There’s yet another hockey media move in the works, and while this one is just a departure for now rather than a transfer, there’s already lots of talk about what could be ahead. The move in question is veteran reporter Frank Seravalli exiting TSN after six years. Seravalli, who joined TSN in 2015 after six years on the Flyers’ beat for The Philadelphia Daily News, tweeted about his TSN exit Monday, and said this was his choice:
https://twitter.com/frank_seravalli/status/1394321819939835907
Seravalli notes in there that he isn’t “exactly sure” what’s next for him, but there’s been plenty of speculation that he might join ESPN or Turner ahead of the start of their NHL coverage next season. Either of those moves might make some sense. ESPN in particular might have some merit, as Seravalli could contribute not only to game coverage for them, but perhaps also to SportsCenter and other shows. They also have a strong website for reporting, written features, and video features, and Seravalli has found some success in all of those formats.
Turner might be a little harder to envision as a destination given that they don’t have sports news shows or a real website association. Yes, they own Bleacher Report, but there hasn’t been a lot of Bleacher Report/TBS/TNT crossover much of the time, and especially not for talents who started on the TV side. It is possible to see Seravalli landing at Turner as an in-game reporter or intermission/post-game show contributor, though.
And either of those U.S. networks with new NHL rights might make some sense on a few fronts. For one, Seravalli was a rare American working for TSN, so he might be more interested in a U.S. job than some other people there. (As per Rob Williams of The Daily Hive, Seravalli is currently based Stateside.) For another, ESPN and Turner both have the opportunity to start their coverage from scratch next year, so there’s a lot more hiring going on than you’d see in an average year.
Beyond that, though, there are of course other options. It’s possible that TSN competitor Rogers Sportsnet (which has the national NHL rights in Canada) might look at bringing in Seravalli. There also might be something available with the NHL Network, and/or NHL.com. The Athletic has also committed strongly to hockey coverage with hires like Pierre LeBrun, Scott Burnside, and Craig Custance, and Seravalli’s coverage might fit in well there. Or maybe Seravalli wants to do something different entirely, and maybe he doesn’t wind up in the hockey world at all. At any rate, it will be interesting to keep an eye on where he lands.
[Frank Seravalli on Twitter; photo via The Daily Hive]
