There are still a number of (potentially) really good hockey markets in the US without a team. Houston, Portland, Seattle, Kansas City, etc.
Gary Bettman has signaled that he would not be opposed to a Las Vegas franchise if an arena and owner were to come forward.
I was just in Las Vegas (for 2 days - long enough - before driving up to Zions in Utah). The Vegas economy is in the tank. The city leads the US in foreclosures, but still, there are SEVEN simultaneous Cirque Du Solei shows running in Vegas, at $100 - $200 per ticket, sold out almost every night. On top of that, there is The Lion King (we took our kids and got the last 4 seats at $80/ticket), Phantom of the Opera, Celine, Carlos Santana, Gladys Knight, Barry Manilow and a whole bunch of adult, comedy, dance and variety acts (Penn & Teller, The Blue Man Crew, David Copperfield, Jabbawakiees, etc.). None of these shows really appeal to men aged 25 - 50 who aren't into the "adult" shows. But the sports betting floors of virtually all of the casinos are packed with exactly this demographic. If an arena and owner could be put in place in Las Vegas, the NHL would sell out every night at premium prices. The hotels would buy up the season tickets.
Even with a soft economy, there is no shortage of money in Vegas. Sheldon Adelson, Donald Trump, Steve Wynn, etc.
Carl Icahn just purchased, for about $150M (less than the price of the land) a bankrupt and abandoned casino/resort project, the Fountainebleau on the strip, which the developers had invested almost $3B in. Icahn's has indicated that he will either hold the property until the economy rebounds and then either flip it or complete it.