Preparations being made for potential NHL team in Salt Lake City

Preparations are being made behind the scenes and in the public eye in case an NHL team is in Salt Lake City sooner than later.

Prospective owner Ryan Smith on social media earlier this week solicited suggestions for a team name. Smith, who owns the NBA’s Utah Jazz, in January noted not only his interest in having an NHL club in Salt Lake City but the ability to make that happen immediately.

The Smith Entertainment Group asked at the time for the initiation of an expansion process, something multiple groups in Atlanta are also eager for. It also comes amid continued uncertainty surrounding the Arizona Coyotes, who are playing a second season in a 5,000-seat arena and are still looking for a long-term home.

NHL Players’ Association executive director Marty Walsh has repeatedly expressed frustration over the Coyotes’ current situation as the second tenant in a building on Arizona State’s campus in Tempe. League commissioner Gary Bettman has said owner Alex Meruelo is working on it.

“It’s hard work, and he’s committed to it,” Bettman told The Associated Press last month. “I think people are craving certainty. And we are, too, but this isn’t a 60-minute game where the light goes on and the game’s over.”

The Coyotes last week said they’re committed to winning an auction for a plot of land in Phoenix that would house a 17,000-seat arena and entertainment district. The Arizona State Land Department set the auction for June 27 with a starting bid of $68.5 million.

Separate schedules being drafted: report

The schedule for next season is usually released in late June, after the Stanley Cup is handed out, around the draft and before free agency opens July 1. Daily Faceoff reported Wednesday the league is working on separate schedule drafts in case the team is playing in Arizona or Utah.

Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league had no comment on that report. Bettman, when asked last month about the schedule and the possible contingency plans, said only, “We still have some time.”

The Smith Entertainment Group and the Coyotes had no comment on the report.

The Jazz ownership plan calls for using the Delta Center as a temporary home for a hockey team until a new arena is constructed. That group has been talking to the league since 2022.

“During conversations over the course of the past two years, we have been impressed by Ryan and Ashley Smith’s commitment to their community and their passion and vision for Utah, not only as a hockey market but as a pre-eminent sports and entertainment destination,” the NHL said in a statement in January. “Utah is a promising market, and we look forward to continuing our discussions.”

One plan, according to Daily Faceoff, involves Meruelo selling to Smith for $1 billion US or more with the ability to bring the Coyotes back as an expansion team once an arena is built.

The NHL has said it has no current plans to expand beyond 32 teams, despite speculation over potential additions in Salt Lake City, Atlanta and Houston.

McDavid, Vasilevskiy remain tops in NHLPA player poll

NHL players still think Edmonton’s Connor McDavid is the best skater, Tampa Bay’s Andrei Vasilevskiy is the top goaltender and Pittsburgh’s Sidney Crosby the most well-rounded player in the league, according to the union’s annual survey released Wednesday.

McDavid, Vasilevskiy, Crosby and Colorado defenceman Cale Makar were among the top answers by 639 members who responded as part of the seventh edition of the NHL Players Association survey. Players also gave Montreal and Edmonton the top marks for having the best ice in the league, while defending champion Vegas and current Stanley Cup favorite Carolina are the toughest buildings to play in.

A three-time MVP and the reigning winner of the Hart Trophy, McDavid has been voted the best skater or forward in every version of the survey since 2018-19. He’s a four-time winner of the Lester B. Pearson as the most outstanding player in a season as voted by his peers.

Vasilevskiy, a two-time Cup winner, has been considered the goalie players would most choose to win one game dating to 2020 when he surpassed Montreal’s Carey Price for that spot. Lightning teammates Nikita Kucherov (best playmaker) and Victor Hedman (most difficult player to face in their own end) were also No. 1 choices.

Canadian star Marie-Philip Poulin of Montreal was chosen the top player to watch in the inaugural season of the Professional Women’s Hockey League. She was followed closely by American Hilary Knight, who’s captain of PWHL Boston.

Italy was the global destination players would most like to see host NHL games. That comes on the heels of an agreement to send NHL players to Milan for the 2026 Olympics.

On the lighter side, Boston’s David Pastrnak was a narrow winner over Toronto’s Auston Matthews for the best style.