It's expected that Seattle will be the next club in the expansion process for the NHL. They have an ownership group in place and they also are renovating Key Arena to get it back up to par.
The waiting game may continue for Seattle as it appears that the voting process won't happen just yet.
According to NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly, the Board of Governors will NOT hold an expansion vote at their Oct. 2 meeting after Seattle ownership makes its formal presentation.
— Alex Prewitt (@alex_prewitt) September 6, 2018
That could potentially push the team all the way until the 2021 season. If that's the case, that means that starting next year, the rookies would be exempt (if they're following the same rules as Vegas).
Evening up the divisions and conferences – Seattle's addition would give the NHL 16 teams in both the East and West – is a priority, but making sure the arena and money are there is even more important. It's no surprise that the Seattle expansion bid is delayed because of that.
