Insider Confirms Which Three Cities Are Locks for the Next Round of NHL Expansion
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The NHL already has 32 teams, and now there are calls for further expansion, potentially up to 36 teams. As you can imagine, Gary Bettman has his favorites.
If you are an NHL fan, you probably think there are way too many teams at this point. The talent pool in the NHL is being spread too thin, and it feels like we already have enough franchises.
However, for the NHL, nothing is ever satisfactory. There has been renewed talk about how we may get another two franchises in a few years from now, and that by the end of the 2030s, there will be 36 teams.
That means four more franchises would have to enter the fold, which truly feels a bit ridiculous when you consider that hockey isn't even a top 3 major sport in the United States.
NHL Expansion to the South is inevitable
Regardless, according to David Pagnotta, there are currently three cities that the NHL is floating around as potential locks for expansion.
Houston, Atlanta, and Arizona are the top priorities, and longtime fans are definitely going to be rolling their eyes at those choices and good reason.
Atlanta, as it was told to me, is as much of a lock as Utah was; Houston's pretty much there too; Arizona's part of that mix
Atlanta has been tried twice before, and it didn't work out either time. This go-round, the NHL wants to put the team in a specific area of Georgia that is meant for sports entertainment. The jury is out on whether or not that works.
As for Arizona, that was a complete disaster, and the Coyotes are a great example of this. That said, the league is being stubborn.
Houston is actually a good idea, as Dallas has been a massive success story for the league for over 30 years.
Expansion is still a long way away, but based on these latest options, it remains clear to us that the NHL is going down a path that may alienate fans.
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