Seattle expansion won't be on agenda at owners meeting in June

The group looking to bring an NHL team to Seattle will have to wait a little longer to get the rubber stamp.

It's long been thought conditional approval for an expansion franchise in the Emerald City could come at the Board of Governors meetings next month. But NHL commissioner Gary Bettman says that plan has changed.

“Is it going to be on the June agenda? No," he told Tim Booth and Stephen Whyno of The Associated Press. "After that, could it be September? Could it be the annual meeting in December? It’s possible.”

Back in March, as Tim Leiweke's Oak View Group (along with investors David Bonderman and Jerry Bruckheimer) celebrated a successful ticket drive, both Leiweke and Bruckheimer mentioned the June meetings as the next hurdle to clear. However, Bettman told the AP this week the league is going to take its time.

“What we have said to the people - David Bonderman’s (Oak View Group) - is we’re on your timetable," Bettman said, adding that the NHL still has plenty of work to do on the matter.

"We have to finish doing our due diligence and our homework. We need to have the timetable understanding as to when the building’s going to get done. We can move as fast or as slowly as you want. There’s no rush."

Bettman said OVG has some work to do as well, including overseeing the redevelopment of Seattle's KeyArena.

“We’re in the middle of the process. They’re doing their homework, and they’re proceeding on two fronts because they’ve got to renovate a building and they’ve got to pursue the team and they’re doing both very nicely. They’re working with the city, they hired (CEO of the prospective team) Tod Leiweke."

Seattle fans responded in full force on March 1, putting down 10,000 deposits in the first 12 minutes of the ownership group's ticket drive.

If the NHL grants the city an expansion club, it would likely begin play in the 2020-21 season.