Report - NHL team to return to Atlanta
Since the wildly successful introduction of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken, the NHL is looking to further expand the league and capitalize on growing US hockey markets. From new reports today, the next NHL city could be a revitalization of a previous location.
ESPN broadcaster John Buccigross tweeted today that the NHL is looking to put a team back in Atlanta.
Afterwards, Twitter account and insider @NHLRumoursDaily confirmed the report of the Atlanta Thrasers making a comeback. In a later thread, NRD explained a persistent demand in Atlanta and a powerful ownership group as reasons Atlanta is the front runner for NHL expansion.
By all accounts, a return to Atlanta would be in an expansion format, not relocation of a current team. The bids for league entry from Vegas and Seattle, and the marked increase between the former and latter, have proven to be a critical injection of revenue to the league.
At this point, there's no indication that a returning team would be re-branded as the previous Atlanta Thrashers. With such a unique colour scheme, logo, and jersey, even for the sake of pure nostalgia, a Thrashers comeback would be unbelievable as a hockey fan. more than a decade after being relocated to Winnipeg, it looks like a possibility.
| POLL | ||
Does Atlanta deserve an NHL franchise? | ||
| Not more than other cities | 308 | 13 % |
| Yes, with a good own | 1077 | 45.4 % |
| No, they had their chance | 989 | 41.7 % |
| List of polls | ||
