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Hurricanes president denies team could move to Quebec

Red Wings Hurricanes Hockey

Carolina Hurricanes circle center ice and salute the fans prior to their NHL hockey game against the Detroit Red Wings, Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, in Raleigh, N.C. (AP Photo/Karl B DeBlaker)

AP

The Carolina Hurricanes are for sale.

The Carolina Hurricanes are also dead last in NHL attendance.

Combine those two facts with a new arena in Quebec City, and what do you get?

Relocation rumors, of course.

Hurricanes president Don Waddell would like to put an end to those rumors.

“We heard all of that stuff too,” Waddell told La Presse (quotes have been translated). “One day, I heard that I was on a private jet heading to Quebec. I went to everyone in the office that day and told them, ‘Hey, it looks like I’m in Quebec!’”

Waddell guaranteed that he and owner Peter Karmanos Jr. never went to Quebec. Because why would they? The Hurricanes have a lease at PNC Arena that runs through 2024.

“Our lease is a public document that everyone has access to,” he said. “Try to find a way out of it and when you do, call Pete and tell him how.”

Still, don’t expect these relocation rumors to die down -- whether they involve the Hurricanes, Panthers, Coyotes, or whoever -- because there’s good reason to believe Quebec City won’t be granted an expansion team anytime soon.

“I’m not sure I’m in favor of expansion,” said Waddell. “I share the same opinion as our owner, in that I think our current teams all need to be healthy and in a good place. If that’s the case, then we can talk expansion.”

Karmanos, by the way, is a member of the committee that’s in charge of recommending, or not recommending, expansion.

Related: Bettman says no need to worry that ‘Canes will move