Major news came down this week in regards to Peter Karmanos, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. It’s not good. Karmanos’ three adult sons are suing him for defaulting on monies borrowed from their trust. This story feels like it’s taken from a script of a soap opera. The big question now is can the Hurricanes kill expansion for Quebec City?
Carolina Hurricanes
There was already plenty of questions and concerns regarding the Hurricanes succeeding in Carolina. This past season Carolina finished last in attendance in the NHL, averaging 12,203 fans per game. Before this season, Forbes estimated the Hurricanes have been losing money for the past nine seasons. I think it’s safe to say based on this year’s attendance numbers, it hit 10.
Carolina has only made the playoffs once since winning the Stanley Cup in 2006. Their roster does not have a superstar and while they are competitive, they still are in a rebuild.
Now this story breaks regarding a lawsuit against the Hurricanes owner, from his own sons no less. More money issues could be on their way was early as this fall for Karmanos and the Hurricanes. Nine minority owners have the option to get their $22 million dollar investment back this fall. If they don’t they would become full partners but would also be responsible for any future losses.
Karmanos has been trying to sell the team for some time now. A big sticking point regarding the potential sale is the condition that Karmanos would remain in control of the franchise.
https://twitter.com/ESPN_NHL/status/738107242646380544
Quebec City
So what does all of this mean for Quebec City? As everyone knows the NHL will decide by the end of this month if the league will expand to Las Vegas and Quebec City. Las Vegas appears to be a foregone conclusion, while Quebec City has a number of red flags.
The Hurricanes have caused another major red flag for Quebec City. Suppose the NHL approves both Las Vegas and Quebec City in expansion. What happens if in two years’ time the Hurricanes cannot make it in Carolina financially and have to move? Where would they go? Seattle?
While Seattle is a great possibility for the NHL, at a minimum its years away from becoming a reality. The Seattle City Council voted down a new arena last month. The NHL would love nothing more than to have Seattle. There is just the small problem of currently lacking an ownership group and a state of the art arena. Seattle is a long way from happening.
Hang in, Quebec City and Las Vegas. Bettman says a decision on #NHL expansion is near: https://t.co/moL0Ptxj7m #TSN pic.twitter.com/XsyEGJCRqd
— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) May 31, 2016
NHL Expansion Decision
The bottom line is how can the NHL add Quebec City as an expansion team at this point in time, given the state of the Hurricanes? Yes, before Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said “There’s no issue relating to the Hurricanes.” Remember the NHL said the same thing about the Atlanta Thrashers and a week later they were in Winnipeg.
The Hurricanes are a complete mess. But even if Carolina has a stable owner with the deepest pockets, one has to ask the question: Can the Hurricanes be a future success in Carolina? It’s seriously doubtful and only a matter of time before the Hurricanes become the Quebec Nordiques. As a result, Quebec City will get a no-vote later this month regarding expansion. There will be light at the end of the tunnel for hockey fans in Quebec City, but not in Carolina.
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