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A case of ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ led to buyout of Coyotes owners

Andrew Barroway Press Conf

Arizona Coyotes v Columbus Blue Jackets

NHLI via Getty Images

Andrew Barroway, now the Coyotes’ sole owner, wasn’t available for comment after buying out his minority partners in Arizona.

But one of those partners thinks he knows why Barroway pursued the transaction.

“It’s kind of difficult to manage a business with too many cooks in the kitchen,” the former owner told the Arizona Republic. “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.”

A statement from NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly matched that sentiment:

“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.”

More from Arizona Sports:

Barroway had initially considered bringing in additional investors such as Tampa Bay Rays minority owner Randy Frankel, but this buyout was completed through a loan with MGG Investment Group, a specialty finance group focused on direct lending. League sources said Barroway was also able to remove the NHL’s portion of the loan through MGG. ... It’s possible Barroway will add investors in the future, but there is no immediate intention to do so. ArizonaSports.com has learned that there is interest from at least two groups in either buying a portion of the team, or all of it from Barroway.

The Coyotes still don’t have a long-term home in the Phoenix area. They’ve said repeatedly that Glendale is not an option.

Evidently, there was disagreement behind the scenes about how the team should be run.

Now the big decisions are solely up to Barroway to make.

Related: Barroway to buy out minority owners in Arizona