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Archive for October 13th, 2007

Saturday, October 13th, 2007

To Jim Balsillie: Thanks, but no thanks (not that you asked me). I don’t believe your sudden faith in Nashville as a hockey market, and I still think you’ll look for the first opportunity you can to shift the Preds to Ontario.
How much is Balsillie offering (while not offering during an exclusive negotiating period, of course) for the team now? If it’s close to the David Freeman group’s offer of $193 million, that frees up more than $40 million of Balsillie’s original offer to pay the way out of town in the future. That’s all or at least a large chunk of the $25 to $75 million Balsillie is promising as an exit fee paid to the city for the Preds’ departure.
Is this offer remotely serious, or is Balsillie reappearing at the perfect time to add pressure to the “still-making progress” negotiations between the city and the Freeman Group? This is sheer speculation, but would Balsillie’s leverage to keep the Preds in town give him a leg up with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman for an expansion franchise down the road?
What does Bo Roberts, fresh from the Howard Gentry and Dean campaign camps, know that the rest of us don’t? I respect Bo, but I am seriously questioning why he has aligned with an offer and a potential owner that are at the least very suspicious.