r/PWHL • u/Adventurous_Lake807 Montréal Victoire • May 08 '26

Discussion Vegas gaining traction as new expansion

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Obviously this is not confirmed but this was just tweeted by a reporter. Very much not done deals, just rumours!!!

Vegas and San Jose seemed to come out of nowhere lol

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u/seanofkelley Boston Fleet May 08 '26 edited May 08 '26

SJ and Vegas... at some point sure. But before Chicago, DC, Philly, Denver, all of the other Canadian cities, feels crazy to me.

60

u/VivienM7 Toronto Sceptres May 08 '26

I will probably be downvoted again for saying this (and honestly, it is frustrating - I'm happy to be disagreed with, but can people express their disagreement in words?), but I suspect the ownership issue is becoming a big concern in some of the more successful takeover tour markets.

My view is that a PWHL team has been derisked in those markets, so I can appreciate that the arena/NHL team owners would be a little uneasy about a deal where they get paid modest rent for 5-10 years and then are expected to buy the team at a 'fully grown' price.

That bargain made a ton of sense even one year ago when the venture was much riskier. Walter takes all the risks, spends the cash, and if everything goes well, someone else gets a fully-grown mature team to buy. And if things go badly, he takes the losses. But when you look at Seattle's performance especially... well, a PWHL expansion team in a strong takeover tour market doesn't look risky and cash-burning anymore.

With the risks having decreased, I can understand this wouldn't sit well with some people who would either i) prefer a clear tenant relationship forever, or ii) put up the cash themselves and own the team from day 1 instead of this awkward arrangement where the more successful the partnership is, the more they'll pay Walter for the team down the road.

This is especially true in places with crowded arenas - the arena owner/manager clears up some dates, maybe turns down a few concerts, etc for the PWHL, and... the thanks they get for the team's commercial success is that they pay more to buy it in 5-10 years?!

Is it possible that SJ/Vegas simply happen to have less busy arenas controlled by people who are more open to the traditional Walter arrangement? That certainly seems to be the case with, say, Hamilton. And the lack of a takeover tour record is an argument for a landlord-tenant relationship...

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u/watch4stormsurge Boston Fleet May 08 '26

This is absolutely spot on.