In 2017-18, the NHL will welcome a 31sr team. It’s location Quebec… nope, Hamilton… nope, Seattle… nope; the location is none other than the Sin City itself Las Vegas, Nevada. I’m opposed to this for many reasons. This is my reaction:

Why NHL? Why NHL? Do you know what you are doing! Vegas is a horrible decision. I have plenty of reasons why and if you oppose them please mention it in the comment section and I will respond to you.

First, before we get into my reasons, we must look at the history of the Vegas Expansion. Vegas is a big city which does not have a sports team. It is full of money. Vegas has held interest in having an NHL team since 1991 when  the first modern era NHL outdoor game was held there. Las Vegas had a minor league team from 1993-1999. In August 2014, rumors of a Vegas expansion team popped up again. Bill Foley led the bid for a team there. Vegas has an arena ready and 13,200 season ticket commitments. The stadium can fit 20,000 people.

Here are my problems with Vegas expansion:

1. Las Vegas’s environment: As we all know, Vegas is the gambling capital of the United States. It’s nicknamed the Sin City. They also have a ton of more stuff that is too adult like to mention here. How will the players survive Vegas?, is the main question. How do we know they won’t get in trouble for getting drunk and doing crazy things or lose all their money at a casino. I’m worried Vegas will prove to be too much of a distraction especially for younger players.

2. The league now has 31 teams: If Vegas joins the league, the NHL will have an odd number of teams, which makes scheduling games difficult and all kinds of bad stuff in the NHL’s schedule and alignment. If Vegas does join, I will encourage another western site getting an expansion team such as Seattle; Portland, Oregon; Saskatoon; Houston or  Kansas City (one of those cities). I think the league needs to have an even number amount of teams.

3. The Expansion Draft: You can only protect 7 Forwards, 3 Defenders and 1 Goalie in this year’s Expansion Draft. This could cause problems for teams such as the recent Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins and the Florida Panthers because they have all kinds of talent they want to protect.

4. Quebec City deserves a Franchise: Quebec City was denied an expansion team and Vegas wasn’t. I think Quebec City deserves a franchise. I hoped they would get an expansion team because I didn’t want the Panthers or Hurricanes thrown into rumors again, but I really want to see Quebec City get a franchise but I don’t want the Panthers to relocate either.

These are the 4 problems with the Vegas expansion I have. If you have any more thoughts please comment below.