Here's where things get interesting: The NHL and Coyotes management both see potential for a future return to the desert.

According to Emily Kaplan of ESPN, the deal allowed Meruelo to retain the Coyotes' team name and intellectual property in hopes of "reactivating" the franchise.

Kaplan also reported that it's expected Meruelo will have the chance to own a Phoenix-based NHL expansion franchise if he builds an arena for the team within five years. This deal would require him to pay back the $1 billion he's acquiring in the sale.

While this seems straightforward enough, we're talking about Meruelo, who was repeatedly overconfident in his abilities to get an arena over the past few years. We are talking about the Meruelo who, with the imminent threat of relocation, could only manage a non-permanent Coyotes residence in a college arena.

We're talking about a pristine arena and entertainment district proposal submitted in 2021, taken to vote last May, a proposal Tempe Mayor Corey Woods called "the best sports deal in Arizona history." Tempe voters showed up in record numbers to turn it down.

Thinking optimistically, maybe Tempe wasn't the right place (although that undeveloped plot of land would have been perfect for the project). Thinking pessimistically, which Arizona city will be open to a Meruelo-owned franchise after years of tumultuous dealing and off-ice drama?

According to Kaplan's report, Meruelo is still seeking to win the June 27 auction for a 95-acre parcel of land in north Phoenix, where he intends to build an arena, a practice facility, a theater, housing units and retail.

Maybe he'll win, but if we want hockey to return to Arizona and succeed, the best bet might be in someone else's hands.