NHL year 2015 and beyond

[no name]

Well with the Olympics i guess we can't talk trades all day.

Realignment, expansion and relocation. What will the NHL look like by 2015 when they revisit alignment.

Expansion and relocation cities: Seattle, Portland, LasVegas, Houston, Toronto, Quebec.

I would assume there will only be 32 teams 8 teams in 4 confrences.

Pittsburgh
Washington
Philadelphia
NY Rangers
NY Islanders
New Jersery
Carolina
Tampa Bay - with FLA gone we adopt them, moving Colombus to the Atlantic

Boston
Buffalo
Montreal
Ottawa
Quebec - Florida relocated
Colombus - in place to Tampa Bay
Detroit
Toronto

Dallas
Minnisoda
St Louis
KC - expansion
Chicago
Houston - Nashville relocated
Winnipeg
Colorado

LA
Anaheim
Portland - Arizona relocated
Seattle - expansion
Vancouver
Calgary
Edmonton
San Jose

[MRandall25]

Why would they relocate another team to Texas?

Why would they move Columbus to the Northeast, when the current alignment clearly benefits them more than any other move? It would make 0 sense to move them to a different division only 2 years into the system.

Why do we need expansion teams?

[Kovy27]

Why would Nashville be relocated?
Why 2 teams in Texas when 1 is struggling?
Why would Columbus go to the NE division when a natural rival in Pittsburgh is there?
When did Minnesota change to Minnisoda?

[no name]

When did Minnesota change to Minnisoda?

after 4 beers the name legally changes, ask any Indian.

I just don't think the NHL will put up with FLA Arizona and Nashville losing money under the new CBA.

THe big thing is when you add or remove a team you now have to look and see how it effects you realignment. Add Quebec and then you have to move them to the Atlantic. that makes 9 teams, you gotta balance it out.

[Idoit40fans]

Why do we need expansion teams?

Im pretty sure its inevitable.

[Gaucho]

I just don't think the NHL will put up with FLA Arizona and Nashville losing money under the new CBA.

Is this really the NHL's concern? As long as ownership is willing to absorb losses, teams stay where they are, I guess.

[no name]

I just don't think the NHL will put up with FLA Arizona and Nashville losing money under the new CBA.

Is this really the NHL's concern? As long as ownership is willing to absorb losses, teams stay where they are, I guess.

So very true. The NHL has put up with this for so long. I would think owners would willingly move a team to a better market instead of paying for the loses year after year. Oh well.

[JoseCuervo]

I don't see too many teams relocating, and I really don't see a team ever being in Houston. They couldn't even keep the Aeros there.

[no name]

I always thought Toronto should get a second team, so many Hockey fans and so many businiess in the area. But is it realistic to think Maple Leafs fans would accept another team.

[Idoit40fans]

Its more likely that fans in the area would accept another team than it is that MLSE would accept another team.

[PghSkins]

If there is one thing in this world I am certain of, it's that Houston will never, ever get an NHL team.

[pcm]

Do you cut your hair with a hatchet?

[no name]

I kept hearing about Houston a couple years ago since they would have a natural rivalry with Dallas and they have one of the largest Metropolitan areas without a hockey franchise.

Plus the need to keep the central division with 8 teams, the other option was KC but there was talk that there wasn't enough hockey fans.

In the central the only places that are options are KC Miliwalkee Houston. Other than that in the mid west no other hockey markets. You would think it would be easy to find a city since college hockey is popular over there.

[mikey287]

Houston is a total no-go barring a sudden change. When the NHL was looking to expand, I think in the late 90's it was, not the early 90's one, Houston was one of the finalists. Ultimately, the NHL didn't select them. In 1998, Les Alexander, bought the Edmonton Oilers and was moving them to Houston. That was the time of the great migration of Canadian teams to America (Winnipeg, Quebec and then the talk of a couple others really struggling, like Edmonton and the poor quality of Calgary and Ottawa didn't help their cause either when the Canadian dollar was worth some 60 cents to the American dollar)...it was right on the cusp of going down and Bettman did exactly what Bettman has been prone to doing...keeping the NHL from having nomadic franchises...he was able to rig up something to keep the Oilers from leaving...

Having been shut down by the league twice, Les Alexander hasn't really been back since and has lost a lot of money since then, I believe...and he nearly doubled the price of rent for the Houston Aeros, so they regrettably picked up and headed to Iowa for a better deal...

Why do I keep mentioning Les Alexander? Well: a) there hasn't been a lot of serious push for an NHL team in Houston besides from him; b) He has some sort of arrangement with the city, that he won via bid, that an NHL team cannot play in Houston unless he owns it - which, to my knowledge, includes the NHL's use of Houston (Toyota Center, I believe it's called) for a neutral site game there...

So, I figure the guy who owns the monopoly on hockey in Houston and has the only building that is NHL capable I believe...unless you want to renovate the long-vacant Astrodome...has the most say in the matter, and he ain't sayin' nothin'...

[DudeMan2766]

When did Minnesota change to Minnisoda?

after 4 beers the name legally changes, ask any Indian.

I dont think so John Rocker, I'll ask any "Native American" thank you very much

[no name]

Some one suggested to me at work just moving Colombus to the central division since Detroit would never agree to it. Kinda counter productive concidering they move out of their time zone. They seem to fit in the east nicely and give it one playoff series and the rivalry with us is born.

KC is logical since they got an arena built, but i just don't see it as a hockey market. I can see Milwalkee as a good city, you just got to name the team Wisconsin to build a rivalry with Minnesota.

[Malkamaniac]

For how hard PHX is fighting to keep a team in that arena, no way in hell do I see any other teams re-locating on a "whim."

[no name]

When did Minnesota change to Minnisoda?

after 4 beers the name legally changes, ask any Indian.

I dont think so John Rocker, I'll ask any "Native American" thank you very much

Geez, you don't have to scalp me over one little joke.

Minesota in indian means "land of a thousand lakes" just in cae you didn't know. Hence why butter made in Minnesota taste like lake water.

[darkstar57]

Sorry but this thread maybe me think

[youtube][/youtube]

[Big Easy Pens Fan]

Some one suggested to me at work just moving Colombus to the central division since Detroit would never agree to it. Kinda counter productive concidering they move out of their time zone. They seem to fit in the east nicely and give it one playoff series and the rivalry with us is born.

KC is logical since they got an arena built, but i just don't see it as a hockey market. I can see Milwalkee as a good city, you just got to name the team Wisconsin to build a rivalry with Minnesota.

KC had an NHL team already. The Scouts (who I believe were the Seals, and then became the Devils), but they had no support.

BEPF

[MRandall25]

Some one suggested to me at work just moving Colombus to the central division since Detroit would never agree to it. Kinda counter productive concidering they move out of their time zone. They seem to fit in the east nicely and give it one playoff series and the rivalry with us is born.

KC is logical since they got an arena built, but i just don't see it as a hockey market. I can see Milwalkee as a good city, you just got to name the team Wisconsin to build a rivalry with Minnesota.

KC had an NHL team already. The Scouts (who I believe were the Seals, and then became the Devils), but they had no support.

BEPF

The Scouts were the Scouts. Then they moved to Coloardo and became the Colorado Rockies, then the Devils. The Seals became the Cleveland Barons, who folded, and sort of got eaten by the North Stars.

Edited for accuracy on the Scouts.

[Pitts]

Why do we need expansion teams?

I believe there have been whispers that the NHL would like to expand by 2 teams within the next few years.

[Pitt87]

Why do we need expansion teams?

I believe there have been whispers that the NHL would like to expand by 2 teams within the next few years.

Pet project. I don't see how they can find suitable markets without disrupting another team in some way. More likely that you'll see an edited list of 30 NHL cities twice before a list of 32.