I think Atlanta's was 60 because everyone needed the Thrashers to get out of town. They got kicked out of their arena and had nowhere to play.
Phoenix's fee was set to 195 million in 2009. You'd have to think Ottawa's would be at least 300 million with the increase in league value and all. That would already probably be more than Melnyk's share of the Lebreton arena cost.
This is of course only a scenario where he threatens to sue the NHL and the board of governers.
Ownership in Atlanta were in a legal battle amongst themselves.
"
Turner Broadcasting Systems is a staple of Atlanta sports, owning the Braves, Hawks, and Thrashers. However, Turner became a subsidiary of Time Warner in 1996, and four years later Time Warner made
the biggest mistake in corporate history getting purchased by America Online for $164 billion, who
fraudulently inflated sales numbers to appear more financially viable. In the midst of huge financial troubles, AOL Time Warner sold the Thrashers, the Hawks, and operating rights to Philips Arena to
the Atlanta Spirit, a new partnership between nine businessmen from Atlanta, Washington D.C., and Boston.
Two years after buying the team (2005),
the partnership developed a dispute involving a trade with the NBA's Phoenix Suns. As a result, Boston-native and 30% partner Steve Belkin wanted to buy everyone out, and everyone else wanted to buy him out, so like all good businessmen they sued each other. A circuit court in Maryland (the corporate home of the
Atlanta Spirit) ruled that Steve Belkin was
entitled to buy everyone out but
was later overturned. Belkin would be bought out, but no one agreed on a price.
From 2005-2010, the Atlanta Spirit spent more time in court than watching their team, except for partner Bud Seretean who died in 2007. In the process,
they say they lost $174 million. In fact, the remaining owners became very vocal that hockey wasn't going to work in Atlanta, helping them lower the price of buying out Belkin. Don Waddell remained general manager through their distraction and apathy.
Finally in December 2010,
Michael Gearon and Bruce Levenson became the lead owners buying out Belkin, but the group wasn't finished suing.
They sued their lawfirm for $195 million, blaming them for botching the contract between them and Belkin. In this lawsuit, they claim the bad contract thwarted their attempts to sell the Thrashers
for six years, dating back to 2005 (two years after buying the team).
With the ownership status now clear, the Atlanta Spirit quickly moved to sell the team, but they would not be selling the rights to Philips Arena. Unsurprisingly,
no one wanted to become a partner or the tenant of a lawsuit happy landlord. At the end of the 2010-11 season, the NHL jumped at the chance to rid themselves of these owners along with taking a $60 million relocation fee (one they would not receive if moving the league-owned Coyotes back to Winnepeg)."
