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Originally Posted by Strange Brew
Houston is central and Austin/San Antonio is south?
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All three would be central. Anything south of the Mason Dixon would be leveraging the "southern strategy" of tapping non-traditional markets the NHL has employed. All of the teams left standing for this year's Stanley Cup exist because of the southern strategy.
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But really this is how fans look at the league, not how the NHL would prioritize next steps for expansion or franchise moves.
You need:
1) owner able to pay $1B plus
2) arena
3) market capable of supporting a team
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I would argue these are the minimum requirements for taking on a team, not the next steps in expansion or relocation. You need to meet these minimum requirements or you are not considered for a franchise. If it were as easy as 1,2, and 3 Quebec City or Hamilton would have a franchise right now. There's a lot more to awarding a franchise than meeting minimum requirements.