The 'i's have been dotted, the 't's have been crossed. After receiving 4.75M$ the league has permitted the New England Sharks to move to their new home in Nevada. From this point forward they will be known as the Las Vegas Hitmen.
The transition wasn't easy though. The club struggled to make ends meet last season and the move was in question for much of the year. But thanks to a new direction and an improved product on the ice, the team was able to turn in a winning season and bank enough profit to cover all the costs. Now that the club is in Las Vegas, financial constraints will be a thing of the past. Season ticket requests have been through the roof and interest from corporate sponsors has been strong.
However, this wasn't the only news to make headlines to start the 2012 season. Before the ink was even dry on the transfer sheet, the Hitmen pulled off a couple of trades to start the new era. In the first deal, the Hitmen sent 1.5M$ and Samuel Pahlsson to London in exchange for Jay Bouwmeester. Shortly after Las Vegas sent Dan Hamhuis and their 2nd round pick to Portland for Max Talbot and Todd Marchant.
Talbot figures to make an immediate impact and should be a fixture on the squad for years to come. Marchant has announced that this will be his last season playing hockey and is slated for a prominent role killing penalties on the fourth line. Bouwmeester carries a bigger price tag than Hamhuis, but the move was necessary to solidify the defense while youngsters like Hedman and Carlson continue their development.
The only remaining players leftover from the New England Sharks regime are Sidney Crosby, Andrei Kostitsyn, and Pekka Rinne. The new era of Hitmen hockey has officially began...
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