Las Vegas and Seattle Front Runners for Expansion

On August 26th, Tony Gallagher of the Vancouver Province stated that an NHL expansion to Las Vegas was a "done deal." This, of course, drew the excitement of many hockey fans, but also put a sour taste in the mouth of others, as the idea of another NHL team in the desert may not be appealing to fans up north.

Talks of expansion have since settled down, and the notion that Sin City having made a done deal to get an NHL team have been put to rest. But other projections have been made regarding the league adding teams in the near future. It was announced the next day, that by 2017, both Seattle and Las Vegas should have a franchise, along with another team in Southern Ontario, and a possible return to Quebec City.

Any team in Eastern Canada is an easy sell, but Seattle and Las Vegas will be more difficult to justify as legitimate NHL cities.

Here's why they could work out successfully in the long run.

High Hopes in the Pacific North West

There has long been talks about professional hockey returning to Seattle. After having left there in 1924 when the Seattle Metropolitans became a defunct organization, and when the NHL was realigned leaving two more teams in the east than the west, it fuelled the fire that was expansion talks.

Seattle has come into it's own as a successful sports town, boasting the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Seattle Seahawks, who also carry one of the best at home records in professional sports in recent years, having only lost one home game since the start of the 2012-2013 season. The success of the Seahawks, and the immense amount of support they receive from fans makes it seem like if, or when, the NHL decide to place a team in Seattle, it would turn out very well for all parties involved.

More Ice in the Desert

Las Vegas is currently in the process of building a stadium that could potentially host an NHL franchise. To some, this idea is brilliant, and to others it's preposterous.

Hockey in the desert has not always worked out so well, as the Coyotes in Nevada's neighbouring state of Arizona have done poorly when it comes to attendance in the very recent past. The Las Vegas metro area has a population of over one million people, and is one of, if not the largest, tourist destination in North America. So you'd think it was a perfect place for a professional sports team to be placed, considering there are none currently based there.

When thinking about a potential NHL franchise in Las Vegas, comparisons should stop being made with Arizona. Yes, they are very close to one another, but the "Entertainment Capital of the World" draws a demographic a lot more similar to that of Los Angeles, where the Kings have an average home attendance very close to their arena capacity, as well as a highly successful hockey club.

New Teams, New Rivalries

The Vancouver Canucks have a very strong fan base, and happen to be just two and a half hours north of Seattle, a city with the potential to match the fan base that is present in Vancouver, if the Seahawks fans have any reflection of what the NHL fans would be like. If a team does come to Seattle, and the passion matches that of the citizens who populate Vancouver, a new NHL rivalry will be born. One that has the potential to become a classic, without a doubt.

The Arizona Coyotes have no real rival, and for a team which is consistently on the playoff bubble, but struggles for fans, a new rivalry is just what the doctor ordered. Las Vegas and Phoenix are just under five hours away from one another, so if there were to be an NHL franchise placed there, a "Battle of the Desert" is bound to happen, which would be beneficial for the young Las Vegas team, and an Arizona team looking to market themselves in their own city.

An NHL expansion is not the "done deal" that was announced in late August. Despite that, it seems an expansion is most certainly on the horizon. Something that the cities of Las Vegas and Seattle, as well as NHL Fans all over the world, should be prepared for.