[Rumour] Update: Devils sold to Josh Harris - Page 2 - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

sureLoss · 08-08-2013, 08:56 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

Ha, Forbe's reports that on the same day that 2 local sources report that there are 2 groups looking to buy them, including one headed by the current Philadelphia 76ers owner who is one of the richest people in the country. Either way, they aren't going anywhere.

http://www.northjersey.com/sports/21...her_buyer.html

Yeah I doubt the NHL will easily allow the Devils to move either.

I think the NHL's main concern is if the players don't get paid again the NHLPA will declare the contracts with New Jersey void (making players UFA) and it will gut the franchise to worthless without any players.

Oling_Roachinen · 08-08-2013, 09:12 AM

Any chance that the behind scenes dealings of the Devils this season, especially the late payments, gave an out for Kovalchuk?

I know the CBA addresses missed and late payments somewhere and under certain conditions it can lead to termination of the contract. I don't know if the Devils met those conditions but it would be another embarrassment for the NHL to have to go to arbitration with Kovalchuk's camp claiming his contract was nullified because of the Devils financial situation.

Otherwise it's always seemed a bit weird how the NHL dealt with Kovalchuk's "retirement" after fighting with the KHL and the transfer agreements for years. To just be so fine with him leaving while under contract sets a bad precedent for the next player who decides the KHL is a better option. I suppose the argument could be made that it's a unique situation where the Devil's gave their consent to Kovalchuk to play in the KHL but still seems like their would have been some behind the scenes discussion considering it was a 100M contract.

the_only_turek_fan · 08-08-2013, 12:38 PM

If there was a franchise to move, this would be the one I would want. 3 teams in the New York area is too much, and with Philadelphia so close, there are 4 teams in a area the size of Southern Alberta (I think!).

Moving this team to Seattle would make a lot of sense to me.....but they just invested something like $500M in a new arena so I doubt it.

Sec218 · 08-08-2013, 01:03 PM

Move them back to KC. Bring back the Scouts!

valo403 · 08-08-2013, 01:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

If there was a franchise to move, this would be the one I would want. 3 teams in the New York area is too much, and with Philadelphia so close, there are 4 teams in a area the size of Southern Alberta (I think!).

Moving this team to Seattle would make a lot of sense to me.....but they just invested something like $500M in a new arena so I doubt it.

And with a population many times that of Southern Alberta!!!

T@T · 08-08-2013, 01:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

If there was a franchise to move, this would be the one I would want. 3 teams in the New York area is too much, and with Philadelphia so close, there are 4 teams in a area the size of Southern Alberta (I think!).

There also also about 60 million people in that area and a lot of hockey fans. This is one case where size doesn't matter.

Oling_Roachinen · 08-08-2013, 01:53 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by T@T

There also also about 60 million people in that area and a lot of hockey fans. This is one case where size doesn't matter.

Who cares if they aren't filling an arena. The Devils have been one of the most successful teams in the NHL over the last 25 years. They have missed the playoffs 4 times since 1987 (twice in the last 3 years). They have won the Stanley Cup 3 times since 1995 and have been to the Stanley Cup Finals an additional 2 times.

Between 2000 and 2003 they won 2 Stanley Cups and lost in the Finals against Colorado. That's 11 playoff series wins in 4 years, as many as the Flames have won since 1985. They still struggled to break 15,000 fans on any given night, new arena or not.

Now they look to be entering a very bleak period. Parise left, Kovalchuk's gone, Brodeur's 41, their leading scorer Elias is 37, so is their captain Salvador, along with Jagr, Zubrus and friends they have the oldest team by far. While not void of younger talent (Larsson, Zajac, Schneider) they have one of the worst if not the worst prospect pool in the league and no 1st rounder next year to boot. If they couldn't fill the arena when they were the class of the NHL, I don't see why they will be filling it in the immediate future.

They've got their arena, that's about it. I expect to see a couple more Nordique invasions like they have been doing the last couple years.

valo403 · 08-08-2013, 02:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

Who cares if they aren't filling an arena. The Devils have been one of the most successful teams in the NHL over the last 25 years. They have missed the playoffs 4 times since 1987 (twice in the last 3 years). They have won the Stanley Cup 3 times since 1995 and have been to the Stanley Cup Finals an additional 2 times.

Between 2000 and 2003 they won 2 Stanley Cups and lost in the Finals against Colorado. That's 11 playoff series wins in 4 years, as many as the Flames have won since 1985. They still struggled to break 15,000 fans on any given night, new arena or not.

Now they look to be entering a very bleak period. Parise left, Kovalchuk's gone, Brodeur's 41, their leading scorer Elias is 37, so is their captain Salvador, along with Jagr, Zubrus and friends they have the oldest team by far. While not void of younger talent (Larsson, Zajac, Schneider) they have one of the worst if not the worst prospect pool in the league and no 1st rounder next year to boot. If they couldn't fill the arena when they were the class of the NHL, I don't see why they will be filling it in the immediate future.

They've got their arena, that's about it. I expect to see a couple more Nordique invasions like they have been doing the last couple years.

I see your who cares, and raise you a bigger who cares. They have interested ownership groups. They have a long term lease. They are not moving. It's really that simple.

Oling_Roachinen · 08-08-2013, 02:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

I see your who cares, and raise you a bigger who cares. They have interested ownership groups. They have a long term lease. They are not moving. It's really that simple.

The difference between them and the Coyotes over the last couple years then? Despite the 5 years more the Coyotes future was far from certain a couple months ago.

And I've never once said they will move in that post, but they're going to be a team that gets brought up in relocation talks simply because they don't have a big enough fanbase.

valo403 · 08-08-2013, 02:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

The difference between them and the Coyotes over the last couple years then? Despite the 5 years more the Coyotes future was far from certain a couple months ago.

And I've never once said they will move in that post, but they're going to be a team that gets brought up in relocation talks simply because they don't have a big enough fanbase.

A bankruptcy filing? Kinda a big difference.

I'm sure people will bring them up, but if they did a few seconds of research they'd see how ridiculous the notion is.

Resolute 14 · 08-08-2013, 02:44 PM

Given the debt load, a bankruptcy filing for the Devils is not beyond the realm of imagination.

But Valo is right. The Devils are not in danger of moving, the league is not considering it and there is little sense speculating on it.

Oling_Roachinen · 08-08-2013, 02:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

A bankruptcy filing? Kinda a big difference.

We're in a thread dedicated to the NHL possibly taking over the Devils to prevent the bankruptcy...

valo403 · 08-08-2013, 02:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Oling_Roachinen

We're in a thread dedicated to the NHL possibly taking over the Devils to prevent the bankruptcy...

We sure are, the key word being prevent. The other key being the reports of not one, but two, interested and highly qualified ownership groups.

Oling_Roachinen · 08-08-2013, 03:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

We sure are, the key word being prevent. The other key being the reports of not one, but two, interested and highly qualified ownership groups.

Which again isn't different than the Coyotes.

Whatever, my argument is, and always has been, that Newark is not a good market. And like I said in our previous discussion, there is a ton of reasons to believe they wont move. Their market is simply not one of those reasons.

the_only_turek_fan · 08-08-2013, 03:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by valo403

And with a population many times that of Southern Alberta!!!

Quote:

Originally Posted by T@T

There also also about 60 million people in that area and a lot of hockey fans. This is one case where size doesn't matter.

My point being if there were a sufficient number of fans in the area the Devils would not be having attendance problems.......that building is empty a lot.

Joborule · 08-08-2013, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the_only_turek_fan

My point being if there were a sufficient number of fans in the area the Devils would not be having attendance problems.......that building is empty a lot.

So why is that the case anyway? Considering the whole region of the US is a hockey happy market, there's no reason that the Devils shouldn't be very successful.

Oling_Roachinen · 08-08-2013, 04:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joborule

So why is that the case anyway? Considering the whole region of the US is a hockey happy market, there's no reason that the Devils shouldn't be very successful.

It's not the on ice product, that's for sure. Poor marketing? Errh maybe. Oversaturation? Probably getting warmer.

The Islanders are now going to move to Brooklyn, about a half hour closer to Newark. The arenas are only going to be 20 kms apart.

Sidney Crosby's Hat · 08-08-2013, 04:58 PM

It sure was a glorious three days where the NHL didn't own one of its teams.

I expect this one to go much the same way. A lot of tire kickers and a ton of people interested until they look at the books and then run away scared. At the end of the day, someone will step in. Devils won't go anywhere but the NHL I expect will own them for quite awhile.

Devils'Advocate · 08-08-2013, 07:29 PM

I bet the Devils have a new owner before the start of the season.

As for the attendance, last year, despite icing a crappy team, they were right neck and neck with the Rangers in terms of attendance. It was the Islanders that were dead last in the area in attendance, drawing a horrible 13,000 average. I hear far more about the Devils attendance woes than I hear about the Islanders or Dallas or Colorado....

Oling_Roachinen · 08-08-2013, 07:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Devils'Advocate

I bet the Devils have a new owner before the start of the season.

As for the attendance, last year, despite icing a crappy team, they were right neck and neck with the Rangers in terms of attendance. It was the Islanders that were dead last in the area in attendance, drawing a horrible 13,000 average. I hear far more about the Devils attendance woes than I hear about the Islanders or Dallas or Colorado....

It was a shorten season coming off a Stanley Cup Finals appearance. The Islanders, already relocating, are coming off 5 straight playoff misses, Dallas missed the last 4 and the Avs iced the worst team Colorado has seen.

If the Devils have trouble getting 15,000 in a full season when they are Stanley Cup favourites like in the early 2000s what's going to happen when they go on a couple years drought?