Around the League

[jkutswings]

lousy owners

See also: wet water.

 

[Oddbob]

Difference is, Salt Lake from what I have read are only using the Delta arena until their new one gets built and it already sounds like they have a go to build a new arena with an NHL deal.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

I know this could just be due diligence but it reallllly seems like a smoke and fire sort of thing.

The league didn’t do this when Ottawa sold. Why is this allowed now?

 

[Oddbob]

The league didn’t do this when Ottawa sold. Why is this allowed now?

Also, why on earth would they pay what Meruelo wants? There was just a financial thread on the mains or business forum a few weeks back saying the Coyotes were recently valued at 500 mil. Even if they are worth 750 mil, why would the NHL just give 1 Bil?

 

[jkutswings]

Even if they are worth 750 mil, why would the NHL just give 1 Bil?

Either they're worth more than that, or the league is that desperate to be rid of Arizona ownership.

Or inflating team value is good for the owners in general, especially if they anticipate further explanation fees.

 

[norrisnick]

Either they're worth more than that, or the league is that desperate to be rid of Arizona ownership.

Or inflating team value is good for the owners in general, especially if they anticipate further explanation fees.

Price fixing is alive and well

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

If not for Lyon Detroit would probably be far outside looking in. It’s too bad we wasted so many games on Husso and Reimer the first 3 months. I can’t help but wonder how much higher on this chart we’d be.

 

[redwings8831]

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

To me, the Coyotes are the symbol of all that has been wrong with the NHL for the last 25 years and I'm glad to see that tumor finally excised.

According to what I can find Utah is a highly rated place to live and SLC is a pretty decent city. Ryan Smith doesn't seem like he's just collecting sports teams for revenue sharing like a lot of NHL owners do. Should be interesting to see where they go.

 

[WinginItInFLA]

The Wings need to terminate Husso's contract ASAP. He's paid big bucks to do very little, and isn't worth 1/4 of what he's getting when he is playing, which isn't much.

 

[Roomba With a Bauer]

The Wings need to terminate Husso's contract ASAP. He's paid big bucks to do very little, and isn't worth 1/4 of what he's getting when he is playing, which isn't much.

They are stuck with that contract unless he LTIRetires, and at the age of 29 it's highly unlikely. Next season he will probably bounce on and off IR all season, sucking up 4.75 million but not letting the Wings use the space.

At least it's only one more season. Pretty good chance we see another season of Lyon and Husso and Cossa takes over in 25-26.

The goalie UFA market is abysmal and Yzerman won't trade for a G with Cossa/Augustine in the pipeline.

 

[Gniwder]

Also, why on earth would they pay what Meruelo wants? There was just a financial thread on the mains or business forum a few weeks back saying the Coyotes were recently valued at 500 mil. Even if they are worth 750 mil, why would the NHL just give 1 Bil?

It's worth $500M in Arizona. The value goes up if the team is relocated to a better city.

With only one team on the market, the team is worth whatever a prospective buyer is willing to pay.

 

[jkutswings]

NHL wants Arizona Coyotes move to Salt Lake City settled before playoffs | TSN

The NHL wants to have the Arizona Coyotes relocation to Salt Lake City settled before the NHL playoffs begin this weekend, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports.

www.tsn.ca

I understand wanting to maintain East/West balance. But when Houston is a MUCH more logical market, pushing this through reeks of not just greed, but greed to grossly irresponsible proportions.

No offense to Utah, but it's just not a market that will have an impact. So the league is likely just cashing in short term, to then still expand to Houston separately, regardless of how (un)likely this franchise is to succeed in SLC. And in 5-10 years they'll do the dance again.

 

[Oddbob]

NHL wants Arizona Coyotes move to Salt Lake City settled before playoffs | TSN

The NHL wants to have the Arizona Coyotes relocation to Salt Lake City settled before the NHL playoffs begin this weekend, TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun reports.

www.tsn.ca

I understand wanting to maintain East/West balance. But when Houston is a MUCH more logical market, pushing this through reeks of not just greed, but greed to grossly irresponsible proportions.

No offense to Utah, but it's just not a market that will have an impact. So the league is likely just cashing in short term, to then still expand to Houston separately, regardless of how (un)likely this franchise is to succeed in SLC. And in 5-10 years they'll do the dance again.

Does Houston have an NHL ready arena or owner willing to pay to renovate an arena to make this happen? Not sure they do. What I have heard about the Houston owner is he doesn't want to pay the huge expansion fee, but I am not sure whether they have an arena ready to go in the fall.

 

[Winger98]

Houston can get a franhchise in 5 years when we expand back to Arizona and then move chicago and nashville to the eastern conference.

 

[WaW]

Obviously need to win our game, but Friedman tweeted about the legitimate possibility of a late tie game between Philly and the Caps where Philly pulls the goalie.

Would be frustrating, but totally understandable.

 

[jkutswings]

National Hockey League says Montreal Canadiens defenceman Logan Mailloux is cleared for NHL debut | TSN

With Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux set to make his National Hockey League debut on Tuesday night, the league said it has cleared the 21-year-old defenceman for play.

www.tsn.ca

Let's pretend I have no strong opinions on whether this person should play NHL hockey. Let's also pretend Detroit isn't affected and there are zero stakes to the outcome of tonight's game.

Why is the NHL choosing the final regular season game for something like this, instead of just saying he can play next season?

 

[norrisnick]

What difference does next season vs this season make? Either the kid has shown growth and this is settled, or it isn't.

Also, the NHL isn't choosing the last game. Montreal is.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

National Hockey League says Montreal Canadiens defenceman Logan Mailloux is cleared for NHL debut | TSN

With Montreal Canadiens prospect Logan Mailloux set to make his National Hockey League debut on Tuesday night, the league said it has cleared the 21-year-old defenceman for play.

www.tsn.ca

Let's pretend I have no strong opinions on whether this person should play NHL hockey. Let's also pretend Detroit isn't affected and there are zero stakes to the outcome of tonight's game.

Why is the NHL choosing the final regular season game for something like this, instead of just saying he can play next season?

Given it's the NHL, my cynical take is that it's to make it as small of a story as possible. Have him play the final game of the season that doesn't matter to Montreal and most fans' attention will be about the playoff race. Then next season his first game back has already happened.

I can't wait to see what strategy they use when they reinstate Quenneville.

 

[jaster]

I'm sure he's a model citizen by now

 

[WaW]

Probably a hot take but I don't think Logan Mailloux should be cancelled for the rest of his life. I'm fine with him playing tonight.

What he did was objectively bad, but he's been nothing but legally and civilly cooperative with regard to legal (in Sweden) and hockey -related (in Canada) processes and punishment ever since. I think there needs to be a difference in how we assess how someone like Mailloux has responded to what he is under fire for having done (acceptance, responsibility, growth) vs how we assess someone like Mitchell Miller has responded to what he is under fire for having done (avoidance, denial, lack of responsibility)

 

[Axel Sandy Pelikan]

The league didn’t do this when Ottawa sold. Why is this allowed now?

Because the league has pretty much been footing the bill for Arizona for about 15 years to try to expand into the Southwest. And the Coyotes have been a literal joke franchise with drafting Mitchell Miller after being essentially told not to, getting locked out of Gila River, and having to play literal professional hockey games at Arizona State's hockey rink.

 

[Lazlo Hollyfeld]

Because the league has pretty much been footing the bill for Arizona for about 15 years to try to expand into the Southwest. And the Coyotes have been a literal joke franchise with drafting Mitchell Miller after being essentially told not to, getting locked out of Gila River, and having to play literal professional hockey games at Arizona State's hockey rink.

And the league has allowed obvious cap circumvention with the Coyotes taking on LTIRetired contracts just to get to the cap floor.

I actually think hockey can work in Arizona and feel bad for the fans but man has this been a shitshow for decades now.

 

[Winger98]

And the league has allowed obvious cap circumvention with the Coyotes taking on LTIRetired contracts just to get to the cap floor.

I actually think hockey can work in Arizona and feel bad for the fans but man has this been a shitshow for decades now.

This is pretty much where I am, too. It's also why I take any relocation with a grain of salt. The NHL's history off finding quality owners for any team is spotty at best. If the owners in SLC, Houston, etc. turn out to be crap, the organization is going to be crap.

 

[WaW]

I'm a pragmatic skeptic about the future of hockey and who it appeals to. The argument for Houston IMO is market size. But demographically, Salt Lake is as good of a "small market" you could probably get the NHL to work well in where there isn't already a team.

I think it'll be a fine hockey market and I like the natural mountain rivalry with Colorado.

I also kind of like Austin more than Houston. As long as you don't compete on Saturdays with Longhorns football that's a market with the demographics for hockey as well IMO, and there are no other pro sports there. Basically the Columbus model, but ideally with competent ownership (Poor ownership has been the barrier in Columbus)