If Seattle gets its NHL franchise, it could be good right away

The group looking to bring an expansion NHL team to Seattle is reportedly expected to submit its application – and $10 million application fee – to the league later this week. But that wasn’t the only good news on that front to come out over the weekend, and the other report is what 710 ESPN Seattle’s Mike Salk believes is the really big story.

Paperwork in hands of potential Seattle NHL ownership group

According to NHL insider Pierre LeBrun of TSN in Canada, a franchise in Seattle would likely get the same – or at least similar – rules for an expansion draft as the league’s most recent addition, the Las Vegas Golden Knights.

Bettman asked about the expansion draft setup for Vegas and whether Seattle would get similar favourable rules and player pool to pick from. His answer: yes

— Pierre LeBrun (@PierreVLeBrun) January 27, 2018

In its inaugural season, Las Vegas currently leads the Pacific Division with a 32-12-4 record and has already broke some records for an expansion team. With that in mind, it could only be considered a good thing for Seattle’s prospective franchise if it got the same crack at other NHL teams’ players.

“They’ve been fantastic this year in Year 1 – it’s unheard of,” Salk said of the Golden Knights. “They have the best opening year like in the history of expansion franchises in any sport, and if they’re going to keep that same process, that is nothing but good news for an expansion team here in Seattle.”

The group seeking ownership of a Seattle team is aiming to start play in the 2020-21 season in a new Seattle Center arena at the site of the current KeyArena.

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