Three surprising teams were named in NHL expansion and we have a date: Per insider
Photo credit: NHL.com
While the latest expansion team in the NHL was the Utah Mammoth, NHL analyst John Shannon believes that Gary Bettman and Bill Daly intend to expand the league beyond 32 teams.
NHL fans believe that an expansion of the league would lead to further dilution of the talent that would suit up in the league. It is a common cry of orthodox NHL fans, who, for some reason or another, believe there is a finite limit of NHL-ready players available.
But Gary Bettman and Bill Daly, who do the bidding of NHL owners, are working on expanding the league further into more territories in North America.
The latest cities that have been considered for expansion are Houston and Phoenix.
Would this mean a return of the Coyotes franchise?
I think in the next five years we're gonna be at 34 teams; I suspect we're gonna see Atlanta come in let's say 2028, and then Houston or Phoenix, if Phoenix gets a new arena, in 2030.
According to Shannon, we could expect to see Atlanta, Phoenix, and Houston in the mix for NHL franchises. Two of which are NHL retreads, and one is a former WHA/AHL city (Houston Aeros).
Gary Bettman Issues A Statement on NHL Expansion
The discussion of expansion in the NHL is ongoing, with Commissioner Bettman leading the way.
He'd make an appearance on ESPN's Pat McAfee's show, and according to him, it sounds like the league is in no hurry to make a move.
I'm not going to issue an edict that says, if you want an expansion team, file your application by this date. I think the most important things at 10,000 feet in expansion are ownership ... market, arena and what does it do to make the league stronger, improve our footprint?
If somebody can check those four boxes and wants to do a deep dive, then I'll take it to the owners and we'll consider it. I'm not pressuring anybody.
If somebody can check those four boxes and wants to do a deep dive, then I'll take it to the owners and we'll consider it. I'm not pressuring anybody.
While the possibility of expansion still remains, it will be interesting to see who gets awarded a franchise.
Considering Atlanta, this would be the third NHL team that would run in the city if they meet the right conditions to form a franchise in the league. Atlanta and the Forsyth County Commission are busy investing in the city with a $3 billion expenditure on an NHL-ready arena in order to begin the process.
Previously on HawksInsider
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