One of the biggest rounds of NHL rumors focuses on expansion. Now, it’s worth pointing out that expansion is officially on the back burner. Since granting Seattle the league’s 32nd franchise in 2022 and moving the Arizona Coyotes to Utah last season, the league has said expansion is not a priority right now.
But expansion chatter has not gone away. For the league, it makes sense to add new clubs. The $1 billion fee for new franchises is something the league does not want to pass up. Plus, there is solid demand for new clubs.
That’s why talk is picking up about the league moving to 34 teams at some point down the line. Insider Jeff Marek named the two cities that could get new teams, according to NHL rumors.
“Atlanta, Houston, I believe, are destinations A and destinations B.”
The comments seem reasonable on the one hand, but outrageous on the other.
Let’s start with the reasonable comments. Houston, Texas, is the sixth-largest market in the United States. The city has an MLB team, the Houston Astros, and an NBA franchise, the Houston Rockets. The Houston Texans became the city’s NFL team after the Oilers moved to Tennessee a few years ago.
With such a large market, it makes sense that NHL rumors would focus on the league wanting to tap into that city. Plus, the only Texas-based team at the moment, the Dallas Stars, is far enough away to where there would be no overlap between the two clubs.
So, it makes sense to focus on Houston. But the other part of this discussion is absolutely nuts.
NHL Rumors Seem Outrageous about Hockey Returning to Atlanta
The NHL has tried to have hockey teams in Atlanta twice, and both times has failed. Like Houston, Atlanta is a major US market. It’s right behind Houston as the seventh-largest US market.
That’s why NHL rumors point towards the league wanting back into Atlanta in a major way. But the fact is that hockey has been a colossal failure.
The first time, the NHL granted an expansion team to the city in 1972. The Atlanta Flames played eight seasons, moving to Calgary in 1980. Poor attendance and financial distress precipitated the relocation.
NHL rumors picked up in the mid-90s about a return to Atlanta. Sure enough, the Atlanta Thrashers came into existence in 1999. The team lasted there until 2011, when it became the second iteration of the Winnipeg Jets.
So, what’s to say that the third time’s the charm for hockey in Atlanta?
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Expansion May Still Be a Few Years Away
One of the prevailing NHL rumors is that the league would consider further expansion in the 2030s. Part of the rationale may have to do with the logistics of moving into a relatively uneven number of teams that may require divisional realignment.
Adding one team in the Eastern Conference and one team in the Western Conference would certainly create an unbalanced schedule.
Plus, there’s still the matter of the Arizona Coyotes. The team is still officially on the books for the next three seasons. When the club relocated to Utah, Coyotes’ owner Alex Mueruelo retained the rights to the franchise. While it seems unlikely the Coyotes will return, NHL rumors suggest the league wants to run out the five-year grace period before officially moving ahead with further expansion.
If that’s the case, the 2030ish timeline makes sense. Ultimately, it remains to be seen what the league will do if it chooses to move forward with additional clubs.
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