You would have to find 10 other cities
You wouldn’t need to find 10 new cities. In my opinion you wouldn’t need to find any new cities as the pressure to bow to the NHL would be too great.
Of the 10 independent franchises (leaving Chicago out for discussion purposes) Providence, Hershey, Lehigh Valley, Cleveland, Grand Rapids and Colorado are not going to risk losing a lucrative affiliation relationship. Springfield, Charlotte, and Syracuse do not have deep pockets to operate as true independent such as what Chicago intends to do. That leave Milwaukee as the sole team that could in theory join Chicago in it attempt to play as an independent and that would be rather difficult to do in a two team league. Even at that point with Milwaukee signing a new five-year affiliation deal, it gives the impression that they wouldn’t side with Chicago in any case.
As much as people want to believe the fans have great sway.... They don’t. The NHL is the primary customer of the AHL, and right now is the one holding all the cards. And they certainly are not going to allow one of its member clubs to be left out in the cold when it comes to the development of its prospects. Especially, a club that’s contributed to the last two Calder Cup champions.
It's going to come down to one of three options. Let’s remember that while the NHL is number one customer of the AHL, Chicago is currently a member in good standing. The AHL can not revoke the franchise without cause, and if it did, it would open itself up to legal action by the Wolves who have the resources to undertake such action so whatever the AHL or the NHL does have to work around that premise so based on that it comes down to three options.
1. The AHL will award a provisional franchise to Carolina. Yes, they’ve said they wouldn’t go to a 33rd franchise, but Chicago might have forced their hand on having no choice. The new franchise would operate normally except they would not have voting rights. How long that will lasted would depend on how long Chicago remains independent.
2. The NHL issues an ultimatum to the AHL that all its clubs need to have a minor league affiliation or risk the NHL separating away from the AHL with 21 clubs folding its franchises, and forming its own Triple-A league. The framework is in place because it was written into the last NHL CBA as intimidation to the league to push it toward a Pacific Division.
3. The NHL takes a wait-and-see approach on the assumption that Chicago is going to fail in its attempt to field a competitive roster. Carolina will share an affiliation with one or multiple teams for a season, and revisit the situation in 2024-2025. That will give everyone one year to see how this plays out while laying the groundwork for what the future looks like because ultimately, the NHL is not going to allow one of its member clubs to be left out of the sandbox without a club because in a salary cap world it’s a disadvantage to not be able to develop your prospects, coaching staff and in some cases management positions.
