• Moore, McLellan on the Coyotes entering a 'new era'

    Moore, McLellan on the Coyotes entering a ‘new era’

  • Greg Moore on the Coyotes' changes

    Greg Moore on the Coyotes’ changes

  • Coyotes introduce new coach, president

    Coyotes introduce new coach, president

  • Shot Clock: Tocchet a good fit for Coyotes?

    Shot Clock: Tocchet a good fit for Coyotes?

  • Dylan Strome works out at Coyotes Development Camp

    Dylan Strome works out at Coyotes Development Camp

  • Mike Smith rips Coyotes; Cards' RB ranked

    Mike Smith rips Coyotes; Cards’ RB ranked

  • Coyotes begin prospect development camp

    Coyotes begin prospect development camp

  • Coyotes part ways with coach Dave Tippett

    Coyotes part ways with coach Dave Tippett

  • Shot Clock: What does Doan's dismissal mean?

    Shot Clock: What does Doan’s dismissal mean?

  • Coyotes part ways with Shane Doan

    Coyotes part ways with Shane Doan

  • Coyotes trade starting goalie Mike Smith to Flames

    Coyotes trade starting goalie Mike Smith to Flames

  • Which Arizona Coyotes player could be taken by the Vegas Golden Knights?

    Which Arizona Coyotes player could be taken by the Vegas Golden Knights?

  • Coyotes' Clayton Keller on his first year in the NHL

    Coyotes’ Clayton Keller on his first year in the NHL

  • Coyotes rookie Christian Dvorak on 'year of ups and downs'

    Coyotes rookie Christian Dvorak on ‘year of ups and downs’

  • Coyotes' Jakob Chychrun sums up rookie season

    Coyotes’ Jakob Chychrun sums up rookie season

  • Shane Doan at Coyotes' season-ending press conference

    Shane Doan at Coyotes’ season-ending press conference

  • Max Domi talks to Sarah McLellan about offseason goals, plans

    Max Domi talks to Sarah McLellan about offseason goals, plans

  • Coyotes coach Dave Tippett wraps up 2016-17 season

    Coyotes coach Dave Tippett wraps up 2016-17 season

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Wild

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Wild

  • Coyotes conclude season with 3-1 loss to the Wild

    Coyotes conclude season with 3-1 loss to the Wild

  • Coyotes recognize Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham

    Coyotes recognize Roadrunners captain Craig Cunningham

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Canucks

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Canucks

  • Coyotes react to win over Canucks

    Coyotes react to win over Canucks

  • Shot Clock: Young Coyotes standouts provide hope

    Shot Clock: Young Coyotes standouts provide hope

  • Coyotes fall in overtime to Stars

    Coyotes fall in overtime to Stars

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Stars

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Stars

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Kings

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Kings

  • Coyotes eliminate Kings from playoffs with 2-1 win

    Coyotes eliminate Kings from playoffs with 2-1 win

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Capitals

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Capitals

  • Coyotes snap losing streak against Capitals

    Coyotes snap losing streak against Capitals

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Blues

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Blues

  • Coyotes react to 3-1 loss to Blues

    Coyotes react to 3-1 loss to Blues

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Blues

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Blues

  • Coyotes cap road trip with 4-1 loss to Blues

    Coyotes cap road trip with 4-1 loss to Blues

  • Forward Clayton Keller set to begin pro career with Coyotes

    Forward Clayton Keller set to begin pro career with Coyotes

  • U.S. women's hockey team boycotting world championship

    U.S. women’s hockey team boycotting world championship

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Capitals

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Capitals

  • Capitals pull away from Coyotes with 3-goal third

    Capitals pull away from Coyotes with 3-goal third

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Panthers

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Panthers

  • Unusual goal sparks Panthers to win over Coyotes

    Unusual goal sparks Panthers to win over Coyotes

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Lightning

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Lightning

  • Coyotes rally past the Lightning

    Coyotes rally past the Lightning

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Predators

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Predators

  • Coyotes open road trip with 3-1 loss to Predators

    Coyotes open road trip with 3-1 loss to Predators

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Blues

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Blues

  • Coyotes shut out 3-0 by the Blues

    Coyotes shut out 3-0 by the Blues

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Red Wings

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Red Wings

  • Coyotes clipped by Red Wings 5-4 in a shootout

    Coyotes clipped by Red Wings 5-4 in a shootout

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Kings

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Kings

  • Coyotes outlast Kings in 11-round shootout

    Coyotes outlast Kings in 11-round shootout

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Avalanche

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Avalanche

  • Coyotes blank Avalanche 1-0

    Coyotes blank Avalanche 1-0

  • Sarah McLellan's plus-minus against the Devils

    Sarah McLellan’s plus-minus against the Devils

Once minor tweaks were dwarfed by massive subtractions and then followed up by impactful additions, it became clear the Coyotes were embracing a new vision.

But what was missing from the transition was an explanation from owner Andrew Barroway.

That clarity arrived Thursday at Gila River Arena, with Barroway speaking publicly for the first time since he became the sole owner when the team’s new regime was introduced, and the message he delivered highlighted his dedication to keeping the Coyotes in the Valley amid the ongoing pursuit of a permanent arena.

“The most important thing is to find a long-term home for the Coyotes in Arizona,” Barroway said. “We couldn’t be any more committed to Arizona and the Valley, and the biggest project at hand is to find a home in the right place for the Coyotes in Arizona.”

This isn’t a new ambition for the Coyotes, who have been plagued by arena uncertainty for years, but the brain trust guiding the team has changed. Rick Tocchet has taken over behind the bench as head coach, and former Arizona State athletic director Steve Patterson is now team president and CEO. General Manager John Chayka’s role has also been underscored, as he’s added the title of president of hockey operation.

“Let’s put this to bed: We’re not relocating,” Barroway said.

Patterson is an experienced executive in pro sports who was involved in the financing and construction of Reliant Stadium (now NRG Stadium) in Houston, and he said the team is open to talking to anyone in the Valley interested in a partnership. The Coyotes are particularly intrigued by the East Valley.

“It will get done because it has to get done,” Barroway said. “Failure is not an option here. We’re going to get a new stadium in Arizona, where it should have been located to begin with.”

The Coyotes will play at Gila River Arena next season; they continue to evaluate their situation on a year-by-year basis but have yet to look at the 2018-19 season. Barroway’s focus has been on a long-term solution.

“I get up in the morning thinking about a new stadium,” said Barroway, who lives in the Valley full-time. “I go to sleep thinking about a new stadium. Once we get that, we’re going to be one of the premier places to play in the league.”

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azcentral sports columnist Greg Moore on the Coyotes’ plan to better engage with Arizona fans.

Arizona has made moves to improve its on-ice product this offseason, acquiring Derek Stepan to be its No. 1 center, landing top-two defenseman Niklas Hjalmarsson and tabbing former backup Antti Raanta to replace Mike Smith in net after Smith was traded.

“We had the best offseason of any team in the NHL,” Barroway said. “We also got the most desired coach of anyone available in the league. The only issue now attracting free agents is, ‘What about your stadium issues?’ I, as the owner, have to solve that.”

Barroway became the only owner of the team June 12 when he bought out his minority partners. It was always his dream to own the team himself, and there were “too many cooks in the kitchen” with the previous group.

“No major disagreements,” he said. “But it’s hard to get 10 guys to agree on anything.”

The Coyotes will be strategic in their spending, Barroway said, but he wouldn’t identify where their budget would rank compared to their peers. He acknowledged, though, that they’ll have to spend more as their young players come off their entry-level contracts.

“I think we have a legitimate shot to make the playoffs this year,” he said. “I think we’re going to be a competitive team.”

Chayka is in charge of all hockey decisions, but Barroway is engaged in the discussion.

“We’ve agreed on everything so far,” he said. “We each have input, but John’s the hockey expert, and I certainly rely on him.” 

Barroway was actively involved in the changes this summer, a roster retooling that included cutting ties with longtime captain Shane Doan. While Barroway said the decision to not offer Doan a contract was the right hockey move, he said he could have handled it better by telling Doan the news in person instead of having Chayka do it.

“I apologize to Shane and the fans,” he said. ” … With that said, it’s time to move forward. We’re trying to build a winning team, not a situation where we put out some players that some of the fans might like (and) we’re not going to be competitive anyway, so who cares? We’re here to win now, and I think you could see by some of our offseason moves. We’re going to build a team that can compete, and compete in the near-term.”

Doan’s departure preceded coach Dave Tippett’s exit. While the team anticipated a Tippett return and would have welcomed it, Tippett mentioned moving on, and the two sides agreed to mutually part.

“He thought it was the right time,” Barroway said. “ … There were no major issues there.”

The Coyotes have reassembled themselves since then, and Barroway doesn’t expect any more changes to the ownership structure.

“I have no exit strategy here,” the 51-year-old said. “I’m in this for life, and then my son (Jake) is going to University of Michigan, and he’s going to school to be the future governor of this team. So this is a family thing. This will be passed down through our family for generations.” 

While plenty has been done this summer to patch holes and spruce up deficiencies, the work is far from over when it comes to resolving the arena issue.

And Barroway knows that.

“It’s the last piece of the puzzle,” he said. “We figured out the hockey side. We figured out, internally, the management side. Everything is running on all cylinders. This is the last big piece, but it’s a big piece. We need it to succeed. Once you have the stadium in the right location and then the fans love it, it generates more revenue. We can put the revenues back into the players. It becomes a virtuous cycle.”

MOORE: Coyotes start new era with plenty of questions

MORE: Tocchet left memorable impression on Coyotes as player, assistant

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Reach the reporter at [email protected] or 602-444-8276. Follow her at twitter.com/azc_mclellan.