Although I would be in favor of relocating several of these teams, eliminating them would not be a reality. If the NHL were to buy out those teams, it would cost nearly 2 billion.
- laughs2907

Only Phx is a reality, esp if what Rich wrote is true and Phx/Glendale is looking to cease supporting the team...You need one more team, logically, to contract to make the league balanced, and again, logically it will need to be an E team, or CBJ while moving Winnipeg to the W.

Someone wrote in these comments that this is a good time to shift the structure of the league while there is no CBA...and I agree. Time for realignment.

Change Tampa to Buffalo and make appropriate tweaks, and you also describe the Sabres ... and yet, no one is crying about getting rid of them. If an owner wants to lose millions each year, what business is it of the fans to complain?
- Irish Blues

Other than lose +4 mil a year, yeah very similar...

Re: Phoenix - the franchise has been doomed ever since Balsillie talked Moyes into dragging the team into bankruptcy with the express intent of moving the team. At that point, no prospective owner and no amount of on-ice success was going to be able to save the team, because "... and they may move for next season" was going to be perpetually hanging over the team. Fans and businesses don't plunk down huge money to see a team that's about to exit stage right. Anhyone who thinks kicking out 3 more teams in the name of "avenging the Southern expansion" will make the league more stable may want to look around at how stable other sports leagues have been when they started dropping/relocating teams on a semi-regular basis. (Hint: start with the WFL, USFL, and WHA.)
- Irish Blues

So what you are saying is that History will repeat itself and the NHL will disappear because they moved franchises?

Personally I think this is not about "Avenging" anything. This is about smartening up when putting a team in a location and placing them in markets that will actually give a poop about hockey.

Another point to Rich:

Even with a CBA the players had no input in either relocation OR contraction.

You just want our stars

We can only hope!

The NHL should go to the NHLPA and say this to them: You have 30 days to agree to our current contract offer. If you decline to put it to a vote, then we will cancel the season.

If the NHL loses this season, they should say, OK, here is your new collective bargaining agreement. If you want to play in our league, you'll abide by these rules. Then open training camp and see who shows up.

Contracts are only guaranteed after playing 41 games of the season.

A hard salary cap of $50 million dollars and a cap floor of $25 million dollars.

Maximum length of a contract will be 5 years.

There will be no signing bonuses and the contract will be distributed evenly through the length of the contract.

The maximum amount that a player can make, is $6 million dollars.

Unrestricted free agency occurs, after a player plays 10 years for their franchise.

The NHL roster will consist of 23 players.


It's time to put these greedy little ba$tards in their place.
- PrinceLH

Thank you Preston Manning

With no immediate new home for the Coyotes available , defeat of the sales tax increase could be a death nail to the franchise.
- Maxbone

http://public.wsu.edu/~br...ans/errors/deathnail.html

Any franchise that's better off not playing shouldn't have a team in the first place!

New Jersey
Nashville
Anaheim
Tampa Bay
Phoenix
Florida
Carolina
Dallas
- LeftCoaster

I'd add Toronto, would save millions of people headaches.

Death "knell"... not nail

Although I would be in favor of relocating several of these teams, eliminating them would not be a reality. If the NHL were to buy out those teams, it would cost nearly 2 billion.
- laughs2907

Move two and contract by two. You could probably buy a couple of franchises for about $150m each and use some of the relocation fee to help pay for it

Death "knell"... not nail
- SofaKingBored

"Death Nail Yakupov" -- I love it

I don't see how any rules are being broken here. Keep in mind there's no CBA, teams can deal contracts, and the PA cannot block the folding of a team. How much would it scare the hell out of the NHLPA if 29 teams could dump off 29 oversized contracts, and the team would fold, killing those contracts, just for laughs?
- Maxbone

I'm not a contractual lawyer (I don't even play one on TV), but I have sincere doubts that you could dump your worst contract and not honour it.

I'll do a quick check of the CBA, but my edumacated guess is that players under contract to the Coyotes would become UFAs, and Gomez would still be a Hab.

Interesting fact #1; if the owner of TB put all his wealth into a bank account and collected interest on it, it would only take .06% of his 13.5 billion to cover his 8.million dollar loss.


Interesting fact #2; NHL teams are seen as a business and if you lose money on 1 business preferably in the millions, it absolutely can make one of your other businesses flourish, may even give you a 10 million/year tax break. Good book keeping 101.


It's only business, it's not really a sport.

Interesting fact #1; if the owner of TB put all his wealth into a bank account and collected interest on it, it would only take .06% of his 13.5 billion to cover his 8.million dollar loss.


Interesting fact #2; NHL teams are seen as a business and if you lose money on 1 business preferably in the millions, it absolutely can make one of your other businesses flourish, may even give you a 10 million/year tax break. Good book keeping 101.


It's only business, it's not really a sport.
- I-own_da-Northwest

Not quite sure where you get the idea that Jeff Vinik is worth $13.5 billion.

You are only off by about $13 billion.

http://www.bostonmagazine...50-wealthiest-bostonians/

Hint: he's at #31.

Finally, a silver lining.

Sorry Hockey buzz and sorry RC but cant cant keep my hopes up anymore.
My boycott has started, for every game that gets the axe I will in return boycott 2 games.
I will no buy tickets, watch on tv (highlights included). I will not buy anything that has a NHL logo.
Im done!!! buy BUZZ

Over the last number of years, the Coyotes have been losing money somewhere in the $40mil - $50mil per season range. The City of Glendale and the NHL itself have stepped in to save the team numerous times from financial disaster.

Definition of Stupidity: Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting a different result.

Any franchise that's better off not playing shouldn't have a team in the first place!

New Jersey
Nashville
Anaheim
Tampa Bay
Phoenix
Florida
Carolina
Dallas
- LeftCoaster

I love how you name some teams that have, at times, been among the most profitable teams in the league, as well as some of the most successful on the ice.

Some people on this site can be so f*&king stupid sometimes.

I love how you name some teams that have, at times, been among the most profitable teams in the league, as well as some of the most successful on the ice.

Some people on this site can be so f*&king stupid sometimes.
- prock

Being successful on the ice means nothing if you can't make money.

Also being profitable once upon time doesn't mean much if you can't be anymore. Kinda like a gold mine that has nothing left.

Being successful on the ice means nothing if you can't make money.

Also being profitable once upon time doesn't mean much if you can't be anymore. Kinda like a gold mine that has nothing left.
- Lahey

It's probably better if Edmonites* not wax too poetic about moving franchises that are in financial trouble.

*Mike Tyson reference.

Being successful on the ice means nothing if you can't make money.

Also being profitable once upon time doesn't mean much if you can't be anymore. Kinda like a gold mine that has nothing left.
- Lahey

Naming teams that should be shut down, that wre among the most profitable in the league, as recent as two years ago, is outright stupid. There is no arguing that. Trying to do so, only includes you in that group of idiots.

Naming teams that should be shut down, that wre among the most profitable in the league, as recent as two years ago, is outright stupid. There is no arguing that. Trying to do so, only includes you in that group of idiots.
- prock

Which of those teams were amongst the most profitable 2 years ago?

Naming teams that should be shut down, that wre among the most profitable in the league, as recent as two years ago, is outright stupid. There is no arguing that. Trying to do so, only includes you in that group of idiots.
- prock

Which teams on that list were wildly profitable two years ago?

Which of those teams were amongst the most profitable 2 years ago?
- Lahey

The Devils and the Stars. Estimated at $6 to $7M in profits in 2010. Dallas one year prior, over $12M. Top 10 in the league. More profitable than the Oilers.

The Devils and the Stars. Estimated at $6 to $7M in profits in 2010. Dallas one year prior, over $12M. Top 10 in the league. More profitable than the Oilers.
- prock

Link? Although I wouldn't consider being outside the top 10 amongst the most profitable teams. You made it sound like they are top 5.

Which teams on that list were wildly profitable two years ago?
- Atomic Wedgie

Unfortunately, most profitable in the league does not necessarily mean "wildly profitable".