NHL Expansion back on agenda?

[Voight]

So thing to remember is that the NHL can afford to take a long view of things.

Take Seattle for example. City started a process to renovate the arena in 2016. Deal struck to renovate arena in 2017, and at the same time NHL officially explores expansion. 2018 expansion franchise announced. Expansion draft and team's first season in 2021.

The issue with the NHL is always, and will always be, is if someone is willing to pay the price. They'll put up with waiting for an arena, or waiting for renos, for quite awhile - if they get their money.

This isn't entirely correct. The process wasn't started until December 2017 and that was only when they knew the NHL would give them an expansion team.

 

[StreetHawk]

This isn't entirely correct. The process wasn't started until December 2017 and that was only when they knew the NHL would give them an expansion team.

City owned the arena and still do. Didn’t ok any renovation until the nhl granted Seattle a team. Same would apply for the Atl bids. No final approvals until team is awarded.

NHL waited nearly 30 years before an nhl team got to Seattle from their early 90’s expansion until 2021 when the puck finally dropped at a climate Pledge.

 

[Melrose Munch]

NHL has historically been about getting their money for their franchise vs location of said team.
So, they have no problems not being in Houston if TF won’t meet their price. And if no one else is looking to build another arena they will just move forward without this market.

NHL wanted the Pacific Northwest for a very long time since the expansion in the early 90’s. When the Seattle bid was screed over by the then nba Sonics owner. They were also disappointed that Allen did not apply for that round in the late 90’s for Portland. But moves in without a team in that area of the USA.

This of course has led to multiple issues, including owners who lied about their net worth and missed opportunities to grow the game.

 

[mouser]

It's one part money I think. Quebec could have easily paid the $500 million, NHL wanted Vegas, for obvious reasons. NHL wanted Seattle. I think losing both Arizona and Atlanta stings the league brand a little, where losing consistently with bad ownership in the Southern U.S can lead to relocation.

Atlanta for sure will get a team, once the process is all done. No one has any actual idea though what the league thinks an expansion franchise is worth after $650 million for Seattle. I do get the sense with all the CBA talk that they would like to get this one in before the next CBA.

I can't see the league caving in to Fertitta. The Arizona relocation was the perfect chance to offload the league's least valued commodity, at a bargain price, and it didn't happen. Lowering expansion fees to get a market in essentially would undo what the Coyotes sale accomplished, in terms of franchise valuations.

I’m not at all confident Quebecor could afford the $500m USD. The CAD<>USD exchange rate dropped over 30% between the time the new Quebec arena construction started, expansion was announced, and final expansion teams approved.

Quebecor would have had to borrow the money to pay for an expansion franchise, which was now 40% more expensive ($700m CAD) than when videotron center construction and their NHL expansion plan first began. While at the same time their core business was dealing with the financial fallout of the exchange drop—many of Quebecor’s AP are in USD while their AR is nearly all CAD.

If some other full owner or majority owner stepped up to partner with Quebecor I think QC 2 could have happened. I don’t believe Quebecor (a publicly traded company) could financially justify doing it on their own.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

I don’t believe Quebecor (a publicly traded company) could financially justify doing it on their own.

Truthfully, I think it's likely that Peladeau and Quebecor were using QC expansion as a political cudgel. It's hard to do that when the exchange rate bottoms out like you said, and the bluster stops on a dime.

 

[TheLegend]

I’m not at all confident Quebecor could afford the $500m USD. The CAD<>USD exchange rate dropped over 30% between the time the new Quebec arena construction started, expansion was announced, and final expansion teams approved.

Quebecor would have had to borrow the money to pay for an expansion franchise, which was now 40% more expensive ($700m CAD) than when videotron center construction and their NHL expansion plan first began. While at the same time their core business was dealing with the financial fallout of the exchange drop—many of Quebecor’s AP are in USD while their AR is nearly all CAD.

If some other full owner or majority owner stepped up to partner with Quebecor I think QC 2 could have happened. I don’t believe Quebecor (a publicly traded company) could financially justify doing it on their own.

Everyone's reminder.....

Quebecor wants partners in NHL team bid

www.sportsnet.ca

 

[StreetHawk]

Truthfully, I think it's likely that Peladeau and Quebecor were using QC expansion as a political cudgel. It's hard to do that when the exchange rate bottoms out like you said, and the bluster stops on a dime.

Everyone's reminder.....

Quebecor wants partners in NHL team bid

www.sportsnet.ca

Almost all North American pro teams, the main owner would have partners. So that’s not unusual.

 

[dj4aces]

Almost all North American pro teams, the main owner would have partners. So that’s not unusual.

That's not the issue, though. Not really.

That article is from 2015. This article is from earlier this year: Quebecor is still seeking investors... or partners, or bags of money dropped at their front door. It's been nine years and they really have nothing to show for it.

I'd love to see QC come back to the league. Hell, I'd love to see 'em come back at the same time as Atlanta. But it doesn't seem likely, at least not anytime soon.