then you don't really have a clue how these franchises operate then, BD, unlike the veteran Worcester posters you see here, among others.... Portland, as wildcat has attested to many, many times, since the day the Pirates abruptly set sail in 2015, that simply wasn't supposed to happen, and it is a sore spot to many, just as the original franchise is a sore spot when it abruptly left in 1991, just as the history of the Ice Cats and Sharks are to Worcester are a sore spot over how those happened to that fanbase, much of which transferred from team to team to team...
in simple terms, the Springfield franchise was likely sold anyway, now whether Arizona's intention was to relocate to Tucson, was a formality, that framework was likely in place as soon as the Coyotes arrived in Springfield, that had absolutely nothing to do with the Springfield ownership buying/finding a replacement.... remember, the Falcons were a side deal in allowing the Indians to relocate to become Worcester in 1994, THAT'S WHY veteran AHL Posters are mildly irritated to see why Springfield gets a break, when Worcester and Portland did not while waiting for the next franchise or ownership to sail in, the Ebrights, originally here in Portland, and the Sharks in Worcester..... the same thing happened in Worcester when the Sharks left to become the Barracuda, and why it took multiple years for both cities to convince the ECHL to grant both a franchise, one by expansion, as the Railers HC/Rucker have shown successfully that a private owner, if committed, can and will work in a given market... same here when Spectra picked the ball up from the group that was talking with the league back in 2017, and then getting the Aces via a transfer.... Newfoundland followed the Railers model this past season in launching that franchise, despite some potential distraction there with not knowing how the Edge WOULD REACT to a hockey team sharing its arena and they've gone above and beyond that in their 1st three+ months, that that footnote isn't warranted
