Bettman meeting with Ryan Smith, owner of Utah Jazz and Real Salt Lake (upd: Smith asks NHL to open expansion process)

[TheLegend]

He will sell and he will be forced to like it

On what grounds??

Meruelo is not the type of person to just be told what he must do.

 

[No Fun Shogun]

He will sell and he will be forced to like it

Eh.... I'm not buying that the NHL is interested in forcing a sale for someone that is trying to keep the team in that market after how much effort the NHL put into it previously.

 

[TheLegend]

If they have a ready owner and arena plan, they shouldn't be.

I don't know what their situation is.

For SLC, this is huge. Also highlights how important it is to have a dedicated owner$hip. Says they've been meeting for two years (if that's true).

The league has met with people from Quebec City for the last decade. Really doesn't mean much until the checkbook opens.

I think Smith is legit at this point. I hope Atlanta has their ducks in a row soon. Wished we knew more abotu that because if the league wants to grow by twos this is the opportunity.

 

[Voight]

Ryan Smiths net worth is $2.1bn... so I am presuming he will have many partners here.

Don't think it would be a wise idea for him to pay half that in an expansion fee.

 

[AtlantaWhaler]

The league has met with people from Quebec City for the last decade. Really doesn't mean much until the checkbook opens.

I think Smith is legit at this point. I hope Atlanta has their ducks in a row soon. Wished we knew more abotu that because if the league wants to grow by twos this is the opportunity.

Totally true.

 

[Osakahaus]

If Gary Bettman is smart, he uses this to pressure Arizona to get a new home before they get relocated. If he's stupid, he doubles down and makes a 34 team NHL

 

[GKJ]

On what grounds??

Meruelo is not the type of person to just be told what he must do.

This is a boys club. If you can get into the club, you can also get kicked out of it. If he plays ball, he can, and will, be in a stronger position later.

Eh.... I'm not buying that the NHL is interested in forcing a sale for someone that is trying to keep the team in that market after how much effort the NHL put into it previously.

There’s 31 other owners that are sick of this shit though, but unlike before where they’ve managed to keep treading water (even though they’ve been a financial scourge). They don’t have good connections in the market and they’re now not even on an RSN, right? It might take a year to get the land for the building to say nothing of actually building it. Their current situation of playing in a college rink only becomes more impractical the more indefinite the timeline becomes. Yes, they’ve worked hard given this has been Bettman’s defining issue in his tenure, but at some point you can’t be in a state of growth in a market that’s destabilizing, especially given how much of a boon new markets have been.

 

[Salsero1]

This is a boys club. If you can get into the club, you can also get kicked out of it. If he plays ball, he can, and will, be in a stronger position later.



There’s 31 other owners that are sick of this shit though, but unlike before where they’ve managed to keep treading water (even though they’ve been a financial scourge). They don’t have good connections in the market and they’re now not even on an RSN, right? It might take a year to get the land for the building to say nothing of actually building it. Their current situation of playing in a college rink only becomes more impractical the more indefinite the timeline becomes. Yes, they’ve worked hard given this has been Bettman’s defining issue in his tenure, but at some point you can’t be in a state of growth in a market that’s destabilizing, especially given how much of a boon new markets have been.

31 other owners are sick of it, or just frustrated Canadian internet nationalists?

 

[No Fun Shogun]

The NHL's history is pretty cluttered with tales of incompetent boobs of owners that annoyed the crap out of everyone else but kept owning their teams for years.

 

[GKJ]

If Gary Bettman is smart, he uses this to pressure Arizona to get a new home before they get relocated. If he's stupid, he doubles down and makes a 34 team NHL

I’m unclear here on what kind of pressure you’re talking about. Who is the pressure on? Because no one’s ever felt besides themselves.

 

[Osakahaus]

I’m unclear here on what kind of pressure you’re talking about. Who is the pressure on? Because no one’s ever felt besides themselves.

time is ticking to get approval for a new stadium in Arizona. SLC is the worst thing to happen if you're an Arizona fan.

 

[GKJ]

31 other owners are sick of it, or just frustrated Canadian internet nationalists?

31 other owners are sick of it. These guys are sharks. They want to make as much money as possible, and it’s obvious they know they can do it in new markets without very much effort.

The NHL's history is pretty cluttered with tales of incompetent boobs of owners that annoyed the crap out of everyone else but kept owning their teams for years.

Very true, but they’ve also been clearing that up over Bettman’s tenure. If you want to be serious players, you need serious people.

 

[GKJ]

time is ticking to get approval for a new stadium in Arizona. SLC is the worst thing to happen if you're an Arizona fan.

I know that but you present it like they haven’t been trying to get it. They have been kicked out of one building and don’t appear to be welcomed to one they have been to previously. Another effort was put to a vote that was denied and campaigned locally against. They don’t have anyone to make a demand to that otherwise wouldn’t laugh them for doing it.

 

[Osakahaus]

I know that but you present it like they haven’t been trying to get it. They have been kicked out of one building and don’t appear to be welcomed to one they have been to previously. Another effort was put to a vote that was denied and campaigned locally against. They don’t have anyone to make a demand to.

I know they have. I do believe they've looked at a few locations. I just wonder if SLC is just the NHL trying to see if expansion can happen again, or an NHL team is possibly gonna get relocated. Anaheim also could be in this equation because I genuinely have no clue if they might have a new stadium or not,

 

[GKJ]

I know they have. I do believe they've looked at a few locations. I just wonder if SLC is just the NHL trying to see if expansion can happen again, or an NHL team is possibly gonna get relocated. Anaheim also could be in this equation because I genuinely have no clue if they might have a new stadium or not,

I’ve never heard anything about the Ducks wanting a new building, but a big key that Bettman has been pushing in the wake of this is wanting the owners to also own their building, and the list of building owners looking for a hockey team and already equipped to house them isn’t long.

 

[Edenjung]

This is a boys club. If you can get into the club, you can also get kicked out of it. If he plays ball, he can, and will, be in a stronger position later.

They can't.
Last time they wanted to kick somebody out they had to create the NHL.
They didn't like Eddie Livingstone, but could not throw him out of the NHA. So they started the NHL without him.
Like the stonecutters creating the "No Homers club" after Homer took over.

Its not how it works. And i am sure the courts would kill any such thing if they would try it today.

 

[Stumbledore]

31 other owners are sick of it, or just frustrated Canadian internet nationalists?

Check the press reports over the past year quoting a number of owners or "representatives speaking on their behalf". The owners are really sick of it.

 

[hammer42]

I don't think Salt lake City is going to get an NHL. team because there one of two front runners to get MLB Expansion team along with Nashville & I don't think Salt Lake City can support 4 major sports teams (NBA, MLS. NHL. MLB.) since Salt Lake City is such a small market there are going to have to pick one or the other (MLB\NHL.) can't have both because not only of the small market they would have to build either new stadium or new arena which would cost in the billions not to mention the cost of expansion which in the billions again one or the other .

 

[GKJ]

They can't.
Last time they wanted to kick somebody out they had to create the NHL.
They didn't like Eddie Livingstone, but could not throw him out of the NHA. So they started the NHL without him.

Its not how it works. And i am sure the courts would kill any such thing if they would try it today.

That was literally 100 years ago.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

Ryan Smiths net worth is $2.1bn... so I am presuming he will have many partners here.

Don't think it would be a wise idea for him to pay half that in an expansion fee.

Bettman was talking about a 1-2 B Expansion fee

 

[Edenjung]

@GKJ
Yes and?
Do you think that they have a clause like "If the majority doesn't like your ass, you are gonna get stripped of your team and you cannot do a thing about it!"?
or the "If we don't like you, we can force you to sell for any price we determine fit" clause.
They don't because why would anybody buy a team if there is the threat of people just taking it away.
And even if they decide to take it away, then they will have a court battle and that may threaten the NHL in general.

In the end Muerelo can demand what he seems fit for the franchise. He has the commodity and based on the laws of the free market he can determine for what price he wants to sell. If he even wants to sell the team.

So far we do not know that and they cannot force him to sell. And we don't even know if the yotes will relocate.
Maybe instead of speculating, we should calm down and wait.

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

I don't think Salt lake City is going to get an NHL. team because there one of two front runners to get MLB Expansion team along with Nashville & I don't think Salt Lake City can support 4 major sports teams (NBA, MLS. NHL. MLB.) since Salt Lake City is such a small market there are going to have to pick one or the other (MLB\NHL.) can't have both because not only of the small market they would have to build either new stadium or new arena which would cost in the billions not to mention the cost of expansion which in the billions again one or the other .

With a Hockey team the building of a New Facility would have 2 Major League tenants, Basketball and NHL hockey...They don't want to build a Major League Baseball facility and a Basketball/Hockey too

 

[Osakahaus]

Bettman was talking about a 1-2 B Expansion fee

He's insane at this point. He makes more money from expansion than actual hockey games

 

[RayMartyniukTotems]

The league has met with people from Quebec City for the last decade. Really doesn't mean much until the checkbook opens.

I think Smith is legit at this point. I hope Atlanta has their ducks in a row soon. Wished we knew more abotu that because if the league wants to grow by twos this is the opportunity.

Please no growing by 2...1 and a couple of years later another 1...that 2 Expansion model has never worked and won't unless you change things...have a 5-2-1 model instead of the 7-3-1 and permit Expansion teams to participate in the Draft 2 years before admittance so Teams can at least have some depth on the NHL/AHL team going forward and lets have player with 2 years experience has to be protected instead of the 3 years...everyone else is fair game...and the Rosters of all NHL teams are frozen at the TDL the year of Expansion so there isn't any last second sell-off

 

[Headshot77]

If Gary Bettman is smart, he uses this to pressure Arizona to get a new home before they get relocated. If he's stupid, he doubles down and makes a 34 team NHL

Why not both? The league is better with a stable Coyotes franchise and two new teams in Atlanta and SLC