When Utah hits the ice for the first time, should the former Coyotes broadcasters follow with them? A letter from a fan should provide some interesting insight.
As Ryan Smith and Chris Armstrong quietly assemble their front office for their first season in Utah, a not-so-discussed subject has been broached.
Such was discussed in this post taken from Utah Hockey Fans on X (who's a great follow, as I said recently):
Kirk McKnight, the fan who was kind enough to present this case, actually makes a good point.
This is the first de facto relocation of a team since 2011, when the Thrashers moved from Atlanta to Winnipeg to become the second incarnation of the Jets.
Ever since then, the Vegas Golden Knights (new rivals, maybe?) and Seattle Kraken have basically started from ground zero, and they hired their own announcers on their own money.
However, the NHL officially listed the Arizona Coyotes as an inactive franchise according to the agreement made with Alex Meruello, which outlined that he would retain the Coyotes' brand name, colors, and logos.
Does the same thing extend to broadcasters of the team?
Most fans would argue, yes, it does; especially when their announcers are being uprooted due to a business decision.
But some have already argued that they don't; in the case of Utah, going from an arena where your own general manager claims you were "outcheered" to an arena that will actually be full and cheering for you alone would be a massive upgrade for a broadcaster.
Now, for sure, whether the old Coyotes' announcers are retained is up to Ryan Smith and the ownership group.
And whether there is a loophole in the agreement that protects the broadcasters is up to both of the franchises — and possibly the legal system — to decide.
But you can't deny it would certainly be nice to have those broadcasters experience something they haven't had in a while:
A true home-ice advantage.