The Athletic: NHL Agents poll..... the best and worst.

[rojac]

Exactly, instead of the 7th-10th place teams giving it their all. in the last couple of weeks they more often than not coast knowing they'll still have a chance at making the playoffs even if they finish 9th or 10th. Stupid IMO, if you aren't among the best eight then you dont get in.

So instead you have the 9th-12th place teams giving it their all.

Essentially, if n teams in the conference make the playoffs, n-2 will likely be coasting/playing for position and four teams will be battling it out for the last two playoff spots.

 

[Tawnos]

I mean, barring the barrier to entry, I don’t see why a second team in the Toronto area couldn’t at least carve out a niche for themselves and be moderately successful (financially speaking). It’s just that the barrier to entry is so high. The Islanders, Angels, and Mets came in for their various reasons (the point about the Mets up thread being one of them) with lower barriers to entry. While a second Toronto team would play second fiddle to the Leafs for the foreseeable future in terms of popularity, if they actually did happen, I just don’t see why they wouldn’t at least have a moderate amount of success in at least turning a profit.

When you put it all on the table that way though, that doesn’t sound like a great choice by either the league or the prospective owner when there are alternatives on the table instead. Not quite the slam dunk some might talk it up to be.

Of course, this is all just my opinion, which isn’t necessarily the most informed, but I like to think I have at least an inkling of knowledge about the league’s business considering how much of it was constantly shoved in my face as a Coyotes fan.

Someone said it best: GTA2 would be great financially... for the second owner.

 

[rojac]

Ya, that just dilutes the importance of the regular season if it gets easier to get into the playoffs. NBA regular season is now just horrible now that so many teams can get in.

So if increasing the number of the teams that make the playoffs dilutes the importance of the regular season then increasing the number of teams that don't make the playoffs should make the regular season feel more important.

The NHL has added six teams since 1998 and thus it is harder for teams to make the playoffs. Do people feel that the regular season feels more important now in 2025 then it did in 1997?

 

[dj4aces]

And all valid reasons why it could again be a possibility. There are always scenarios that deals can be made if parties want something. Both sides.

Could MLSE make a deal with a prospective owner to bring in a GTA2 team? Sure, The real question is will they? Anything is possible, but again... the best time to do something like that was between 1967 and 1995. Franchise and market values started going way up, and it just doesn't seem likely to me that MLSE will allow a team into their market at a discount.

Let's say you own a large plot of land. Maybe you have picnics by a pond, you have woods on your land you go hunting in, or maybe you just enjoy taking time at night to stargaze. Someone comes along, knocks on your door, and asks you to sell them the right to use half of your land in perpetuity. Your land is valuable, not just to you, but because of what you have on that land. Are you gonna give them a sweetheart deal, or will you tell them to pay your asking price or sod off?

The idea MLSE will give someone a sweetheart deal to add GTA2 is preposterous at best. There's a better chance of the NFL awarding a franchise to Toronto.

Play In games are a horrible idea and I'm somewhat happy not a lot of people are for it.

While I'm not a fan of any scenario where a play-in is added for the bubble teams, I can see why the league might consider it. Especially in the likely event that expansion to 34+ also results in revamping the playoffs.

 

[Voight]

Could MLSE make a deal with a prospective owner to bring in a GTA2 team? Sure, The real question is will they? Anything is possible, but again... the best time to do something like that was between 1967 and 1995. Franchise and market values started going way up, and it just doesn't seem likely to me that MLSE will allow a team into their market at a discount.

Let's say you own a large plot of land. Maybe you have picnics by a pond, you have woods on your land you go hunting in, or maybe you just enjoy taking time at night to stargaze. Someone comes along, knocks on your door, and asks you to sell them the right to use half of your land in perpetuity. Your land is valuable, not just to you, but because of what you have on that land. Are you gonna give them a sweetheart deal, or will you tell them to pay your asking price or sod off?

The idea MLSE will give someone a sweetheart deal to add GTA2 is preposterous at best. There's a better chance of the NFL awarding a franchise to Toronto.


While I'm not a fan of any scenario where a play-in is added for the bubble teams, I can see why the league might consider it. Especially in the likely event that expansion to 34+ also results in revamping the playoffs.

Playoffs dont need to be revamped. Dont try to fix what's not broken. SHould stay at 16 teams, even if there's 34 total teams in the league.

 

[njdevils1982]

why am i not surprised at the 18-1 expansion vote. more client$

 

[dj4aces]

Playoffs dont need to be revamped. Dont try to fix what's not broken. SHould stay at 16 teams, even if there's 34 total teams in the league.

I don't disagree, but I know Friedman mentioned in a podcast episode last year that it would be a possibility when expansion takes place. So don't be surprised if the league comes up with a new playoff format sometime in the near future.

 

[aqib]

Were the guys who didn't vote Pegula worst owner sniffing glue or something? He is the single biggest failure of an owner in modern history taking one of the strongest and most respected franchises and totally destroying it beyond repair. In terms of just obliterating a franchise where such a thing would be unthinkable the only comparable I can think of in all of pro sports is Dan Snider in Washington.

Its kind of weird that the Bills are one of the best organizations in football. Its like how the Knicks were a disaster and the Rangers were well-run.

 

[Takuto Maruki]

Its kind of weird that the Bills are one of the best organizations in football. Its like how the Knicks were a disaster and the Rangers were well-run.

In the case of the Rangers and Knicks - Dolan only gives a shit about the Knicks. The Rangers are simply co-tenants that he gives management teams a blank check on, and doesn't interfere mainly because he has no interest in hockey otherwise.

The Pegulas aren't going to screw up a golden chance of owning an NFL franchise, especially one with the history and near total domination of the home market that the Bills have.

 

[aqib]

In the case of the Rangers and Knicks - Dolan only gives a shit about the Knicks. The Rangers are simply co-tenants that he gives management teams a blank check on, and doesn't interfere mainly because he has no interest in hockey otherwise.

The Pegulas aren't going to screw up a golden chance of owning an NFL franchise, especially one with the history and near total domination of the home market that the Bills have.

That makes it sound like you're saying that they are intentionally screwing up or neglecting the Sabres while making sure the Bills work. They lucked into Sean McDermott and Brandon Beane after an initial misstep with Rex Ryan after Doug Marrone bailed on them.

 

[TheLegend]

why am i not surprised at the 18-1 expansion vote. more client$

Glad someone finally realized these polls are from an agent's perspective.

Those four markets they prefer for expansion are in the top 12 media markets in North America. Three of which don't currently have NHL franchises. Which offer more potential from deals made outside and beyond the playing contract.

Their rankings of ownership could be based on the difficulty in dealing with them and that could include communication and/or feedback they get from clients.

 

[Noldo]

So instead you have the 9th-12th place teams giving it their all.

Essentially, if n teams in the conference make the playoffs, n-2 will likely be coasting/playing for position and four teams will be battling it out for the last two playoff spots.

And by increasing the reward for landing the 5th or 6th place in conference (compared to 7th or 8th), you very likely create a situation where there are much more teams play all out and battling for positions until the end of the regular season:

- teams battling for spots 5 and 6 to avoid the additional play-in games (and secure guaranteed playoff spots) [include current bubble teams but also one or two teams that would in current format be securely in top-8 but now have to battle for top-2 positions within that bubble group]

- teams battling for spots in the play-in [most of the current bubble teams as well as lower ranking teams that would currently be out. Especially if the play in would be NBA style so finishing in top-8 is highly rewarding (you have to lose two games to lose your spot while 9th and 10th have to win two to advance)

- (potential bonus) teams battling for top-2 spots in conference to gain the advantage to start playoffs against team that has played 1 or 2 extra games