Greg Jamison is still trying to purchase the Phoenix Coyotes, but as the club faces a Friday deadline from captain Shane Doan to either finalize or make notable progress in a deal, it appears confidence is waning in Jamison's ability to complete the purchase.
Phoenix Coyotes Sale: Concerns Raised On Greg Jamison’s Ability To Finalize Deal
According to the Phoenix Business Journal, folks close to the situation in Arizona are becoming increasingly nervous about Jamison’s ability to gather the funds required to purchase the team. The NHL, which has controlled the team since purchasing them out of bankruptcy in 2009, is attempting to sell the club to Jamison for somewhere around $170 million. Jamison has never publicly stated who his partners are in attempting to purchase the Coyotes.
The City of Glendale has approved a lease agreement between Jamison and Jobing.com Arena, the City-owned home of the Coyotes. The deal was challenged by several local residents, but all attempts to push the decision to the fall ballot have failed.
Jamison obviously cannot sign the agreement until he owns the team, and the longer he takes to come up with the necessary money, the worse news gets for both Doan’s future in Arizona and the club’s future in Arizona.
Relocation for the 2012-13 season seems impossible this late on the NHL offseason calendar, even if the NHL would rather not operate the team for a fourth-straight season in Glendale, but a newly-elected council will take office in January and there’s no sign that they’ll be supportive of the lease agreement if it’s still unsigned by Jamison.
Doan’s agent, Terry Bross, has told media in Phoenix that his client will begin looking seriously at other teams after Friday, and that signing with one of those clubs could follow soon after.
For more on the sale situation in Phoenix, stick with our StoryStream and check in with SB Nation Arizona and Coyotes blog Five For Howling.
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