[Senator Clay Davis]

When the Jets moved back I pretty much thought 10 years was the max they would have before things went south and relocating again became a possibility. I think thats part of the reason why the NHL might wait on expansion, the Winnipeg franchise might be a likely relocation candidate sooner than later. Of course if you add Seattle and Quebec City, you could always just relocate them to Kansas City.

Unfortunately for Winnipegers and Winnipeg fans...its still Winnipeg. Corporate support is never going to be what it is everywhere else (except Ottawa), free agents are never volunteering to sign there (unless there's a significant overpay), which leaves a team likely to be mired in the mediocrity of 5th place finishes. And they're in a brutal division that the top three teams (Chicago, Colorado and St. Louis) are set up to dominate for the next decade. They'll be struggling year in and year out just for the right to get eliminated in the first round anyways.

Basically Winnipeg fans have to decide how much is their commitment to NHL hockey? Do they love it so much they'll show up for a team that is possibly not going to compete for a Stanley Cup ever (or at the very least, for the very foreseable future)? Will they stay for the necessary tanking (3-5 years likely) to try and get an elite or (hopefully) generational talent? And keep in mind ticket prices will almost certainly not be dropping and will likely rise. I have my doubts.