Mayor of MacAppolis said:
They wouldn't be shaking in their boots, they would be asking where do we sign up? Like it or not, Toronto is the Centre of the NHL universe. The NHL can stick 2 or 3 franchises wherever the hell they want, but their credibility and their foundation would crumble without their cornerstone franchise and those that would follow them. It isn't those franchises that created the mess; it is the small market teams that couldn't keep up with the Jones' and the cheap bastards running chicago and Boston into the ground (BTW, Boston was responsible for 25% of the contracts that ruined the NHL economic climate according to one article.)
Why would the other teams follow the leafs? The leafs would need to start their own teams and plant them in these centres. The leafs would need to pour tens of millions into propping up the weaker clubs.
And if the Leafs are successful and open up with teams across Canada and in some US cities with spare arenas? Then what? The NHL caves, opens up again. The Canucks are going to kill the new Vancouver team, the Wings are going to kill the new Detroit team etc. Then it all collapses under the hundreds of millions of dollars in debt the Leafs and their spawn owe to the players.
Bye bye Leafs, you aren't coming back to the NHL after pulling a stunt like that. Maple Leaf Inc would be dead. Maybe the NHL would buy them and on sell them. Or just buy the arena and sell a new franchise. They might get $290m+ as the expansio fee. I'm sure all the 29 other teams won't say no to $10m.
