NHL Rumors: Insider reveals how Coyotes' current owner can get franchise back to Arizona after its reported relocation to Utah

The Arizona Coyotes could soon be sold and relocated to Utah, but according to NHL insider Elliotte Friedman, current Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo may still have a chance to keep the team in Arizona.

On his '32 Thoughts' podcast, Friedman revealed that Meruelo could get a five-year window to meet certain benchmarks and bring the Coyotes back to Arizona after the relocation.

"I'm under the impression that Meruelo is going to get a 5-year window to bring back the Coyotes,” Friedman said.

“From what I understand there are benchmarks, things that need to be done ... basically the way it was described to me was, he's got the window but he's got work to do."

The reported $1.2 billion sale of the Coyotes to Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith has not been finalized yet.

If it goes through, Meruelo would have an opportunity to execute a plan over five years to move the franchise back to Arizona by securing a new arena and meeting other specified criteria.

It's a tall task but not an impossible one if Meruelo can rally resources and political will in Arizona. The Coyotes have struggled with arena issues for years, so this may be a chance for Meruelo to resolve it.

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Andre Tourigny on how relocation plans affected the Coyotes

Arizona Coyotes coach Andre Tourigny believes the constant relocation speculation surrounding the franchise this season has negatively impacted his team's performance.

Speaking before the Coyotes' recent road game against the Vancouver Canucks, Tourigny reflected on the impact the speculation has had.

"The first time that (relocation) rumor came, it was Jan. 24, and that’s the day we started a 14-game losing streak, so we cannot pretend it did not affect our team," Tourigny said.

"Unfortunately, that had a huge impact on our season. We did not deal with it the right way at the time."

The relocation chatter began on Jan. 24 when Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith said he could provide an NHL-ready arena in Salt Lake City immediately and requested the league begin expansion talks.

Before Smith's remarks, the Coyotes were close to a playoff position, only trailing by two points. However, a subsequent 14-game losing streak effectively dashed Arizona's hopes for postseason play.

Despite the off-ice adversity, the Arizona Coyotes pulled off a thrilling 4-3 overtime win against the Vancouver Canucks on the road and a 3-2 overtime victory versus Edmonton on Friday.

"We did not manage the distraction really well the first time," Tourigny said after the game against Vancouver. "Not everybody (gets) a second chance, but we had a chance to do better this time, and I really like the attitude."

The Coyotes have one more matchup remaining in their ongoing road trip, after which they conclude the regular season with a home game against the Oilers on Apr. 17.