Preparations being made for potential NHL team in Salt Lake City

Preparations are being made behind the scenes and in the public eye in case an NHL team is in Salt Lake City sooner than later.

Prospective owner Ryan Smith on social media earlier this week solicited suggestions for a team name. Smith, who owns the NBA's Utah Jazz, in January noted not only his interest in having an NHL club in Salt Lake City but the ability to make that happen immediately.

The Smith Entertainment Group asked at the time for the initiation of an expansion process, something multiple groups in Atlanta are also eager for. It also comes amid continued uncertainty surrounding the Arizona Coyotes, who are playing a second season in a 5,000-seat arena and are still looking for a long-term home.

NHL Players' Association executive director Marty Walsh has repeatedly expressed frustration over the Coyotes' current situation as the second tenant in a building on Arizona State's campus in Tempe. League commissioner Gary Bettman has said owner Alex Meruelo is working on it.

"It's hard work, and he's committed to it," Bettman told The Associated Press last month. "I think people are craving certainty. And we are, too, but this isn't a 60-minute game where the light goes on and the game's over."

The Coyotes last week said they're committed to winning an auction for a plot of land in Phoenix that would house a 17,000-seat arena and entertainment district. The Arizona State Land Department set the auction for June 27 with a starting bid of $68.5 million.

The schedule for next season is usually released in late June, after the Stanley Cup is handed out, around the draft and before free agency opens July 1. Daily Faceoff reported Wednesday the league is working on separate schedule drafts in case the team is playing in