Category: Ian Palmer

Ottawa’s Clarke MacArthur Fails NHL Medical, Five Months After Comeback

Ottawa Senators’ forward Clarke MacArthur has failed his NHL medical at training camp, just five months after making a long-awaited comeback. The 32-year-old’s career is in limbo once again due to his history of concussions. The winger came back late last season and helped Ottawa reach the
Eastern Conference Final in the playoffs. The failed medical means he won’t be able to participate in training camp and will be on the outside looking in yet again.
MacArthur, who was drafted 74th overall by Buffalo in 2003, has had injury problems since the 2014/15 campaign when his season was cut short due to a concussion. However, he appeared to be healthy when the 2015/16 season faced off and was back in the Ottawa lineup. Unfortunately, he didn’t last long as he was back on the shelf after playing just four games due to suffering more concussions. MacArthur missed 156 games over the last two seasons before returning in April and appearing in four games before the playoffs got underway.
He played well in the postseason with three goals and six assists in 19 games and going plus-5.
Those numbers gave MacArthur a boost of confidence and he was looking forward to continuing his strong play in 2017/18. To make matters worse though, one of his came during last year’s training camp when he was checked hard into the boards by teammate Patrick Sieloff. By the time the playoff races heated up late in January it looked like MacArthur wouldn’t play at all in 2016/17 when general manager Pierre Dorion told the press he was out for the season.
MacArthur didn’t give up though and was back on the ice with his teammates in March when he started practising with the squad. He made it all the way back on April 4th when he was in the lineup against Detroit and received about 10 minutes of ice time. He played out the season and then inspired his teammates during their playoff run. However, it’s obvious something went wrong during the summer months and that has led to his failed medical, after doctors had cleared him to play earlier this year.
There’s a possibility MacArthur may now be forced to retire because of his health issues and he admitted that it’s something he had to think about last year. He said he headed down to Florida to relax, but soon found himself in the gym as he decided on trying a comeback instead. The player is currently signed to a five-year contract which is worth $23.25. If he can’t play, MacArthur will be placed on Ottawa’s long-term injury list and his salary will come off of the cap.
Known as a solid two-way player, MacArthur would be missed by the Senators and their fans, but they’ve basically gotten by without him for the past two seasons. Unfortunately, they’ve become used to playing with their teammate watching from the stands. If MacArthur does decide to hang up his skates he will have played in 552 games starting in the 2006/07 season. He played with Buffalo, Atlanta, Toronto and Ottawa and racked up 133 goals and 171 assists for 304 points with 343 minutes in penalties. He also added seven goals and seven assists in 30 playoff contests with Toronto and Ottawa.

NHL Introduces Minor Penalties for Failed Offside Challenges

The NHL introduced coaches’ challenges for offsides a couple of years ago and this campaign the league will be introducing minor penalties for a failed challenge. The main reason for this is the lengthy delay that many challenges result in when video replays are checked over and over again. This is because some offsides are simply too close to call even with the help of modern technology. With players’ feet often being in the air when they’re crossing the blue line, it’s almost impossible to tell if they were onside or offside by a skate lace.
The league and Players’ Association got together in June to discus potential rule changes for the upcoming 2017/18 season and one of the hottest debates involved the offside challenge. It was proposed that a team which challenges an offside call and then loses that challenge, will be assessed a two-minute minor penalty. The thinking is that coaches will only make a challenge on a blatant missed call or if they’re certain of winning the challenge. This allows the NHL to leave the offside rule as it is without having to alter it or do away with it completely.
According to league statistics, there were 131 challenges to offside calls by NHL coaches in the 2016/17 season. That was an increase of 32 per cent over the 2015/16 campaign, which was the first year the challenge was introduced. But the NHL found coaches were often challenging calls just for the sake of it if they had one remaining late in in a game and were scored against. With these offside calls being decided by a fraction of an inch, it took far too long for game officials to come to a conclusive decision. They were also using small I-Pad type screens to watch the replays on at ice level.
The offside challenge was brought in to help rectify obvious missed calls by the linesmen, but since this so rarely happens, the spirit of the rule has been abused. Blatant missed calls can be reviewed and reversed in a matter of seconds via instant replay, but when a player was possibly offside by a toenail it was becoming increasingly difficult to spot. With a two-minute penalty at stake, the NHL is hoping the number of challenges will dramatically decrease this season and fans won’t have to sit through lengthy delays. In addition, a team doesn’t need to have its timeout remaining to challenge an offside call this year.
Other than the penalty for failed offside challenges, the NHL has yet to announce any other major rule changes for the 2017/18 campaign.

Shane Doan hangs up the skates after 21 years in the NHL`

Forward Shane Doan of the Arizona Coyotes has decided to hang up the skates on his NHL career after more than two decades in the world’s best hockey league. The 40-year-old may not be completely done with hockey though. There’s always a chance the former Arizona captain could suit up for Canada at the upcoming 2018 Winter Olympics in South Korea. Doan, who hails from Halkirk, Alberta, was one of the few players to spend an entire 20-plus year career with just one franchise. He was drafted seventh overall by the original Winnipeg Jets club back in 1995 and remained with the team when it relocated to Phoenix just a year later.
Doan was an unrestricted free agent this summer and was told by the Coyotes that they wouldn’t be re-signing him. However, it may have surprised some fans that another team didn’t take a chance on the veteran right-winger, especially considering his excellent leadership qualities. Doan actually announced his retirement via a notice in the Arizona Republic newspaper and claimed it was a very difficult decision to come to. He completed his final NHL season earlier this year with six goals and 27 assists for 33 points in 74 games in his 13th campaign as the team’s captain.
In total, Doan appeared in 1,540 regular-season NHL games and racked up 402 goals and 570 assists for 972 points and served 1,353 penalty minutes. Those numbers make him the all-time franchise leader in points, games played, goals, assists, game-winners and power-play goals. He played in just 55 playoff contests though as he was often a member of relatively-weak squads and chipped in with 15 goal and 13 assists for 28 points and spent 85 minutes in the penalty box.
Only eight other NHL players have managed to suit up for 21 years with the same club with just three of them playing more games than Doan. These were Alex Delvecchio, Nicklas Lidstrom and Gordie Howe, who were all former Detroit Red Wings. Doan’s 1,540 games splayed currently ranks him 14th all-time in league history. The Coyotes thanked their former captain for everything he did off the ice and achieved on it for the franchise by releasing a media statement shortly after he retired.
Doan was never a high-scoring superstar, but was a consistent scorer and playmaker who always stood up for his teammates. He reached the 20-goal mark 13 times and broke the 50-point barrier on 11 occasions. Doan also represented the Coyotes in two All-Star Games and he was awarded the King Clancy Memorial Trophy for the 2009/10 campaign, which goes to the player who shows the best leadership qualities both on and off the ice and who has also contributed significantly to humanitarian causes in his community. He also won the Mark Messier Leadership Award for 2011/12.

Doan admitted that he wasn’t the most skilled player on his team, let alone the league, and thanked the fans for sticking by him through the Coyotes’ ups and downs. He said he greatly appreciates and loved and respect he received in Arizona and will certainly miss his teammates, club employees, friends, the fans and the community in general. Ironically, the only player from the 1995 draft to score more points than Doan is Jarome Iginla, and the free agent forward may also wind up on the 2018 Olympic squad with Doan.

Hobey Baker winner Will Butcher chooses to join the New Jersey Devils

Last season’s Hobey Baker Award winner Will Butcher announced on August 27th that he has decided to join the New Jersey Devils. The 22-year-old defenceman from Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, was named the top player in college hockey for the 2016/17 campaign where he played for the University of Denver. Butcher and the Devils agreed on a two-year entry level contract which is worth $1.85 million. It was also reported that he could earn as much as $850,000 a year in bonuses if he reaches certain performance-based milestones.
There were numerous teams interested in Butcher after he turned down a contract offer from the Colorado Avalanche on August 15th. The Avalanche originally drafted him in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft’s fifth round with the 123rd pick, but the player and club couldn’t agree to terms on a deal. Butcher then became an unrestricted free agent in mid-August. Since he’s on an entry-level contract, Butcher will be making the maximum salary allowed for the next two seasons at $925,000 a season and the $850,000 yearly bonuses are also the maximum allowed for current rookie contracts.
Therefore, Butcher would have received the same pay no matter which club he signed for, but he felt the Devils were the best fit for his situation and style of play. He was also giving serious consideration to signing with the Vegas Knights or the Buffalo Sabres. Devils’ general manager Ray Shero was thrilled to land the promising young defenceman as his team is hoping to make the playoffs in the upcoming 2017/18 season. Butcher is just the seventh defenceman to capture the Hobey Baker Award and he helped his college team win the national title earlier this year.
The Devils fortunes seem to have turned around since missing the postseason last year as the club also won the draft lottery this year and chose centre Nico Hischier of Switzerland with the first-overall pick. Shero then picked up 26-year old skilful forward Marcus Johansson from the Washington Capitals just a few weeks later. The left-handed shooting Butcher is expected to step in immediately and help the Devils in their youthful rebuild. He finished last season with seven goals and 30 assists for 37 points in 43 games and finished his career at the University of Denver with 103 points on 28 goals and 75 assists in 158 contests.

Butcher is now the second consecutive Hobey Baker Award winner who chose to become a free agent after wrapping up his career in the college ranks. Forward Jimmy Vesey, who was originally drafted by Nashville, decided to turn down their contract offer last year and the club traded his rights to the Buffalo Sabres. However, the Sabres and Vesey also failed to come to terms and the former Harvard players shopped his services around before deciding to sign with the New York Rangers. Vesey then went on to a decent rookie season by scoring 16 goals and 11 assists for the Rangers in 80 games.

NHL confirms Olympic Hockey contract situation

The NHL announced a few months ago that the league wouldn’t be shutting down this season to allow its players to take part in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. Commissioner Gary Bettman recently confirmed which pro players will be eligible to participate. Current and former NHL players who will be playing in Europe this season will be able to play. In addition, players on one-way American Hockey League contracts can participate. However, those who are playing in the AHL on two-way contracts aren’t eligible to play. Basically, anybody with an NHL contract in 2017/18 isn’t allowed to partake in the Olympic action.
This means the Canadian and U.S. Olympic hockey teams will be weakened drastically for the 2018 tournament compared to every event since 1994, which saw NHL players participate in them. European leagues will be letting their players make the trip to South Korea and this is why several NHL free agents such as Andrei Markov of the Montreal Canadiens decided to sign with KHL teams during the offseason. In addition, the KHL already has an abundance of excellent players to choose from for the games next February, including former NHL stars Pavel Datsyuk and Ilya Kovalchuk.   
Canada’s chances of winning a third-straight gold medal look slim, but the nation’s hockey association has already named Willie Desjardins and the team’s head coach with Sean Burke as general manager and Martin Brodeur as an assistant GM, a position he also holds with the St. Louis Blues Meanwhile, the U.S. has announced Tony Granato as its bench boss. Both countries will likely be filling their 25-man rosters with pro players who are based in Europe before adding a few AHL players to the mix. Some possible members of the Canadian team include former NHL’ers Ben Scrivens, Kevin Klein, Derek Roy, Mason Raymond and Max Talbot.
The U.S. may take Keith Aucoin, Nathan Gerbe and goaltenders Jean-Philippe Lamoureux and David Leggio as well as college and junior players. However, any AHL players that are selected to play for their countries are only allowed to leave their domestic clubs for the Olympics and not any of the numerous pre-tournament events including the annual Spengler Cup at the end of December in Switzerland. The U.S. is forgoing most of these pre-Olympic tournaments though and is planning on playing just one, which will be the Deutschland Cup in November.

While Bettman and the NHL owners have put their foot down regarding the 2018 Olympics, it still remains to be seen if certain players decide to go anyway. For example, star Russian winger Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals has told the press on many occasions that he plans on playing in South Korea regardless of the NHL’s decision to bypass the event. It’s possible that players such as Ovechkin try to work out a deal with their NHL clubs, but if they do travel to South Korea, it’s unclear if Bettman has the power to throw the book at them via suspensions and/or fines.

Houston pushing for NHL franchise

Quebec City, Seattle and Portland are usually the three cities mentioned when it comes to further NHL expansion. However, Houston should probably be added to that short list. Houston is one of America’s fastest-growing communities and already has a huge fan base for sports with the Houston Astros of Major League Baseball, the Houston Dynamo of Major League Soccer and the NBA’s Houston Rockets. There would also be a natural NHL rivalry with fellow Texans, the Dallas Stars  
Of course, Houston was home to the Aeros of the old World Hockey Association (WHA) from 1972 to 1978 with some of the sport’s most famous players suiting up such as Gordie Howe and his sons Mark and Marty. The Aeros were one of the most successful clubs in the WHA, but weren’t admitted to the NHL when the two leagues merged in 1978.  The Houston Aeros were resurrected between 1994 and 2013 though and operated in the International Hockey League until 2001. They then joined the American Hockey League until relocating to Des Moines in 2013 and becoming the Iowa Wild, a farm team of the NHL’s Minnesota Wild.
But with the Houston Rockets’ owner Leslie Alexander hoping to sell the NBA franchise, there’s a chance the city could eventually be awarded an NHL team. Alexander attempted to relocate the Edmonton Oilers down to Houston in the 1990s, but was rebuffed by the NHL as it wanted the franchise to stay in Edmonton if it was sold. Alexander approached the NHL once again with a huge offer for the Oilers and promised to keep the club in Edmonton for three years. He then wanted the league to promise him a franchise for Houston in the future. The Oilers solved their financial problems with local support though and remained in Alberta.
While the Houston Aeros played in the city before the new Toyota Center was built, the hockey team shared facilities at the Summit with Alexander’s basketball team the Rockets. At the time, the Aeros were owned by Chuck Watson and his hockey team was given the best options for home games before the Rockets. Alexander wasn’t too happy about this and he attempted to relocate to a new arena, but Watson wouldn’t allow him to break his lease contract at the Summit.
Once the lease ended, the Toyota Center was built and opened in 2003 with the billionaire Alexander as a controlling owner. The Aeros eventually moved in, but Alexander raised the rent for the hockey team in 2013 and when they failed to reach an agreement the hockey team moved to Des Moines. Alexander also had a clause written into the Toyota Center lease which stated that an NHL franchise couldn’t play in the arena unless it was owned by him. Therefore, Alexander would either have to be the owner of an NHL franchise in Houston or give it permission to play at the Toyota Center.

The NHL wasn’t pleased with the clause in the contract and it forgot all about Houston as an expansion city. However, the 72-year-old Alexander is reportedly tired of all the head games and now apparently wants to sell the Rockets. He paid $85 million for the basketball club in 1993 and it’s now valued at $1.65 billion. If Alexander decides to relax his control of the Toyota Center the NHL would consider putting a franchise in Houston as it’s America’s fifth-largest metropolitan area. However, unless Alexander has mellowed, it seems as the final word on allowing an NHL team into the Toyota Center still rests with him.

Dave Andreychuk heading to Hall of Fame where he belongs

Left-winger Dave Andreychuk of Hamilton, Ontario has finally been elected to the Hockey Hall of Fame after being a member of the Buffalo Sabres Hall of Fame since 2008. After years of not knowing if he’d be recognized for his on-ice achievements, the 53-year-old found out earlier this summer that he’ll be inducted on November 13thalong with fellow forwards Mark Recchi and Paul Kariya of Canada and Teemu Selanne of Finland. Andreychuk played 1,639 regular-season contests in the NHL with Buffalo, Toronto, New Jersey, Boston, Colorado and the Tampa Bay Lightning and is the all-time league leader when it comes to power play goals at 274.
Andreychuk was originally drafted by Buffalo from the Oshawa Generals of the Ontario Hockey League back in the summer of 1982 with the 16th pick overall. He made his debut with the Sabres in the 1982/83 campaign and spent 11 years with the team before being dealt to Toronto in 1993. Andreychuk played with centre Doug Gilmour most of the time with the Leafs and they became one of the highest-scoring duos in the league. Andreychuk was traded to the Devils in 1995/96 and played four years with the club before moving on to Boston, Colorado and back to Buffalo Sabres for short stints.
The big winger then signed with Tampa and played with the club from 2001/02 to 2005/06 while leading the squad to the Stanley Cup in the 2003/04 campaign as its captain. The Lightning ousted the Calgary Flames in seven games that year for the club’s one and only league championship. The win came a full 22 years and 1,597 regular-season contests after Andreychuk made his NHL debut. His last season came in 2005/06 before hanging up his skates for good. Personally, his most productive season came in 1993/94 when he scored 99 points for the Maple Leafs on 53 goals and 46 assists.
However, Andreychuk felt a connection in Tampa Bay and returned to the franchise in 2006 as a team ambassador for community relations and still works in the front office for the club. Fans and politicians in his hometown of Hamilton never forgot him though and the city renamed the old Mountain Arena after him as it’s now called the Dave Andreychuk Mountain Arena and Skating Centre. Andreychuk had an excellent career and many fans feel he should have been inducted into the Hall of Fame years ago. His 1,639 regular-season games played rank sixth in NHL history while his 640 goals are 14th all-time and his 1,338 points tie him for 28thoverall

As mentioned, his 274 power play goals are a league record with 28 of them coming in the 1991/92 season and 32 more being added in 1992/93 to lead the league both years. He had five seasons of 30 or more goals, had two with at least 40 and broke the 50-goal mark on two occasions. Andreychuk also had 10 other seasons in which he scored at least 20 goals. He didn’t shy away in the playoffs either as the power-play specialist scored 43 goals and 54 assists for 97 points in 162 outings. So now, just over a decade after retiring from the NHL, one of the league’s all-time good guys is finally getting his due. 

Andrei Markov leaves Montreal after 15 years for the KHL

At the age of 38, defenceman Andrei Markov’s pro hockey career is winding down and he’s decided to finish it in the KHL. Markov was a free agent this summer, but the team he’s played for the last 15 seasons, the Montreal Canadiens, didn’t offer him a new contract. It was reported that the Florida Panthers and Philadelphia Flyers were in interested in the services of the Russian veteran, but he decided against staying in the NHL.
Markov told the media that if Montreal didn’t re-sign him then he didn’t really want to play with another NHL team and would play elsewhere. This resulted in the blueliner signing with Ak Bars Kazan of the KHL for the next two seasons. After being one of the club’s steadiest defenders over the past decade and a half, many fans are scratching their heads as to why Montreal didn’t offer him at least one more year. Markov had also been a pleasant surprise offensively with the Habs by contributing 572 points for the squad in his 990 games.
In fact, he’s tied for second overall with Guy Lapointe on the club’s all-time scoring list for points by a defenceman. He had a good season in 2016/17 with six goals and 30 assists in 62 contests so was still productive. Markov ranked 38th in the NHL for scoring by a defenceman last year and Shea Weber was the only Montreal blueliner to outscore him. When it came to points-per-game, Markov was actually ranked 16th-best in the league.
Since letting Markov walk, Montreal has acquired defencemen Mark Streit, David Schlemko, Joe Morrow and Karl Alzner to help fill the gap. Fans are a little puzzled though why the Habs decided to ignore the 38-year-old Markov and then sign the 39-year-old Streit. However, Markov may have priced himself out of the market in Montreal as he reportedly wanted $6 million a year for the next two seasons or would have taken a one-year deal. Montreal has just over $8 million in salary-cap space, but didn’t want to spend the majority of it on Markov.
The team may still sign another one or two free agents, but the pickings are getting slim now. There are still several pretty good defenceman who have yet to be signed though and while they may not be youngsters, they certainly won’t cost as much as Markov was asking. These include veterans such as Dennis Wideman, Cody Franson, Fedor Tyutin and Francois Beauchemin and younger players such as Cody Goloubef and Eric Gelinas.

The Canadiens decided Markov wasn’t worth the money though and must now try to replace his minutes and point production. They may hit the jackpot at training camp if one of the team’s prospects shines and earns a spot on the blue line or they may see how things go at the start of the season with what they have. Streit might be able to step in where Markov left off, but if he struggles we could see Montreal make a trade for an offensively-gifted defenceman before Christmas. 

Will Chicago Blackhawks’ Marian Hossa be forced to retire?

Considering Chicago Blackhawks’ forward Marian Hossa is now 38-years-old and will be sitting out the entire 2017/18 NHL season, many fans are wondering if they’ll ever see him play again. It was announced in late June that the high-scoring native of Slovakia would miss the upcoming campaign due to a skin disorder and the side effects he’s suffering from medication to treat it. Hossa still has four years to go on his current 12-year contract which he signed as a free agent in the summer of 2009.
Hossa has played eight seasons with the Blackhawks and won three Stanley Cups with the team. Like the 45-year-old Jaromir Jagr, there’s not really any sign that Hossa’s slowing down with age. He chipped in with 26 goals and 19 assists for 45 points in 73 games in the Windy City last season and was a plus-7 with seven game-winning goals. Hossa broke into the league in 1997/98 with the Ottawa Senators and has also played with the Atlanta Thrashers, Pittsburgh and Detroit.
He’s racked up 1,134 points in 1,309 regular-season games on 525 goals and 609 assists, is a plus-245 and has 85 game-winners. Hossa has also contributed 149 points in 205 playoff contests, played in five Stanley Cup finals and scored 415 of his points while playing in Chicago. His salary-cap hit is $5.275 million per year, but Blackhawks fans definitely want to see him on the ice rather than the club saving cap space by placing him on the long-term injury list.   
Hossa’s skin condition is related to an allergy the player has to his hockey equipment. He’s been treated for the problem for the past few years, but suffers from severe side effects to the treatment. It’s now become so bad that he’s going to have to sit out for a year or even longer. Skin conditions related to hockey equipment were common in the 1970s as several players developed them due to a cleaning product that was used on the equipment.
The cleaning formula was supposed to keep the equipment free from mold and mildew, but numerous players were allergic to it. Those who were developed a painful rash which was given the nickname ‘The Gunk.’ Defenceman Tom Reid of the Minnesota North Stars was one of the players who suffered from the skin rash and was forced to retire from the NHL after the 1977/78 season at the age of 31. Reid said the whole side of his body became infected and he had to wrap himself in towels when trying to sleep.

Reid went on to say that he couldn’t take any more cortisone shots to help relieve the pain and symptoms and he had to hang up his skates for good. With Hossa missing just 46 games over the last half dozen seasons it would seem that his treatments were going well for awhile or he’s used to playing through the pain and side effects. For Hossa to suddenly sit out a season, Blackhawks fans now fear the worst and are wondering if he’ll suffer the same fate as Reid or return in 2018/19.     

Future of Carolina Hurricanes up in the air

It’s no secret the NHL’s Carolina Hurricanes are up for sale, but the team’s fans are worried the franchise may be relocated elsewhere such as Quebec City or Seattle if it’s eventually sold. With the club making several offseason improvements its fans believe the future is bright and are worried what might happen if owner Peter Karmanos Jr. sheds his interest in the franchise. Karmanos originally bought the club back in 1994 for just $47.5 and recent reports hint that attorney Chick Greenberg, a former CEO of the Texas Rangers is interested in acquiring the Hurricanes for approximately $500 million.
The Hurricanes have improved on the ice this summer by acquiring goaltender Scott Darling from the Chicago Blackhawks as well as centre Markus Kruger and defenceman Trevor van Riemsdyk from the Vegas Golden Knights and free agent forward Justin Williams from the Washington Capitals. It’s obvious that Carolina is intending to compete now and fans don’t want to miss out on the action. The Hurricanes have confirmed that an offer for the club has been received, but have been tight-lipped about any other details.
Karmanos stated that he’s considering all of his options and may very well decide to keep the club. Since the Hurricanes have been losing money recently, rumours about the team relocating have run rampant. The team’s attendance has been among the worst in the NHL over the past three years as Carolina ranked 29TH out of 30 in 2014/15 at 12,594, was last in 2015/16 at 12,203 and ranked 30th again last season with just 11,776 fans per home game. With attendance dropping every year Karmanos is hoping the offseason moves made by general manager Ron Francis will result in bigger crowds as the team pushes for a playoff spot after missing the postseason for the past eight years.
It’s believed Greenberg would keep the Hurricanes in Raleigh, but there are plenty of naysayers who don’t believe any such offer was made for the franchise. Something needs to be done to stop the bleeding though as the team averaged over 16,300 fans per game between 2005/06 to 2013/14. Carolina won the Stanley Cup in 2005/06, but made the playoffs just once after that and it appears ticket buyers are getting fed up with the continuous losing. Doubters don’t believe Greenberg has offered $500 million for a team which cost $47.5 million 23 years ago and then moved to Carolina from Hartford in 1997.
In the 2016/17 season, the value of the Hurricanes franchise was estimated at $230 million by Forbes, which was the lowest of all 30 NHL teams. Critics believe a new practice facility is needed and eventually the team’s arena will need to be upgraded or replaced and it doesn’t make sense for Greenberg to pay twice the going rate of the franchise. They believe he may purchase the club and eventually pump a total of $500 million into it, but the cost of the franchise will be nowhere near that price. Forbes also reported the Hurricanes lose approximately $15 million per season and are $200 million in debt.

Greenberg was a part owner of the Texas Rangers as he joined forces with Nolan Ryan to buy the MLB team in 2010. He became the team’s CEO, but left soon after and sold his shares of the franchise. Hurricanes’ fans don’t really care who owns the club as their main concern is that it remains in Raleigh. The on-ice future appears to be bright for the next few seasons, but it won’t mean a thing to the Carolina faithful if the players are hoisting the Stanley Cup in Quebec or Seattle.