Two days after their season ended, the Arizona Coyotes have laid off and furloughed employees throughout the organization. The number of employees or the departments affected were not made known.
“Like many companies, the Arizona Coyotes and the Meruelo Group continue to be greatly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic," the team said in a statement. "These are incredibly challenging times for everyone, and we’ve had to make some extremely difficult decisions. Today, we reduced our operations to help us deal with this unprecedented health and financial situation. We care deeply about all our team members and understand the impact this will have on them and their families. We sincerely appreciate all their contributions to our organization. Unfortunately, these moves are necessary for us to endure this crisis and remain financially resilient for the long-term.”
It is the second time during the pandemic that the Coyotes have furloughed employees, previously reducing 50% of its staff back in April. With no more games or revenue coming in until December or January when the new season starts, the franchise felt it necessary to make the move.
The Coyotes aren't the only NHL franchise to reduce staff. The New York Rangers, Washington Capitals, San Jose Sharks, Dallas Stars and Carolina Hurricanes also made similar moves recently.
