Where to Next? Two Major Cities Are Candidates for NHL Expansion to 34 teams

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Joshua Deeds
September 8, 2024 (4:58 PM)

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NHL Expansion is an ongoing discussion after the latest team to enter the league, is Utah HC. An NHL agent has predicted that the league isn't done just yet.

With the Arizona Coyotes, becoming the newly minted Utah HC, in Salt Lake City, discussions about the next city continue.

While the Utah HC remains fresh in our minds the next target in talks is Gary Bettman, commissioner of the National Hockey League. He has taken a lot of heat for his efforts to concentrate league expansion in anywhere, but Canada.

It seems that the idea of Quebec City being a candidate is ignored, in favor of Houston and Atlanta who could push the NHL to 34 teams, according to NHL Agent and SDPN Agent Provocateur host Allan Walsh.

Walsh predicted that the expansion to 34 teams will 100% be happening, and while it won't be right away, it could be in the next few years.

«It's not a question of 'If?', it's a question of 'When?' for the next NHL expansion process, and we will reach 34 teams. I predict that the price to pay for each of the two new franchises will be $1.5 billion for the franchise purchase, more than double what Seattle had to pay in 2021.»

- Allan Walsh

With the Seattle Kraken being the 2nd to last expansion team to fork out the money required to enter the league, at $650 Million, Quebec could pull the NHL's ears back to the table, should the offer be good enough. But the cost of expansion is still high and it's likely we see Houston and Atlanta as the next two cities in the NHL.

The Seattle Kraken paid $650 million as the last true NHL expansion team. When the league decides to add again could that fee top $1 billion, or even more?Jul 11, 2024

Source: PuckProse
Predicting The Next Potential NHL Expansion Fee