Like every other deal in the world that involves an incumbent, Sportsnet likely had exclusive bidding rights for a limited time window. The canucks were apparently happy enough with the offer to sign before the window closed and anyone else could bid. They routinely get more viewers than the majority of US teams (even in bigger markets) and for sure only Toronto and Montreal outdraw them in Canada. Been that way for along time. Why would the canucks go for a low-ball deal if all they had to do was wait for someone else to outbid Rogers? And I'm pretty sure they never "threatened" to do TV in house. And radio money brings in a tiny fraction of what local TV does.