It’s clear that Craig Leipold has been surprised by prospective Preds owner Jim Balsillie’s bold intentions to seek approval to relocate the team at the same time that the NHL Board of Governors reviews his application to purchase the franchise.

Last month, when Leipold announced his intentions to sell the team, he emphasized Balsillie would have to sign a National Hockey League consent agreement requiring he keep the Predators in Nashville at least seven more years in order to purchase the team.

But, for the agreement to take effect, the team would need a valid lease in place with Metro for using the downtown arena. And because attendance at Predators games has averaged fewer than 14,000, the team says it can trigger a default clause in its lease with Metro by June 19 unless Metro commits to compensate for the lack of ticket sales this coming season.

“If we get the support that’s over 14,000 paid, we’re not going anywhere,” Leipold said in May.

Craig, even if you aren’t willing to retain ownership of the team instead of selling it to Balsillie, you can still help this community keep the Preds. Here’s how: Don’t exercise the “cure” clause this coming Tuesday (June 19). Give the city a fair chance to generate more support for the team, and force Balsillie to commit to a good-faith effort to make things work here.