Gary Bettman made that abundantly clear during his media availability at all-star weekend, essentially laying out the only terms that would see the Coyotes ponder a move.
“It’s not going to be two weeks, but it’s not going to be two years,” Bettman said.
It produced one of the NHL’s most electric players in Auston Matthews, who was compelled to become the first member of his family to pick up a hockey stick after attending a Coyotes game when he was young.
The most pressing issue for the Coyotes is finding somewhere to play next season, because their lease with the city of Glendale at Gila River Arena is expiring.
That three-year deal, which includes the opportunity to extend beyond 2025 on a year-by-year basis, must be approved by the university’s board of regents.
The Coyotes’ ability to generate revenue will be significantly impacted by playing out of such a small venue, although Bettman said the league had modelling which suggested they could make more than they have been at the sparsely attended Gila River Arena.
Completing the ’19-20 season and then doing the ’20-21 season — it cost a lot of money, OK? On average we lost $50 million a club, maybe.
When Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly recently met with government officials from Quebec, they told them there were no franchises available for relocation.
The biggest change from previous seasons is an assist rate that has gone through the roof, which can probably be explained in part by all of the talent he shares the ice with in Colorado.
I’m playing with great players that make it easy for me and bring the best out of me, because they’re so good.
As much as Kadri prides himself on staying in the moment, he’s also looking ahead to the summer.
I’ve had the same agent for a long, long time now and I just wanted to see what else was out there for me.
With a Jim Rutherford-run team, you always take the over.
They can finish first, yes, but I don’t think it’s likely they will.
Dylan, let’s manifest this into reality.
Two teams were mentioned most often in an anecdotal poll of all-stars about who should be considered the Stanley Cup favourite: Florida and Vegas … Hurricanes head coach Rod Brind’Amour described the Panthers as a “juggernaut” … The player Matthews was most excited to meet in Vegas? Evgeny Kuznetsov … Honest response from Steven Stamkos on why he hopes the Tampa Bay Lightning are once again buyers at the trade deadline: “It’s easy for us to dismiss draft picks because we’re probably not going to be around when they come through.
It was great seeing so many of the sport’s top players relaxed and enjoying themselves in Las Vegas.
