I don't think we'll ever get the story of what all happened behind closed doors. They did well last season letting the board handle things and only sightings of them were positive.
And as far as I know, neither of the ladies are going big into the business or investment world, so selling this team is their main play for financial security. I don't blame them for going for as much as they could get. Anyone else would likely do the same.
It does kinda suck for the organization as that means less money up front for spending on the team itself for awhile...but that's why you want the deepest pockets possible, so they can afford to buy the team and invest into it right away.
so much of all that has happened the last 20 years and the events of the last 20 weeks are so confusing, so counter-intuitive and so alarming!
-the team as an independent entity needs around 170 M USD a year to thrive. And I say thrive in a more humble way. Be at the 85 M cap (soon to be).. spend properly on hockey ops.. spend properly on the business side.
in 2018 or 19 (you can always look it up). Forbes had them at 127 M.. this was after the Euge outburst and 2 years into their collapse and 5-10 years into a poor era.. so, we can assume a bottom point. What is a real revenue point (circa 2018 or 2019)? 10% to 20% higher.. so we arrive at 150 M.. about 155-160 M today... it leaves them about 10-15 M short.. so add 4-6 playoff dates.. and you are at 170 M... no margin for error.
- a 1 b purchase, less 10%, less 200-400 M that you fund from money you already have. Still means about 400 M to be financed. How does that get paid? you need roughly 30 M extra to pay it off.. how do you get to 200 M of team revenue????
if an arena deal crumbles.. or is a humble project. If the team fails to consistently appear in the playoffs (Pittsburg 2006-2021 kind of run). Then?????
An owner with deep pockets has 30 M to find, to repay his purchase loan.. that may be a loss he endures from moment one.. how do you catch up? how does he spend 170 M on the team, when in reality, he should top off at 140 M... Back in Eugene Melnyk territory.
Unless there is rock solid guarantee of a bucket full of cash coming at him later..a sweet arena deal that is a Leprechaun with a pot of gold.. all of this is insanity.