Seattle Kraken (coming 2021-2022)

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by rdnk

Seattle had a team called Metropolitans that won the Stanley Cup. If I had to place odds though, I'd go with Seattle Steelheads. Expansion team in QC, and moving Carolina to Seattle makes a lot of sense to me.

Doesn't make sense. Seattle WILL get the expansion team and NHL won't settle for anything else. They're willing to pay $650M for expansion, who'd say no to that? Next CBA, players will demand high cap. Owners getting 1.1B in expansion money, none of which players get. 2019 is an opt out year, they better get something done before.

What's the origin behind Steelheads?

[TracerBullet]

Quote: Originally Posted by Majingir

What's the origin behind Steelheads?

It's a type of trout and our state fish. We're big on fish up here (hence the Mariners). It's also the name of the former Negro League baseball team that was up here. So there is some history with the name here.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by TracerBullet

It's a type of trout and our state fish. We're big on fish up here (hence the Mariners). It's also the name of the former Negro League baseball team that was up here. So there is some history with the name here.

That makes Seattle VS Vancouver rivalry even more fitting.

[rdnk]

Quote: Originally Posted by Majingir

Doesn't make sense. Seattle WILL get the expansion team and NHL won't settle for anything else. They're willing to pay $650M for expansion, who'd say no to that? Next CBA, players will demand high cap. Owners getting 1.1B in expansion money, none of which players get. 2019 is an opt out year, they better get something done before.

My thought process was that a team in QC (or any big Canadian city) is more likely to be able to draw money with a less than competitive team. I'm sure they'd have no problems getting 650M out of a Canadian investor group in QC.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by rdnk

My thought process was that a team in QC (or any big Canadian city) is more likely to be able to draw money with a less than competitive team. I'm sure they'd have no problems getting 650M out of a Canadian investor group in QC.

Not really. 650M is over 800m Canadian. Getting even the 500m was slightly challenging. 650m or more might put even a Canadian team in a big hole financially.

Seattle has rich group, they can more than afford a 650m price tag.

If Canes went for 500m, I don't think a team like coyotes or panthers would go for over 600m. Better to inherit that if you're QC.

[pietasterp]

Seattle always seemed like the most logical destination for expansion to me. It's an entirely untapped market (Pacific Northwest) with a large metropolitan population that has no other winter sport team since the Sonics up-and-left town. The people of Seattle also seem to support non-mainstream sports (see: Sounders) and you will probably also draw some Portland fans as well. Built-in cross-border rivalry with Vancouver is a bonus. It's made so much sense for such a long time, and even moreso since the NBA took off.

Anyway, it always made more sense to me than Las Vegas.

[Majingir]

Quote: Originally Posted by pietasterp

Seattle always seemed like the most logical destination for expansion to me. It's an entirely untapped market (Pacific Northwest) with a large metropolitan population that has no other winter sport team since the Sonics up-and-left town. The people of Seattle also seem to support non-mainstream sports (see: Sounders) and you will probably also draw some Portland fans as well. Built-in cross-border rivalry with Vancouver is a bonus. It's made so much sense for such a long time, and even moreso since the NBA took off. Anyway, it always made more sense to me than Las Vegas.

Seattle seems more logical than QC too. Nhl wanted Seattle for years. It's exact reason Bettman commented directly about them during the last expansion. NHL wanted Seattle and Vegas in the league, and got left hanging having only Vegas to accept and looking like bad guys in QC situation. Long term though, it paid off as teams get an extra 5m or so out of this.

NHL needs to capitalize on that Pacific northwest market. Though if NHL really wants to make money, Toronto getting 2nd team would be perfect for them. You have a cash cow of a market you have millions of dollars a year to still squeeze out of them. Sure, you gotta grow the game, but you need to make as much money as you can.

[YeOldTonk]

I don't see how the season ticket campaign could fail. All of the T-Birds and Silvertips fans in the area. Not to mention the Winterhawks fans down south. This area is begging for NHL hockey.

The VAN/SEA rivalry would be an instant classic as the PDX/SEA/VAN MLS has become. Have their own Cascadia Cup.

Been a casual hockey fan for a long time watching and going to the T-Birds, Rockets and now Silvertips games. Totally psyched for the NHL to come.