I think it's kind of ludicrous that the NHL would want to keep Meruelo in the fold for a potential (likely) future expansion. He's been a rank embarrassment to the league as an owner. The whole reason they lost the Gila River deal was because he couldn't afford to pay the rent for the building on time. And apparently he had to be shamed into paying his hotel bills recently, too. He's either too broke to own a team or too incompetent. Neither is good for business. I just can't believe he could get another shot after he's run a team into the ground there despite Bettman degrading himself for two decades to keep then afloat.
I understand that the league needed to get the deal done fast and Meruelo had leverage, but surely there's a way the NHL can force the sale of a team without making a bunch of legally binding promises to a proven flake.
