Dan Patrick: NHL will have a team in Vegas by 2016

Rumors about a National Hockey League franchise in Las Vegas continue to swirl, and on Thursday, Dan Patrick of Premiere Radio Networks and NBCSN declared on his national radio show that a franchise will indeed arrive in Sin City by 2016.

Via NBC Sports:

We will have an NHL team in Las Vegas in 2016. They've already broken ground on the arena, from what I've been told, and here are some of the other details that I've found out. And this is from a financial person who is involved in this. The paperwork's already done. It is, as has been reported, a done deal. It's a done deal we'll have a hockey team in Las Vegas in 2016.

Patrick added that it's still uncertain whether the franchise will land in Vegas via expansion or relocation. 

He cited two teams to consider for relocation: the Arizona Coyotes, who are believed to have an out clause if they continue to lose $25 million or more in the coming seasons, and the Carolina Hurricanes, whose owner Peter Karmanos is asking an "exorbitant price" in an attempt to sell his team.

The owners would likely prefer an expansion scenario, due to the fees collected by forming a new team. Further to this point, Patrick confidently declared Seattle will also be getting a team, balancing out the number of teams in the East and West.

While Patrick isn't necessarily seen as a "hockey" guy, it's interesting to note that NBCSN carries the NHL's television rights, which may help to connect these dots.

Regardless, this story doesn't appear to be going away any time soon.

The Coyotes' situation was later clarified:

[H/T The Sporting News]