As the NHL off-season winds down, there is still plenty up in the air with the Carolina Hurricanes.
For one, they have yet to sign Eric Staal or Cam Ward to new deals. (Both are set to become UFAs following the 2015-16 campaign.)
But perhaps the bigger issue remaining surrounds the team’s ownership. In September 2014, current owner Peter Karmanos declared his intention to sell the team (or at least some of it. He also said he wanted to continue to run the team).
“We’ve entertained some people here, but as we sit here right now, there’s nobody I can identify and say it’s a strong group to buy the team or a piece of it from Mr. Karmanos,” Team president Don Waddell told The News & Observer’s Luke DeCock Tuesday.
But what happens if Karmanos can’t find a suitable buyer? As DeCock writes, here’s where things could get interesting.
The NHL is currently reviewing bids for expansion teams in Las Vegas and Quebec. (Both bids are currently in Phase Three of that process.)
As Sportsnet’s John Shannon wrote Tuesday, plenty of questions remain surrounding Quebecor’s bid to bring a second NHL team to Quebec — meaning relocation, though unlikely, remains a possibility for the market down the road should their current expansion bid not be approved.
“It would not surprise me if the owners take the money and run and add both cities for the 2017-18 season,” Shannon wrote. “It would not surprise me to see just Vegas added at this point, with Quebec having to wait a little longer — perhaps even forcing Quebecor to change its focus to finding a team to relocate.”
Waddell did however stress that the possible sale of the Hurricanes is “not a desperation sale.”
“He doesn’t need to sell it,” Waddell said. “He’s 72 years old and he wants to have a succession plan.”
