While cautious optimism surrounds the prospects of an NHL franchise in Las Vegas, one interested party is patiently awaiting to see where he fits once the dust settles.
 
Murray Craven, a former NHL player and friend of potential owner Bill Foley, could find his way into the front office should a new team arrive in Sin City.
 
"Obviously when he started exploring his hockey team, I've been in contact with Bill and we've talked about different things," Craven told TSN Hockey Insider Pierre LeBrun on Thursday.
 
"That's where my involvement is right now, much like the franchise itself, it's moving forward but still exploratory."
 
Craven, who played 1,071 regular-season games with the Detroit Red Wings, Philadelphia Flyers, Hartford Whalers, Vancouver Canucks, Chicago Blackhawks and San Jose Sharks, added he would be interested in a role with the Vegas team, saying he and Foley have discussed the idea amongst other things.
 
"I've shared with him what my thoughts are regarding the game, we've talked about different structures of management and a little bit about what it takes to put a team together mostly on the hockey operations side of things, that's what our discussions have been about," Craven said.
 
"Beyond that, would I like to be involved? Definitely. But we'll see what happens first."
 
What happens first is proving to the NHL brass that a team is viable for the region in question.
 
Despite criticisms surrounding a questionable fan base in Vegas - the curse of the tourist attraction - Foley told ESPN.com's Scott Burnside on Thursday the team will be for the hometown crowd, not those visiting from elsewhere.
 
"We know that we're going to get great casino support," he said. "But I want the guy that lives in Henderson (located just outside of Las Vegas), I want him to be there.
 
"I don't want to see everyone in the stands with a Canucks jersey on. I'm not trying to promote the Red Wings."
 
The push for the hometown help is well underway with the potential ownership group launching a website looking for fan support, as well as plans for a season-ticket drive to be launched in February. "The door is open. Now we have to walk through the door," Foley told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. "We want to demonstrate to the NHL that there is a lot of interest in Las Vegas."
 
Craven has already willingly walked through the door, acting as a "close advisor" to Foley. For now, he'll have to settle for cautious optimism.
 
"One thing I've learned from Bill over the years, until everything is certain, I mean, we haven't talked about what my role would be, it's all preliminary at this point," Craven told LeBrun. "Until they have a firm commitment, Bill is of the mind that there's no use talking about that kind of stuff until we know whether we're going to get this team or not."
 
"It's going to be interesting moving forward, for sure. "Not only Bill, but the Maloofs, are very excited about the prospect of them being able to get this season-ticket drive under way, gauging the interest, and really rallying the city around and being the first professional team there. That's critical in their plans and I think it's so necessary that the whole city buys into it and takes ownership of the team as far as the community."