Bettman Expected to Address Reports of Coyotes Sale N.H.L. Commissioner Gary Bettman was scheduled to speak to the news media Monday night in Glendale, Ariz., before the Coyotes play the Nashville Predators, and was expected to discuss the fate of the league-owned home team. The league bought the Coyotes out of bankruptcy in 2009 for about $140 million and is close to selling the team to a group led by Greg Jamison, who previously ran the San Jose Sharks, according to an article published Monday in The Phoenix Business Journal. League officials have been in Glendale to meet city officials and will attend Game 5 of the series, which the Coyotes lead, three games to one. With a victory, Phoenix would advance to the Western Conference finals for the first time. Any sale of the team is contingent on receiving funding from the city of Glendale, which owns Jobing.com Arena, where the Coyotes play. The city paid $25 million to cover some of the team's losses last year and must pay up to $25 million this year if the team is not sold before the end of the year. The Coyotes drew an average of 12,420 fans per game during the regular season, the worst attendance in the league. But the extra income generated through ticket sales, sponsorships and concessions during the playoffs could shrink their losses and allow the city to pay less to the N.H.L. The city has been criticized for spending too much money to subsidize the team while it had been forced to cut spending on police, libraries and other city services. The Goldwater Institute, a high-powered libertarian think tank in Arizona, has threatened to sue Glendale to stop the city from selling more than $100 million in municipal bonds to facilitate a sale. "We are looking forward to reviewing the details of the deal when they are made public," the institute said in a statement Monday. We hope the new deal complies with the law and protects taxpayers by requiring the private parties to bear any related costs. The city council reportedly is considering paying the new owners $20 million a year for five years to manage the arena for the city, and lesser amounts for 15 years after that. A majority of city council members favor the deal because they fear the Coyotes would otherwise relocate and leave the city-owned arena without a main tenant, said Walt Opaska, who is running for mayor of Glendale and opposes heavy subsidies. The collapse of the real estate market has slowed the construction of new homes and shops that were supposed to surround the arena. In late January, Standard & Poor's and Moody's Investors Service lowered Glendale's debt ratings, citing the city's obligations to the Coyotes. City lawmakers could vote on a proposed deal as soon as Tuesday. A deal that keeps the Coyotes in Arizona would undoubtedly sadden hockey fans in Quebec City. The mayor and provincial government there promised to use public money to help complete a $400 million arena by 2015 as a way to lure an N.H.L. team back.