Pending OK from the NHL’s Board of Governors the NHL is going to “consider expansion”.
Unless NHL B of G suggests otherwise (doubtful) at meeting going on now, NHL will be inviting expansion bids from any and all interested.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 24, 2015
We use consider very loosely here.
The process is likely to be non-commital at this point but who’s kidding who, expansion is coming. Just a matter of when, where, how many.
— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) June 24, 2015
Reportedly the NHL is seeking 500 million dollars per team. Two teams would need to be added to balance the league, presumably both to the Western Conference unless a team in the East moves West. Quebec is one of the leading candidates, but as a very likely Eastern Conference city this would seem to prompt the NHL into more re-alignment.
The other big possibility is Las Vegas. They claim to already have 13,000 season tickets spoken for and a new arena which is, oddly enough, in the vicinity of where the NHL Awards are being held tonight. Seattle has been mentioned in the past. Kansas City is always out there. We have a giant post about the possibility of Houston as a landing spot that has been in the pipeline for a long time. Expect that to drop very soon.
Get excited for future expansion drafts and for rich guys adding a billion dollars to their cupboard. It looks like it’s happening.