The wheels inside the head of one of the best reporters in hockey, Gary Lawless, were spinning after the first week of May came and went without any significant expansion news.
Lawless, who brought us this huge news last week suggested relocation, a year long expansion delay, and a timeline that has the official announcement coming before the Stanley Cup Finals. Here’s the recap of what he wrote…
One other rumour making the rounds on Friday has expansion being announced this spring but pushed back by a year until the 2018-19 season.
There’s the possibility the league will wait until the beginning of June. Bettman may want to squeeze the announcement into the days between the conference finals and the Stanley Cup to not take any attention away from the games on the ice.
One National Hockey League Players’ Association insider suggested this week that Carolina relocating to Las Vegas is a storyline to watch. –Gary Lawless, TSN
Let’s start with the 2018-19 idea. According to sources in direct contact with the organization here in Las Vegas, 2018-19 has never been suggested to The Creator at any point.
Next, the Carolina stuff. No matter who you talk to, or what is written in the media, relocation rumors are nearly impossible to decipher. Could it happen? Maybe. Is it likely? No.
Expansion still seems like the best option for everyone involved, but my mind keeps wandering back to something The Creator told me directly, when he said, “I’d love to get my hands on the Coyotes.” He went on to explain how much quicker and easier it would be than assembling a completely new franchise. But, he reiterated multiple times that neither Carolina nor Arizona had spoken to him about relocation. It may be a “storyline to watch,” and we will, but it’s a mega-longshot.
Finally to the most positive of the rumors and the one that makes the most sense based on our working knowledge. The Stanley Cup Finals are set to start on June 1st, which does indeed leave a few days from the end of the Conference Finals. There’s no doubt that would make a lot of sense, and assuming the Board of Governors meeting occurs in the next week or two, it all adds up perfectly.
At this point though, we’ll still stand by our report that expansion is a done deal and the announcement will come in May. So just hang in there a little bit longer, our time in purgatory is coming to an end soon.
Jeff
Starting to sound like your source who said that it definitely would be announced the first two weeks of May, may not be the most reliable source……id be curious to know what that source is saying about all this negative news now….
Ken Boehlke
That source has confirmed he’s heard nothing new from the original information. Still expects a BOG announcement soon and an official announcement shortly thereafter. We shall see.
Jeff
I’m sitting on pins and needles as I’m sure you are too.
Ken Boehlke
No doubt about it man. The wait is killing me, it’s killing all of us. I can’t even imagine for how Mr Foley feels
Ben Bauer
And now, imagine people in Quebec who have not been waiting for one, but 21 years.
Ken Boehlke
Pretty sure we’ve been waiting since 1905 when the city was founded.
George Fallar
Lawless was wrong so many times on the Coyotes matter that little stock should be put in his remarks regarding relocation.
If Foley indeed made a statement regarding the Coyotes as reported in this blog post, especially if it wasn’t specifically off the record, that’s as irresponsible a comment as could be made by a person looking to join the ranks of NHL owners. You’d think he’d have enough intelligence to be able to put himself in the shoes of a team owner and consider how a statement like that would be regarded.
Ken Boehlke
I’ll have to disagree there. He was not insinuating anything further than the fact that it would be easier to take over a current organization than it would to create a brand new one from scratch. He was also commenting on how talented he thought the Coyotes are. There was not a hint of negativity and certainly not anything that would upset any other owner. He has always been very respectful.
I was simply saying that I believe he’d be open to relocation, though his mind is currently, and has been, on expansion and only expansion.
George Fallar
Then why not say “the Blackhawks” instead of inciting the trolls that are always looking for hints of teams moving and fueling the rumors himself?
It’s a matter of using your head and understanding the situation.
Ken Boehlke
Because I specifically asked him if he had any discussions about the Coyotes. His response was, “No one has talked to me about that at any point”
George Fallar
You said you also asked about the Canes.
You’re not getting it, you don’t understand the effect of years of bankruptcy, unstable ownership, near relocations, and constant pressure, nor does Foley apparently. If he did, he would have used different language as do NHL owners.
Anyway, good luck.
Ken Boehlke
We’ll have to agree to disagree. Love the discussion though. #GiveUsOurDamnTeam