Here’s some disheartening news for Carolina Hurricanes fans.
Journalist Jimmy Murphy reports he’s talked to two NHL executives that believe the Hurricanes could be relocated to Las Vegas. Should that happen, he reports a possible expansion draft would be put on hold.
Spoke to two NHL executives today that believe the Carolina Hurricanes could be relocated to Las Vegas & expansion put on hold for now.
— Jimmy Murphy (@MurphysLaw74) June 6, 2016
The report comes at a time where the ownership situation in Carolina is becoming increasingly worrisome. Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos had adamantly stated in past interviews that he has no interest in moving the team and that he’s happy with the current market. It seemed the Hurricanes wouldn’t have to worry about ownership issues until last week reports came out that Karmanos used millions of dollars from trusts that were promised to his three sons to take out loans to fund the Hurricanes, and never paid them off. His sons promptly sued him.
Karmanos’ financial situation is unclear. The fact he took out loans to fund the team and didn’t pay them back should be worrisome for Hurricanes fans. Attendance at Carolina games has plummeted. Realistically, it would make sense to move them to a bigger market. If Karmanos somehow loses ownership, then the team is a perfect candidate to be moved.
Since the team would hypothetically be relocated, an expansion draft wouldn’t be necessary. That would be good news for teams trying to protect their assets from being selected. However, it wouldn’t be good for the NHL who likely would prefer to keep a team in Carolina and add another team in Las Vegas.
It’s just a report, but the Hurricanes future sure doesn’t seem like it will be in Carolina.
