whole entertainment district is privately funded, creates up to 6,900 jobs, and of course, gets the Coyotes a hockey arena in Tempe. This area will also be built where a landfill is currently sitting. That means this entire project removes a landfill and transforms it into a landmark.
We will all know what will come of this project on May 16th. Fingers crossed, everything goes the Coyotes’ way, and we can continue watching Coyotes hockey in the desert.
NHL Draft Lottery Looms Many Questions for Arizona Coyotes
This event is probably slightly less important than the Tempe vote. Nonetheless, with a stacked draft class, this is very important for the Coyotes. The Coyotes have not been known for their draft luck with the lottery. Falling down a spot nearly every time; they have not moved up once in the draft before. This begs the question, will this change this time around? We won’t know until the lottery, but the Coyotes will get an elite player if they stay in the top six.
With the bottom of the standings being set in stone for the past couple of weeks, the Coyotes are now given a 7.5% chance at the number one overall pick. Or also Connor Bedard, since he will most likely go number one. With teams like the Blackhawks, Blue Jackets, and Ducks throwing this season for their chances at Bedard since the beginning, the Coyotes did not necessarily do that. The Coyotes did not do good this year, but for their circumstances, they excelled. Coming into the season with a new arena and a lot of uncertainty, they performed surprisingly well. Trading away what seemed like their whole team at the trade deadline, they still had a winning record at home.
These Two Events Can Change the Arizona Coyotes Future
The future of this team falls in the hands of these two events. The Coyotes likely have a plan B if things go south with the Tempe vote. They need prop 301, 302, and 303 to pass, and then shovels will eventually hit the dirt. Given what has happened in the past, the Coyotes are due for some lottery luck. The New Jersey Devils jumped from five to two last year, so anything is possible when it’s the draft lottery we are talking about. The draft lottery is on May 8th, and the Tempe vote is on May 16th.
Main Photo: Matt Kartozian-USA TODAY Sports
