Xavier Gutierrez's primary task as the new president and CEO of the Arizona Coyotes will be finding a way to keep the team in the desert.

"(Owner Alex Meruelo and I) are very focused on creating a sustainable long-term solution that keeps this team at home, here, in Arizona," he said following his hiring Monday. "This will be an area that I am especially focused on and will be taking the lead on to find the right solution."

The Coyotes ranked 28th out of 31 teams in average attendance this season, according to ESPN. The franchise hasn't finished better than 28th since 2006-07 when they ranked 24th. In December, Forbes valued the team at $300 million - the lowest in the league.

The location of the Coyotes' home rink - Gila River Arena - has played a part in the team's poor attendance figures. It's located in Glendale, which is about a 20-30 minute drive from downtown Phoenix. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said last year that Gila River Arena "is not viable long-term."

The Coyotes unveiled a design for a joint facility in Tempe with Arizona State in 2016, but the plans folded after the university ended negotiations.

Meruelo officially purchased the Coyotes last July, becoming the first person of Hispanic heritage to serve as an NHL chairman. Gutierrez, who says he's been business associates with Meruelo for "over a decade," became the first Latino in NHL history to hold the titles of president and CEO.

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Buffalo Sabres goalie Carter Hutton confessed he struggled with an ongoing vision issue during the 2019-20 season.

After seeking treatment, Hutton discovered he suffered from convergence insufficiency, a disorder in which a person's eyes don't move at the same time. He learned his left eye moved slower than his right and attended therapy throughout the season to correct the problem.

"It started to come back around big time in January," Hutton said, according to Buffalo News' Lance Lysowski.

He added, "(Therapy) became part of my daily routine. I would do a ton of different eye training and things to get better at that. In the moment it was obviously tough. Now, moving forward, I learned a lot of skills to help improve that area and make my eye strength better and work on stuff. We weren't sure what it was. It was something I managed throughout the season."

Hutton admitted the vision impairment made it difficult for him to track pucks on the ice, and even routine practice drills became difficult.

The 34-year-old doesn't blame his eyesight for his poor play at times during the season. From Oct. 24 to Jan. 30, the veteran netminder recorded an 0-8-4 record with a 4.04 goals-against average and .872 save percentage.

"I didn't perform as well as I needed to at times, and obviously, I think it was 12 straight I was winless, which is really tough to swallow," Hutton said.

He continued, "It's obviously something that needs to change. During the year, I can't have these lulls and I'll get back to doing what I do best. I've played in the league for a long time. I didn't just forget how to play. I had a rough go with some stuff and we'll get back to it."

Hutton went 12-14-4 with a 3.18 goals-against average and .898 save percentage in his second season with the Sabres.

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Eugene Melnyk's charity previously directed a small fraction of the money it generated toward its intended cause.

The Ottawa Senators owner created The Organ Project - a private, Toronto-based not-for-profit foundation - in 2016, with the goal of ending the organ transplant waiting list and "changing the current environment so that, in the near future, nobody in Canada will die while waiting for an organ transplant."

However, while it gained $991,708 in revenues during 2018, it contributed barely $5,000 of that to organ donor awareness, according to Postmedia's Rick Gibbons, who cited filings from the Canada Revenue Agency.

Melnyk's charity is separate from the Senators Foundation - the team's charitable arm - which announced its intent to sever ties with the club last week.

The Senators Foundation donated $100,000 to The Organ Project at a charity gala in 2018.

Of the roughly $1 million taken in by Melnyk's charity, it spent $779,464 on fundraising costs and another $238,118 on management and administration, according to the filings obtained by Gibbons, who was informed that these types of figures are "almost certain" to be scrutinized by tax officials.

Unlike the Senators Foundation, the Organ Project doesn't require a board of directors to oversee operations, and according to Gibbons, the latter entity appeared to be directed solely by Melnyk. However, it shut down in 2019 and didn't fulfill a promise to reopen this spring.

The Senators and their foundation will formally part ways if they're unable to resolve their dispute by July 31.

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Welcome to Puck Pursuit, an interview-style podcast hosted by John Matisz, theScore's national hockey writer.

Subscribe to the show on iTunes, SoundCloud, Stitcher, and Spotify.

ESPN hockey prospects writer Chris Peters joins the show to discuss a variety of NHL draft-related topics, including:

• Full scouting report on top prospect Alexis Lafreniere
• Is Quinton Byfield a lock to go second overall?
• Tim Stutzle and German hockey's "sweet spot"
• Rest of Chris' top-10 prospects for 2020 draft

... and more

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The Arizona Coyotes hired Xavier A. Gutierrez as their new president and CEO, making him the first Latino to hold those positions in NHL history, the club announced Monday.

He joins the Coyotes after serving as managing director of Clearlake Capital Group, a private equity firm based in California. He has over 20 years of experience as a business executive, investor, and dealmaker, according to the team.

Gutierrez fills the vacancy left by the May departure of Ahron Cohen, who moved on from the organization and his dual roles as the club's president and CEO.

Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo became the first and only person of Hispanic heritage to serve as chairman of an NHL club when he took over last July.

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After speaking out against racial injustice, Braden Holtby and his wife, Brandi, are putting their words into action.

The Washington Capitals goaltender and his partner launched the "Get Off the Bench for Racial Equality" auction benefitting Black Lives Matter DC and The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the club announced Monday.

The Holtbys will donate $5,000 to each organization while matching the money raised in the auction, which is now live. It will run through June 12 at 12 p.m. ET.

Items include jerseys and helmets signed by the netminder and some of his star teammates, such as Alex Ovechkin and John Carlson. A piece of wooden artwork depicting and signed by Holtby is also up for sale.

Last week, Holtby authored one of the most powerful anti-racism statements in the hockey world. He lamented the damage the naming of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge has caused to the local black community and said, "America will never be great until all BLACK lives matter."

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Seven current and retired black NHL players have formed the Hockey Diversity Alliance, an independent group seeking to eliminate racism and intolerance in hockey, the players announced Monday.

Former NHL defenseman Akim Aliu and current San Jose Sharks forward Evander Kane will serve as co-heads. The executive committee includes Detroit Red Wings rearguard Trevor Daley, Minnesota Wild blue-liner Matt Dumba, Buffalo Sabres winger Wayne Simmonds, retired forward Joel Ward, and Chris Stewart, a veteran winger who plays for the Philadelphia Flyers' AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Members of the new organization spoke with Colin Kaepernick in video calls in recent weeks, according to TSN's Frank Seravalli.

The alliance plans to combat racism in society as a whole, as well as within the hockey world.

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