If you’re an NHL fan hoping for more teams in the immediate future, I wouldn’t hold your breath.
NHL commissioner Gary Bettman spoke with the media on Tuesday ahead of Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final between the Carolina Hurricanes and the Vegas Golden Knights. When asked about expansion, Bettman mentioned that despite plenty of interest from markets, the NHL is not looking to expand at this point in time.
“I think (the interest is) strong,” Bettman said. “There are – and you’ve heard me say it repeatedly – there are a number of places and people who are interested in it. We’re not ready to expand yet, but we are exploring those expressions of interest.”
Atlanta and Houston have been discussed as the top options for the next wave of NHL expansion. This would be Atlanta’s third franchise after having the Atlanta Flames from 1972 to 1980 (now the Calgary Flames) and the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999 to 2011 (now the Winnipeg Jets), while Houston would get their first NHL franchise ever, and first professional hockey team since the Houston Aeros of the WHA.
Another possible option for expansion is Phoenix, who lost the Coyotes franchise in 2024 due to arena complications. The team was deactivated after the 2023-24 season, with Ryan Smith paying a $1.2 billion fee to relocate all of their assets to Utah as a new franchise, now called the Utah Mammoth. The plan was to always expand back to Phoenix once they got an arena in place, but at this point in time, that has not happened.
The NHL has already expanded twice in the last nine years, adding the Golden Knights in 2017 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021. Vegas has found much more success since their addition, winning a Stanley Cup in 2023 along with two other Finals appearances in their inaugural season and this season, and have failed to make the playoffs only once in their franchise’s history. Meanwhile, the Kraken have just one playoff appearance over five seasons.
