NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly recently reset expectations and provided some updates on the impending NHL expansion at the NHL/NHLPA Player Media Tour in Las Vegas last week.
“I don’t want to get ahead of the board,” Daly said of possible expansion to Houston or Austin, Texas, per the Associated Press. “I don’t want to treat it like a done deal because it’s not. It’s not a done deal on the Friedkin side, and it’s not a done deal on our side. And that’s why it’s kind of a nonbinding term sheet. We’re both going to work hard to achieve that goal. But, at the end of the day, it might not happen.”
Previously, Daly said the league was moving forward with Texas, and that the 33rd franchise could be announced before the end of the year. He also set the team’s debut for as soon as the 2029-30 season.
Daly explained that the end-of-year announcement was just a tentative timeline and that he is unsure whether they are on track to meet it, adding that some teams have raised concerns about expansion. He also said the board’s level of support is unclear right now.
The league is currently in a six-month exploration process to evaluate the feasibility of Houston and Austin as expansion cities, Bettman shared with the board of governors in June. The Friedkin group are the prospective owners of a possible Texas expansion, which would be a $3.5 million investment between the NHL’s expansion fee and building a new arena.
There will be an update on the expansion process on September 22, at the next NHL board of governors meeting.
Daly also discussed the possibility of a team in Atlanta, Georgia, saying the league is in talks with a third group. Anson Carter, a TNT hockey analyst and former NHL player, is leading the new group and is looking north of Atlanta but has not picked a location yet.
The Alpharetta City Council and Karuse Sports & Entertainment are the current suitors, both with arena plans in the works. Carter was previously involved with the Alpharetta group.
Past discussions of an Atlanta expansion centered on a 34th franchise, assuming Texas was confirmed as home to the 33rd.
