Auston Matthews gives honest opinion on rumors of his hometown Arizona Coyotes' relocation

Auston Matthews shared his honest thoughts on the speculation surrounding the potential relocation of his hometown team, the Arizona Coyotes.

Matthews was born in San Ramon, California, and he relocated to Scottsdale, Arizona, with his family when he was a child. Growing up, he participated in both baseball and hockey, but his unwavering passion for hockey grew after watching the Phoenix Coyotes, the local team, play.

Auston Matthews expressed his sentiments about the situation with the Coyotes by acknowledging the personal connection he has with the team, having grown up with them playing a significant role in his hockey journey.

The Leafs forward mentioned that he would prefer for the Coyotes to resolve their issues. However, Matthews also acknowledged the challenges the NHL is facing in this matter (via TSN reporter Mark Masters on X):

"Obviously, selfishly, growing up there with them being a big part of me getting into hockey, you know, I’d love for them to figure it out, but you kind of understand the position the NHL’s in as well"

According to reports, the NHL is preparing the framework to move the Coyotes from their temporary home at Arizona State University to where the Utah Jazz play basketball. However, it's worth noting that nothing has been confirmed yet.

There are also reports that the National Hockey League wants to continue expanding with as many as 36 teams in the near future. Among the potential NHL cities where the Coyotes may get relocated are Utah, Salt Lake City, Houston, and others.

How many strikes does Auston Matthews need for 70 goals?

Matthews scored twice in the Maple Leafs' 6-5 loss to the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. With that, the 26-year-old forward increased his NHL-leading goal total to 68 for the season.

With four games remaining, Auston Matthews only needs two more goals to make NHL history by reaching 70 goals. If Matthews achieves the feat, he will become one of the few players in the league to score 70 goals in a season since Teemu Selanne and Alex Mogilny (76 each) in 1992-93.

Matthews and the Maple Leafs face the Detroit Red Wings next Saturday.