Couple of reasons it could work:
Huge Canadian tourist spot
Hotel/Casino Comps
Corporate Support
Gives the locals their "own team"
Gambling Potential (place bets from your seat on other games, next goal, next penalty, etc).
And with AEG/MGM owning the rink and being a potential ownership group there is a ton of potential.
http://finance.yahoo.com/news/first-...133000871.html