How did the Thrashers get rebranded and set up in a brand new city in just a few months?
Not that hard, they would have concepts already in place. Winnipeg/TNSE didn't know if the Jets were gonna be the Jets or the Moose or the Polar Bears or the Falcons when the sale went through.
There has been rumours for a few years now of Utah being ready for an NHL team. Definitely didn’t happen overnight.
Barring a massive economic pivot from our dear leaders Canada will be more likely to lose multiple franchises than gain any more.
QC had been ready since forever. They have an NHL caliber arena ready. It's not about Canada vs. The states for me, it's about overlooking a city having shown readiness for a decade with a history in the NHL.
They have the rare assurance that they will be getting a team back eventually if they can get a building though.
They had to get creative and come up with a new name. They thought about Falcons, Polar Bears, Ice Bears, Maroons, etc. Then they gave up and went with Jets.
They can be ready all they want but a colder city smaller than Winnipeg where nobody who isn't francophone is gonna want to play, where the canadian dollar is 70 cents, the economy is in shambles with no end in sight, is not a viable option long term. It's a beautiful city. It's not an NHL city.
