The good news when it comes to the Phoenix Coyotes is that all indications are they're staying put for next season.

The bad news?

The NHL has the absolute right to revoke a franchise at any time, which supersedes agreements such as the Coyotes' arena lease, which calls for enormous financial penalties if the team leaves before it expires in 2033.

"Even if the league has to pump $40-million into the team, there is still no risk," the owner said. "It would be an absolute last resort, but the NHL could get its money back by revoking the franchise, selling it and moving it to another city."

It's ugly stuff if you're a fan of the Coyotes or one of the politicians who ponied up to build a rink for the team in Glendale, as Jobing.com Arena could potentially become a incredibly expensive white elephant as soon as 2010.

David Shoalts's portrait of the situation indicates that current Coyotes owner Jerry Moyes is essentially finished with the franchise, and given their financial history, it seems unreasonable that another buyer can be found without some serious concessions made by Glendale. One of which would be to include an out clause in the lease.

Here's Tom Benjamin on the "dead team skating" in Arizona:

The team could be sold if the City of Glendale wasn’t being so stubborn. They won’t let the team out of the lease on the brand new $180 MM arena. Regardless, the city is going to get screwed. They either lose the team after next year if they stick to their guns, or they lose the team in two years if they amend the lease.

The only silver lining? This arena could end up being an object lesson the next time a government thinks about buying an ice palace for the benefit of a billionaire’s business.

No kidding. Although it's not as if the NHL will have difficulty finding another "ice palace" to stick its 30th team should the Coyotes fold.

The Sprint Center, for one, is still dying for a tenant, perhaps enough for that city to make ownership in another soft U.S. market more palatable than its been for Moyes. We know for a fact that Kings owner AEG is desperate for a team to fill the rink in Kansas City given their arrangement there, what with their dealings with Boots Del Biaggio and the Predators, and the fact a friend of the NHL wants a team on the cheap may be enough to easily resurrect a franchise after folding the Coyotes.

I've written about this in relation to the team in Nashville, and just how important the local ownership group there is to their survival: The No. 1 reason a team stays viable in a market is the fact that someone sees value in owning them in that location, and right now, it's hard to imagine anyone doing so with the Coyotes. (You can say the same for what's happening with the Islanders and Charles Wang, too.)

Benjamin's absolutely right. Barring some serious concessions from Glendale, this team won't be sold. With the serious concessions, it potentially gets moved.

Pick your poison.