UPDATE on NHL expansion: Toronto and Seattle

Contrary to my previous post indicating that NHL expansion teams would go to Toronto and Quebec, more recent info indicates that the expansion teams are going to Seattle and Toronto (Markham), while Quebec City will be the new home of the Coyotes.

It is expected that the announcement will be a couple of weeks after the CBA deal is announced and NHL schedule resumes, and the new teams will join for the 2014-2015 season, bringing the National Hockey League to four divisions of 8 teams per.

Reimer skates with Canucks, NHL expanding to Quebec and Toronto

Hockey-related news item #1 - Reimer skates with Canucks

According to sources, James Reimer working out with the Canucks players happened because he was visiting relatives in town and wanted to skate, and not because he is being traded for Roberto Luongo. Methinks that although that may be the case, it is also true that Vancouver would want Reimer as part of the Luongo deal, so who knows what's really going on here?


Hockey-related news item #2 - NHL expansion


Proposed new GTA Centre in Markham, just north of Toronto

The spec now is that after the new CBA is done, new NHL teams will be announced for Quebec City and Toronto (Markham). The expansion fee could be in the $380 million range, and Markham would have to pay an additional territorial fee to the Toronto Maple Leafs to allow a team within 50km of Toronto city limits. Though that hurdle sounds difficult, the talk is that the fee ($120 million?) for accessing the Toronto market has already been established and agreed upon, as one of the conditions of allowing Rogers and Bell to buy MLSE.