Kansas City, here they come.

The biggest fears of Pittsburgh Penguins fans hover above the Steel City like a cloak of ash and soot from its former industrial days. Loyal followers of the two-time Stanley Cup winning franchise live in dire expectation that their beloved angry skating marine mammal will turn his gaze and his stride to the Midwest, not stopping until he reaches KC.

All that separates this town from their team from disappearing is the hopes of a business deal that will keep the Pens in Pittsburgh beyond the termination of their lease with Mellon Arena, which expires at the end of June.

However, I'll tell you several reasons why a Penguins move before the start of next season would benefit the NHL more than it would upset the people of Western Pennsylvania.

First, is the glut of young superstar talent stacked in the Eastern Conference. You have Crosby and Malkin just on the Penguins, followed by Alex Ovechkin. In the West, it's a series of stars on a couple teams, but no major franchise faces the NHL is presenting as a major draw. So, if you shift the Penguins to Kansas City, there's a bit more balance in terms of marketable uber-talent.

Second, under the current schedule which is up at the end of next season, there is too little inter-conference play. Having Crosby and Malkin in the Western Conference and the K.C. Penguins in the Central Division gives Detroit and Nashville eight cracks apiece at both players to showcase their talents, plus four games a year with aggressive offensive gameplans like those in Calgary, Colorado, San Jose and Los Angeles.

Third, if and when the Penguins move to the Midwest, the realignment of the divisions would put certain teams in better geographic positions. Pittsburgh would go from the Atlantic to the Central (with Detroit, St. Louis, Chicago, and Columbus, all midwestern towns). Nashville would move from the Central to the Southeast (providing a better geographic fit with the remaining Southern teams even though they'd be in a different time zone), and Washington heads northward to the Atlantic (where they'd also be in closer proximity to their old Patrick Division foes instead of travelling anywhere from 300 to 1200 miles within their former division).

Next, unlike 30 years ago when the NHL's reactionary stance against the WHA forced some bad expansion cities into the league, the Kansas City area is exponentially more vibrant and ready to host a big-league club.
Kansas City's metro area and sphere of influence stretches as far West as Manhattan, Kansas, as far north as Omaha, and as far south and southwest as Wichita and the Kansas suburbs close to the state line. After the Scouts departed for Denver, the IHL's Blades proved a capable and popular franchise for several NHL teams, most notably the San Jose Sharks. A good amount of players who figured in the Sharks' playoff upsets in 1994 and 1995 came through the old Kemper Arena before heading to Silicon Valley.

Further still, that relocation gives a nice string of franchises along the I-70 corridor from Columbus to Denver, including a Kansas City-St. Louis rivalry already explored in baseball's interleague play.

In addition (for however long it lasts), free rent in the spanking-new Sprint Center allows any advertising and merchandising revenue to be pumped cleanly and wholly back into the team to spend on veteran talent if the time comes where the Pens are legitimate Stanley Cup contenders on solid financial footing. This sure thing is bound to be more beneficial than having fans, team ownership, the mayor's office, local businessmen as well as Pennsylvania's governor strut and fret in hours when the moon is dark over whether or not the team can squeeze out one or two more years in its current state.

If the move should happen, I hope all Penguins fans don't misplace their fear, mistrust and anger. It's not as if the club will pack up and move in the middle of the night with no warning. There has been ample time for all team supporters to enjoy one or more games at the Igloo, and should the team resurface in Missouri for October 2007, the faithful should still want to root for their team, knowing that the move kept their beloveds from a much murkier fate.