Shocking contenders emerge for the next NHL expansion wave

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Tom Banks
September 8, 2024 (8:43 PM)

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Expansion has been one of the biggest topics in the NHL in recent years, and now all signs are pointing to not one, but two cities to get new teams very soon.

The NHL announced earlier in the summer that the Utah Hockey Club would be the newest team in the NHL, relocating from the Arizona Coyotes, but they may not be the newest club for very long. That is according to Allan Walsh anyway, who has seemingly confirmed rumours that the NHL is looking to expand not once but twice in the near future, with the top player agent revealing that this will take place sooner, rather than later.

«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

Then, Walsh, who has many sources throughout the NHL, would go on to name Atlanta (a city the NHL have failed in not once, but twice) and Houston as the front runners to take over teams No. 33 and 34. If this becomes reality, it would be brutal for Canada's NHL hopes, with many fans wanting a new team in Toronto and/or the return of the Quebec Nordiques, which would both be financially viable options.

After the introduction of the Utah Hockey Club, it's likely that expansion in the NHL won't take place for another few years, but after the success of the Kraken and the Golden Knights, don't be surprised if we see two new teams within the NHL before the year 2030.

Source: Habs Fanatics
Two cities emerge as possible expansion frontrunners for Gary Bettman and the NHL according to Allan Walsh