Where Things Stand

Not much has changed over the weekend that we know of when it comes to the future of the Phoenix Coyotes. The last we heard is that the prospective owners who want to keep the team in Glendale are still in negotiations with the City to come up with a lease agreement that will garner the needed four yes votes on the City Council.

There are multiple reports that the framework of a deal could be announced on Monday or Tuesday. Will the negotiated changes sway enough votes on the council? Who knows?

One could argue that the public revelation of the details of the plan might signify that they believe they have the votes secured. Why would they release the plan if they didn't have confidence it would pass?

One could also argue that they are running out of time and need to publicize the deal to get a vote scheduled that would satisfy the NHL's schedule, even before they have votes secured. The idea might be to put pressure on the Council to vote yes.

I am of the mind that it is a very fluid situation and the vote could go either way. I just don't know.

Geoff Baker, however, isn't wrestling with the issue at all. He simply believes we are being used to make Glendale jealous enough to get something done. He also believes that it is working. He argues that point in his column at the Seattle Times, which you can read by clicking here. Here is a passage.

The NHL is now fairly certain Glendale will reach agreement by Tuesday with prospective new Coyotes owners on a 10-year lease at the city-owned Jobing.com Arena. It could then be ratified by a July 2 city council vote and allow the hockey universe to return to thinking of Seattle merely as the place where the 1919 flu pandemic was the last thing besides a lockout to cancel a Stanley Cup Final.

Are we being used as leverage? Of course we are. It's not even debatable. Mayor McGinn has cautioned us from the beginning that we are absolutely Plan B here.

The only issue here is whether or not that leverage will work.