NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in Phoenix on Monday and, along with Arizona Coyotes president Anthony LeBlanc, met with a number of key players in the region regarding a new arena, Arizona Sports' Craig Morgan reports.
Phoenix mayor and other city officials were also in attendance, Morgan writes.
Sportsnet's John Shannon adds that the "tone of (the) meetings were positive," and "that an early May timeframe for a commitment is real, and someone will meet that timeline."
Sounds like Phoenix, Tempe, Scottsdale (represented by the Salt River Indian community) and Mesa are all possible sites for the new arena.
— John Shannon (@JSportsnet) March 29, 2016
The Coyotes currently play at Gila River Arena, with their lease set to expire after next season. The future of the desert-based club is seemingly always in question, but especially so after Glendale voided the club's 15-year lease agreement last year.
At a Coyotes town hall meeting Saturday, LeBlanc said an arena announcement should come down at some point over the next six weeks, Morgan adds.
"I will never say never, but it's highly, highly unlikely," LeBlanc added, about the club staying in Glendale long term.
