David Andrews himself said a 31st franchise was a possibility for next year, an expansion team, but mid-March was really the deadline for it happening, and if it were to pass, it would've been in the Midwestern U.S. and NOT been in the KC market.
I understand that came close to happening, but did not. It would've been an expansion franchise but NOT owned by an NHL team, and it aligned pretty close to Andrews' comments. It's likely the AHL will expand to 31 teams in 2018.
If you would be so kind as to go back thru this thread and read my MULTIPLE post in this topic, I think we could save a lot of time.
Yes...it was possible that a 31st franchise couldve been in play in 17-18...it's still possible but highly unlikely, with almost zero chance of happening.
Yes....it will be an EXPANSION team of sorts.
No...Nowhere was there an ironclad deadline ever announced...leaked or otherwise... and with the amount of information that gets out ahead of official announcements...
Yes...Andrews said it would be located in the mid-west but never said where obviously...and did say that the AHL wasn't going to KC this coming season...reading what I said in an earlier post which was that according to someone who lives in KC and works high up in an NHL organization...KC is a dead topic now and going forward...it NEVER came close to happening as KC is OUT period. All Andrews was doing by even mentioning KC was to acknowledge the rumors that were out there at the time and shoot them down.
NO!!!!!!!!!!...NOWHERE was it ever said that it would be a team not owned by an NHL team. Not in any interview Dave Andrews has given on the topic was that even remotely stated. It's ,of course, always possible that they will be independently owned, but with the current trend of NHL teams owning their affiliate....
I have to ask you and everyone else who keeps bringing up this 31st team...IF they are not an NHL team owned franchise...How is St. Louis going to move their farm team to KC? That's like me saying I'm going to move your house to Chicago...If I don't own it thats going to be pretty hard for me to do.
In 2018-2019 the AHL will have 31 teams no question 100% guaranteed.
Futhermore like I have said MULTIPLE times this is how I expect it all to play out this offseason regarding St. Louis and Vegas...Vegas will partner with the Chicago Wolves...100%
St. Louis will share San Antonio with Colorado for 17-18
Colorado will buy 31st franchise and move their players out of San Antonio and into the state of colorado for the 18-19 season...leaving St. Louis to take over San Antonio.