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Report: Pegula, Trump Advance To Round 2

July 31, 2014, 6:41 PM ET [7 Comments]
GARTH'S CORNER
NHL news by Garth • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Update:


Tim Graham of the Buffalo News is reporting that Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula have been green lighted through to the next round of the bidding process.






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What's up with the bidding for the Buffalo Bills? Its been two days since Terry Pegula, Jon Bon Jovi and Donald Trump submitted their respective bids to Morgan Stanley. As of Friday evening, the Wilson Family Trust was in the process of reviewing the three initial bids.

Sabres owner Terry Pegula submitted to Morgan Stanley a hefty bid ranging from between $1.3-1.5 billion. The Toronto Sun reported Thursday that the Bon Jovi-Tannenbaum-Rogers bid was for a lesser sum than that of Pegula. Trump's bid was reportedly lower than Pegula's as well.

The Bills franchise was valued at $870 million by Forbes Magazine last year.


It was beginning to look like Pegula would be winning the bid based on his $1+ billion proposal that was submitted to Morgan Stanley.

John Wawrow of the AP is now reporting that Trump, not Pegula, has been green lighted to round two of this multi-step vetting process.



A person familiar with the Buffalo Bills' sale selection process has told The Associated Press that Donald Trump has been chosen to advance to the next round of bidding.

The person said Trump was informed Thursday by Morgan Stanley, the banking firm overseeing the sale for late owner Ralph Wilson's estate. The person spoke on the condition of anonymity because the sale is private.

The decision comes after prospective groups submitted non-binding bids on Tuesday. It's unclear which other bidders have been chosen to advance.

The next step is for the finalists to obtain the Bills' financial information before submitting a formal bid.



Pump your brakes there big boy. Don't go starting a bar fight, toilet papering Trump Tower in the Big Apple, or calling your local radio show to lip off about how Pegula is getting shafted in this bidding process. The Wilson Trust will review all proposals that were submitted and will invite those parties in for a face to face interview that they deem most qualified and most financially able to make such a purchase as an NFL team. Its very likely that the Pegulas have yet to be informed of their invitation to meet with the Wilson Trust.

Trump and Pegula have said publicly that is their intent to keep the Bills in Buffalo. The Bon Jovi posse is already doing feasibility studies on sites for a new stadium in the Greater Toronto Area.

On Monday, Trump said that he was not optimistic about his odds of winning the bid to buy the Bills:

"I would say the chances are very, very unlikely, because I'm not going to do something totally stupid," he said. "Maybe just a little bit stupid, but not totally stupid."


One obstacle that stands in the way of Trump winning the bid to buy the Bills is the NFL's strict, non-negotiable anti-gambling rules. Trump owns common stock in his own casinos. In order to become an NFL owner, he would have to divest himself of his involvement with the casinos. Would Trump sell his shares in the casinos in order to become the owner of the Bills? That remains to be seen. As does Terry Pegula getting his invitation to the second round of this vetting marathon.


My money is still on Pegla to win the bid. In the end, he has more money on hand than Trump and Bon Jovi do which means that he can see their highest offers, and raise them. I'm thinking that Trump is only in this three man game right now for one reason: to drive up the final price. Pegula has already slid his $1.3 billion into the center of the table. How high is he willing to go in order to win the bid? The Miami Dolphins sold for an NFL record $1.1 billion in 2008. Pegula's worth $5+ billion dollars at this moment. I don't see Trump or Bon Jovi stepping up to the $1.5+ billion plateau that Pegula would commit to in order to win the deal.
















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It won't be long until the Buffalo Sabres are strapping up their skates and pounding opponent's faces off the glass.

We are only six week away from the Traverse City Prospects Tournament, which the Sabres will be participating in for the third straight season. The baby Sabres have appeared In the T-City Tourney Finals twice in the past three opportunities, having won it all it 2011 and losing in the finals last September. The tourney was cancelled due to the NHL lockout in 2012.



Traverse City will host eight NHL teams including the Detroit Red Wings, Buffalo Sabres, Carolina Hurricanes, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dallas Stars, Minnesota Wild, New York Rangers and St. Louis Blues.

The NHL Prospect Tournament and Camp take place September 12-16 at Centre ICE Arena. This year's event will feature four games per day over the course of the four days.

The Sabres will be announcing their T-City roster in mid-August.

Today, they announced their preseason schedule.


The Buffalo Sabres today announced the team’s 2014 preseason schedule. The team will play six games, including three home games at First Niagara Center.

The CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, which features the top American-born prospects eligible for the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, returns to Buffalo this fall and will take place on September 25 at First Niagara Center.

Tickets for Buffalo's three home games, along with the All-American Prospects Game, featuring projected #1 or #1 overall pick in the 2015 NHL Draft Jack Eichel, will go on sale Monday, August 25 at 10 a.m.

Below is the complete 2014 Buffalo Sabres preseason schedule:

• 9/21 Buffalo @ Washington, 5 p.m.
• 9/23 Buffalo vs. Carolina, 7 p.m.
• 9/25: CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, 7 p.m.
• 9/26: Buffalo vs. Toronto, 7 p.m.
• 9/28: Buffalo @ Toronto, 7 p.m.
• 10/1: Buffalo vs. Washington, 7 p.m.
• 10/3: Buffalo @ Carolina, 7 p.m.
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