Kukla's Korner Hockey

Kukla's Korner Hockey

The Talk In Las Vegas

06/22/2015 at 1:24pm EDT

from Scott Burnside of ESPN,

Here are the big storylines to watch for during what will be a busy week:

The mess in the desert: The governors will also get an update on the latest in the never-ending saga of the Arizona Coyotes and their tortured relationship with the City of Glendale. The city has voted to dissolve the current lease agreement signed two years ago with the ownership group that bought the team from the NHL. Ownership has received a temporary injunction, so business can continue more or less as usual, and filed a $200 million lawsuit for damages against the City of Glendale, which is alleging conflict of interest issues stemming from the hiring of a former city attorney. Messy? Yes. Unexpected? In Glendale, nothing is unexpected. The governors will also get an update about a subtle shifting of ownership makeup within the Coyotes' structure that sees several well-heeled investors taking a more prominent role while Andrew Barroway, who purchased 51 percent of the team on Dec. 31, is taking a lesser role amid rumors he did not have nearly as much financial clout as first believed. Barroway will nonetheless remain the investor who controls the largest percentage of the Coyotes, assuming the governors approve the restructuring.

Talk not of relocation: One thing the governors are not expected to give much time to is the idea of relocation in general and, specifically, relocation of an existing franchise to Las Vegas. Bettman has insisted the Florida Panthers, the other team most often linked to relocation talk along with the Coyotes, aren't going anywhere. And there is no way the owners would trade in the expected $500 million expansion fee expected from a new team in Vegas for considerably less in relocation fees. As one person familiar with the process told ESPN.com, the two issues -- the Coyotes' ongoing lease issues and possible expansion into Vegas -- are completely unrelated.

much more

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Paul Kukla founded Kukla’s Korner in 2005 and the site has since become the must-read site on the ‘net for all the latest happenings around the NHL.

From breaking news to in-depth stories around the league, KK Hockey is updated with fresh stories all day long and will bring you the latest news as quickly as possible.

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