Quote:
Originally Posted by Fire of the Phoenix
Well that has potential to be pretty dumb if there is no provision in place. I think LV stands a great chance at achieving Florida's early success. A SCF appearance very unlikely, but I think if they have a decent manager and a coach, 80+ points will be achievable. To gift them 4th overall for 4 years will likely not be needed and has potential to set them up when they won't deserve it.
Black Knights? I really hope not. That's about as generic and unimaginative as you can get.
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I really wish that people would stop using this word in any context pertaining to the business of professional sports. In this case, the potential to make the LV expansion team highly competitive has nothing whatsoever to do with desert or lack thereof. It's about the potential to grow the business and for the interested parties (The NHL and the NHLPA) to make money. It's about securing a market that the NHL desperately wants, and if it works it could be hugely beneficial to the League as a whole. Conversely, it could be argued that an exorbitant $0.5 b expansion fee should buy the LV team some sort of competitive advantage.
In any case, three straight 1–4 picks in the draft in consecutive years will not make the LV team an instant contender. But it will help to ensure that they will be a better team than those in previous expansions, and this is a good thing in the long run.