I know we do not have a guarantee of an NHL team, that Steve Ballmer may not get involved in the end, and that things can go wrong. Why do I know this? Because our history has conditioned me to. Cautious optimism is the wise frame of mind for these latest NHL rumors.

You know what, though? Cautious optimism sucks and I'm sick of it.

I want to throw caution to the wind so hard that people think I'm three sheets to the wind. I want to start planning the expansion draft. I want to start trash-talking the fans of our hated rivals to the north, the Vancouver Canucks.

If I get my heart broken again in the end, so be it.

For this article, I want us to officially begin the process of choosing a team name and the jersey to go with it. We did it last year during the Coyotes saga and it was a lot of fun. Let's do it again.

Some of the names that have been previously tossed around are Seawolves, Totems, Metropolitans, Freeze, Kraken (Meirose claims to have coined this one), Sasquatches, and Pilots.

Oops. I almost forgot to mention the Salmon, but my personal favorite is the Kraken.

So, let's talk about this. What should we call our new team. Give us names, mascots, colors, logo renderings, and the works. Don't be afraid to tell someone that your idea is better than theirs. Debate it.

Slug it out now. Hug it out later.

***If you vote other, leave a comment on what you think the team name should be.***