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TSN's Bob McKenzie passed along a fascinating bit of information regarding National Hockey League expansion -- something that every hockey fan knows is coming at some point in the foreseeable future.
It's no surprise to hear that McKenzie reiterated that Seattle would likely get primary consideration from the league, as has been the case ever since problem franchise Atlanta relocated to Winnipeg. Not only is Seattle considered an unsaturated market for hockey, it's a natural geographic rival to the likes of Vancouver, and fits in nicely with the NHL's expansion plan -- which, in all likelihood, includes installing two west coast teams to create an even 16/16 split.
But, the other city that Bob McKenzie figures will be a target for future relocation? Las Vegas.
Q: What the latest on NHL expansion? Where and when?McKenzie: The NHL party line hasn't changed. There are no formal plans for expansion but if they expand and everyone assumes at some point, they're going to, the common knowledge is that Seattle is the primary target in the Pacific Northwest. The strong sense I'm getting now is that Las Vegas is second on that list behind Seattle and the NHL wants to be the first major professional sports league to put a franchise in Las Vegas. People in Quebec City may be saying, 'Hey, what about us?' Well, keep in mind, there's not rule that says if they expand, that they only expand by two teams. The possibility of expanding by three teams, with Quebec City being one of them, is at least something that will be considered. There's lots of money in expansion; over $300 million per franchise, close to a $1 billion winfall that isn't shared with the players or anyone else, just the owners.
Las Vegas is an interesting secondary option, no doubt an irritable one that's being kicked around to the likes of hockey fans in Quebec City, et al. Nate Silver's done some of the leg-work on potential expansion cities, and although Las Vegas sits well behind the likes of six Canadian locales (including the aforementioned Quebec City, along with Kingston, Halifax, Saint John, Sherbrooke, and Thunder Bay), it ranks very high among those that make sense geographically.
The Q: The NHL is seriously considering expansion. If you're Gary Bettman, do you bring in the likes of Seattle? Do you bring in the likes of Las Vegas? If neither, which cities would you look to first?
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