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New arena deal in Sacramento hurts Seattle’s NHL chances

Seattle

Good news out of Sacramento for hockey fans in Quebec City. Which sounds weird, but makes sense.

The Sacramento Bee is reporting that the city and the Kings (NBA) have “reached the framework of a deal” to build a new arena that would keep the team in town.

So, what does this have to do with the NHL?

Well, the Kings were the top relocation target for an investor hoping to build an arena and bring a basketball team to Seattle. And if Seattle can’t snag an NBA team, the new arena won’t be built that could potentially house an NHL team.

Seattle could still wrangle the Hornets out of New Orleans (or another team), but the Kings appear to be off the list.

The NHL team that’s been linked to Seattle is the league-owned Phoenix Coyotes, who are still without a new owner despite reports that a deal with Greg Jamison is close. If the Coyotes are forced to move and Seattle is out of the picture, Quebec City is likely the favorite to get them.

Related: $500 million arena planned for Seattle