The NHL may be growing again in the not-too-distant future.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke about the prospect of future expansion teams with Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman at the European Player Media Tour in Prague. Daly nearly guaranteed the league would eventually add new franchises in the future. The league recently expanded to 32 teams with the Vegas Golden Knights introduced in 2017 and then the Seattle Kraken in 2021.
“[I]t’s not just [NHL commissioner Gary Bettman] or I making that decision, it’s also our ownership group that makes the decision,” Daly said to the hockey insider. “With the last two expansions in particular, the thought process was a lot different. Everybody was just interested in adding clubs, there was an $80M expansion fee, right?
“It’s much more business-oriented now in terms of how clubs look at it. They don’t want to add franchises just to add franchises, they want to add franchises that will grow the value of the league. ‘Does this market make sense for the National Hockey League? Does it make my franchise more valuable?’ Understanding that I might get a nice check in the short term, but this is a longer-term look at asset value and whether they are making the league better.”
While Daly did not give Friedman the maximum number of clubs he believes the league could support (Friedman suggested 34 or 36), he did confirm there will eventually be a stopping point.
“Do I know what that number is? No,” Daly said. He also stated that the possibility of expansion would not be baked into upcoming CBA negotiations in 2026.
Additionally, the league is “not concerned” with a dilution of talent as Daly called the skill level of players currently “off the charts.”
Daly observed that in the United States, the NHL is in fewer markets than other professional leagues in the country. Previous statements from Bettman and Daly revealed that cities like Atlanta, Houston, Cincinnati, Kansas City, and Quebec City have all maintained interest in an expansion squad.
In September, Atlanta’s project even moved forward with steps to build a $2 billion arena and entertainment district ready for the city’s third attempt at a franchise.
Salt Lake City, Utah was originally among that group of interested parties but is now home to what was formerly the Arizona Coyotes after the franchise completed a sale and move last spring. Bettman has remained interested in exploring a potential return to Phoenix though and current Phoenix Suns owner, Mat Ishbia, has confirmed his interest in bringing hockey back to the area.
The NHL’s board of governors has to agree to a set expansion fee which has consistently risen over the past seven years. The fee for Vegas was $500 million, the fee for Seattle was $650 million, and the fee for Utah was $1.2 billion.
“I think it’s safe to say that Gary and I have our marching orders in terms of what we’d expect that value to be,” Daly said.
Friedman wondered if it started with a 2.
“I’m not going to get more specific than that,” Daly replied.
