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According to the New York Post, the sale of the Florida Panthers to a New York buyer is “imminent”. The report comes as a surprise to most, as the team has never announced it was for sale, however with losses piling up, perhaps owners received an offer they couldn’t refuse.
The NHL has a history of finding buyers for teams losing money, having just over the past few years helped find new owners for the New Jersey Devils, St. Louis Blues, Dallas Stars and the Phoenix Coyotes. In addition the league has moved the Atlanta team to Winnipeg, where it has been a huge success. In addition to having one of the best stadium leases in the league, the Panthers have the support of the NHL, which has expresed its dedication to the South Florida market in the past, so any mention of relocation would be extremely surprising.
Last year Forbes valued the Florida Panthers at $170 million, 24th in the NHL. By comparison the NHL’s most valuable team is the Toronto Maple Leafs, valued at $1 billion. No mention of price or buyer are mentioned in the report, but after losing out on the Versace mansion, let’s just all hope it’s not Donald Trump.
UPDATE: Per Miami Herald‘s Barry Jackson, a source has told him the mystery buyer is New York businessman Vincent Viola.
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