NHL to formally start expansion process (only LV and QC submit applications)

[Alberta_Beef]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jahrmes

Aren't the Winterhawks one the most profitable teams in the dub? Betting they'd strongly oppose splitting seats / forcing those on a budget to choose between the two. Not sure how affluent or large the surrounding area is as far as population goes.


Seattle, Vegas, Houston and Quebec would be really cool imo

The greater Portland area is about 2.35 million. I would think that the Winterhawks might be forced out if they got an NHL team.

I think the same would happen in Seattle, I think if Seattle ever gets an NHL team the Thunderbirds & Silvertips would likely relocate or fold.

[Tsawwassen]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jahrmes

Although the east west numbers disparity may exist today I doubt the league adds a team to each conference and maintains that.. 16/16 has to be the endgame, no?

Originally Posted by Alberta_Beef

or they add 4 teams and go 17-17

That would be excellent for the NHL to be a 34 team league as that would allow the league to go back to a conference regular season and playoff alignment.

[Daradon]

No way does the NHL go to 34 teams. There will be four new (or different cities) but two will be expansion and two will be moved. And my guesses are Washington/Seattle/Portland, Las Vegas, Quebec City, Southern Ontario.

32 teams is perfect for divisions and conferences, whether you wanna do 4x8 or 8x4. As well, and this is probably just an emotional, optical argument, but I can't the the NHL being able to support more teams than the NFL. It doesn't make any sense. We got what, 6 or 7 teams now that are currently in trouble, or very recently were in trouble, or are about to be in trouble? Adding so many teams doesn't make sense. We'll have all the same problems all over again when we added all the sunbelt teams.

People seem to be so focused on the current alignment and adding teams to even it out. The current alignment MEANS NOTHING. Teams can be, and have been, swapped in and out. Just because there are 16 teams in the East now and you wanna add another (or two more) that would obviously be in the East (like Quebec City), doesn't mean you have to keep all the current ones there. Some of the central ones will just be moved back. I don't know why this is even an argument. As well, if your moving teams (and who doesn't think Phoenix is getting moved?) it's going to mess up the current divisions anyway.

I could see:

Pacific: Anaheim, Calgary, Edmonton, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Jose, Vancouver, Washington State
Central: Chicago, Colorado, Columbus, Dallas, Minnesota, Nashville, St Louis, Winnipeg,
Metro: Carolina, Detroit, New Jersey, New York I, New Your R, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C.
Atlantic: Boston, Buffalo, Montreal, Ottawa, Quebec City, Toronto, Toronto Jr, Tampa Bay

The two teams I moved were Arizona and Florida. The travel actually makes a tiny bit more sense this way too, as far as I can tell from a map. Tampa is still lost in the Atlantic, but it was before anyway, and at least the time zones make sense. That's what you get for putting teams in Florida to begin with. You could actually put Tampa in the Metro to make a bit more sense, but that would mean relocating one of the NY-NJ teams or one of Phi-Pitts to the Atlantic, and they probably wanna keep those rivalries together.

[sureLoss]

Québecor @Quebecor
We confirm that we submitted our candidacy for the #NHL expansion process in order to bring the #Nordiques back to #Québec City.

[Moneyhands23]

Anyone know if all the bids will be announced?

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by Hugh Jahrmes

Do Detroit and Columbus have agreements re: conference relegation? Or just assuming it'd be bad optics / a dick move to push either back to the west after recently being moved?

Although the east west numbers disparity may exist today I doubt the league adds a team to each conference and maintains that.. 16/16 has to be the endgame, no?

Yes, but there are ways to deal with that. I've been banging this drum forever, but one scenario I see as possible is Panthers relocate to Quebec, expand to GTA2, Tampa moves to Central, Avs move to Pacific, Vegas expansion.

Tampa in the Central isn't as bad as seems at first blush, since most of their road games would be at 8PM eastern, for a team that already starts home games at 7:30. Still the same one Pacific trip per year. That only gets problematic in the playoffs if we end up with a crossover situation and Tampa is travelling to and from California or Vancouver for a round 1 series.

And, of course, there is nothing that precludes another wide realignment.

[sureLoss]

Ken Campbell says NHL will likely only get 2 applications for expansion today, Las Vegas and Quebec City.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/wi...-be-a-failure/

[polak]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Québecor @Quebecor
We confirm that we submitted our candidacy for the #NHL expansion process in order to bring the #Nordiques back to #Québec City.

These type of tweets will seem silly if they don't get it.

[Kavvy]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Ken Campbell says NHL will likely only get 2 applications for expansion today, Las Vegas and Quebec City.

http://www.thehockeynews.com/blog/wi...-be-a-failure/

ha

Prospective owners from Seattle had a month to get an arena deal together and couldn’t do it. In Toronto, the costs of doing business have risen dramatically. In 2013, venture capitalist Graeme Roustan had a deal to build a rink in the suburb of Markham for $325 million. Had the city’s council accepted the deal proposed by Roustan and backed by its own mayor, they’d probably be putting the finishing touches on the rink right about now.
But that cost has risen by about $100 million in an economy where the Canadian dollar is tanking worse than the Buffalo Sabres did last season

[Madman]

Scott Burnside @ESPN_Burnside
Can confirm Bill Foley's application for expansion team in Las Vegas has been filed under Black Knight Sports and Entertainment LLC.

[sureLoss]

Ken Campbell @THNKenCampbell
The 5 p.m. expansion bid has passed. Only LV and Quebec City confirmed so far. Seattle could get one from Ray Bartoszek. Trying to confirm.

Keep in mind anyone putting in an expansion bid has to put down a $10 million deposit of which $2 million is non-refundable.

[sureLoss]

Frank Seravalli @frank_seravalli
Latecomers to the NHL expansion process "will not be considered," if their application was not submitted today, the league confirms. #TSN

[Benched]

dang....and I'd just gotten my 10mill together....

[heep223]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Ken Campbell @THNKenCampbell
The 5 p.m. expansion bid has passed. Only LV and Quebec City confirmed so far. Seattle could get one from Ray Bartoszek. Trying to confirm.

Keep in mind anyone putting in an expansion bid has to put down a $10 million deposit of which $2 million is non-refundable.

Wow! That certainly will weed out anyone who's not serious about it.

[dino7c]

Originally Posted by heep223

Wow! That certainly will weed out anyone who's not serious about it.

no kidding...that was a easy 4M for Gary

[troutman]

Originally Posted by heep223

Wow! That certainly will weed out anyone who's not serious about it.

For all the talk about expansion and other markets, only two cities are serious enough about the NHL to put down the deposit. This should tell us something.

[topfiverecords]

Originally Posted by troutman

For all the talk about expansion and other markets, only two cities are serious enough about the NHL to put down the deposit. This should tell us something.

More like two groups (in two cities) with deep deep pockets and access to a brand new arena serious enough about the NHL.

[jonesy]

Originally Posted by sureLoss

Québecor @Quebecor
We confirm that we submitted our candidacy for the #NHL expansion process in order to bring the #Nordiques back to #Québec City.

They are doing it wrong. Best way to get a new franchise in Canada is to support an Atlanta expansion team.

[jonesy]

double post

[TX_Flame]

Originally Posted by JohnnySkittles

So Seattle looks like it won't be making a bid, correct?

Tukwila is just outside SEA. Did that group apply?