I think the team would be fine for the first couple of years but unless it catches fire it's going to be an afterthought.
The NBA is a lot better fit here. You just need to bink the lottery in the right year and you have your marketing campaign sorted for the next 10 years
Senior elected city officials in Glendale, Arizona, say they are exploring whether legal grounds exist for them to void an arena management contract with the Arizona Coyotes, an agreement that calls for taxpayers to contribute $15 million per year over 15 years to the flagging NHL club.
Westhead goes on to cite “sports investment bankers and four senior NHL sources, including one NHL team owner” as saying “there’s a widespread belief among NHL executives that the Coyotes are doomed in Glendale.”
One unidentified NHL owner believes the Coyotes will end up in Las Vegas.
“I could see them moving the Coyotes there when the new arena is done,” the owner said.
Putting a hockey team in the middle of the desert sounds like a plan for disaster. The already tried it once and it failed completely.
But I really think the expansion draft will be a lot of fun.
Would love to see them try to locate a team in Europe, but it will probably take some time till they will go this route. Berlin would be an amazing place for a NHL team tough.