ASG's asking price is "as much as we can get".
Of course it's a bidding war...
Among those willing to keep the team in Atlanta, yes, it's a bidding war. Relocation interests will not even be considered unless and until local interests are exhausted. If a local buyer is ready, willing, and able to purchase the team at an agreed-upon price, there's no way the NHL BoG/Bettman would authorize a move. The Atlanta market is WAY more valuable to the NHL in a big picture sense than is Winnipeg.
It's no real stretch to understand that Spirit has operating rights to an NHL franchise in Atlanta only, and can't exceed that right without league approval. So long as there is a willing buyer to continue to operate a team in Atlanta, then the NHL has no place in discussing relocation. If that wasn't the case, why isn't True North beating down the doors in Dallas and St. Louis? Those teams are no more or less portable than the Thrashers are.
I'm taking GB at his word that he is committed to all 30 current markets. Reading between the lines on his sparse comments on the Spirit group, he wants them gone yesterday. He understands that the Thrashers' struggle is primarily the result of the non-Belkin owners intentionally devaluing the franchise
over the course of more than five years, just to minimize Belkin's buyout.
When the frikkin' owner of the team does not even know the captain's name, that tells you everything you need to know about their commitment to the hockey product. What dedicated Thrashers fans in Atlanta have had to endure since 2003 is unparalleled. Spirit is not merely incompetent, they're flat out antagonistic to the local fan base.