Welcome back to Around the League — the column here at CanucksArmy where we deliver you news and notes from around the National Hockey League — oftentimes through a Vancouver Canucks-tinted lens. 
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It’s been a while since I wrote an Around the League column! With the Stanley Cup Playoffs just weeks away and with Rogers Arena set to start rocking with a playoff atmosphere, it’s a perfect time to tell you the latest on the Arizona Coyotes!
But before that, let’s go through a bit more of a minor nugget that impacts Canucks fans.
Connor McDavid out vs. Vegas Golden Knights
Tonight, the Edmonton Oilers will take on the Vegas Golden Knights, the same Vegas Golden Knights that the Canucks came back to defeat by a final score of 4-3 on Monday night in what turned out to be a milestone-laden and overall gutsy performance from the home team.
The win mattered a ton for the Canucks, as after leading the Pacific Division all season long, a late season stumble combined with the Edmonton Oilers’ steady rise put the Canucks’ first Pacific Division crown in serious jeopardy. The Oilers have two games in hand on the Canucks, but they now sit five points back of them in the Pacific Division standings, with Vancouver holding the tie breaker.
The two teams will meet on Saturday, and while the Canucks certainly don’t have the Division locked up by any means, Monday night’s win against a proven playoff contender was certainly a loud statement.
Tonight, the Oilers take on Vegas and will be doing it without Connor McDavid. Not only does this mean that the top spot in the Pacific is going to be that much harder for the Oilers to lock down, but a Vegas win tonight would also increase the Canucks’ odds of facing the Nashville Predators in round one of the playoffs.
While the LA Kings have certainly had the Canucks’ number this season, there’s very little doubt that the outcomes listed above are the ones Canucks fans should be hoping for.
Winning the Pacific? Yes, that’s good!
Nashville instead of Vegas or LA in round one? Also good!
Not having to hear from your insufferable Oilers fan friend about the Canucks choking away the Pacific Division title just before playoffs? The only thing that truly matters, really.
On McDavid, OilersNation’s Jason Gregor reports that the Oilers’ captain could miss up to a few games, but right now, he is expected to return before the end of the regular season.
NHL, Arizona Coyotes working on agreement to sell and relocate to Salt Lake City
This was a bombshell report from our own Frank Seravalli over at DailyFaceoff.com from earlier today. Here’s what Frank reported:
Sources tell Daily Faceoff that the NHL, Arizona Coyotes and Smith Entertainment Group have made significant and meaningful progress on an agreement that would see the Coyotes franchise sold and relocated to Salt Lake City, Utah. The machinations of the potential deal, which would have a renamed and rebranded franchise playing in Salt Lake in October, are mentioned below in the original story from Wednesday morning. The NHL sent an update memo to the Board of Governors on Wednesday amid media speculation. Sources said Coyotes players have been informed a “verbal” agreement is in place, but we have received pushback on that characterization of talks. To date, no deal has been completed. There is much work to be done, and it’s complicated and will involve many layers and lawyers. Stay tuned.
Last week, the Coyotes’ ownership group made their desire to stay in the desert clear by building a new arena via Arizona State Land Trust auction, which is scheduled for June 27. According to Seravalli, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re staying in Arizona for next season.
“Many questions remain, but one stands out: with all of this is happening behind the scenes, why did the Coyotes release arena renderings and a strongly worded commitment to Arizona last week?
Perhaps the answer is that Meruelo intends to win the June 27 land auction and develop that sports and entertainment district in the hopes of luring the NHL back to Arizona with a future expansion franchise. Sources said part of the agreement to sell now could include language that would allow Meruelo to ‘reactivate’ the Coyotes franchise in future years, including name and trademarks, if a new arena is built and terms and conditions of the agreement with the NHL are met.”
Finally, Seravalli also added that the NHL is working on two prospective schedules: One with the Coyotes in Arizona, and one with the franchise in Salt Lake City.
This will certainly be an interesting situation to follow, and you can read the full report from Seravalli by clicking here.