2024 NHL offseason thread

Goaltender Linus Ullmark was traded by Boston to Ottawa on Monday for goaltender Joonas Korpisalo, center Mark Kastelic and a first-round pick in the 2024 NHL Draft.

 

The Arizona Coyotes are officially dead. Not in hiatus — dead.

It seems like Alex Meruelo decided he didn't want to jump through the extra hoops that were suddenly required of him just before the state's land auction. Also, the City of Phoenix wasn't interested in helping him build an arena that would compete with the Footprint Center for events.

https://www.sportico.com/leagues/hockey/2024/arizona-coyotes-folding-alex-meruelo-1234785540/

 

Earlier this week, the Caps traded Darcy Kuemper to the Kings for Pierre-Luc Dubois. Seems like PLD was an awful fit in L.A. schematically, and Kuemper lost his net to Lindgren in Washington, so it seems on the surface like a WTF why not see what happens? move for both teams.

 

Should nicely solve the Utah mascot issue if the parties involved have much sense. So probably not.

 

I addressed this over on the Stanley Cup thread... but the "extra hoops suddenly required of him" was a permit he was told he needed back in December and just blew off. He doesn't even have a zoning attorney. Dude is an utter buffoon, and was never going to get that arena built.

 

Probably not. The NHL wants to have that IP back a la the Sonics so that they can plug it in if they expand again, which doesn't seem likely but isn't impossible.

 

I should think any remaining hockey fans in greater Phoenix would want a clean break from this plague ship.

 

I'm actually conflicted on this, and I suspect I'm not alone.

The Coyotes legacy is a deep well of failure. Bad teams, bad arenas, the worst owners in sports. Just horrendous all around. Leaving it in the dustbin of history makes sense.

On the other hand... the Kachina coyote logo is pretty badass. I'd hate for that to just disappear.

 

How much money could you have made yesterday betting that Shea Weber, who is under contract for two more years and played an NHL game less than three years ago, would be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame that day?

 

Don't worry, the Utah will use it as an alternate at some point, a la the Canes using the Whalers logo, just to piss everyone off.

 

Could get worse for Arizona hockey fans as well. Reportedly, Meruillo is going all-in on a $1B arena/entertainment zone in Reno that will not only house University of Nevada basketball, but he'll move the minor league team in Tucson there if it comes to fruition.