NHL Expansion Approved, Las Vegas Awarded 31st NHL Franchise
By Ryan Ritchie
NHL Expansion Approved at Board of Governors Meeting, Las Vegas Award 31st NHL Franchise, Will Begin in 2017-18
After months of speculation, NHL Expansion is official. Las Vegas has been awarded the 31st NHL franchise and will begin play in 2017-18.
“In the fall of 2017, when we celebrate the 100th birthday of the NHL, we will do so as a League of 31 teams,” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said. “We are pleased to welcome Bill Foley and the city of Las Vegas to the League and are truly excited that an NHL franchise will be the first major professional sports team in this vibrant, growing, global destination city.” – via Sportsnet
Commissioner Gary Bettman referenced numerous factors which weighed into the eventual decision. Most important of which being the economic viability in one of the last untapped markets for professional sports. Their outstanding effort in their ticket drive also played a major factor according to Bettman.
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Gary also announced that Quebec City’s bid would be deferred (put off for a later time) based on several key factors.
First, the weak Canadian Dollar would cost QC nearly $650 million dollars CDN to cover the final $500 million dollar cost. The NHL wants expansion franchises to succeed from the beginning, not have their books in the red to start their tenure.
Bettman also noted the new expansion draft is set up to make teams competitive from day one. By limiting expansion to one franchise, it accomplishes this without depleting from the 30 other teams.
Lastly, the Commissioner noted the geographic imbalance. With 16 teams already located in the Eastern Conference, it would make little sense to add another for a 17-14 ratio.
NHL Expansion to Las Vegas essentially opens the door for a Quebec City team in the near future. While upsetting to Canadians that yet another franchise heads to the Southern United States, take comfort in knowing that your time is soon coming to expand to eight franchises.
As stated above, the new Las Vegas franchise will begin play in 2017-18, and will do so at the T-Mobile Arena on the downtown strip. The next step in the process will be an expansion draft in the summer of 2017.
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We expect more precise details to come as we near closer, but many of the rules are set in place already. In fact, you can set up your own expansion draft through generalfanager.com. It’s too early to predict exactly who might be available, but the tool gives you a great idea of which teams are facing the most difficulty. You can also read up on the various rules, and check out which players are automatically exempt from the expansion process.