Yesterday The St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported that according to Game Plan LLC, the firm brokering the sale of the Blues, two interested parties in the Dallas Stars also have interest in purchasing St. Louis. That was followed up with a full write up this morning with some further explanation from Mr. Caporale of Game Plan.
Here are the more relevant portions where Dallas matters are concerned. Take with an entire tablespoon of salt and then forget you ever read it...
Meanwhile, Caporale revealed Tuesday that two groups who are attempting to purchase the Dallas Stars are planning to "move quickly on the Blues" if they are unsuccessful in landing Dallas. [...]
The Dallas sale is complicated and could extend past the Aug. 22 deadline that Game Plan gave bidders to submit their offers. The Stars could go into a bankruptcy hearing, after which the other groups may try and outbid Gaglardi.
"We're basically told that (the Stars' sale) is going to happen any day," Caporale said. "I don't think it puts us in a bind. If (the bidders) are smart, they'll submit a compelling proposal with respect to the Blues, but I can't predict what they'll do." [stltoday.com]
"...is going to happen any day" is a phrase we wish we could believe but what we've been told doesn't jive. It's been reported repeatedly that upon the submission of Mr. Gaglardi's bid the process would continue in a Ft. Worth bankruptcy court where a judge would likely decide to give other interested groups 30 or 60 days to review the bid, get finances together, and make a counter offer. How subsequent rounds of bidding would occur after that is not clear at this time, but no matter how you slice it, "going to happen any day" doesn't seem apt to those that have been following along.
Much ado about nothing, but it's interesting that there are so many groups out there shopping for NHL teams. The Blues would like to see the Stars fetch a good price, possibly bumping their negotiating stance a bit. Current reports say as many as 10 groups are looking at St. Louis, 5 at the Stars and 2 at the Coyotes, with any number of them being the same people. So when the first domino falls, the others could follow more quickly if interest is as high as it seems. Caution, however, will probably continue to be the name of the game, and that means waiting for the fans.
- Renewed hope for the Coyote fan as the Arizona Republic says the team is in contact with not one, but two interested groups. [azcentral.com]
- NHL.com did their Stars preview, saying Richards is gone but the team is deeper. [NHL.com]
- Rave reviews for Jack Campbell continue as he's had some stellar performances at the team USA development camp. [NHL.com] and [ESPN Dallas] and [DMN]
- A lament on the NBA lockout with a complete telling of the Tom Hicks saga in the middle of it used as an example of what many NBA owners will try to avoid. [realgm]
- Is Brad Richards going to be the new captain for the New York Rangers? Is he a captain kind of guy, or a Modano kind of guy that just plays hockey well? [Puck Daddy]