Las Vegas has been clamouring for a professional sports team for decades and circumstances may finally align for the city to receive one.
Vancouver Province’s Tony Gallagher has reported that commissioner Gary Bettman is changing his mind on expansion.
…Recently the nature of the rhetoric has changed so much that the question is becoming not if, but when [the league will expand].
And then the ultimate question. Will they be able to limit the number of new teams to just two?
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.
This sounds great but deputy commissioner Bill Daly issued a statement this morning denying the report:
“[Expansion to Las Vegas is] not in our plans, there is absolutely nothing new in that,” he has admitted to TVASports.ca.
And if it were an organization struggling with financial difficulties, as the Florida Panthers, who moved rather in the “Sin City”?
“We have no move in sight, whether in the case of the Panthers, or any other team besides,” replied Daly.
If there was a time for Vegas to get a professional team it’d be now. MGM and AEG have partnered to build an arena behind the NYNY Hotel & Casino, which will open the spring of 2016. Before now it’s been thought of as a venue for future Mayweather fights and UFC events but the true benefit of the arena may be it’s ability to lure a professional sports team to Sin City.
Though reports are conflicting it’d be hard for the NHL to ignore the money that Vegas offers and a venue on the Strip makes it easy for both locals and tourist to attend games.