No matter which two new cities join the NHL as part of a probable league expansion, it will be financial win for Gary Bettman and the league's current 30 teams. The last two expansion teams, Columbus and Minnesota, paid the league $80 million each in 2000. Now, the barrier of entry is reportedly $500 million. That's a win for the league no matter how you slice it.
But if only Las Vegas and Quebec City get formal consideration for expansion, which the league said was the case for now in a statement Tuesday, could this be more of a Potemkin Village than a long-term victory?