Insider mentions seven cities that have expressed interest in an NHL team

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Cooper Godin
October 7, 2023 (10:13)

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The National Hockey League's view on expansion is simple - at this time, they're not interested, but that doesn't mean they won't listen from interested parties.

From a financial standpoint alone, the National Hockey League get upwards of $2 billion USD in expansion fees from a single franchise, if they decide to go down that route. Make that $4 billion USD because it's more likely they'll add two more teams than one the next time they expand.

We all know that Quebec City is interested bringing a team back. Quebecor tried their hardest in 2015, when the NHL opened an official expansion process, but the league opted to only add one team, the Vegas Golden Knights.

But who else could be involved the next time the National Hockey League wants to officially open an expansion process? ESPN's Kevin Weekes has shared seven cities, including Quebec, that have already expressed interest in having an NHL franchise.

"Similar to @NHL in terms of no official process, yet plenty of interest expressed from the following and more ** In No Particular Order**
- Quebec City
- Salt Lake City
- South Forsyth (Metro Atlanta)
- Houston
- Portland
- San Diego
- 2nd Club GTA Toronto
#HockeyTwitter"

While we're still likely at least a few years away from seeing the NHL expand beyond 32 teams, there's no doubt that the league is wanting and willing to add more teams.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman spoke with reporters at the Board of Governors meetings this week and said that the league is not in a position to expand, but if groups are interested, they can submit applications.

"The best answer I can give you is yes, we have continuous expressions of interest from places like Houston, Atlanta, Quebec City, and Salt Lake City, but expansion isn't on the agenda," Bettman said. "But we're not in a mode to say 'OK, if you're interested in expansion, submit your applications, and we will evaluate,' as we have done previously."

He added, "We aren't there yet, and it's just an expression of interest. As you all know, I take meetings all the time on a variety of subjects, so if someone wants to talk, I'll talk to them."

Which city do you think should be the highest on the NHL's list for potential expansion? Let us know your thoughts in the poll below!

Source: Daily Faceoff

POLL
Which city should be the highest on the NHL's list for potential expansion?
Atlanta	2	1.5 %
Houston	25	19.1 %
Quebec City	76	58 %
Salt Lake City	28	21.4 %
List of polls