Vinny being on the trade block is speculation from what I've heard and here is the gist of the story.
We all know the Tampa Owners have had a fight and as a result they have basically split. Barrie and Koules still technically both own the team, but Bettman has been working on a deal to have the team and all assets sold to Vinik. (no not the Vinik from "The West Wing").
Anyway Vinik (reported wealth of 515 million) is a partial owner of the Red Sox and has made some if not most of his money in real estate flipping properties. From what I'm told, a big part of Vinik's interests is around the 5 acres of lang adjacent to the arena down town.
I believe it was last week on Team1200's Healthy Scratches, it was mentioned that it was Vinik who would want to trade Vinny, as he would want to clear salary to rebuild the team. It was also mentioned that Vinik would not be a permanent owner, but more of a stop gap to buy the team, help build it back up to a valued commodity and then sell it to someone who would want to keep it.
To me, the funny part of all this, is not that there are all these ownership issues around the league, but that the sale of the Lightning could happen in mere weeks, when Phoenix has been ongoing for a year now.
I guess much of that has to do with the lease agreement in Phoenix, and the fact that Tampa has a much more favorable agreement.
Last note, whispers are turning into much louder water cooler talk that Bettman is "losing the room" with regards to the owners. Many are tired that many southern teams are having issues with attendance, and Gary's ability to grow the game south of the border.
Last edited by Devo on Tue Feb 02, 2010 10:54 am; edited 1 time in total