Insider says NHL expected to open formal expansion process soon, reveals 2 front-runners
An insider says the NHL is expected to open the formal expansion process soon and reveals the two front-runners.
Over the last year, rumours have been swirling on when the National Hockey League will take the next step in potentially adding new teams and we may finally have our answer.
In a social media post on Thursday, Andy Strickland of Bally Sports Midwest shared that NHL owners will be meeting soon to give the green light on the league opening the formal expansion process. Strickland went on to add that the two front-runners at this time are Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas.
Atlanta has been looking for the return of an NHL franchise for over a decade now, but the ball got rolling last year after plans were revealed to build a new arena in Forsyth County, roughly an hour north of the city. The 18,500-seat arena was given the green light by Forsyth County officials.
Third times the charm
If Atlanta is granted an expansion franchise, it'll be the NHL's third time in the city following the Flames in the 1970s, who relocated to Calgary, and Thrashers, who moved to Winnipeg in 2011. Ownership issues are to blame for Atlanta losing both their teams, so the NHL will want to make sure that a stable group is in place if they are to return to the city.
The Lonestar State option
As for Houston, they already have an arena that could be used - Toyota Center, which is home to the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association. Toyota Center holds up to 19,000 and is no stranger to hockey as it was the home to the American Hockey League's Houston Aeros from 2003 to 2011.
We'll have to wait and see how things develop once the NHL officially opens the formal expansion process, but there's no doubt that, along with Atlanta and Houston, there will be plenty of interested parties. Some cities that could be in the mix are Quebec City, Quebec; Portland, Oregon; Phoenix, Arizona; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Cincinnati, Ohio; Kansas City, Missouri; Omaha, Nebraska; and San Diego, California, among others.
| POLL | ||
Should the NHL expand to Quebec City? | ||
| Yes | 215 | 80.8 % |
| No | 51 | 19.2 % |
| List of polls | ||
