Canadian businessman Jim Balsillie is back again, as expected.

Balsillie, co-founder of Research In Motion, the company that makes the BlackBerry handheld device, apparently doesn't spend much time on anything other than wanting a hockey team. Once again, he is going after a stake of the Nashville Predators.

The move is being reported in Canadian newspaper The National Post that Balsillie is after the minority stake once owned by California businessman William "Boots" Del Biaggio, who has declared bankruptcy and is under investigation for fraud.

The Post and other Canadian papers state that Balsillie could buy the 27 percent stake through bankruptcy court proceedings and become the "alternate governor" of the Predators franchise. Nothing new there.

But their reports also quote sports management professor Wayne McDonnell Jr. as saying that some of the NHL's other owners – who were steamed when Balsillie made his first run at the Preds while planning to relocate the team to Ontario – may now be more willing to have Balsillie join them at the table.

Since all ownership changes, minority or majority, must be approved by the NHL Board of Governors, such a shift would give Balsillie substantially more heft in his dealings. But the board also includes Preds President David Freeman, who has never taken to kindly to the BlackBerry billionaire's advances.

What could happen is that the bankruptcy court sells a portion of the team to Balsillie only to see that stake be put on ice by the Board of Governors.

After that, who knows which way the puck will drop.