The Tempe arena deal was downed by a referendum but Salt Lake City has a building already set for an NHL team.

The Arizona Coyotes have lost a crucial referendum vote in their quest to build a new arena in Tempe, putting the future of the franchise in jeopardy - at least in the state of Arizona. So if the Coyotes have to pull up stakes, where do they go next?

While many Canadians will immediately scream out "Quebec City!" The eventual answer may lie in Arizona's northern neighbor: Utah. Specifically, Salt Lake City.

There are several reasons why Salt Lake City would be a great fit in a less-than-ideal situation, the first of which being that the Coyotes could move there right away and start play in a full-sized pro arena for 2023-24. Vivint Arena is the home of the NBA's Utah Jazz and both the building and the basketball team are owned by local billionaire businessman Ryan Smith. As recently as a couple of weeks ago, Smith hinted that plans to bring a hockey team to Utah were "in motion" and he has reportedly met with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman in the past.

Utah has been a minor hockey city for decades, from the ECHL's Utah Grizzlies all the way back to the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, who played in various leagues starting in 1969. In terms of grassroots numbers, the state had less than 4,000 registered players as of 2022 - but that's not far off Nevada, which has proven itself a rabid hockey market since the Vegas Golden Knights arrived (and that team has certainly helped boost grassroots numbers there, too). Vivint Arena has also hosted NHL exhibition games in the past (the Los Angeles Kings and Vegas played each other there, for example) and drew well.

Another advantage that Utah has in a potential move is that the Coyotes wouldn't have to change divisions - geographically, they would still be very much in the range of other Central Division teams, especially Colorado.

One theory floating around is that Smith would buy the Coyotes from current owner Alex Meruelo, likely with Meruelo keeping a minority stake at least in the short term. There seems to be a path for the Coyotes to leave Arizona State's intimate Mullett Arena (where they played this season) and as long as the franchise paid any outstanding debts on their way out of Arizona, it feels like there wouldn't be any resistance from the league or other NHL owners.

No one can accuse the NHL of bailing on Arizona as a market prematurely, but if the Coyotes can't find a new home in one desert, at least they seem to have a pretty solid option in another one nearby.