NHL Board of Governors to approve opening of expansion process; Atlanta and Houston believed to be leading candidates

[hangman005]

Really not sure why they think Atlanta would work this 3rd time around….

I think not having owners who are actively trying to kick the team out of the market would be a huge improvement, lets alone the growth in the Atlanta area.

 

[voyageur]

A billion in expansion fees and it costs another billion (minimum) to build an arena. Besides Atlanta, who's doing that?

I think Ishbia who just shelled out $4 billion for the Suns could be the saviour in Phoenix. He expressed interest, and then you heard nothing, except positive feedback from Daly, that's usually a good sign talks are ongoing.

Atlanta, somebody will pony up. It's crazy to think that the Thrashers sold for $110 million in 2011, and the franchise value now is 10X higher. I get new TV contracts, gambling revenues, and such, but it's a phenomenon of sports franchises, I think, more than anything, becoming the symbol of elite wealth.

With both markets though, the arena is the question. Sounds like Ishbia wants a newer arena than American West, or whatever it is now, and Atlanta hasn't broken ground, and probably won't until they are awarded a franchise with a timeline on the arena, like Seattle. So it's a process...