It’s time for another edition of NHL rumours. We’re still in the middle of the summer, but plenty has has happened in the last week. We’ve seen trades, signings and all sorts of action. However, more could be in store in the future. The league is at a nice round number of 32 with eight teams in four divisions. However, there may be some changes down the way. This edition of NHL rumours deals with possible NHL expansion.
All NHL rumours come from the original source and are subject to change.
NHL Rumours
NHL Looking Into Possible Expansion
Rumour: The latest edition of 32 Thoughts from Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman had the insider talk about a meeting players and Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. Expansion came up as a topic its something that may be on the radar. However, things might be in the preliminary stages.
Trying to go dark this week (“no chance,” says the boss), but here’s a written 32 from the NHL/NHLPA European media tour.
Enjoy the last week of summer, everyone. https://t.co/kZOYGX4VBh
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) August 25, 2024
Analysis: Friedman was careful to mention that Daly was elusive when it came to expansion. The Deputy Commissioner was quick to say things would be addressed “at the appropriate time.”
Despite Daly’s vague answers, the NHLPA believes that expansion will be coming down the way. Friedman mentions that the league sees genuine interest from cities is trying to put together a proper vetting process.
The league will have to gather information and conducting interviews before getting the ball rolling. It’s going to take a while before we see more teams in the league, but the players’ union thinks we’ll see more opportunities for roster spots.
How Many More Teams?
One of the main questions is how many more teams will we see when expansion does happen. Does the league go up by two teams or does it go up to 36 teams? This would allow uniformity with divisions.
The league could have four nine-team divisions or six divisions of six teams apiece. There’s also the question on how teams would be rolled out. Would it be one at a time or would we see multiple expansion teams in the same season?
There’s also the question of how much would the expansion fee be. The Seattle Kraken finished off the $650 million fee in April 2021 to become the league’s 32nd team. This is a long way from the $80 million the league used to fetch years ago.
There are other questions on if the talent pool is deep enough to support more teams. However, expansion teams aren’t doomed to struggle like they did years ago. The Vegas Golden Knights proved that success can happen fairly quickly.
Where to?
The main question is where will the league expand to next. Daly said the NHL doesn’t have as many American clubs like the NBA, NFL or MLB. They’d like to fill some of those holes in and places like Houston could be on the radar.
Could Quebec City, Phoenix and Atlanta get another bite of the apple? Would someone like Portland, Oregon or an Oklahoma City, Oklahoma have a shot at getting a team when the team is right?
We’re still a ways away from expansion becoming a reality. However, we might see the excitement surrounding new teams coming to league. Things like the next collective bargaining agreement in 2025-26 need to be sorted out, but we could see more hockey come to more cities down the way.
Main photo by: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
