Jim Balsillie to purchase Nashville Predators?

[Black99GT]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/hockey/article. ... 11117_4792

[TheLionKing]

Apparently Balsillie is keeping the Preds in Nashville for one year after the purchase. No guarantee after that. Reminds me of the Grizzlies with Michael Heisley

[Lionut]

A lame duck year for the Preds in Nashville would be deeply embarrassing for all concerned. I'll bet you that if this deal goes though, Balsillie and the NHL will simply pay the penalty to break the lease early, and get out of town right away.

Hey, I hear there's a nice building in Winnipeg that needs a tenant...

[nelson95]

Hamilton,Winnipeg or ........Kansas City?

[Rammer]

A lame duck year for the Preds in Nashville would be deeply embarrassing for all concerned. I'll bet you that if this deal goes though, Balsillie and the NHL will simply pay the penalty to break the lease early, and get out of town right away.

Hey, I hear there's a nice building in Winnipeg that needs a tenant...

I understand that the Preditors had an out clause worked into the lease for attendance under 14K. He could exercise that option, but does sound as if he is willing to wait it out, but he may not have a venue to go to right now to his desired destination. It was also reported that he would be interested in relocating the franchise to the Southern Ontario market.

[Lionut]

Rammer, I think it's the NHL that would prefer to avoid the embarrassment of a lame duck season. Balsillie has enough cash that he probably doesn't care if he has to limp through a lame duck year, but the League does, as they have to deal with the bad media every night on the sports highlight shows.

My theory is that the League will persuade/bribe Buffalo and Toronto to let the Preds play in Hamilton for a couple of seasons, while a new rink down the road near Kitchener/Waterloo is being built. I think that's a better solution than having 5,000 fans a night in Nashville. It's really not that big a deal -- Hamilton is literally 30 minutes away from Kitchener/Waterloo. The key for Balsillie, though, is that Kitchener/Waterloo is just a shade (literally just a few kilometres) outside the Leafs and Sabres territorial boundaries, which means they can't block the move on that basis.

It's actually a great place to put a franchise -- they will be able to draw from the growing Kitchener/Waterloo and Cambridge areas, Hamilton, and London, Ontario. It's also only an hour and ten minutes down the 401 from Toronto, allowing fans from there who can't get Leafs' tickets to buy Preds tickets. They'll sell out every night, guaranteed. The challenge in Kitchener/Waterloo will be finding other dates to keep the building busy on nights the NHL isn't playing.

[Rammer]

Yep, it is the Kitchener area that was mentioned on the report.

[smphantom]

Done deal!

http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/news_story/?ID=208743&hubname=

[TheLionKing]

What were the NHL governors thinking when they awarded Nashville a franchise in the first place ? The only ice they know is in their drinks.

[sj-roc]

Rammer, I think it's the NHL that would prefer to avoid the embarrassment of a lame duck season. Balsillie has enough cash that he probably doesn't care if he has to limp through a lame duck year, but the League does, as they have to deal with the bad media every night on the sports highlight shows.

My theory is that the League will persuade/bribe Buffalo and Toronto to let the Preds play in Hamilton for a couple of seasons, while a new rink down the road near Kitchener/Waterloo is being built. I think that's a better solution than having 5,000 fans a night in Nashville. It's really not that big a deal -- Hamilton is literally 30 minutes away from Kitchener/Waterloo. The key for Balsillie, though, is that Kitchener/Waterloo is just a shade (literally just a few kilometres) outside the Leafs and Sabres territorial boundaries, which means they can't block the move on that basis.

It's actually a great place to put a franchise -- they will be able to draw from the growing Kitchener/Waterloo and Cambridge areas, Hamilton, and London, Ontario. It's also only an hour and ten minutes down the 401 from Toronto, allowing fans from there who can't get Leafs' tickets to buy Preds tickets. They'll sell out every night, guaranteed. The challenge in Kitchener/Waterloo will be finding other dates to keep the building busy on nights the NHL isn't playing.

There's one (admittedly minor) logistical problem with moving the Preds to the K/W area -- they are a Western Conference team, and it would be awkward to keep them there if they end up in Ontario -- not just geographically speaking, but it would also hamper the development of local rivalries w/the Leafs & Sabres (unless they dump the unbalanced sked). In fact, IIRC the Preds were supposed to be (should have been?) an Eastern Conf team to begin with, but the Leafs somehow managed to change conferences at that time and force them into the West.

On the other hand, I just can't see any current Eastern team that would be willing to increase their travel expenses and switch conferences with them, not to mention that it wouldn't even improve the geographical logistics anyway.

[Lionut]

Not a particularly big deal if Kitchener-Waterloo is stuck in the Western Conference - it's not like their travel will change all that much from when they were in Nashville. (I'm talking past tense, as I just can't envision them running a lame duck season in Nashville. It makes no sense.) So too are the Red Wings and Blue Jackets, two other Eastern time zone teams who would love to switch to the East if given a chance.