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Put the Red Wings, take the Red Wings out, put the Caps back in and you shake it all about…with the Islanders. After a win last night The Isles now sit in the final Wild Card spot with 73 points (.546 for the scrolling and trolling in terms of points) and Philly has the same amount of point and the same percentage. So tonight Washington and Detroit both play (72 points, .547 pts %) and could flip 2 teams out with wins. Unfortunately for Detroit, it will take in net thievery by Lyon and a revisit to the high scoring that would see 4, 5 or 6 goals go in. Not an easy task for tonight’s contest.
After LaLonde’s comments confirming the original plans for Lyon and the change that a waivers concern brought to a team with the cap space to hold 3 goalies, this season has Detroit still very close. LaLonde has also confirmed the concerns of yesterday’s chat by saying, “how many teams would be in this spot with their starting goalie on the shelf for an extended period”. Husso is still “the guy” at this point, at least in the press releases.
Tonight is another stomach wrench for fans while the number of you in the comments who have embraced the thought that the playoffs are out of the question at this point continues to gain steam. Having to wait to the end of the season is unpleasant at this point.
Last night the comments saw some interesting entries as an ECHL franchise closed its doors. Soon after a release was quoted by PHR:
And now they’re for sale. The owner wants 1B. This owner has been a nightmare:
According to Arizona Sports’ John Gambadoro, Coyotes owner Alex Meruelo has contacted multiple parties, including groups inside and outside the state, to gauge their interest in buying the franchise. He’s seeking an asking price of $1B, $50MM more than the Senators sold for when Michael Andlauer purchased the club last summer.
I copied the quote and posted it. Today, the link to that story goes nowhere. So I went to the original source,
Arizona Sports. The very first thing I notice is a change in the quote. Still acknowledges the owner looking for a buyer but this has been added:
“Mr. Meruelo and the team are solely focused on the land auction and winning the bid. And to keep the Coyotes in Arizona,” the Coyotes told Arizona Sports on Thursday when asked about potential conversations Meruelo had with possible buyers
So, a missing story link, a “sole focus” on buying land and what should be a fairly major story about a team that refused to pay rent, has asked twice for bond funded arenas (including a 2B district for one) and the guarantee that the owner is paying for the arena out of his own funds all coincide this morning. Ok.
Last summer’s sale of Ottawa went from a year long campaign of a celebrity led group to a quick switch in buyers with the statement “we all knew Ottawa had significant debt”. It also went from a new arena to, “let’s wait and see if a new arena is warranted”. Pittsburgh had some similar issues as the press celebrates each win because a new owner is very unhappy with how the season had gone. A 3rd sale that could eclipse those disappointments combined with the broadcast scenario is not a great look. The final caveat that isn’t getting a ton of press (from the Arizona paper)
: Focusing efforts to win the Phoenix land at an auction that’s yet to be scheduled appeared to be the next step at finding a permanent home. There remained potential hurdles to cover before the team could purchase the land. - wait, I thought it was in June, right?
From the same write up:
According to the Arizona state constitution, there must be an auction advertisement in print media for a minimum of 10 weeks before the auction. The state would have 240 days from the board of appeals’ approval of that auction on March 14 to hold it.
In other words, the land auction at minimum would not take place until mid-June but would not have to be held until Nov. 9.
According to the state constitution, “the department shall reappraise or update the department’s original appraisal of property to be leased, exchanged or sold if the board of appeals’ approval of the lease or sale occurred more than two hundred forty days before the auction.”
The drafting of an auction notice had not yet been completed as of Thursday, the Arizona State Land Department told Arizona Sports.
That last part is important. The notice hasn’t been drafted and has to be up for 10 weeks in print along with a 240 day window for the board that could push the auction to November. Then, how long does it take to build a stadium?
As some of you ask, “what’s the point of covering this?” There wouldn’t be one if the league weren’t fully integrated in revenue reporting. That revenue affects players who get to vote on a raise in the cap. Add to that Arizona being a team that Bally kicked off the roster. Even while trying to raise revenues and settle bankruptcy. Whatever the league’s obsession is to keep the team in Arizona has to have fans in Quebec, fans of the original Jets franchise, Thrasher fans, Whaler fans and others all scratching their heads.
Two questions for you - does Detroit have a shot at the post season or has that ship sailed?
Also, why is Arizona so important to the league that multiple stadiums, owners and even names have surrounded the relatively short tenure of this relocated franchise?
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