4. Arizona Coyotes, (National Hockey League)
Off the ice, the Arizona Coyotes are a mess. The ‘Yotes can’t make it through a season without hearing rumblings of relocation. “Are the Coyotes moving to Seattle?”, or “Are the Coyotes moving Portland? ” or even “Are the Coyotes moving to Quebec?”
Once we move past the relocation rumors, we get into even more tedious local politics. Earlier this year, the Coyotes were wrapped up in all sorts of arena funding drama.
Recently, ownership shifted from the Ice Arizona ownership group to Andrew Barroway. Any fans who were hoping to see a true sense of stability result from the ownership change have been disappointed.
On the ice, the Coyotes are looking young and exciting this season. Players like Max Domi and Tobias Rieder are both going to play big roles in what figures to be an enjoyable year.
While the Coyotes’ instability can be frustrating, fans should be feeling excited about the upcoming season. The rest of the NHL needs to watch out: the Yotes’ management has built a promising young squad here in Arizona.