New NHL Teams Are Coming!

New NHL teams are coming, that’s no secret.
Expansion is inevitable, there’s money to be made, and the success of recent expansion teams in the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken proves this. If it’s not expansion, it could be the relocation of a struggling franchise, like the Arizona Coyotes who can’t seem to secure an arena deal. But which cities could land the 33rd, or even 34th NHL franchise?
Subscribe for more Top 6 Hockey videos: / @top6hockey
All of our videos are edited following the "Free Use" Guideline of KZbin as well as the Canadian and United States copyright acts.

[@top6hockey]

So it sounds like there's rumors suggesting the Coyotes are possibly heading to Salt Lake City! Do you think it happens? 👀

[@BrandonPlant]

Yup it's looking that way!

[@sampicano]

Coyotes are 100% relocating Never Atlanta #NeverAtlanta #NevaATL

[@cmdrflake]

Why not? There’s no way the Coyotes can get an adequate arena deal in Arizona considering the objections coming from more than one group that very jealously guards its water rights.

[@rhyta5042]

As much as I would like to see an NHL team in SLC, I think it is overrated. We've had minor league hockey here since the 70's and it is the redheaded stepchild to the Jazz. It won't last even if it does actually happen.

[@TSHampter]

Just saw confirmation of the ignition of the relocation to Utah from TheScore

[@42Belanger]

The return of the Quebec Nordiques needs to happen at some point here, I do believe

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

Also the Whalers

[@Brocuzgodlocdunfamdogson]

Those Nords jerseys with the fleur-de-lis pattern along the bottom are too good looking to not be used. I’d love to see them get another team. On a related note, when a team moves, the city they’re abandoning should have the option of keeping the team’s history. Especially if there’s a good chance they’ll get another team in the future. The Cleveland Browns did it in the NFL, no reason other teams couldn’t as well.

[@MrDecelles]

The NHL has asked Quebec to build a new arena. They did. The owner of the arena signed a lucrative contract for nhl distribution and was heavily lobbying the nhl. Nothing happened.

[@KrazzyKelsie]

Till then the Avalanche should play a few games at "home" there every year.

[@Polytrout]

@MrDecelles In the 1980 a similar story unfolded in a city similar to Quebec City. By 1987, the city was awarded the Canada Cup. They tried for a team for 1991 - Ottawa was awarded a franchise instead. The city of Hamilton was economically back in the 1980s where Quebec City is today. Hamilton lives in Toronto's shadow - Quebec City lives in Montreal's shadow.

[@user-bc4ex2fh5x]

Let's get a bloody NHL team back in Quebec City Quebec PLEASE

[@gregthompson3785]

Absolutely!Put a team back where it should still be.

[@nikolaisc5555]

we neeeeeeed more battle of quebec games, those games were fire

[@ogieoglethorpe3788]

not going to happen.

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

Arizona Coyotes are rubbish mate.

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

​@@nikolaisc5555Poutine Derby games

[@bobschenkel7921]

Bring back the Hartford Whalers. It is the best logo in hockey history.

[@spinkid2000]

This is very true. You still see it all over CT.

[@I_ain_never_had_Shit]

Has to be the worst reason I’ve ever heard to bring back a team

[@talanlee223]

😂😂

[@bigtimetimmyjim6486]

@@I_ain_never_had_Shit OK fine, we miss them and miss having a pro sports team in our state, satisfied? :(

[@jessiebellanger5756]

I miss them so much. Best logo ever​@@bigtimetimmyjim6486

[@louisbuss6068]

Its bad enough with 32 teams, making average droughts lasting (you guessed it 32 years) Imagine being a fan of a franchise and never seeing your team win anything in your entire lifetime. That is likely gonna be the case for many people if they keep expanding.

[@ref6122]

Its the hidden negative cost to fans.

[@heathclark318]

Spoken like someone who grew up with participation prizes.

[@louisbuss6068]

@@heathclark318 😂

[@cygnus_XI]

I was thinking the same thing. "Oh boy, more teams for my team to lose to."

[@Steve-mz7np]

Like a Leaf fan? Lol

[@billydecarlo2053]

I’d love to see Hartford or Atlanta to return and do it right this time NHL

[@lesevesel2898]

More teams = more jobs = diluted league talent = super high premium contracts for talents like Bedard once his ELC expires.

[@SWog617]

As a Boston Bruins fan, I'd have very little interest in seeing another expansion team with no history. But I could get into having one become the new Quebec Nordiques. Technically they'd have no history either... but it must've really s*cked for those fans to lose their team.

[@Habebandebardown]

As a Habs fan i agree, man even Bergeron wanted a team back in Qc, also ill be cheering for boston vs toronto go bruins

[@najibm]

Quebec city have something that wasn't back in 95. Corporate money and government blessings

[@nietzschescodes]

They also have a great new arena, the Videotron Centre, opened since 2015.

[@MikePurdue-ky9pm]

Would they seriously be stupid enough to try a 3rd time in Atlanta?

[@willp.8120]

Had nothing to do with fan support, rather ownership issues.

[@Wexter0083]

Getting really tired of people saying hockey didn't work in Atlanta when the only reason the Thrashers moved to Winnipeg was because of ownership infighting leading to no home for them to play in. The Thrashers didn't move due to low attendance.

[@willp.8120]

@@Wexter0083 Agreed. It is absurd to say what they say. It has been 13 years since the Thrashers left and this information was known in 2011. Some people just do not like Atlanta because they view Atlanta as a threat to their po-dunk little city getting a team.

[@MikePurdue-ky9pm]

@@Wexter0083 Mismanagement, Low attendance... Whatever the cause was, it's happened twice now. Trying the same thing again and again and expecting a different result is called "insanity".

[@patbrennan6572]

Yes.

[@scottbaron121]

I feel for Atlanta. I was a former Thrasher season ticket holder. Don't live there any longer. The problem with the NHL is finding SOLID ownership. Atlanta was a victim of this. TWICE. Attendance wasn't an issue. Support wasn't an issue. OWNERSHIP WAS ALWAYS THE ISSUE. I know "hockey fans" love to crap on Atlanta but rest assured, with solid owner(s), hockey would THRIVE in Atlanta. 6 million people. Tampa AND Nashville have been successful. Atlanta can't!? That's just non-sense.

[@stevenbauer4799]

Why y'all keep saying that? flames only drew 8,000 for playoff series vs. nyr before they left. Save the thrash rallies drew no one as fans stayed away that last season. Big southern/non traditional markets don't = nhl success. atl. twice and phx. prove that.

[@jdsmith1740]

Yes Atlanta will Thrive when we get our expansion team. Just like Atlanta United is doing in mls 1st in attendance in mls. The Braves are 5th in attendance in mlb last year. It will happen!!!!

[@Survivalist-of-war]

​@@jdsmith1740base has always had a thriving southern tradition, soccer is also huge in the south and has been since the 70s. Hockey a Northern based sport has never been very popular in the south. Bad ownership, low attendance = no team. Even the Flames on drew around 8k fans durring the playoffs. Thats all that needs to be know. A pro team, durring playoff only selling 8k tickets will never last.

[@waynebennett745]

THANK YOU! If people looked, Atlanta had BETTER attendance than other teams, but they wanted to say that was the reason.

[@waynebennett745]

​​​@@Survivalist-of-warIf hockey "has no interest in the South", please explain teams in Florida, Texas, Carolina, & Tennessee. 👀 Let's not forget the Gwinnett Gladiators & SEC schools with hockey teams.

[@Wish-uf5md]

Listen, from someone living in Halifax I think we need one. I mean you have pretty much all of the reasons why we need one. I didn’t hear if you said it or not but Hockey actually originated from Nova Scotia in a place pretty close to Halifax. Although I don’t feel as if the Scotiabank centre would be a suitable location for a NHL team. I think they’d have to build a new rink someone else or maybe near by to have an NHL team here.

[@HydrixTheory]

make more sense to give portland maine the team then halifax population to small sadly

[@HaliWood-qc2qc]

I would love for the billionaires in Halifax to get together and push for a new arena (since Halifax has nearly quadrupled in population when the outdated Scotiabank Centre was built) and make a pitch for a team. The city is 20 mins away from hockey's birthplace,is proving time and again to be a big league town and with another 2 million people within 2 hours of the 500 000 in the city itself. I mean thats more than double the population of Manitoba and look at Winnipeg 🤷🏼‍♂️ Just some food for thought

[@BobSaxon-ou7ww]

Under no circumstances should Toronto get a second team . Both Quebec and Hamilton should get teams . But I don't see Quebec or Hamilton getting teams as no Multi billionaire owner wants to deal with the goofy Quebec government , and putting a team in Hamilton pretty much would kill Buffalo. Its sad but true. As atleast a third of Buffalo season ticket holders are from Canada

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

The Toronto Toilet Bowls. 🤭

[@Survivalist-of-war]

Yeah right, Toronto gets a second team and they win the cup 1st season. Oh how great that would be. 😂

[@stickynorth]

Hamilton? Yes! Toronto? NEVER!

[@paulmargani7103]

I agree no to toronto to get a second team and is a waste.

[@NobleDemonTim]

1. No to a 2nd Toronto team and a Hamilton team. Maple Leafs won't let it happen, even with a slice of the expansion fees and territory fees. 2. I do agree on these four/five picks. Salt Lake City UT(Relocation) Houston TX (Expansion) Atlanta GA (Expansion) Quebec City (Expansion) Kansas City MO(Expansion)

[@richardchapman5282]

Quebec City might only have population over 800,000 but I guarantee it they sell out every night and the TV rating would be way higher than having another team in Atlanta

[@Habebandebardown]

indeed we could also the fact that add all the maritimes provinces would get easier access to nhl hcokey or that there is at least 2m people in a 2h drive from qc

[@fpjrzman]

Also, don't forget the French language media revenues, those are largely untapped, with TVA likely securing French broadcast rights

[@RpGfreak901]

Houston makes the most sense. Their Aeros won 2 WHA championships back in the day.

[@luddite4change449]

It looks like Bettman wants Ferritta to pay full freigth with an expansion fee for a franchise, now that Arizona is probably going to SLC.

[@Hoovie9596]

They won 2. Winnipeg won 3

[@marcpower4167]

​@Hoovie9596 the other 2 seasons: Quebec won 1 and the New England (Hartford) Whalers won the other.

[@Hoovie9596]

@@marcpower4167 that’s right. I’m from Winnipeg and I’m old enough to remember

[@stickynorth]

BACK in the day... A lot has changed in 40 years...

[@christophermerlot3366]

As long as Bettmann is in charge, there will not be another Canadian team. He was hired for the purpose of expanding the game in the US...and that's all.

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

Bettman sucks sellout balls.

[@tommm.1538]

Yet he moved Atlanta to Winnipeg...

[@jp6614]

​@@tommm.1538big picture 1992 Calgary Flames. Dictatorship ever since.

[@gregorycox4085]

And also hired to turn a Canadian game into the American game.

[@Sports_fan_idk]

Just give another team to Canada.I Don’t care where it is, I just want to see it happen. Another team in Canada would be more popular then another team in the states.

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

The Saskatchewan Horseshoe Flies 😄

[@th3m4n32]

Too much common sense, NHL would never go for it.

[@daviddyer3543]

What about a combined Newfoundland/St. Pierre and Miquelon team (they could have the stadium at St. John's)? Or maybe a Charlottetown team, or...maybe a Halifax franchise?

[@Sports_fan_idk]

@@daviddyer3543 I would love to see a team in Atlantic Canada, but according to some people, it’s to small. But that’s bs

[@x50nathan]

@@daviddyer3543 St. Pierre and Miquelon is part of France (they use the Euro there), so it would technically be the first and only team in the NHL that's outside of Canada and the US.

[@darrencole97]

Hamilton Ont.

[@hemihead001]

Forget Atlanta . That failed twice . I'd say Quebec and Hartford .

[@outbackigloo6489]

Atlanta is the sixth largest metro area in the U.S. and the area is growing. A team under capable ownership should be successful. If the NHL can survive in Carolina, Nashville, and Dallas, it should survive in Atlanta. And if they have to relocate, then move it to a northern city; I think Milwaukee would be a good choice. (Kind of like the Braves, but in reverse!)

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

Old school hockey like that NHL 94 videogame.

[@jamesberry4514]

Austin can work though. No other pro teams, literally the fastest growing city in the US, and in a southern/central TX region with no other teams. Austin can work like Vegas

[@lakerskid2013]

⁠@@outbackigloo6489I totally agree and I think the Tampa Bay Lightning have really shown the blueprint that southern/warm weather teams can work out in the NHL, now the Vegas Golden Knights are following that blueprint as well. When it comes to the Coyotes and former Atlanta Thrashers, both of them didn’t stand a chance because of poor ownership. I don’t think it’s fair to properly judge a team never going to work out from past failures whenever there wasn’t a good foundation to begin with. Now if Phoenix and Atlanta both had even decent owners and still failed, those would be totally different stories.

[@TGsports_Free2watch]

I think adding 4 teams would be cool. Everyone wins. Markets that lost a team can get one like Hartford and Quebec. Plus two new markets. And with Salt Lake City now getting a team with the coyotes moving there that means it opens up two more possibilities

[@kevinsam3]

First, West Toronto/Hamilton deserves a 2nd team. Canadians love our hockey. Up next, Houston, Portland, Cincinatti or Atlanta.

[@EUROFAN666]

HAMILTON FALCONS CINCENATTI MUSTANGS HOUSTON TIGERS ATLANTA LIONS PORTLAND BLACK WOLFS QUEBEC SEA SHELLS OKLAHOMA CITY SNOW LEOPRDS ATLANTIC CITY RACCONS JACKSON VILLE CROCODILES THAT IS MY LIST OF NAMES FOR NEW NHL TEAMS

[@hurtlocker6611]

Quebec city, Houston, Hamilton

[@JenniferLonglegs-wh9te]

Hamilton

[@CharlesMets]

14:01 key thing left out here They moved due to ownership The Fans sold a lot of season tickets that season and they needed to sell less then they did for the team to stay In Hartford so instead of doing what you told the fans you would do the ownership moved the team to Carolina

[@Robothian]

Yeah, I remember those winterhawk fans during the 3 year championship rivalry between the Hawks and Oilkings in the mid 20-teens. That was glorious hockey!

[@darrencole97]

Please no Atlanta.

[@willp.8120]

Why not?

[@brythkaltaris]

Why? A team worked there twice, but had to relocate due to management. They just need to get a good owner on board

[@darrencole97]

@@brythkaltaris I have a hard time thinking that it’s suddenly going to work this time.

[@willp.8120]

@@darrencole97 It certainly looks like it works. Packed crowds nearly every game. kzbin.info/www/bejne/qKS2dIuIj5xoftksi=w4LFnzNFEF15kjgh

[@thewhale9527]

Shipping out to Hartford and SLC

[@uwu-gr7il]

Great episode cause I was trying to find Ryan Smith's website and couldn't find it and I was relieved to find the first site talking about names for the team, and that was yours, so now I will reward you with a subscribe

[@kj6446]

enough with expansion for now...if there is relocation, so be it.

[@dankus9557]

i think expansion is now on the table since arizona has been confirmed to moving to SLC, as it clears up the only issue in terms of arenas

[@paultutko5376]

Halifax. The NovaScotia region would hole heartedly support their team 100%. They would poach Boston's market a little. As my cousins used to support the Bruins from there.

[@DeathGamingOfficialYT]

Most likely, is salt lake city its bassicly almost certain. But a team i rlly want is the nordiques and houston as those will be fun rivalries to watch,

[@cjhan9816]

SLC; Houston; K/C; Milwaukee; Indianapolis are prominent & future NHL franchises.

[@ecstasycalculus]

The current NHL talent pool barely justifies 32 teams.

[@MagnusOffical]

So true

[@brythkaltaris]

Yeah, I can see that argument

[@stickynorth]

I think the opposite. There's always talent out there of NHL calibre. It just happens to be hiding in Europe and Canada in the backfields... There's always talent of NHL class out there... Believe me.

[@stickynorth]

And Russia... Raid Russia if you think there aren't enough players... Trust me, there are...

[@MagnusOffical]

@@stickynorth Cricket and soccer are big in Canada Hockey is dead Might be enough talent to justify 16 teams at this point. Worst hockey in decades The goaltending is as bad as the 1980s

[@mattembury215]

As for expansion, the NHL needs to look into adding more Canadians cities first. Hamilton needs a team and deserves one. As does Quebec City. Getting them online before any American city should be priority one.

[@JenniferLonglegs-wh9te]

Hamilton 100%

[@twistedpixie6972]

I would love Cincinnati to get a team. I’m in Dayton and we are a hockey town without any hockey. Our arena was demolished by a tornado in 2019.

[@QuattroSG]

Expanding into a receding economy doesn't seem like a smart move.

[@levth01sct]

The NHL cannot expand, except for maybe one more team but 32 teams works the best. Max it can have is 33, but then, with 33 teams, that will require 84 game seasons. The NHL already tried that in the early 90s and it didnt work, so I doubt they will go down that route again. Only way new teams will come to exist will be either through relocation, or a new franchise in a new city after one franchise dissolves.

[@sparky3006]

Why ?

[@willp.8120]

They are going to 36 by 2030. Four new teams. Likely Atlanta, Houston, Phoenix/Salt Lake City, and San Diego.

[@sparky3006]

@@willp.8120 says the magic 8 ball or do you know Mr burns

[@dvferyance]

@@willp.8120 I just can't imagine SLC is going to work out. Way too small of a market for both the NBA and NHL to work there.

[@ryleyw3684]

Have some more in Canada, Regina and or Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Halifax might not have much popularity but it's still a city. There is enough US teams would be nice if a Canadian team could win the cup for once

[@fpjrzman]

Saskatoon would be the smallest market for ANY pro sports team in North America, by a wide margin, but, with clever marketing, it could be VERY successful

[@user-rw8uq3tv6p]

The Prince Edward Island Puppies. 😄

[@CanucksFan201]

If Halifax did get a team it could possibly be successful because none of the maritime provinces have a team

[@ShonG]

@@fpjrzman Well, Green Bay is half the population, but the Packers do alright.

[@fpjrzman]

@@ShonG I stand corrected on population. I never realized Green Bay was that small.

[@coltex2397]

Houston makes more sense to me.

[@bushy1]

Keep in mind, Gary Bettman said he is not looking for expansion

[@07SuperchargedSS]

He also said the Thrashers were staying put about 3 days before they left for Winnipeg

[@Hoovie9596]

There’s money They will expand

[@bushy1]

@@07SuperchargedSS They had corrupt ownership

[@bushy1]

@@Hoovie9596Yeah, but the next team will be Salt Lake City with the Coyotes probably, meaning he will try getting another team there, in 2027 is the earliest probably. I know he will expand eventually, just not right now.

[@jennycraig99]

gary is jew.......billions to be made in expansion money

[@tipsysmichigander6483]

The Arizona Coyotes are officially headed to Salt Lake City. The NHL Board of Governors voted unanimously to approved a $1.2 billion sale from Alex Meruelo to Utah Jazz owners Ryan and Ashley Smith, clearing the way for the franchise's move to Utah next season. If you followed the NHL and not just your team you would've been aware of this many months ago as this is not news and has been in the works for almost a year!

[@SlapShotYT97]

Here’s my list based off of where I’d love to see teams 1. Quebec 2. Salt Lake City 3. Hartford 4. Indianapolis

[@stickynorth]

Me? 1-Portland 2-Salt Lake 3-Hamilton 4-Quebec City

[@geraldbain9580]

Update since this was posted last month .... Toronto Maple Leafs,at 2.80 billion,New York Rangers, 2.65B,Montreal Canadiens,2.30B

[@Clever01010]

🤔 Not too sure about expansion but I wish Minnesota would have kept the NORTH STARS Name. Loved that logo.

[@sethkennedy1101]

I played for the Junior Aeros. Huge Avs fan but will always be an Aero

[@keepmewierd]

was hoping the Coyotes would land in Houston, but at this point I'd rather see the Aeros just return as an AHL team like it was--even the NFL can't support more than 32 teams.

[@maitrehg]

Population is one thing. Real hockey fan base is another. Québec needs a team.

[@disgoyknows88]

If they can't drive 3 hours to Montreal then they don't deserve a team.

[@MikePurdue-ky9pm]

@@disgoyknows88 If New Jersey fans can't drive 2 Hours to New York then they don't deserve a team.

[@disgoyknows88]

@@MikePurdue-ky9pm different state/province 🤡

[@jacobdye4037]

If the NHL expands they should add 4 teams to keep things even. Utah, Quebec City, Atlanta, Houston maybe. Though 4 at once is probably to many.

[@buggernut3643]

It's about the population of potential gamblers now, isn't it?

[@30ShotKid]

36, Salt Lake City, Houston, Atlanta & Quebec City

[@olmrgosh1128]

Between Vancouver Canucks & Utah are pretty close in the pacific

[@elevenb6967]

Except a thousand miles apart is decidedly NOT close. -_-

[@algeborusas2775]

It shouldn't be the area population being considered, but the amount of hockey fans in that area.

[@willp.8120]

There is a correlation with the number of fans and population.

[@marcpower4167]

Gotta look at it from a business point of view, With a small population, How many tickets can you really expect them to sell? If they can't sell that many tickets how can they make enough money to at least keep the team running? Smaller markets would have higher ticket prices to try to compensate but then you gotta look at how many people there have the disposable income to regularly buy tickets at that price, buy team merch etc. Taking small markets into consideration: look at it this way the market leafs are averaging 18,000 fans per game, the city has nearly 3 million people. So that's only 0.6% market share. If Halifax at a population of 500,000 was lucky enough to get even say a 1% market share: that's only 5,000 fans per game. Would be very hard to make a profit off that. These teams are also typically owned by wealthy corporations based in that area. Not many major corporations in Halifax. Even if they were any, you can expect future expansion fees to be somewhere around $1 billion. That is a HUGE investment and that's just to get the team, then you gotta pay players, pay the rent at the stadium, pay for the team's travel etc.

[@gabetalks9275]

Hockey fans don't just magically fall out of the sky. Putting a team in the city is what will create new fans. Just look at Vegas. I doubt anyone in Nevada cared about hockey until the Golden Knights showed up.

[@juliansmith4295]

You seem to be about the only person on here who understands this.

[@dub3773]

I hope some day Saskatoon would be able to get a franchise. It sucks that they just skip over the province of Saskatchewan. I know the population is small but it's growing. Also i'm sure the whole province would support it like they do the Roughriders & Rush.

[@Bassandbackroads]

Although a second team in Michigan would be cool for me, I feel like Houston deserves an NHL team but I don’t think it should be the Aeros though because that’s too close in name to the Astros. I feel like a good team name for Houston would be the “Texas Shuttle” sticking with the space theme in Texas sports

[@robdedrick2052]

What they should do is build a light rail Sky train that connects Halifax , PEI and New Brunswick . At the halfway point . That's where you Build the Arena . Make it 25 or 30 thousand though . Call them the Old World Maritimers . So many would use the Transit you could use the unused parking area to build some Hotel Space for the Teams as well as Fans that may Travel from Newfoundland or Outlying areas of N.B , N.S. and PEI .

[@cjhan9816]

Coyotes relocate from A/Z to SLC as the Utah LDS & Jets relocate from Winnipeg to Houston as the Aviators.

[@Mi1k_Man]

I would be happy if all these cities got teams, I love expansion to help grow the sport

[@jonathanmartin8113]

I'm sorry, but Quebec City would be the best choice. It's hard to believe what this video says that the market is "strong" in Arizona and Atlanta... Both teams failed in the market because there's literally low interest in hockey. Even with it's 800 000 metro population in Qc City, it's not hard to believe that the games will be sold out in the majority.

[@willp.8120]

Atlanta is massive, did you not know that? It is the 21st century USA metropolis.

[@jonathanmartin8113]

@willp.8120 And? They've tried twice already and it failed. Last time, most of the city of Atlanta didn't even know that the Thrashers were an NHL in their own city... 🤦

[@willp.8120]

@@jonathanmartin8113 You have no idea what you're talking about. Ownership is the reason for both of those teams leaving. It had nothing to do with fan support. The Thrashers outsold the Chicago Blackhawks five out of eleven seasons and outsold the New York Islanders eight times.

[@jonathanmartin8113]

@willp.8120 Lol And what do you think happened in Quebec City? A quick Google search and it will tell you that the main reason why the team moved twice was because of lack of fan support... Regardless of what the media want you to believe, the Thrashers did have a good team... Heatley, Kovalchuk, Byfuglien, Holik, Bondra, Chelios, Antropov, Hossa, Evander Kane, Mellanby... and then some. Even though the Thrashers did not win in 11 seasons, they still had a solid team for most of those seasons. It all came down to ownership not wanting to pay top dollar for players that the Atlanta fan base wouldn't care about regardless of who it was... Ironically, they said that it wouldn't work in Winnipeg, but the building has been back ever since they got their team back. The same will happen in Quebec City. And for the record, the Thrashers didn't surpass the Hawks... they basically had the same attendance from 1999 to 2011. The difference between the 2 cities was Chicago was in a tough rebuild and Atlanta was an expansion team... then in 2009, after Chicago had a monster couple of drafting years, they average 20k+ ever since. The Thrashers had the same opportunity, but as I said, the fans barely backed up their team... the most they had in 11 years was 17k and they only averaged 15k+ in 4 seasons out of 11... so yeah, point made. The main reason why the Golden Knights are thriving is because Bettman made sure they would... yet the Kraken did not get the same treatment. As I said, the best place is Quebec City and the league should definitely stay clear of Atlanta... it's not a good hockey market. It's a great sports city, but not for hockey. Plain and simple.

[@willp.8120]

@@jonathanmartin8113 The Thrashers had a decent team for three years, that is about it. They were terrible the other seven or eight years. The league should not stay clear of Atlanta. 6.4 million people. 3rd highest attendance in MLB, Highest attendance in MLS, top half of NFL attendance, and over 99% occupancy in seating capacity in NBA. The new arena will be in the mostly white north Atlanta suburbs near the hockey rinks and fan base. When the Braves moved to the northern suburbs their attendance improved. People did not want to go downtown, and both baseball and hockey attract conservatives unlike basketball and soccer. Conservative northern suburbanites did not want to go downtown and fight the traffic, be asked for money, deal with potential muggings, etc. This is totally different.

[@sopowerabboy]

If Arizona really gets another team per the alledged agreement (getting an expansion team if Meruelo can get an arena within the next 5 years), theyll have to add 3 new teams to balance the division. My prediction - Atlantic: Quebec - Metropolitan: Atlanta - Central : Houston - Pacific : Arizona

[@Habebandebardown]

perfection

[@earlarnoldjr7019]

Cleveland Dawgs in reference to the browns dawg pound

[@NLYS27]

Texas needs a new team. El Paso needs a NHL team.

[@mastercrow19]

Atlanta has has 2 NHL teams, the Atlanta Flmes, and Atlanta Thrashers. Both moved to Canada. Atlanta has been good for Canadian hockey. And Salt Lake City would be good for the Coyotes

[@willp.8120]

Look into why those teams left. IT WAS OWNERSHIP. HOW MANY TIMES DOES THIS NEED TO BE SAID BEFORE YOU PEOPLE GET IT?

[@rongraham1951]

Atlanta ??? been there twice 3 STRIKES and you are OUT

[@Yekb_Zhexan823]

2 more teams and that is it. Add in BOTH Quebec and Hartford! (I was thinking about the NHL adding the North Stars, it will be an epic rivalry against the Wild).

[@fadercreek]

Nope 4 more teams you have four divisions

[@patbrennan6572]

32 teams is enough, move Arizona to Quebec city and leave it at that. Betman is a goof.

[@DavidMLaFleur]

Hell yeah

[@michaelkaszowski8573]

Hartford could get the Panthers or Lightning. Having two good teams in Florida with almost empty arenas is ridiculous. It's not fair to the players to play for bandwagoner fans. I mean, look at the rules regarding the Panthers vs. Leafs last year and Leafs fans that were Canadian not being allowed to purchase playoff tickets for games in Florida. Sad. As for the Sabres, I am nostalgic for the seasons of Hasek, but they get mostly Leafs fans at their games that cannot afford or get Leafs tickets. Maybe move them to Halifax. Columbus could move to Cleveland and become the Barons. Might get more fans. One of the teams in California could move to Portland. Probably the Ducks.

[@michaelkaszowski8573]

Quebec City is a no brainer.. Develop the Canadian market. Almost guaranteed sold-out seats for Quebec City, Halifax, heck even St. John’s or Saskatoon would sell out and be successful. Ottawa could be successful if it had strong owners and management like it used to. Location also plays a factor.

[@satyr69]

québec, gary!

[@johnleak8396]

If Bettman had his way, there wouldn't be any Canadian NHL teams.

[@ILikeSloths60]

Another team is San Diego but it would be the 4th team in California and is quite south for a NHL team

[@TheMrtgamer]

There's one that wasn't mentioned here that was trying to get the Coyotes Wichita, KS was hosting Blues vs Coyotes games when the Coyotes were looking for a home the last few years. Unfortunately, most of the fans that showed up were St Louis fans, which took Wichita out of the running

[@daporter84]

Go back to Hartford bring back the whalers

[@richardpetroni9690]

Loved the Whale but with Bruins, Rangers and Islanders not to mention Devils.

[@bushy1]

Yeah with Boston, Islanders and Rangers, soon it'll get too packed also including the AHL Bridgeport Islanders, AHL Hartford Wolf Pack and the PWHL

[@Torontofan]

They should put Arizona in Houston and name them the Houston cacti

[@deestrick5712]

Ain’t no cacti in Houston

[@user-hp1ou3nb7t]

Houston is sub tropical, like Florida and the rest of the Gulf Coast.

[@Medicgames94]

There needs to be a balance between counties. Each province in Canada should get two teams, if not 3 teams before they keep expanding in the states

[@phantomplayz7952]

My do a six team expansion: WEST: Salt Lake City, Portland, Houston EAST: Hartford, Hamilton, and either Quebec City or Halifax

[@brythkaltaris]

I don't think Toronto should get a second. The reason why New York has THREE teams (yes I'm counting Buffalo) is because the STATE is big enough to support it. You got Buffalo to cover the north, the Rangers in city proper, and Islanders on Long Island. Im not in favor of LA having 2 baseball teams, but it is what it is

[@HydrixTheory]

Same with quebec i dont think they need two teams canada has not a big population! Maine Altanta houston Kanas and tbh i think in my opinion new orleans should get a team too

[@user-hp1ou3nb7t]

And the New Jersey Devils are just across the river from NYC.

[@juliansmith4295]

Basing the potential support solely on population is lunacy. Phoenix is a big city, but it's a toilet full of rattlesnakes and old people. The important thing is how many hockey fans are there, not how many people.

[@user-hp1ou3nb7t]

@@juliansmith4295 Atlanta is another large city that doesn't have a lot of hockey fans. Historically, two NHL teams have failed in Atlanta. Yet, there are some who think Atlanta deserves a third chance. SMH

[@stickynorth]

The talent pool dilution talk is a red herring. There will always be more proficient players than spots in the league. That's the nature of the beast... Where teams need to go though is not into the Sun Belt where hockey is always going to be a foreign concept but into Snow Belt cities preferably ones with booming economies... That's a hard task however Portland, Salt Lake, Saskatoon seem like prime candidates compared to San Antonio, Orlando, Atlanta or Houston... Even if they are larger. The culture will just never support it the way the Western snow belt or even Northeastern or Canadian regions will... As for Hamilton or Quebec City? I hope they get teams soon too! They have the existing market to support them and then some!

[@OFDProductions]

No god please no, 32 teams is already too many. Expansion teams have it too easy, last thing the league needs is another Vegas situation.

[@TOTN17]

The main issue with a 2nd GTHA Team is the Buffalo Sabers as a lot of their support is based in Southern Ontario and a 2nd GTHA Team would be a threat to them.

[@juliansmith4295]

You've, perhaps unwittingly, made a great case for there to be a 2nd team in Toronto or Hamilton. If Buffalo relies on fans from another team, there's obviously a problem. It makes a lot more sense for that team to be where the fans are.

[@seankennedy6525]

Only options I see POSSIBLY happening are Atlanta Thrashers, Arizona Coyotes, Houston Aeros, and Quebec Nordiques

[@user-px8wk9tc5c]

San Diego, CA(What I call Snubbed Diego) is worthy of an NHL HOCKEY TEAM, San Antonio, TX, NORFOLK,VA-The Tidewater Metropolitian are in Southeastern Virginia which has more people than the Charlotte are & Raliegh-zDurham area where the Carolin Hurricanes NHL team plays

[@manzac112]

I would actually love to see a 4 Team Super Expansion Draft in like the late 2020s or the early 2030s.

[@lolo27234]

How portland oregon doesn’t have a team blows me away that market would hit oregon nor cal and idaho

[@shaggyirl]

I read somewhere that someone in Salt Lake City has bought the Arizona coyotes

[@justinmdrake]

If the NHL is still planning on expanding, then it looks like the Coyotes are already moving the Salt Lake City sadly, And interesting expansion team could be New Orleans and the team could bring a Mardi Gras theme to it and with New Orleans already having the NFL, and NBA with teams there, it could be very interesting to have the NHL in New Orleans that would come with a possible rivalry with the Dallas Stars. I like bringing back an Atlanta franchise too, or even a franchise in Kansas City

[@yycguy8722]

I’m predicting the new franchise in Utah will be called the Yeti so much could be done with a new logo that brings excitement.

[@AlergicToSnow]

I don’t see QuebecCity happening but Hamilton is a great choice. Atlanta has failed twice already so a non starter. Houston and Salt Lake City look like great choices.

[@Habebandebardown]

nah man 3 teams in ontario?? and the sabres so close dude...

[@lakerskid2013]

A second Toronto team over a team in Quebec City? That makes no sense at all. Actually, Oklahoma City is intriguing because of the Thunder going to get a new arena and they have plans fully approved for construction of the new tallest building in the United States so the city will have momentum with having things going for them, that could be a good time to capitalize on that. The two expansion teams I can see happening will be in Houston and Atlanta.

[@user-ut4st3wb9c]

i would love too see whalers come back one day quebec would be a long shot i think its ridiculous that atlanta gets reconsider after failing three times when it was a very similar issue with harford as well very bad decisions and bad owner ship

[@KittyPurrfect100]

Atlanta is closer to Nashville than Raleigh-Durham. It would be better to have an arena outside of Atlanta city limits between Braselton and Spaghetti Junction. I like the Utah Blizzard 🥶. San Diego would be a good market for NHL to be in. Zona Yotes might exist again one day but who knows. Hamilton and Quebec City would be great for many reasons. Quebec City could happen but Hamilton is very doubtful. Milwaukee might work or not. Hartford Whalers is in Bruins territory and northeastern side is crowded already, eh. San Diego Ducks, Atlanta Thrashers if somebody wants to move a franchise, Quebec Nordiques if a team wants to move, and Cleveland over Cincinnati and Columbus. From SC, go Penguins!

[@paulferguson7432]

I would like to see the whalers back and the Quebec back that would be cool . But Houston would be cool too.

[@mjpottertx]

Not happening, other than the Yotes moving to Salt Lake, which has been the worst kept secret for months.

[@KangaKucha]

28 teams. 8 in Canada (QC) and 20 or 22 USA especially for North and West (South is not)

[@mdd3084]

Tampa Bay is just fine tyvm. We LOVE our Bolts. Success and sold out home games ALL THE TIME prove this

[@KangaKucha]

@@mdd3084 with we have own Alabama Blos lol

[@MAN-MILK]

Tbh I think it should top out at 48 teams. I think that getting teams in: Atlanta Milwaukee Indianapolis Houston Phoenix (once the Coyotes move out and the local economy recovers) Baltimore (I know it sounds weird because DC is close, but the Ravens have a good media market and I think Baltimore could handle an NHL team, too) Jacksonville (Florida is huge) Quebec (maybe once the population grows) Hamilton Saskatoon Hartford (northeasterner here, I just want another team in my region) Oklahoma City (I could see power costs being an issue, but other than that, it's cool) Kansas City Cincinnati Cleveland Portland, OR

[@khushpanthaky]

I remember the Whalers, bro!

[@sparky3006]

Good grief . Mr burns has succeeded at making the game unaffordable for me . I’ve played and watched the nhl with seasons tickets in Detroit , Montreal , Toronto and Vancouver over many seasons seen many of the greats . Now I still play but they’ve changed the game into this overpimped odd chimera

[@Sports_fan_idk]

The NHL shouldn’t have an American commissioner

[@stickynorth]

100%

[@sammyweed4771]

Why ??? The last 30 Stanley cup winners are from the states

[@Sports_fan_idk]

@@sammyweed4771 He’s biased

[@sammyweed4771]

@@Sports_fan_idk maybe this one is. I can’t stand him… but the Title is shouldn’t have an American Commissioner… that’s MY point

[@nicknelson544]

I firmly back Atlanta as Minnesota can’t wait to beat them again. I also agree with KC perhaps the KC Pioneers or something along that line of thinking.

[@JM_Solo]

As a thrashers fan this one is a head scratcher. Minnesota? Of all the teams we had certified beef with. Minnesota? 😅

[@Kankill4u]

I think Texas having a second team makes sense due to the size of the state but I don’t wanna see the NHL get to the point where there 40 teams and the talent pool isn’t big enough along with having the same 3 teams winning all the time that would be awful

[@NSco1996]

Salt Lake City is already getting the Coyotes

[@Survivalist-of-war]

Q city deserves a team, again. They have corprate money their now and a Government that aslo wants it. Yes the market size is much lower but more hardcore. The biggest issues i see with Expansion in the NHL is the Talent pool. Its hard enough to aupport the current number of teams with top tier talent let alone adding 2 more teams. Send AZ to Canada and keep it at that.

[@1Yh8HH]

Bring back the most insane rivalry in nhl history.. Montreal vs Quebec City

[@coconyt3623]

Would be nice to have more teams given that it doesn't cause trouble to the league. It's always refreshing.

[@leonardweirich539]

For a 33rd NHL team, I'd like to see an NHL team in Kansas City. Name? Kansas City Warriors, Colors Hot red, yellow, and white. For a 34th NHL team, maybe in Memphis, Tennessee. Name? Memphis Cougars. Colors? Black, light blue, and white.

[@williamclarke2070]

I thought it was funny. Someone from investment group in Louisiana wants to bring an NHL team to New Orleans.

[@piedmontatl]

Here we go again: Metro Cincinnati has a larger population than Columbus.

[@bearforce187]

thy should move the Blue Jackets to Cincinnati.

[@JMillMac1120]

Your pics of Houston sports teams included a pic of the LA Galaxy, not the Houston Dynamo