Dr Love said:
I can't say for sure. The way the first re-incarnation of the WHA sounded, it didn't sound like they would offer much of a fight, with the way they had their salary structure I couldn't see anyone in/near their prime better than say, Andy Delmore, going over there to be a star.
Certainly they could get some NHLers. But which ones? They were only going to give $5 million a year. Right now, yeah you could get some big names. But if the NHL was playing, no way in hell you'd get guys that make about that much playing there. You'd get has beens and never weres. You want to watch a league with marquee players along the lines of Felix Potvin and Jiri Slegr?
Yup, it does, but the WHA when we last heard it's faint pulse didn't have the money to talk with the big boys.
My presumption is clearly that the WHA could actually get off the ground. Given a year to establish itself, I'm not so sure it would be such a non-factor.
After all, if you have Brett Hull, JR, Sidney Crosby, etc. headlining any league it's going to be given a long look. The CBC and others are hurting for TV deals. And if all of that happens, who's to say that the WHA won't up its minimums, make for greater cap exceptions, etc. Of course, the NHL would have to respond.
Certainly in the 1970s the NHL was unprepared for its impact, and so to write off a potentially viable rival again is dangerous.
At any rate, by no means am I suggesting that the WHA will succeed or threaten the NHL, but it's certainly not a complete nonfactor - especially if it ever does get off the ground.