NHL expansion plans in the works: reports

[brooklynite]

Source: CBC

The NHL is considering expanding by as many as four teams, according to a pair of reports, with Toronto and Quebec City in the mix to land new franchises.

Howard Bloom of Sports Business News tweeted that the league will add four franchises "by 2017" in Toronto, Quebec City, Las Vegas and Seattle.

Bloom added that the NHL would take in $1.4 billion in expansion fees with the deals.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/sports/hockey/nhl/nhl-expansion-plans-in-the-works-reports-1.2748166

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Something new for Burger King to sponsor?

[LiberalLovinLug]

1. Hopefully Seattle

Give us Vancouver Canuck fans a close rival!

[roamer65]

10. Seattle definitely needs one.

I have never been able to figure out why you folks didn't have one.

[groundloop]

2. Gee.... maybe we can get a team in Atlanta

[Joe Shlabotnik]

5. Maybe we can finally get one in Toronto.

[Xolodno]

25. Well...you have a good goal tender....That's a start...

...kind of want him back in LA. Quick in one week can be Swiss Cheese....the next week a brick wall....and then Swiss Cheese again. But, then Bernier does deserve to be a starter.

[Joe Shlabotnik]

28. +1

Bernier carried the team this year. I'd say him, and the two young defense-men Gardiner, and Reiley are the only keepers. Everyone else could be traded. Especially Phaneuf who should be traded for a bag of pucks.

[Jimbo S]

21. Atlanta already had their chance :)

[NightWatcher]

26. I still have my Thrashers jersey

Went to a few games back then. They were a tad too pricey for me.

[WilliamPitt]

3. Oh fa chrissake.

Bad idea.

[RufusTFirefly]

11. I agree. Bad idea.

Of course, maybe I'm just bitter...

[ColesCountyDem]

4. Just like the NFL and MLB, there are too many teams already. n/t

[Blue_Tires]

6. Fucking dumb....

If they're going that expansion-crazy, they might as well add eight teams and put Kansas City, Sacto, Salt Lake and Milwaukee on the list...

Move Phoenix to Seattle, and Florida to Quebec...Or just contract them both...Either option will solve the issue just fine...

[StevieM]

8. Contraction isn't so easily done.

The other 28 owners have to buy out the teams. Historically, they prefer to expand in order to get paid expansion fees.

Baseball came close to contraction in the early 2000s. They had bought out the Expos and were going to buy out the Twins. The players objected, but it is not clear as to whether that truly required approval from the MLBPA. A judge (I believe in Minnesota) ordered the Twins to play out another year that they had on their lease. Then the players and owners reached an agreement on a luxury tax and revenue sharing, which also included an agreement not to contract at that time, although I don't think that the deal banned baseball from ever contracting.

The Expos were relocated to Washington DC. And now there is talk that the Tampa Bay Rays may move to Montreal in 2028 when their lease expires.

[StevieM]

7. I would be surprised if they expanded beyond two more teams.

Adding two more teams would give them 8 in each division--that might make sense. But over expanding would still leave them with uneven division sizes, and it could dilute the talent level.

Of course, sometimes owners make ridiculous decisions just to get the quick rush of revenue from the expansion fees. Baseball expanded so quickly in the 1990s in order to make up for the money they lost when they were found to have colluded against the players and had to pay a settlement. The second expansion, in 1998, should never have happened IMO.

If there is an expansion, I think it is a safe bet that Quebec City will get a team. I think that if either Seattle or Las Vegas get an expansion team then the other will get the Arizone Cyotes eventually.

[Jimbo S]

22. I was in Montreal recently

Plenty of shops still selling Nordiques merchandise. They've been gone 15+ years?

[Chasstev365]

9. Why a Second Team in Toronto?

I know the Leafs suck, but do they really need another team?

[TRoN33]

12. Toronto doesn't need another one. PERIOD.

Duluth-Superior Lakers sure rings good...

That way, that team can pull fans from Minnesota, Wisconsin, and possibly Los Angeles....

[Chasstev365]

13. Other Cities

Milwaukee = The Bradley Center is better designed for Hockey than basketball!
Cleveland = Detroit and Toronto would be natural rivals
Houston = large city and the Dallas Stars are a good draw in Texas
Hamilton, Canada = Better than two Toronto teams

[dembotoz]

14. would love to see a team in milwaukee

but the bradley is way long in the tooth and should be replaced in next couple years or the bucks will go elsewhere.

this was part of the sale terms when the bucks were sold earlier this year.

would hope the new stadium would have hockey facilities but then again wisconsin is known for doing stupid stuff

[RufusTFirefly]

15. I think a team in Milwaukee makes sense

After all, Wisconsin is one of the top sources of American NHL talent.

As for Cleveland, it would probably be better than Columbus, but the poor Blue Jackets (getting better!) are one of the worst draws in the league. That doesn't bode well for a Northern Ohio team.
Dallas attendance is near the bottom of the pile, too, so I don't see a Houston team as making much sense. Also, the players hate the slow, mushy ice.
As for Hamilton, that does make sense, but unfortunately, from what I hear, Buffalo and Toronto are protesting. They think a Hamilton team would rob from their fan base.

[TRoN33]

19. MN are #1 and Wisconsin doesn't come close.

[RufusTFirefly]

20. Wisconsin is #5

Perhaps you're just quibbling out of boredom, but I said "one of the top." I think No. 5 out of 50 states is pretty darn good. Also, each of the top 4 states -- Minnesota, Michigan, New York, and Massachusetts -- already has a team. In fact, as you no doubt already know, New York has three.

NHL Totals by Birth State, 2013‑14 Stats

[KatyMan]

17. Hockey teams don't last in Houston

We've had several non-NHL teams here and they usually fold up before too long. The last team was an AHL franchise, the Aeros, who were a minor league affiliate of the Wild, but the Wild moved them to Iowa (which actually makes sense). If people didn't want to pay $30 to see an AHL team, I doubt they'd want to pay NHL level prices.

[TRoN33]

18. Minnesota long deserve to have two hockey teams. After all, that state is #1 for most hockey players

In NHL.

[Jimbo S]

23. Milwaukee had a shot

back around 1993, the franchise which ended up as Florida, I believe. The Pettits balked at the expansion fee ($60MM IIRC).

[Hari Seldon]

16. ugh

already too many teams in the NHL

[Xolodno]

24. Definately need two more teams in the West.

Would seriously cut down on some of the massive travel the western teams have to do....shoot, Detroit NEVER belonged in the Western Conference when it was there. As it is, the Western Conference can be extremely brutal with the physical teams.

Seattle = No brainer.

Las Vegas = meh

I'd say its a gamble with Las Vegas (excuse the pun). They *might* have enough of a draw. But maybe the NHL is figuring fans from LA, Anahiem and Phoenix will show up to the away games on the weekends if their team is playing. If it doesn't work out, I wouldn't be surprised they have contingencies to move them either to Salt Lake City or Portland Oregon.

Quebec City....Didn't I read somewhere that Quebec City was planning to build a Hockey Stadium no matter what the NHL was going to do? They seemed determined, so that makes sense.

As for Toronto....uhm....I don't know the market...but do they think it can support two teams. We can do it here in So Cal with the Kings and Sucks...I mean Ducks. But...does Toronto have enough of a pull?

[olddad56]

27. why do they call it expansion rather than dilution?

they are just diluting the quality of the product.