from Kevin McGran of the Toronto Star,

The NHL officially awarded a team to Seattle on Tuesday, and the move into a top 20 television market, starting in 2021, will coincide with a new American TV deal and perhaps a sharp rise in the cap.

The cap has risen every year while NBC coughs up $200 million (U.S.) annually on average to hockey-related revenue. That deal ends after the 2020-21 season, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said.

In a new deal, the NHL could easily double that money, if not more, independent media consultant Brad Adgate said.

“It’s going up,” Adgate said. “If you look at what’s happening in media the last decade — so many sports networks, streaming video. Amazon is poking around. Facebook made a bid for cricket.

“If you look at the NBA, they tripled (their TV revenue). It’s reasonable to believe the NHL goes from $200 million to $500 million a year.”

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