I don't know what to make of this. It seems a bit strange for them to strip his exclusivity rights if everything is on track. I mean, what's the point?
League sources confirm the NHL has pulled St. Louis businessman Tom Stillman’s exclusive rights in his pursuit to buy the St. Louis Blues.
With this being said his purchase agreement has not been terminated and remains intact.
According to one high ranking NHL source this “should not negatively impact his ability to close. His agreement is still in place.”
Stillman’s purchase agreement he entered into in January runs through March 15th.
Sources continue to indicate the NHL still views Stillman as the desired and preferred buyer.
I’m told Stillman has shown enough progress to where the NHL remains optimistic he can secure a purchase.
Whether or not the NHL turns back to Matt Hulsizer and Dave Checketts remains unclear. Sources say a secondary local group involving Cardinals President Bill Dewitt III continues to show some level of interest. I’m told if Dewitt III were to jump in it would be in a limited role as an investor.
dmiles2186 wrote:Holy goodness...please make this stuff go away.
For real. Just get it done.
I asked JR about why it will take until mid-March if Stillman is definitely going to buy the team before I saw Strickland's report. His response:
"don't know where it was reported about Hulsizer closing deals quickly. My impressions would be the opposite. With Stillman, if he could prove his financial backing today, the sale process would proceed. He is continuing his work behind the scenes to accomplish this. Checketts can do nothing to hold this up; it's up to Stillman.
