[Brasky]

The ratings will be yuge in Chicago. Rogers will survive the playoff drought.

[RayChuang88]

The ratings will be very good in the USA, but the NBC Sports contract with the NHL is pretty reasonable, US$2 billion for ten years. But then, NBC Sports has that massive moneymaker in the NFL Sunday Night Football telecasts.

Rogers Communications, on the other hand, is highly reliant on the NHL contract financially. It worked great last season with five Canadian teams in the playoffs, but with no Canadian teams in the playoffs this season, many are projecting 75-plus percent drop in TV viewership for the NHL playoffs. That type of viewership drop could have horrible financial consequences, and could make Rogers' financial situation quite precarious.