All the people complaining about Vegas... mostly from up north... seem to want to sugarcoat how the major dynasties purchased and preyed on small markets to get their own cups. No complaints about the league tied to those cups.
- ChrisMS

They took out my team in the first round with our tight defense. They serve to win the cup.

They took out my team in the first round with our tight defense. They serve to win the cup.
- kingsfan626

If you beat the teams you need to beat to get to the cup, you deserve it. Plain and simple.

Everything about them getting this far is suspect. The calls, the bookies, the odds, the roster, the "cinderella story".

The NHL has written this from right out of the gate. An expansion team winning the cup is just as bad as a relocated team winning the cup. See; Colorado; Carolina. The NHL "powers that be" aren't doing their best to grow the game and award loyal fanbases, they're trying to "expand" the game and gain a new crowd, without realizing that the NHL is a niche sport and it will NEVER have what's called a "casual fan" or "casual viewer", especially when the refs are clearly corrupt, biased and incompetent, when the game is too hard to follow for your generic potato-faced fat mess and when the commentators on the national broadcasts are absolutely terrible.

All they're talking about is Vegas and the team rallying around the shooting and it's disgusting how much they're exploiting that event and disgusting how clear the NHL is writing this story and doing everything in their power to make sure it happens.

Those 500:1 odds are going to pay off for everyone who dropped a couple few million dollars on that line and the fact that it's a VEGAS team in VEGAS and the knowledge that there's a TON of money in fantasy sports and betting odds and anyone who doesn't think the NHL is at least a little corrupt at this point is a moron.
- BeadyEyedDouche

This is hilarious

On top of believing in this conspiracy crap, you also believe the NHL does not or will not have casual fans? Lmao, then were does all of the stupid miss informed commentary come from? You must think the NHL fan base is just 75% morons then. Or maybe when you go to games, and the girl and guy next to you are decked out in $500.00 worth of gear but spend the entire time on their phones. The NHL has a (frank) ton of casuals lol.

If they win they earned it.. however they were able to rape other teams for players

First of all ek you don’t have a clue. The number players that had to be left unprotected by each team was absurd. They basically took. Top line player from each team. That’s bull sht. Go ahead suspend my account whatever.the league is a joke

Still waiting on you to bs statement about habs going after a top line center bit u couldn’t say cause it was a big secret what a ajoke

I wonder what the Florida Panthers think about dumping Gallant and deciding to protect players like Trocheck, Petrovic, and Pysyk instead of Marchessault . The Panthers will look worse than any other team if Las Vegas wins the Cup.

To me as a Pens fan, the thing I like most about the Las Vegas team is seeing how Fleury does playing behind a team that plays good defense. Throughout all his career until this season Fleury played behind Pens teams who more often than not hung him out to dry. It wasn't so much the quantity but rather quality of shots that the team gave up. Fleury was able to stop these earlier in his career but struggled later. Seeing him this season makes me wonder how good his career numbers would be if he played behind better defenses. They might even approach Brodeur-like numbers.

Clearly Bettman ordered the refs to give the Jets 4 powerplays to the Knights 2 to help the knights win...
- Iggysbff

It's about timing...not the amount bro...

Ohhh, so that’s why the Pens lost. He’s shifted his love.
- Rinosaur

#revenue

- nbboy

Sorry. I was referring to the dynasties. Toronto doesn’t even have that dubious honor. And nearly everyone I see / hear complaining about Vegas are jealous Canadians.

Look. Just draft another few American saviors and your team will get there eventually nbboy

First of all ek you don’t have a clue. The number players that had to be left unprotected by each team was absurd. They basically took. Top line player from each team. That’s bull sht. Go ahead suspend my account whatever.the league is a joke
- mattstake

The top line player from your favorite team was Derek England? Wow

First of all ek you don’t have a clue. The number players that had to be left unprotected by each team was absurd. They basically took. Top line player from each team. That’s bull sht. Go ahead suspend my account whatever.the league is a joke
- mattstake

Vegas never got 1 top line player from any team. Teams were aloud to protect 7 forwards 3 defenseman and 1 goalie and 1st and second year players were exempt. If you lost one of your top line players your incompetent. It's amazing what Vegas is doing with the players they had to pick from. Scary thing is all the draft picks they've had.

This is hilarious

On top of believing in this conspiracy crap, you also believe the NHL does not or will not have casual fans? Lmao, then were does all of the stupid miss informed commentary come from? You must think the NHL fan base is just 75% morons then. Or maybe when you go to games, and the girl and guy next to you are decked out in $500.00 worth of gear but spend the entire time on their phones. The NHL has a (frank) ton of casuals lol.
- Steve-B

Someone knows how dirty corporations work.

Must be a conspiracy theorist!

People on their phones at games.

Must be casual fans!

*yawn

Then (frank) off and don’t watch. The only thing suspect is the intelligence of anyone thinking there is a fix or conspiracy here.
- Iggysbff

Oh right, I'm not allowed to watch hockey now.

Fix and conspiracy are far from knowing how Gary's NHL works.

He's done nothing to keep teams where they are, except Arizona for some (frank)ing reason.

Winnipeg, their team moves. Then oh hey let's try Atlanta again. Then oh hey it's not working let's just sell them to a group about a decade later that's going to up and move that team to Winnipeg. Oh, the Arizona team has been an ongoing financial disaster? Let's just keep them there because we can't admit we're wrong and let's force a geographic rival on them and put a team in Vegas, where all our bookies already hang out and let's change the expansion lottery rules so the ownership can legally blackmail and exploit all the other teams of picks because they can threaten to take away some of their best young players, but let them take away some of their best players anyway.

Oh hey, Miami has a hockey team because the advertising revenue from all the corporations down there are more important to us than the starved Canadian fanbase, whose stacked team in Quebec we let relocate to Denver when they were on the verge of being a powerhouse and act surprised when they won the Stanley Cup their first season removed from Quebec, no one saw that coming!

Oh hey, Harford is a small market and cannot afford a new arena? Yeah let's allow them to relocate to Raleigh, where the medical industry is booming and all those hard working people in the hospitals need some entertainment to spend their money on and act surprised when they win a Stanley Cup within a decade.

Oh remember the Minnesota North Stars? Let's move then to Dallas and act surprised when they win a Stanley Cup within a decade but then let's just put a team back in Minnesota within a decade because they have such a loyal fan base.

Oh, we have a team in Vancouver? Let's create a geographic rival for them because we can't seem to keep our conferences balanced! Seattle it is! Let's do 32 teams! And keep a bankrupt team in a desert!

Oh, look, Buffalo has a billionaire owner now? They can't have McDavid but you know what, let's have all the lotteries behind closed doors and if they commit to sucking, let them have the best defenseman to come out of the draft in decades!

Islanders need a new Arena? Let's Richard around their fanbase and relocate them to a new arena and then back again!

Kansas City had a team before! They have a state of the art arena built! Let's explore relocation options but act like we're not interested but oh man, a geographic rival for St. Louis would be swell!

Anyone complaining about it is either a whiner or a moron. It’s easy to see which is which.
- Iggysbff

Your a roach pal, "Iggybff" shoot yourself in the head instead and do us all a favor.

Your a roach pal, "Iggybff" shoot yourself in the head instead and do us all a favor.
- morrison1980

You know what is really great to see? All the people that have a problem with Vegas winning are the usual HB morons.

Oh right, I'm not allowed to watch hockey now.

Fix and conspiracy are far from knowing how Gary's NHL works.

He's done nothing to keep teams where they are, except Arizona for some (frank)ing reason.

Winnipeg, their team moves. Then oh hey let's try Atlanta again. Then oh hey it's not working let's just sell them to a group about a decade later that's going to up and move that team to Winnipeg. Oh, the Arizona team has been an ongoing financial disaster? Let's just keep them there because we can't admit we're wrong and let's force a geographic rival on them and put a team in Vegas, where all our bookies already hang out and let's change the expansion lottery rules so the ownership can legally blackmail and exploit all the other teams of picks because they can threaten to take away some of their best young players, but let them take away some of their best players anyway.

Oh hey, Miami has a hockey team because the advertising revenue from all the corporations down there are more important to us than the starved Canadian fanbase, whose stacked team in Quebec we let relocate to Denver when they were on the verge of being a powerhouse and act surprised when they won the Stanley Cup their first season removed from Quebec, no one saw that coming!

Oh hey, Harford is a small market and cannot afford a new arena? Yeah let's allow them to relocate to Raleigh, where the medical industry is booming and all those hard working people in the hospitals need some entertainment to spend their money on and act surprised when they win a Stanley Cup within a decade.

Oh remember the Minnesota North Stars? Let's move then to Dallas and act surprised when they win a Stanley Cup within a decade but then let's just put a team back in Minnesota within a decade because they have such a loyal fan base.

Oh, we have a team in Vancouver? Let's create a geographic rival for them because we can't seem to keep our conferences balanced! Seattle it is! Let's do 32 teams! And keep a bankrupt team in a desert!

Oh, look, Buffalo has a billionaire owner now? They can't have McDavid but you know what, let's have all the lotteries behind closed doors and if they commit to sucking, let them have the best defenseman to come out of the draft in decades!

Islanders need a new Arena? Let's Richard around their fanbase and relocate them to a new arena and then back again!

Kansas City had a team before! They have a state of the art arena built! Let's explore relocation options but act like we're not interested but oh man, a geographic rival for St. Louis would be swell!


- BeadyEyedDouche

Typical uninformed BS. Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver all still have franchises today thanks to Bettman. They all were on the verge of moving at one point and he stuck it out in those cities. Teams that move usually have bigger issues. Kansas City and Houston could be possible locations if they had an ownership group pony up. Minnesota has an insane owner the first time around. You guys are (frank)ing hilarious. Bettman is doing what his 31 bosses tell him to do. They’re obviously happy with him because they keep extending his contract.

I went through the entire thread...

Is it just me or does it feel like only the fans of the perennial loser franchises are complaining about Vegas?
- StargateSG1

No. Not many Oilers fans are butthurt about it, and we’re the posterboys for perennial losers.

First of all ek you don’t have a clue. The number players that had to be left unprotected by each team was absurd. They basically took. Top line player from each team. That’s bull sht. Go ahead suspend my account whatever.the league is a joke
- mattstake

Ummm....there are 2 maybe 3 players that were top pair, top line players...and 1 starting goalie. Put down the crack pipe.

Ummm....there are 2 maybe 3 players that were top pair, top line players...and 1 starting goalie. Put down the crack pipe.
- Larsson_fan

And both of those players - Neal and Fluery were exposed by their teams as cap dumps. They wanted them gone.

The expansion rules were a bit too soft but still the roster didn't look like a contender at all. Vegas definitely deserves this. I only feel sorry for the teams who had no choice but to give up high end assets to protect significant players (e.g. Anaheim).

Vegas never got 1 top line player from any team. Teams were aloud to protect 7 forwards 3 defenseman and 1 goalie and 1st and second year players were exempt. If you lost one of your top line players your incompetent. It's amazing what Vegas is doing with the players they had to pick from. Scary thing is all the draft picks they've had.
- HealthyScratch6

With clauses it's not that simple though, see for instance Schmidt and Theodore. 7 forwards is not really the issue, 3 defenders is.

And both of those players - Neal and Fluery were exposed by their teams as cap dumps. They wanted them gone.
- Iggysbff

Your statement is nonsense. I'm sure if there was no expansion draft Nashville would have been fine with Neal on the roster for one more year, he wasn't a bad contract or something. Nashville needed to protect 4 Dmen.
Also, Fleury had to be dumped because obviously Penguins didn't want to give up Murray. Fleury would have had trade value for sure during this season with some teams really struggling in net.

Your statement is nonsense. I'm sure if there was no expansion draft Nashville would have been fine with Neal on the roster for one more year, he wasn't a bad contract or something. Nashville needed to protect 4 Dmen.
Also, Fleury had to be dumped because obviously Penguins didn't want to give up Murray. Fleury would have had trade value for sure during this season with some teams really struggling in net.
- DutchSenators

There was nothing stopping either team from trading those guys. They chose not to protect them.