If the Edmonton Oilers have any long-term plans of thriving in the Alberta capital, now is the time to sell to Daryl Katz.
We've seen these two nuzzle up before, with the Edmonton Investors Group playing footsies with Katz under the dinner table before tossing him out the door without even a good-night smooch.
The flirting has gone on long enough.
In case the EIG hasn't caught on, Daryl Katz wants to own the Oilers.
A deal is close - reports indicate it is virtually done - but nothing is over until money changes hands. Ask Jim Balsillie.
And as dramatic as my view may seem, the long-term stability of the franchise may depend on it. Unless the sale is approved and handshakes offered, the Oilers, one day, may suffer the same fate as the Winnipeg Jets.
There are more than a few people south of the border that have extremely deep pockets and are looking to lure a National Hockey League team to their city.
Yes, the new CBA allows even small-market teams to compete. Revenues are up.
With that, so are franchise values.
Balsillie was willing to pay $238 million, give or take, for the Nashville Predators. If someone offered the same, if not more, to EIG for the Oilers a couple years down the road, how long would it take to sign on the dotted line?
I'm thinking about as quickly as it takes to scream and grab a pen.
Edmonton Oiler fans are diehards, as loyal as they come.
Loyal, just like fans in Winnipeg once were.
And we know how that turned out.
For all the positives Katz brings to the table, his biggest bargaining chip has to be the commitment to shell out $100 million towards a new arena.
Rexall Place was a great rink 20 years ago. These days, it's as washed up as Arsenio Hall's career.
Forget the overtures NHLPA boss Paul Kelly has made suggesting NHL expansion franchises in Canada. That is common sense.
They may also lose one before gaining another.
As passionate and loyal as Oiler fans are, Katz may be the only option Edmonton has to keep the team in town.
It may not happen next year, five years, or even ten years down the road.
But one day, if a last-minute protest kills this deal, the moving trucks could very well be heading south out of Edmonton.