I'm in the minority here it seems but I hate this... I really dislike expansion to sunbelt type cities with no hockey grassroots. Seattle I like but Vegas could be Phoenix 2.0.
I am afraid it will be mediocre support for years, milking the equalization payments for all they are worth and then a cup run fed by the NHL's welfare draft system rewarding their badly run business. We'll be watching a half assed crowd that never watched a hockey game before that season and never will again stand around half heartedly cheering during a 40 degree cup parade in a 10 years.
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The exposure all over US media would be worth it alone. The first major sport to have a team in Las Vegas.
Plus I think you could pull in so many new fans. I would think the majority of gamblers are also sports fans. Groups of guys (and girls) from all over the US go to Vegas for holidays. So now they are in LV, they see an NHL game for the first time. They like it and go back to their hometowns and support the local team. It's a win for the whole league.
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Meh, I know there might be a better buck to be potentially made, but I'd rather a bunch of existing hockey fans in Quebec, Ontario, or even Washington state get a team instead of a bunch of tourists with no real tie to the sport or city. This kind of cheapens the league imo.
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During these expansion drafts, are prospects and such protected? And are they only allowed to pick players off your team from the NHL roster of the season before or?
Edit - I sorta know about the 1 goalie 5 d and 9 fwds or the 2 goalie 3 d and 7 fwds just don't know what list they get to pick from and such.
The writing was on the wall when they divided up the conferences with only 14 teams in the West. I can't see how Las Vegas deserves a team over Quebec City though.
The Panthers moving to Quebec City would keep them in the east.
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During these expansion drafts, are prospects and such protected? And are they only allowed to pick players off your team from the NHL roster of the season before or?
Edit - I sorta know about the 1 goalie 5 d and 9 fwds or the 2 goalie 3 d and 7 fwds just don't know what list they get to pick from and such.
I believe it's roster players, so players in the system don't count.
It'd be out of the 23 man roster, and every team would have about 1 goalie, 2 defencemen, and 5 forwards unprotected.
This sounds like Phoenix part 2. I am not sure who would go to Vegas and think of taking in a hockey game with all the other things to do there except for the hard-core hockey fan. I would doubt they would have enough natural hockey fans in the city to have much more than 6000 or so STH once the novelty wore off in 2 or 3 years. If that was the case they would be relying on 10K plus walk ups each night to have respectable crowds.
I guess in 2021 they may be able to cash in on a TV contract assuming the team stays afloat through then. Hopefully the owner has deep pockets cause I just do not see 16K plus showing up to watch on a nightly basis.
The Panthers moving to Quebec City would keep them in the east.
Yeah, that's a possibility but it may never happen. What's also still up in the air is if Phoenix will survive. It's strange to be expanding when there are still two franchises in trouble who may wish to move.
During these expansion drafts, are prospects and such protected? And are they only allowed to pick players off your team from the NHL roster of the season before or?
Edit - I sorta know about the 1 goalie 5 d and 9 fwds or the 2 goalie 3 d and 7 fwds just don't know what list they get to pick from and such.
Doesn't say about eligibility, maybe someone else knows.
It was pretty crappy for the flames... if I recall correctly they were forced to trade Giguere or lose him for nothing with the way the roster was shaped (maybe that was one of the two previous years). Then they lost two serviceable players in Kuba and Krivokrasov from an already bad roster.
I believe it's roster players, so players in the system don't count.
It'd be out of the 23 man roster, and every team would have about 1 goalie, 2 defencemen, and 5 forwards unprotected.
The Oilers have to be hoping they are allowed to participate in the draft under those circumstances. With 58 dmen available from the non Oiler franchises they could literally improve all 7 dmen on their roster with other teams castoffs.
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This sounds like Phoenix part 2. I am not sure who would go to Vegas and think of taking in a hockey game with all the other things to do there except for the hard-core hockey fan. I would doubt they would have enough natural hockey fans in the city to have much more than 6000 or so STH once the novelty wore off in 2 or 3 years. If that was the case they would be relying on 10K plus walk ups each night to have respectable crowds.
I guess in 2021 they may be able to cash in on a TV contract assuming the team stays afloat through then. Hopefully the owner has deep pockets cause I just do not see 16K plus showing up to watch on a nightly basis.
I think you're underestimating how many people in that town at any one time would think it is cool to put some money on the game at one of the big sportsbooks and then go watch the event live. I think this could be huge for the NHL.
Like someone else said earlier, people will get comped tickets or decide to go for 'something different' and fall in love with the game. They'll take that love back where they come from and start following the NHL. It won't happen every time, but I bet it happens.
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