It's a nice dream to imagine that Suns owner Mat Ishbia is working behind the scenes to bring NHL hockey back to the Valley in short order. Unfortunately, it doesn't pass the logic test.

— CRAIG MORGAN

Is an NHL return to the Valley imminent? Probably not

Like all of you, I wanted to believe that there was substance to a Sportico report suggesting that Suns owner Mat Ishbia was interested in bringing NHL hockey back to the Valley. Those of us who know the market know what an ideal situation it would be if Ishbia were to renovate Footprint Center, bring an NHL expansion team to that central location, and then move all of his teams into a new, downtown arena at some point in the not-too-distant future.

But the report didn't pass the logic test. Even before I reached out to the league, so many obvious hurdles presented themselves. In my previous reporting, I knew that the league had spoken to Ishbia well before PHNX Sports broke the story that Alex Meruelo was backing out of his five-year, exclusive-rights deal to bring an expansion team to the Valley. Ishbia never believed the Coyotes were anywhere close to the $1 billion price tag (the actual $1.2 billion sale price included a $200 million relocation fee) it would have cost him to buy them and keep them local. Moreover, initial estimates to renovate Footprint ranged from $200 million to $300 million.

To those who suggested that Ishbia might use the purchase of an expansion NHL franchise as a means to secure a new downtown arena, remember that the Suns have a lease at Footprint that runs through 2037. The City of Phoenix just absorbed the lion's share of a $240 million Footprint renovation that was completed less than three years ago. Ishbia may be able to get out of his lease for a new arena, but that won't be happening any time soon.

With all of that in mind, I reached out to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman who, when asked about the report, put the final nail in the coffin by texting me three definitive words: "Nothing going on."

The league also confirmed that there have been no recent talks with Ishbia — in fact, nothing for a while.

There will be a time when the league is ready to discuss expansion hockey's return to the Valley. And as for Ishbia's interest, my understanding is that he was just responding to a question he was forced to answer during the WNBA All-Star Game, so he said said nice things. My understanding is that, at this time, Ishbia is not genuinely interested in pursuing an expansion NHL hockey team.

That all tracks. If Ishbia is still interested in a decade, this pleasant dream for Valley hockey fans could come to fruition, but there is no guarantee that by the time Ishbia is ready, the opportunity will still exist. As I have reported many times before, there are other groups interested. There are many investors circling around this opportunity. We won't know how real their commitment and wherewithal is until we've had the chance to vet them and hear their plan for solving the same issue that has existed for more than two decades: how to build a new arena in a suitable location.

The NHL will not come back to the Valley until it knows it has a permanent arena solution in place. The NHL will not return to Glendale no matter how much west siders want it to happen. The NHL doesn't believe that Glendale is viable and Bettman is on record as saying so. That stance has not changed.

I don't like crushing dreams, but I'm not in the business of fantasy. As Bettman so succinctly put it, there is nothing going on regarding the expansion of NHL hockey to the Valley. I hope that changes soon. When it does, you can bet I'll be reporting on it.