For better or worse? Andrew Barroway's plans unclear after Arizona Coyotes ownership takeover

Editor's note: This story was originally published on June 12, 2017. Updated on June 16, 2017, to reflect additional front-office changes.

The long-running ownership shuffle of the Coyotes has begun a new era as Andrew Barroway is now the sole owner of the franchise.

Barroway closed on his purchase of the team's minority owners Monday, NHL sources confirmed, ending months of speculation that he was attempting to buy out his partners.

A nine-person ownership team had been in place with Barroway, a Philadelphia hedge-fund manager, at the helm as the majority owner, chairman and governor after he bought a 51-percent stake in 2014 for $152.5 million.

Barroway wasn’t available for comment, a team spokesman said. The Coyotes and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly issued the same statement, saying: “The reorganization is an effort to consolidate and strengthen the ownership and to resolve various disputes among the existing owners. We believe this will better position the Club to achieve a long-term solution in the Valley.”

SOURCES: Andrew Barroway buys out Coyotes minority owners

One former minority owner said this shift probably makes it easier for Barroway to execute his ideas. The former owner also believes Barroway’s desire to have more control shows his conviction in the organization.

“It’s kind of difficult to manage a business with too many cooks in the kitchen,” the former owner said. “So I’m sure from Andy’s perspective it just made sense when he had the ability to consolidate ownership. Then it’s kind of 100 percent his vision and his strategy going forward.”

This move is the latest change to hit an organization that has been in near-constant flux since it was placed in bankruptcy by former owner Jerry Moyes in 2009. The NHL salvaged the team, owning and operating it until an investment group headed by Canadian businessmen purchased the club in 2013 for $170 million. Anthony LeBlanc went on to become president and CEO with Gary Drummond acting as president of hockey operations last season and George Gosbee the team's alternate governor.

LeBlanc and Drummond stepped down from their roles Friday with the Coyotes releasing a statement from Barroway that thanked the two for their service.

"For years, Anthony has been the front office face of our franchise, and we sincerely appreciate all of his hard work and commitment to the Club," Barroway said. "Anthony and Gary deserve a lot of credit for stabilizing the franchise. They did great things for hockey in Arizona and helped grow the game in the Valley. They have the lasting gratitude of every Coyotes fan and I want to wish them both the best of luck in the future."

While the Coyotes have decided not to hire a new president of hockey operations at this time, they appointed General Manager John Chayka and general counsel Ahron Cohen the club's new alternate governors. The two will report directly to Barroway and oversee operations until a new CEO is hired. Cohen has also been named the team's new chief operating officer.

The ownership group’s arrival in 2013 coincided with a 15-year, $225 million arena management deal with the city of Glendale, but Glendale nixed the agreement in 2015. Although the Coyotes have continued to play in Gila River Arena, signing a two-year lease before re-upping for the upcoming 2017-18 season, they’ve been on the lookout for other landing spots in the Valley.

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Last November, the team announced a plan to partner with Arizona State and move to Tempe but ASU backed out of the proposal earlier this year.

Other options still exist – such as the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community and downtown Phoenix.

Suns owner Robert Sarver has said the team needs a new building, but he may not be in favor of sharing a venue – and the profits generated from it.

Phoenix Mayor Greg Stanton has supported the idea of a facility that houses the Coyotes and the Suns and, while a new arena has been discussed, the city has also hired a consultant to look at what it would take to upgrade Talking Stick Resort Arena and whether it could be compatible with a hockey team.

The Suns declined comment.

Glendale leaders have also said they would welcome the chance to negotiate to keep the Coyotes in the city.

Amid all this, the NHL has continued to advocate for keeping the Coyotes in the Valley.

In March, Commissioner Gary Bettman sent a three-page letter to Arizona legislative leaders encouraging them to pass a public-financing bill for a new arena in the East Valley or downtown Phoenix. The bill ended up dying awaiting a vote.

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As for Barroway, he is committed to finding a long-term home for the Coyotes in the Valley, an NHL source said, and has begun a search for a new CEO to lead the team and help with the organization's pursuit for a new arena.

But Barroway added to the uncertainty of the team’s footing in the state with a statement he released in March that said, in part, if the franchise reaches a point “where there is simply no longer a path forward in Arizona,” then the organization “will work with our partners in the League office and across the NHL to determine our next steps.”

At this point, it’s unclear what Barroway’s plans for the franchise are – off the ice and on it. And the spotlight on the hockey product is going to grow as the team embarks on one of the busier stretches of the offseason with the expansion-draft process beginning this week, the entry draft June 23-24 and the free-agent signing window opening July 1.

While they were wards of the league for four years, the Coyotes operated on a shoestring budget but they didn’t exactly go on a spending spree once they secured outside ownership. They have signed players to lucrative deals with goaltender Mike Smith receiving a six-year, $34 million contract, defenseman Oliver Ekman-Larsson in the midst of a six-year, $33 million deal and defenseman Alex Goligoski landing a five-year, $27.375 million commitment just last summer.

But Arizona has yet to rank among the league's top spenders.

Once Barroway joined the mix, he could have been the one setting the financial parameters since he was the majority owner. Or the decision could have been group-based with all owners giving their input.

MORE: Coyotes' Dylan Strome faces pivotal summer as he prepares to turn pro

With that in mind, it’s tough to say whether the direction of the organization the past few seasons has been a reflection of Barroway’s influence or the entire committee’s philosophy.

More of the same could be on tap, a patience-required rebuild that is being coaxed along by a young lineup against the backdrop of a franchise that captain Shane Doan described a few months ago as simply trying to survive rather than thrive.

Or maybe a makeover is brewing, one that accelerates progress or even does the opposite by adding more growing pains to a team that’s missed out on the playoffs for the past five years – a dry spell goalie Smith called "unacceptable" at the end of last season.

Clarity should arrive soon with the league’s upcoming itinerary certainly conducive to roster reconstruction.

If the upper limit of the salary cap remains flat at $73 million, the Coyotes have almost $26 million in wiggle room, according to capfriendly.com, and would have some work to do just to get to the floor. The estimated total of all the salaries currently on their books is just over $50 million. Arizona had seven players on its season-ending roster on entry-level contracts worth less than $1 million, and that number could grow if the likes of Dylan Strome and Christian Fischer make the team.

Chayka said his spending budget for the offseason has been finalized but there is flexibility in the event “special opportunities arise.”

Asked whether this budget is higher or lower than what it was last summer, Chayka wrote, “I don’t see any advantage to making our budget plans publicly available. Resources will not be an excuse for this group.”

This makes it unclear whether Barroway, who is undoubtedly making the decision now, has increased or decreased the team’s payroll, but announcing a spike – if that were the case – would seem like an easy way to stir excitement after another down performance.

It could have also framed realistic expectations for the summer and next season.

For the time being, those, too, are up in the air.

Reach the reporter at sarah.mclellan@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.