Surprising report emerges late on Thursday confirming the imminent sale of $680M NHL franchise
In a surprising turn of events late on Thursday, sports business reporter Eben-Novy Williams broke the news that the Nashville Predators are close to being sold. The news is shocking because most were not even aware that the Preds were for sale in the first place.
Per Williams, the prospective buyer is actually the brother of Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam - former Tennessee Governor, Bill Haslam, whose net worth is $2.3B. Per Sportico, the Preds franchise is valued at approximately $680M, good for 26th in the NHL in terms of overall value.
The report is unclear as to what the purchase could mean in terms of possible relocation, but I would imagine that since Haslam is a former Tennessee Governor, the team will likely stay put.
Perhaps the most interesting question here is will a change in ownership also change the direction of the club? The Preds were a playoff team this year (barely), and are facing some big decisions this summer, most notably whether or not to re-sign winger Filip Forsberg.
If the new prospective owner completes the purchase, will he be looking to pressure the current management group to make bold moves to remain in the playoff hunt, or will he push for a top to bottom rebuild, which could also include personnel changes from upper management right down to the on-ice personnel?
