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Sacramento arena plan collapses, Seattle’s NHL chances improve

Seattle

The news out of Sacramento isn’t good for basketball fans in the city, but it could be good for basketball and hockey fans in Seattle.

It appears the deal to build a new arena for the NBA’s Kings has cratered, leading to the possibility the franchise could be on the move.

Now, one potential destination for the Kings is Anaheim, and if it moves there, that would be that.

But another is Seattle, where there’s a plan to build a new arena should investor Chris Hansen be able to land an NBA team. Just one catch with that – the new arena might not be financially feasible without a second tenant, that being an NHL team.

Long story short, the next few weeks could be interesting. There’s been an injection of optimism in Glendale that the Coyotes might soon be sold to an owner (the leading candidate is Greg Jamison’s group) that plans to keep them in the desert. But there’s also reason for skepticism that a deal can be reached.

If the NHL can’t get something done in Glendale, it’ll have to look elsewhere eventually – most likely to Quebec City or Seattle. And if Seattle can only get the Sacramento Kings to move there if an NHL team moves there too, well, maybe that’s what ends up happening.

PBT: With Sacramento arena deal all but dead, Stern says league has done all it can