Seattle submits official application for NHL expansion

Seattle’s application to become the NHL’s 32nd team arrived at the league office Tuesday, along with a $10 million down payment.

The next step toward Seattle getting a team will be the NHL reviewing the city’s application before recommending it to the Board of Governors, according to TSN’s Pierre Lebrun.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said at his All-Star press conference late last month that he was expecting the application soon. Hollywood producer Jerry Bruckheimer and investment banker David Bonderman lead the group that was authorized to file an application for expansion on Dec. 7. The expansion fee was set at $650 million — $150 million more than what Bill Foley paid to establish the Vegas Golden Knights.

Bettman has said the NHL is focused solely on Seattle for possible expansion. The earliest the team could begin playing is the 2020-21 season.

“The timetable in terms of filing an expansion application, doing a season-ticket drive, is largely up to them,” Bettman said last month. “We can respond to the extent that we’re getting the information on a timely basis, whatever that timetable is, so we can go through the processes that we have to.

“I don’t want to project (a timeline) because then the clock is running, and this is more about process than time.”

If Seattle is granted an NHL team, Bettman said he expects another expansion draft to take place in order to fill its roster, similar to what Vegas did.

–Field Level Media

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