He said he was not yet sure what the Coyotes will do with players who were based with the Grizzlies last season or with coaches Pat Conacher and Gord Dineen. Phoenix could seek a full affiliation in the AHL, though there do not appear to be any available right now, or it could share an AHL working agreement or place several players with several different teams. Gilman indicated the coaches would probably remain in Phoenix employ, as scouts if necessary.

Speculation is that, if Elmore sells to Orlando, the NHL Florida Panthers would take over that team and leave their half affiliation in San Antonio. There is speculation that the Panthers have made an agreement with interests in Orlando already. Dallas, which shared San Antonio least season, is putting a full affiliation in Iowa and leaving the Texas town, perhaps affording some room for Phoenix players.

"We feel badly for the fans of the Utah Grizzlies that we didn't get the job done," said Gilman about the 2004-05 team that finished last in the AHL and had the worst record (23-50-2-5) in the Grizzlies' 11 years of existence. "We were looking forward to making things right" in the coming season. The Coyotes' first team in Utah was beset by injuries costing 315 man-games.

The CHL, thought to be Elmore's first choice for a new playground, has 17 teams, seven of them in Texas with others in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Ohio, Tennessee, New Mexico and Colorado. The Colorado Eagles, based near Fort Collins, won the 2005 championship, and Elmore sees that as a successful team with which the new Grizzlies might have a rivalry. His original Grizzlies began 11 years ago in Denver and won the IHL championship their first year before moving to Utah because the NHL moved to Denver.

The CHL receives some players from AHL affiliations, much as the ECHL. Cherwonak said the CHL teams have outdrawn ECHL teams each year for the last four years. Elmore at one point had a CHL franchise in San Antonio.

The 28-team ECHL has nearby teams in Boise, Las Vegas and Long Beach and next season will be in Phoenix. It stretches from Alaska to Florida. It had 28 teams last season. Elmore has had conversations with that league and actually has a suspended franchise in it.

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E-mail: lham@desnews.com