Las Vegas Expansion, Good or Bad?

“Sources close to the situation have indicated Las Vegas is a done deal, the only thing to be determined being which owner will be entitled to proclaim that he brought the first major league sports franchise to Sin City,”  -Kevin Gallagher, Vancouver Province Sports

With recent news of the NHL possibly expanding to Las Vegas, it has started to raise many questions. For starters:

1. Why the sudden change of heart Mr.. Bettman?
The sudden change of heart from NHL commissioner Gary Bettman has many struck with confusion. 10 years ago when asked about the possibility of an NHL team in Sin City, he was very against the thought of having a team in such a big gambling market, which to no ones surprise wouldn't be the ideal situation, as it would most likely raise more questions about games being fixed.

2. What would happen with the Coyotes?
We all know the the Coyotes aren't in a great situation right now. With the lack of attendance and the recent ownership issues, things could be a lot better right now. They're average attendance for a game is 13,755, a league worst. So would adding another team near them be a great idea for the NHL? Jobing.com Arena, where the Coyotes play, is only 276 miles away from Las Vegas. Is it a long drive, of course, but it would still hurt the Coyotes market.

3. Will the marketing in Las Vegas retain over time?
Las Vegas is one of the biggest tourist areas in the world, with many different attractions. With all the turn over and the constant change of atmosphere how would that toll on an NHL team? Yes they would have a big impact on business for the Casinos, hotels and whatnot but what about the locals? Would an NHL in Vegas attract the residents of Sin City to attended a hockey game?

Nicolas Goss of NESN says it perfectly: "Three of the bottom five teams in attendance percentage during the 2013-14 season played in warm climates — Dallas Stars, Arizona Coyotes and Florida Panthers. Filling the arena for games against the Bruins, Chicago Blackhawks, Detroit Red Wings and other marquee franchise should be easier, but what about when the Panthers come to town?"

Aside from the problems, there is a few good things if the NHL were to expand to Vegas:
1. They already have a few potential buyers/owners for a team.Gary Bettman has stated that he has had a few calls about potential owners if a team were to move to Vegas.

2. New arena: AEG and MGM came together on a new arena project which is expected to hold around 20,000 which should be done in 2016. With a new arena being built it wouldn't just be for hockey, it would be for all sports and entertainment, so the team would go in debt to the arena anytime soon.



All comments are appreciated, new aspiring blogger!