Golden Knights Owner Bill Foley on Thursday said he would "rather not have" the Raiders in Las Vegas because "they’re competition," according to Mike Zeisberger of the TORONTO SUN. But Foley added, "We're going to have a competitive team in all aspects. So we're not that concerned." Zeisberger notes when Foley says there is "room for both the NHL and NFL" in Las Vegas, "you tend to believe him." Foley: "(The Raiders) are going to import a lot of fans. So it’s not going to be the same. ... Hockey has a particular type of fan base. Hockey teams rely on season ticket holders and game day sales, those types of things. ... We are the homegrown team. We are the local team" (TORONTO SUN, 2/3). In Las Vegas, Steve Carp notes Golden Knights GM George McPhee is "about to have his hands untied" with his $73M payroll, as Foley "makes his final payment" of the team’s $500M expansion fee to the NHL. Once the transaction clears, the Knights will be "fully operational as the league’s 31st team and will be allowed to make trades and sign players." Foley has said that he "plans to make the final payment" before the GM meetings begin March 6 in Florida. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said McPhee "can’t acquire players who are still playing" in the '16-17 season. Daly: “But he can acquire draft picks, unsigned draft choices ... and he can start making deals related to the expansion draft" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/3).
PRESIDENTIAL TALK: YAHOO SPORTS' Josh Cooper noted Golden Knights President Kerry Bubolz since joining the club in October has "hit the ground running, setting up sponsorships, ticket sales and trying to figure out a broadcast partner." Bubolz is focused on "how his team can succeed in such a crowded entertainment marketplace." Bubolz, the former Cavaliers President of Business Operations, said, "Just with the amount of work that we have to do to get ready for next October, it’s almost like going to the NBA Finals again just in terms of the amount of time and effort and energy." As for transitioning from the NBA to the NHL, Bubolz said, "There’s more time spent on hiring and infrastructure and CRM (data management) systems, interviewing the different vendors. ... hiring your business team." Asked what Foley has him working on, Bubolz cited "driving our two most important local revenues, which are sponsorship and ticket sales." Bubolz cited the Lightning, Predators and Blackhawks as clubs that are "really good" with event presentation. Bubolz: "So we’re looking at those models. ... We’re going to have to be great to meet that expectation of the market demand or I think it’s going to be shame on us if we don’t meet that expectation" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/1).
