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The WHA is having struggles of its own. One of the original teams that had pledged to be operational by the season opening has pulled out of the league. The owner didn't agree with the methods used to adminstrate the league, saying that the last time he had seen an operation run this way, it failed miserably, and he wanted no part of it. 2 other teams are having problems obtaining arena rights, which obviously is a very important piece of the puzzle. And finally, Euro teams are able to offer alot more money to big name NHL players looking for a place to play next season. The WHA salary cap only allows 1 exemption for a franchise player, which allows for a contract up to 5 million/year, which, if I remember correctly, is a third of the total roster budget allowed under the cap.
All of these issues, plus the fact that every ex-NHLer on a WHA roster is going to jump ship if the NHL starts up operations during the season, just doesn't bode well for the association.
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