I grew up in Central Illinois, so I know the region pretty well, and I definitely think a team would succeed there. They’d have instant rivalries with Chicago, Minnesota, and St. Louis.
However, I said ideally, because it’s likely not to happen as you’ve vehemently said to others in this thread.
As far as Calgary/Houston, it just really seems nothing is gonna get done with the arena and I know Houston would love getting a team without needing an expansion fee. Plus it helps that the Flames aren’t a bad team and have some cornerstone players.
It’s also pretty much a given that Seattle gets their team in a few years. They’ll sorta make up for Calgary leaving for Edmonton, and they become a quick rival to Vancouver and San Jose.
I agree with you about the alignment part, but it’d just make sense if that happened that way.