Written Option 2:

In real life, I think the most important part of an expansion location is the fan base to support it even before the team has any success. That means having a big enough population, especially when competing with other sports in the area, and it means having an arena that's accessible to enough fans on a daily basis. The brand should have some basis in the area so that fans can tap into hometown pride. If there are other sports, getting close to the color scheme is a big plus. I say all this as a Seattle Kraken season ticket holder.

How does this translate to the SHL? Well, the fans that support the expansion teams are mainly the players who play there. The locker room is important and the management needs to get buy in on building a team. Focus on drafting for year 3-5 and get a core that grows into it together. Don't swing for a halfway good team and then get stuck in mediocrity. For location and brand, I would pick something off-script that wouldn't get a team in real life because it's a fantasy that folks can buy in to. While I loved my time on Montreal, it felt wrong because I'm a Bruins fan in real life. If there's hockey team with no real life counterpart, it's easier to get fully into it.