Mitchy the Kid: NHL Expansion in 2014/15?

Mitch Levy sent the following tweet on Tuesday...

The short of it is: I'm hearing that the NHL Commish is encouraging the board of governors to make an expansion team available to Seattle.

— mitch levy (@kjrmitch) July 31, 2013

Pro Hockey Talk reported on Mitch's report in an article you can read by clicking here.

Here is a passage from that article...

Mitch Levy, a sports-talk radio host in Seattle, shared a rumor saying NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is pushing the Board of Governors to make an expansion team available to Seattle. Levy says it would cost $275 million to start the team and that the new team would begin playing in the 2014-15 season.

The same issues that came up when the rumors over the Phoenix Coyotes relocating to Seattle are in play here. There would have to be local ownership and the proposed arena in downtown Seattle would need to be built. The latter part would require some political paperwork to be adjusted to make it happen.

Usually, when Mitch says something like "I'm hearing", it means he's got a very trustworthy source. It's the kind of lingo he used last year when reporting highly accurate details of the arena deal in advance.

With that said, my advice is to treat it as a rumor. Be hopeful, but don't get your hopes up.