NO don't not give albany a another team
Its not a question of "giving" them another team, nobody just gets a team. Someone has to invest in the team, its their money not yours personally. The Devils in Albany were overpriced, although some would say they are on par but when you break down perks and discounts in other AHL markets Albany was pricey. They charged well over $20.00 to $28.00 per ticket on game nights, with little promotions locally. Albany's games were seldom even covered on radio broadcasts, only when the Yankees or Giants weren't on the air (that's pretty much a bulk of the season start and late season through playoffs), the Devils did little to make going to games in Albany a fun night out for casual fans (necessary evil for minor league sports, even in the AHL), lastly many will argue the team should have been promoted locally, on a local level, with a local brand identity (River Rats). Only two of the Devils six seasons in Albany were actually good, the previous were bottom feeding teams. I think a team there whether its the ECHL or AHL if affiliated right, managed well, and people behind the effort are putting forth a model that works the team could have much better success. Springfield for years was drawing behind Albany, Binghamton only bettered Albany by couple hundred fans, Albany has the solid facilities and population to do better but its a competitive market there. ECHL just under an hour north, and two DI NCAA hockey teams both within 15 and 20 minutes from Albany with one team having won a National Championship in 2014, expectations are set high there locally. Their local minor league baseball team draws very well in addition to the two local DI basketball teams nearby. I don't think its not capable of doing well, many people believe the Rangers AHL team would do well there locally, I think they would to. Whether its AHL or ECHL I see that city doing okay as long as the product is competitive, and a fun time for an evening out. The Devils organization demanding all their Saturday home games starting at 5pm was stupid, no wonder the fans grew tired of it, poor decision on the Devils, good for practice and rest but bad for walkup causal fans and non season subscribers.