The NHL will likely take over the New Jersey Devils near the start of the 2013-14 season unless a serious buyer for the team steps up before then,according to Forbes.
This morning we posted that Joshua Harris and the owners of the NBA’s 76ers had joined the bidding process alongside a group led by attorney Andrew Barroway.
Current owner Jeff Vanderbeek, who bought out his partners last year, reportedly missed a loan payment earlier this year. According to Forbes, the NHL doesn’t want the Devils to file for bankruptcy like the Phoenix Coyotes were forced to several years ago. The report states the NHL would own and operate the Devils franchise like they did with the Coyotes until a permanent buyer is found. Commissioner Gary Bettman and deputy commissioner Bill Daly both denied the reports, but they also denied that the Devils were in any sort of financial trouble only a few weeks ago.
