Seattle
quebec
Milwaukee
Indianapolis
Houston
Baltimore
Not to burst a bunch of bubbles, but
1. Milwaukee already has an AHL franchise, and while that doesn't immediately eliminate it, there are other, larger markets to expand to.
2. Indianapolis does not have an arena or any desire to support an NHL team. While a growing city, they also aren't a large market
3. Baltimore has too much proximity to Washington and Philadelphia to be a solid choice. There are better options.
Seattle, Houston, and Toronto (2) would be my top three, with Quebec being an Eastern conference relocation threat.
Seattle
quebec
Milwaukee
Indianapolis
Houston
Baltimore
Not to burst a bunch of bubbles, but
1. Milwaukee already has an AHL franchise, and while that doesn't immediately eliminate it, there are other, larger markets to expand to.
2. Indianapolis does not have an arena or any desire to support an NHL team. While a growing city, they also aren't a large market
3. Baltimore has too much proximity to Washington and Philadelphia to be a solid choice. There are better options.
Seattle, Houston, and Toronto (2) would be my top three, with Quebec being an Eastern conference relocation threat.
Arizona could move to Quebec. Not sure who would move there in the east. Isles? Panthers?
Houston is more of a relocation city than an expansion one. You would need a strong team to build a fan base.
Fair point, but why would Vegas be any different? If it ends up working there, then it proves expansion is viable in the sun belt (if Nashville and Tampa hadn't already).
Not to burst a bunch of bubbles, but
1. Milwaukee already has an AHL franchise, and while that doesn't immediately eliminate it, there are other, larger markets to expand to.
2. Indianapolis does not have an arena or any desire to support an NHL team. While a growing city, they also aren't a large market
3. Baltimore has too much proximity to Washington and Philadelphia to be a solid choice. There are better options.
Seattle, Houston, and Toronto (2) would be my top three, with Quebec being an Eastern conference relocation threat.
Arizona could move to Quebec. Not sure who would move there in the east. Isles? Panthers?
Arizona COULD move to Quebec, but the stark EC/WC imbalance would likely nix that from a BOG perspective. NY Islanders and Florida feel much more likely to move up there, while I suspect that if Houston becomes an option and Arizona still doesn't have an arena, that's where they'll go.
Arizona could move to Quebec. Not sure who would move there in the east. Isles? Panthers?
Arizona COULD move to Quebec, but the stark EC/WC imbalance would likely nix that from a BOG perspective. NY Islanders and Florida feel much more likely to move up there, while I suspect that if Houston becomes an option and Arizona still doesn't have an arena, that's where they'll go.
For the last time, nobody's relocating to Québec City. The Nordiques left because the Canadian dollar was weak, and the Canadian dollar is still weak, so why would any franchise relocate back to Québec City?
And I really doubt the Coyotes are leaving. It's pretty hard to justify leaving a market that just produced a generational talent.
I wouldn't be surprised if Houston became the 32nd franchise, just because of geographic concerns (and also media market size), and because nobody seems to be getting anywhere in Seattle with regards to a real arena proposal.
as much as i don't like it when teams move, the one i wouldn't mind would be Arizona to Quebec. I hope nobody moves unless it's Arizona to Quebec, that would be okay.
Expansion cities should be Houston or Quebec. Maybe Portland (oregon). But what do you think how many could be the maximum number of the teams in the league?
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