Salt Lake NHL and MLB News Thread

[RC14]

It's looking like relocating the Yotes is Smith's real play here. Not an expansion team.
Building a new arena in Arizona would take a few years at least. If everything goes right. The Delta Center would not be idea for hockey but it would be better then the situation they have in Arizona.

Forgive my ignorance about this but why isn't the Maverick Center talked about as a short term solution for the Yotes? It's a hockey specific arena and the seating capacity isn't much less then the Delta Center for hockey.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by RC14

It's looking like relocating the Yotes is Smith's real play here. Not an expansion team.
Building a new arena in Arizona would take a few years at least. If everything goes right. The Delta Center would not be idea for hockey but it would be better then the situation they have in Arizona.

Forgive my ignorance about this but why isn't the Maverick Center talked about as a short term solution for the Yotes? It's a hockey specific arena and the seating capacity isn't much less then the Delta Center for hockey.

Probably because Smith doesn't own it (he does the Delta Center) and he could get way more from having them play at the Delta Center temporarily than he could get paying rent to the Maverik Center.

The Maverik Center is owned by West Valley City.

Tho, the Utah Stars do play there - but still, having full ownership over the arena the team you own plays in is probably much more enticing.

The Delta Center also seats 14,000 for hockey - while the Maverik Center seats 10,000. That might not seem like a huge difference but 4,000 is pretty substantial in the arena game.

[locolife]

Originally Posted by RC14

It's looking like relocating the Yotes is Smith's real play here. Not an expansion team.
Building a new arena in Arizona would take a few years at least. If everything goes right. The Delta Center would not be idea for hockey but it would be better then the situation they have in Arizona.

Forgive my ignorance about this but why isn't the Maverick Center talked about as a short term solution for the Yotes? It's a hockey specific arena and the seating capacity isn't much less then the Delta Center for hockey.

How do you figure the Delta Center is better than the 2 arenas in Phoenix that already exist? One called Desert Diamond Arena, which was purpose built for NHL around 2006 and the other which is equal to the Delta Center in the Suns arena.

A lot of speculation on this, understandably so. But the SLC plan is no slam dunk, there is no funded arena plan there either. You just have people there saying they'll get an arena done, exactly what has been happening here (PHX) for years. Moving the team to the exact same situation, in another market makes zero sense. If Meruelo wants to cut his losses and sell or Smith offers an insane price he cant refuse for the team, then maybe it happens. But the league is not in the business of forcing owners to sell. That's a helluva precedent to set.

[RC14]

Is this when Utah could get an MLB team? Commissioner offers expansion timelines

https://www.ksl.com/article/50872551...sion-timelines

Manfred told reporters he'd like to see the expansion process begin sometime within his current contract as MLB commissioner, even if he isn't in that role by the time those teams play. His contract wraps up at the end of the 2028 season, and the Associated Press reports that 2029 may be the earliest that two new teams join the league.

"Look, I've got five left, this year and four more," he said, according to the outlet. "Those teams, even if I push the issue, they won't be playing by the time I'm done. But I would like the process, along, hopefully selected."

It sounds like it will be a few years before we know anything on the MLB front. Unless we get the A's.

[Comrade]

Originally Posted by RC14

https://www.ksl.com/article/50872551...sion-timelines




It sounds like it will be a few years before we know anything on the MLB front. Unless we get the A's.

It sounds like he says he wants the targets selected by the time he leaves. So, I disagree that it will be a few years before we hear anything. It could be. But the MLB isn't going to announce an expansion and the team begins play that next year.

The MLB announced they were expanding to Arizona and Tampa in March of 1995. That was three years before either began play.

So, his saying he doesn't expect any new expansion teams to be playing in the five years he has left doesn't mean much. But that still likely means we'll get an announcement on expansion - whether it's this year, next year or 2026. But I suspect it'll be sooner than four or five years from now.

[wrendog]

Sounds like the yotes situation will take longer to figure out. Bummer.

As far as MLB, best case would be A's for 3 years, build a new stadium in power district and expansion team in '29

[locolife]

Originally Posted by wrendog

Sounds like the yotes situation will take longer to figure out. Bummer.

As far as MLB, best case would be A's for 3 years, build a new stadium in power district and expansion team in '29

No bummer here, nice to see the Yotes owner moving ahead with the process to buy land in Phoenix. It is what he said he'd do.

How is the NHL arena situation progressing in SLC? Any process starting there?

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by locolife

No bummer here, nice to see the Yotes owner moving ahead with the process to buy land in Phoenix. It is what he said he'd do.

How is the NHL arena situation progressing in SLC? Any process starting there?

Happy for yotes fans if it works out. As someone who really wants more pro teams in SLC, it's a bummer. I think expansion is still 100% going to happen, but not for 3-5 years, IMO

No progress on an NHL arena. I doubt anything will happen until SLC gets an expansion team

[bob rulz]

I have my doubts about how successful an NHL team would be here anyway. I think MLB would be very successful. I'm much less certain about the NHL.

[Comrade]

The biggest concern is that the NHL would be directly competing with the Utah Jazz. There's overlap with the MLB but it's not significant. It's also why I don't buy that Smith would want to put the NHL in a different arena from the Utah Jazz. That would mean a greater chance their home games would be scheduled on the same night routinely (if they played in the same arena, that wouldn't happen). Of course, maybe Smith works out a scheduling exception with the league so there are no home games nights the Jazz play at home.

Even then, it's still competing for dollars (and it's not cheap anymore to go to pro games). I think the Grizzlies do so well because it's a much cheaper family alternative than going to the Jazz games.

I think the NHL could work but if they have a prolonged period of being awful, I could see things not working out. They'd need to come in and contend for playoffs within that first five years or risk going belly up.

[wrendog]

From USA today article today:

"MLB does not plan to expand before 2030 with Nashville and Salt Lake City currently the leading candidates."

[Comrade]

The question is whether the 2030 date is when a new team could theoretically start playing or when they anticipate actually announcing the expanded cities (as I said in another post, it can take three or so years from announcement-to-play).

[N830MH]

Originally Posted by Comrade

The question is whether the 2030 date is when a new team could theoretically start playing or when they anticipate actually announcing the expanded cities (as I said in another post, it can take three or so years from announcement-to-play).

I won't know for sure! I'll believe it when I see it!!

[wrendog]

Emily Kaplan is an NHL insider and reporter with ESPN. She is all but guaranteeing NHL to SLC

Start at 11:30

https://youtu.be/4L1-5kx_AKI?feature=shared

[ucsbgaucho]

Originally Posted by wrendog

Emily Kaplan is an NHL insider and reporter with ESPN. She is all but guaranteeing NHL to SLC

Start at 11:30

https://youtu.be/4L1-5kx_AKI?feature=shared

No ESPN reporter can guarantee or "all but guarantee" anything. There's no talk of expansion now, and the team we keep saying is going to move here isn't an option because why would that owner sell to Ryan Smith? He could move to SLC and keep owning the team, but not sure how that'll work out. And I don't see the NHL forcing a sale unless the guy is a Donald Sterling type, but never heard anything like that. So until the NHL announces expansion plans, it's still all completely up in the air and no one is going to have any valid inside info.

[wrendog]

Originally Posted by ucsbgaucho

No ESPN reporter can guarantee or "all but guarantee" anything. There's no talk of expansion now, and the team we keep saying is going to move here isn't an option because why would that owner sell to Ryan Smith? He could move to SLC and keep owning the team, but not sure how that'll work out. And I don't see the NHL forcing a sale unless the guy is a Donald Sterling type, but never heard anything like that. So until the NHL announces expansion plans, it's still all completely up in the air and no one is going to have any valid inside info.

LOL. Ok. Sure. Did you listen to what she had to say?

Anyhoo, obviously no one can guarantee. It's just exciting to follow and hope for.

[PHX31]

Originally Posted by ucsbgaucho

No ESPN reporter can guarantee or "all but guarantee" anything. There's no talk of expansion now, and the team we keep saying is going to move here isn't an option because why would that owner sell to Ryan Smith? He could move to SLC and keep owning the team, but not sure how that'll work out. And I don't see the NHL forcing a sale unless the guy is a Donald Sterling type, but never heard anything like that. So until the NHL announces expansion plans, it's still all completely up in the air and no one is going to have any valid inside info.

This is basically my thought as well. I have a very hard time believing much of anything any reporter says. A Coyotes insider in Arizona (Craig Morgan) recently talked about having an "in" to the Executive Session of the Arizona State Land Department that ultimately may sell land to the Coyotes for a new arena (located near Scottsdale Rd & the Loop 101). He indicated how surprising it was that this land sale could go through so smoothly (essentially squashing any relocation plans). There are some massive plans for that north Phoenix area already, in addition to what's already there and nearby. Including the Mayo Clinic area, Scottsdale Airpark, Kierland area, Westworld, the TPC of Scottsdale (WM Phoenix Open), etc., etc. I think if this goes though, it could be huge for the Coyotes.

I have a love-hate relationship with the Coyotes. I've been a fan since they moved to Arizona in 1996. I loved going to and watching all of the games. The last couple of decades have been an unbelievable shitshow and it's really hard to continue to support them. However, I'd really hate to lose them. Arizona really has become a hotbed of hockey, surprisingly. The Coyotes Ice Den (nearby this potential new arena location) is hugely successful as are all of the ancillary leagues (youth especially) and other clubs and hockey facilities. Auston Matthews of the Maple Leafs played at the Ice Den and grew up in the area and is obviously the biggest success story so far.

[Atlas]

Relevant to both threads:

Originally Posted by Atlas

New baseball stadium and district renderings just dropped. More on the official website.













This is very cool. Sorry to see your work not come to fruition, Orlando

[Comrade]

As the cynic I am, the wording Big League Utah uses in reference to the stadium makes me nervous. It's the 'preferred' site of the stadium - not mentioned as the site for the stadium.

Maybe I'm just jaded with the RSL situation and all the buzz about the Jazz possibly moving out of downtown but I'm not going to lie that some of this feels like a bait-and-switch. The Millers obviously have a vested interest in the region with the property they purchased around the area so upselling it with the possible potential of a MLB site helps. And then when it comes to actually building the stadium, they look south.

I don't know. I don't understand why it's the preferred site and not the proposed site. Even if you logic it out that they can't have a stadium without a MLB team, using the verbiage 'preferred' isn't the same as saying, "possible". As in, if SLC is awarded a team, the stadium will be built at this site.

Preferred is not the same as possible. Not in this context, at least.

What I'm reading is that they prefer the Power District but if Utah is given an expansion team (or relocation team), it might not actually end up in the Power District.

And knowing how things have gone in the past (and how they look in the future with the NHL), that gives me a gigantic pause.

Tell me I'm reading too much into this.

[RC14]

I don't think anything is secure until earth is actually being moved on a stadium, but it seems like they are invested in the area so I don't expect them to change plans.
Right now I'm more concerned about actually getting the team.
Last year I thought the MLB team seemed more likely and I was suspicious of the NLH plans. I now feel like it's the other way around. It sounds like Ryan Smith's organization is very confident we will get a team and the NHL seems to be on board. It feels like there is more competition on the MLB side of things and it doesn't look like the A's will be playing here.
Hopefully I'm wrong.