Investor Chris Hansen has been given permission to build an NBA/NHL arena by the Seattle City and King County councils, but only if he can first attract an NBA franchise first, based on a King 5 report.
His arena agreement is under attack by two local lawsuits and his efforts to lure a basketball or hockey franchise haven’t been successful thus far.
Islanders owner Charles Wang had offers that would have moved his team out of state, but he never took them seriously, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman.
Wang ultimately decided to move the team from Nassau County to Brooklyn starting with the 2015-16 campaign. It’s a 25-year “ironclad” lease with Barclays Center that closes the door on any potential move to Seattle.
On top of that, Bettman has no plans to expand the NHL and he’d rather avoid relocation, so Seattle has an uphill battle ahead of them if they want an NHL franchise.