NHL reportedly planning to expand to these 3 cities: Insider reveals 'a given' list of locations

There's no denying that the NHL is continuing to toy with the idea of further expansion, even though there are already 32 teams, leading some to worry that the overall talent of the league could soon become diluted.

Per analyst Andrew Zadarnowski, the NHL will soon expand to 36 teams, and names Houston and Atlanta, along with Phoenix, as the cities that will get teams.

If the NHL were to expand into Atlanta again, it would represent the 3rd time that they've experimented with professional hockey in the city.

Keep in mind, this would mean another NHL city quite close to Chicago.

Both the Atlanta Flames and the Atlanta Thrashers did not work out long-term in the city for various reasons; the Flames moved to Calgary, where they are now the Calgary Flames, while the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg to become the 2nd edition of the Winnipeg Jets.

Speaking of the Jets, the original Jets moved from Winnipeg to Phoenix in 1996 to become the Coyotes, an experiment that eventually failed thanks to numerous financial and arena issues.

The former Coyotes relocated to Salt Lake City last year to become the Utah Hockey Club and are now known as the Utah Mammoth.

This news will also upset fans in Quebec City, who have been longing for a team since the Nordiques relocated in 1995 to Denver to become the Colorado Avalanche.

Even though they have a newer rink that could accommodate NHL hockey, there are apparently no plans for the NHL to return to Quebec.