NHL Rumors: Coyotes Were Late on Hotel Bills, Sometimes Paid 'Different Amount'

The internal issues preceding the Arizona Coyotes' relocation dates back years, and a new report from ESPN's Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski shed further light into how bad things had gotten behind the scenes.

Kaplan and Wyshynski reported how the Coyotes' "creative accounting was a constant source of concern around the league." Part of that included choosing "lesser hotels than the collective bargaining agreement stipulates" to save money on accommodations.

"Multiple sources told ESPN that the Coyotes were either late paying their hotel bills or sometimes just crossed out the total and paid a different amount," per the report. "Other sources indicated local businesses would come to the team seeking payments, would be offered a fraction of what was owed and then would be negotiated down to take less than what was actually owed."

Alex Meruelo Sr., the franchise's majority owner before the sale to Ryan Smith, denied having any knowledge of such problems.

"Having been in business for 40 years, you wouldn't be around if you didn't pay your bills. That's all I want to say about that," he told Kaplan and Wyshynski.

This isn't the first time Arizona's "creative accounting" was publicized.

In December 2021, they paid back $1.3 million in overdue taxes to the city of Glendale under the threat of eviction from then-Gila River Arena.

Earlier that year, The Athletic's Katie Strang pulled back the curtain on the Coyotes' inner workings under Meruelo's stewardship, and how the organization handled its finances was among the revelations.

Strang reported that "a handful of players" hadn't received signing bonuses on time. In addition, team officials would "haggle" over the amount of money it owed to third-party contractors.

"Over the course of reporting this story, The Athletic identified and spoke with eight vendors with whom the Coyotes had outstanding or past due balances or negotiated their debt to a lower amount," Strang wrote.

The Coyotes' relocation to Salt Lake City doesn't spell the end of hockey in Arizona altogether. As part of the sale to Smith, Meruelo has five years in which to build a suitable new arena that allows him to reactivate the franchise.

Given how badly the Coyotes were reportedly mismanaged and their longstanding trouble in finding a permanent home, the odds of that happening are slim.