Reports of Carolina Hurricanes owner Peter Karmanos being willing to sell part of the team -- or even all of it -- are nothing new in recent years. Those reports are usually denied and to this point, the team still remains in his possession.
It’s been a while since it has been a talking point so we were probably due for another round of it.
That happened on Saturday.
During the NHL All-Star weekend Karmanos said, via ESPN’s Pierre LeBrun, that he is open to the possibility of selling the entire team, and not just part of it, depending on the offer.
He also told LeBrun that he even though he is still willing to keep a part of the team he is more open to selling the entire franchise as time goes on.
Karmanos has owned the franchise since 1994 when it was still playing in Hartford as the Whalers. During his ownership the team has reached the Stanley Cup Final twice (both in Carolina), winning it during the 2005-06 season. They have made the playoffs just once (a 2008-09 trip to the Eastern Conference Finals) since then.
Back in November a rumor surfaced out of Montreal that said Karmanos was looking to sell the team, even if it meant relocation. In response to that report, team President Don Waddell said Karmanos was not actively looking to sell the team, but that “If someone came along and wanted to buy it, I’m sure we’d talk about it but we’re not actively out there trying to find investors. If someone calls and says, ‘Hey, I want to buy the team,’ we’re taking that call.”