exploring the feasibility of expansion, either to Houston or Austin<\/a>, with Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin the would-be owner in either scenario.<\/p>\nThe NHL will decide in six months whether to proceed further with the expansion process in either city.<\/p>\n
How to win a Stanley Cup without superstars<\/p>\n
Harman Dayal<\/p>\n
For me, the question is not whether the league is expanding with a 33rd team. It\u2019s simply to which Texas city.<\/p>\n
The NHL and Friedkin are trying to figure that part out over the next six months.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s part of the process is to determine what would be best, both for the league and for Dan Friedkin and family,\u201d Bettman said Tuesday. \u201cBoth cities will require a new arena. It may be more feasible in one place than the other. And as we dig a little deeper and do the due diligence, we\u2019ll figure out which makes the most sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Of note, Houston is loaded with sports teams, while Austin does not have a team in the Big Four major professional sports leagues.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe tend to specialize in those,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cYou\u2019re asking the question that we\u2019re asking, and that\u2019s why this is the framework we\u2019re operating under.\u201d<\/p>\n
On the other hand, Houston is the bigger market with the bigger TV audience.<\/p>\n
The agreed-upon price for a team between the NHL and Friedkin is $3.5 billion, which would cover both the expansion fee and the cost of a new arena (so roughly a $2 billion expansion fee and $1.5 billion or so to build a new arena).<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have been in discussions for the better part of two years with the Friedkin family, principally for the last two years about Houston as an expansion opportunity,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cBut as we continued to focus with them, particularly on the need for a new arena in Houston, the discussions morphed into also a discussion about Austin, which would also need a new building.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are going to work together under the terms \u2014 a term sheet that we were able to agree upon \u2014 in terms of a framework to consider what makes the most sense moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n
The six-month time frame matches up with the league\u2019s bigger Board of Governors meeting, held every December, the annual meeting where traditionally owners have voted on expansion.<\/p>\n
What didn\u2019t happen Tuesday was an owners vote. Although Bettman said the smaller executive committee was previously fully vetted on the matter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe didn\u2019t take a vote,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t take a poll. I think it depends on what it is that is ultimately concluded, if anything. The fact is, as we\u2019ve talked about all along, expansion depends on ownership, market, arena, and what does it do to make the league stronger? In that case, if you\u2019re sitting in the room and the first three are checked, those first three boxes, you\u2019ll then say to yourself: What does it do to make the league stronger? Houston, South Texas, is a major market nationally.\u201d<\/p>\n
Friedkin, CEO of the Friedkin Group (which is run by his family), owns European soccer clubs AS Roma and Everton, among other ventures.<\/p>\n
NHL officials are expected to visit both Austin and Houston over the coming months as part of the feasibility reconnaissance.<\/p>\n
Geoff Molson, a member of the owners\u2019 executive committee, had a neutral tone after the meeting when asked about the project to further expand into Texas.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just an exploration at this stage,\u201d the Montreal Canadiens owner said. \u201cTo me, we\u2019ll see, we\u2019ll see. I don\u2019t really have an opinion right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Molson would like to get more information before forming his opinion.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor sure, it\u2019s an important decision,\u201d Molson said.<\/p>\n
Another NHL governor, who requested anonymity, said he wasn\u2019t sold on the idea of expansion at the moment, although he didn\u2019t expand on why. But he did say he was curious to see how most owners felt about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had had a pretty extensive discussion with the (owners\u2019) executive committee, and the executive committee has endorsed the framework and what was and what is the term sheet that we\u2019re going to operate under,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cBeyond that, this will be a work in progress. But we\u2019re excited about the opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
Asked whether the league had broached the subject with the Dallas Stars, it didn\u2019t sound like there was much conversation with the club about it.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe same as all the other clubs \u2014 no different,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cMy guess is they\u2019ll think it\u2019s good for hockey in Texas.\u201d<\/p>\n
Stars owner Tom Gaglardi was not present at Tuesday\u2019s board meeting.<\/p>\n
Asked about potentially expanding by only one team and going back to an uneven number of teams, Bettman was fine with it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen we expanded to Vegas, we were at an odd number,\u201d he said. \u201cSymmetry, I don\u2019t think, should necessarily govern expansion. You expand if you think it makes sense and enhances what the league has.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bettman said there were also updates in the meeting on where things are in terms of expansion interest from Atlanta and Arizona. But those are more on the back burner for now.<\/p>\n
\u201cNeither Arizona nor Atlanta are quite as far along in the process as the Friedkin opportunities,\u201d Bettman said.<\/p>\n
And if you\u2019re wondering why the league continues to talk to these markets about potential expansion, the answer is simple, aside from the rich expansion fees: The league has seven Canadian teams and feels it must further expand its footprint in the United States, where it has fewer markets covered compared to the MLB, NBA and NFL. That\u2019s what is partly motivating the league to examine expansion, even when some people in and around the game worry about the further erosion of the talent pool.<\/p>\n
It feels like the train left the station here Tuesday when it comes to another NHL team in Texas.<\/p>\n
NBA-style player empowerment?<\/p>\n
Between Dylan Larkin\u2019s trade request and Brady Tkachuk\u2019s strong-armed move from the Ottawa Senators to the Florida Panthers, there\u2019s been a lot said over the past few days about whether the NHL is entering a new era of stars dictating what they want and where they want to play.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s the model of what the NBA has done over the years, where players ask to get traded to particular places and somehow they always make it happen,\u201d Don Waddell, general manager and president of hockey operations for the Columbus Blue Jackets, told The Athletic. \u201cI will say, for myself, if we\u2019re in that position, just because somebody asked for a trade, you don\u2019t always have to make it.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an interesting comment from Waddell, given the uncertainty when it comes to the future of Norris Trophy winner Zach Werenski. To my knowledge, Werenski has not asked for a trade to date. But the expectation is that all parties involved will talk about the player\u2019s future sometime over the next few weeks. The star defenseman has two more years on his deal. So we\u2019ll see where that one goes over time.<\/p>\n
The Tkachuk trade out of Ottawa doesn\u2019t give Bettman pause as far as a certain trend developing around the league.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think in this particular case, and you always have to look at the circumstances, players want to play for good organizations and winning teams, and sometimes family members want to play together,\u201d Bettman said Tuesday. \u201cI think his going to Florida in the first instance probably had as much to do with him wanting to play with (his brother) Matthew as anything else.\u201d<\/p>\n
These situations aren\u2019t easy, though, when a player has so much leverage, especially with the power of no-movement clauses and no-trade clauses giving them the right to choose their destination(s) of choice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, I think the game is changing, the money\u2019s totally different, and I kind of say, \u2018Good for them,\u2019\u201d said Hockey Hall of Fame player Luc Robitaille, the Los Angeles Kings president attending Tuesday\u2019s meeting. \u201cPlayers earned the right to get these no-move clauses, earned the right to get a contract, because we want them as management, because we believe they\u2019re going to help us. But if it doesn\u2019t work out \u2026 usually by the time a player says, \u2018I want to get out,\u2019 a lot of stuff has happened that no one knows.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it\u2019s part of the game, and at the same time, it\u2019s their right. If they get a no-move clause, because we want them enough that we\u2019re willing to do that, and then they want to control where they go, I don\u2019t see it as a bad thing. Because as long as everybody works together, I do see in the future that guys may sign shorter-term deals and to control their future a little bit more, which is probably good for both sides. Because if it doesn\u2019t work out, maybe you don\u2019t want to keep doing it. But it\u2019s good for the players, too. If it doesn\u2019t work out his way, he can decide where he wants to go.\u201d<\/p>\n
As far as a select group of teams these days that everyone seems to want to play for, some of them in no-tax states, Robitaille downplayed that.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe no-tax thing, players want to go where they can win,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t remember 15 years ago players saying they wanted to go to Florida. Now Florida\u2019s good and they want to go to Florida. Same with Tampa. Dallas has been good for a long time, so there\u2019s always been talk that way. Players want to go where they have a chance. It\u2019s more important that you give your team a chance because more players will want to come when you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Babcock hire reaction<\/p>\n
The Edmonton Oilers made Mike Babcock\u2019s coaching hire official on Tuesday, and former Kings head coach D.J. Smith is coming on as a well-paid associate coach.<\/p>\n
To say the hire has been controversial would be the understatement of the year. But Jeff Jackson, the CEO of hockey operations for the Oilers, says the decision came after much due diligence.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe did the full analysis after the season on all facets of the organization, and when it came to coaching, we decided that we really thought we needed a certain type of coach for this group, where we\u2019re at with the maturity of the team, and the players that we have,\u201d Jackson told The Athletic. \u201cThat group of coaches (that fit that criteria) is not a large group. I\u2019d say it\u2019s probably three or four people. We spoke to three of them. We didn\u2019t speak to one of them. At the end of the day, it was a consultation between (GM) Stan (Bowman) and I, our ownership (Daryl Katz), our (player) leadership group, it was very collaborative.\u201d<\/p>\n
Though Jackson would not say, other league sources confirmed that the two other coaches he was referring to having spoken to were Craig Berube and Peter Laviolette. The one, of course, they didn\u2019t have access to was Bruce Cassidy.<\/p>\n
\u201cStan and I started the process with all of these coaches \u2014 the coaches that we felt were closest to getting the job, and we wanted to talk to the players, wanted to talk to ownership. That was our process,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cWe did a ton of due diligence. We talked to a lot of people. Players talked to a lot of people and to a lot of other players. We felt like we had a really good grasp on it. And when it got to the point where (hiring Babcock) might be a possibility for us, we reached out to (NHL deputy commissioner) Bill Daly to let him know he was a candidate.\u201d<\/p>\n
That required the NHL to do its own investigation to follow up on the events in Columbus three years ago that led Babcock to resign his job before even coaching a game.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe league did its thing and went through that process, and I think it\u2019s a good thing that they did that,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cIt was thorough. And it got to the point where they found that there was nothing that would not permit Mike to coach. We felt more comfortable that they had that process, to be honest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Still, it\u2019s a hire that has rankled some of the Oilers fanbase, and the team knows it.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can\u2019t please everyone,\u201d Jackson said. \u201cYou can\u2019t please them with coaching hires. You can\u2019t please them with player acquisitions, player signings. As an example, we signed two players (Jason Dickinson and Connor Murphy) in the last couple of days, and there\u2019s a lot of positive feedback, and there\u2019s other feedback. You sort of have to understand that that\u2019s how it is now.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur goal in Edmonton, with Stan and I and with Daryl\u2019s support, is that we\u2019re trying to win. We were close for two years (making the Stanley Cup Final in 2024 and 2025). We had a disappointing first-round exit last season, and we have to be better. So we think Mike and D.J., as a tandem coaching group along with Paul McFarland and the rest of our coaching staff, will give us the best chance to do that.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a hard coach who brings accountability, but he\u2019s also, in all the time that we spent with him, you sense and you know that he\u2019s learned from stuff that\u2019s happened over the last couple of experiences. It\u2019s important for him to come in and show that he\u2019s learned, and we\u2019re confident that he will.\u201d<\/p>\n
As for the NHL, which cleared Babcock last week, Bettman reiterated the league\u2019s position Tuesday.<\/p>\n
\u201cBased on our investigation, we concluded there was no basis upon which he should be prohibited from coaching, and his ability to coach depended on an NHL team wanting to have him coach and sign him, which is what Edmonton did,\u201d Bettman said.<\/p>\n
Still, the league is on watch.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do, and Mr. Babcock knows it because I spoke to him, expect a certain level of decorum and conduct among all NHL personnel, especially head coaches,\u201d Bettman said.<\/p>\n
Robitaille on the Kings<\/p>\n
The Kings have a new head coach in Laviolette, and his stated intention is to open up the offense.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow Lavvy wants his team to play and the way he communicates, even though he\u2019s been around a long time, he really seems to match this new era, this new world,\u201d Robitaille told The Athletic. \u201cThe Kings have been known to be a great, stingy team. So to be able to open it up a little bit without giving up too much, I think it might help us get over that line that we\u2019ve been trying to reach for a few years now.\u201d<\/p>\n
There needs to be a roster to match that new way of thinking for it to work. The retirement of Anze Kopitar only exacerbates the team\u2019s need for offense \u2014 and especially an upgrade at center. That\u2019s the top priority for GM Ken Holland.<\/p>\n
\u201cI know Ken is talking to everyone and listening,\u201d Robitaille said. \u201cIt seems like there\u2019s about 15 teams looking for centers.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that the team could use a little more mobility on the back end as well.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut that being said, we have a really good set of six wingers, so we want to make sure we protect that; that\u2019s one of our strengths,\u201d Robitaille said. \u201cKen is looking to see how everything can match between now and September.\u201d<\/p>\n
Penguins sale<\/p>\n
The Board of Governors also learned of the Pittsburgh Penguins\u2019 sale closing with the Hoffmann family.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe reported number subject to closing adjustments is between ($1.7 billion) and ($1.75 billion), give or take,\u201d Bettman said. \u201cActually, the deal was made a year ago, so based on the valuations at that time, that was consistent with what Sportico and Forbes and CNBC were doing, although at the time and even now, I think it was low. Having said that, it\u2019s nice that the Hoffmanns got a good deal, and it\u2019s nice that Fenway in five years doubled its investment.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEW YORK \u2014 Gary Bettman tried to soft-sell it as much as he could, but history suggests there\u2019s…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":605806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5117],"tags":[196,147,5278,93,146,5,145,4,25,100,273,197],"class_list":["post-605805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-dallas-stars","tag-dallas","tag-dallas-stars","tag-dallasstars","tag-detroit-red-wings","tag-edmonton-oilers","tag-hockey","tag-los-angeles-kings","tag-nhl","tag-ottawa-senators","tag-pittsburgh-penguins","tag-sports-business","tag-stars"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116803550776684353","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=605805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/605805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/605806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=605805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=605805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=605805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}