The deadline for prospective Owner Matthew Hulsizer "to close on the Blues' sale passed at midnight" on Sunday without a sale, according to Jeremy Rutherford of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH. Sources said that Hulsizer is "expected to continue his efforts to buy the Blues, but whether he has control of the process will be based on whether the league enforces a deal struck" with minority Owner Tom Stillman two months ago. It is "believed that Hulsizer's group has asked the NHL for more time to complete its purchase of the Blues." Sources have indicated that the sale "has been close to completion; it appeared as recently as 10 days ago that the deal might be consummated in time, but there remain unsettled financial obstacles." Under the terms of Stillman's agreement with the NHL, Hulsizer's deal became void Sunday, but it "appears to still be left up to the interpretation of the league" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/1).
MOVING ARGUMENT: In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont noted the NHL "still owns" the Coyotes and "just can't seem to sell at a reasonable price." With developers "eager to build a glistening state-of-the-art arena in Markham, Ontario, at the northern tip of Toronto, why not move the franchise there?" The NHL "could retain ownership, recoup the lost millions of its failed desert experiment over time, and be a partner in one of sport's greatest cross-town rivalries." The "best way to compensate the Leafs could be for the league to retain ownership of the Markham franchise and then hand the Leafs a fair (i.e. negotiated) share of the annual profits in perpetuity" (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/1).
