The NHL is eyeing expansion, with commissioner Gary Bettman naming Salt Lake City, Houston, Atlanta, Cincinnati, and Omaha all as cities that have expressed interest in housing an NHL club. Houston and Omaha are the only cities on the list not currently housing an ECHL club, though Omaha makes up for it with the University of Nebraska-Omaha’s Division 1 NCAA team and the USHL’s Omaha Lancers juniors club. Houston did host a minor league club from 1994 to 2013, though they relocated to Des Moines Iowa ahead of the 2013-14 season. The city has been without professional hockey ever since, though this season does mark the first time since World War II that the University of Houston has hosted a club hockey team.
How the NHL will go about reconfiguring divisions if one, or all, of these five cities receive a team is unclear. The list seemingly places three clubs undeniably in the Western Conference – Salt Lake City, Houston, and Omaha – while Atlanta would settle back into their place in the Eastern Conference. Cincinnati would be the toss-up, with the city situated perfectly on the line of conference ambiguity. It’s west of Detroit and Columbus – two teams that have spent time in both conferences – but still east of Nashville, a city that could reasonably mark where the Western Conference ends and the Eastern Conference begins. It seems most likely that Cincinnati will be the balancing piece in any new NHL expansions, if and when they happen.
Other notes from around the league:
- The Ottawa Senators are open to shopping around defenseman Lassi Thomson, per team reporter Bruce Garrioch of the Ottawa Sun. A recent report on Sweden’s Expressen shared that the defenseman could return to Scandinavian hockey, joining the SHL’s Malmo Redhawks. This rumored move could be a driving factor in any trade talks, as Ottawa will surely want a return on their investment and any recipient will want to ensure they’re getting a long-term piece. Thomson, 23, has spent all season in the AHL, totaling 11 points through 40 games. He’s also added 40 penalty minutes and a -11. All of these stats are a step down from Thomson’s 2022-23 season, when he managed 33 points, 28 penalty minutes, and a -9 through 56 AHL games. The former 2019 first-round pick played two seasons in the Liiga, Finland’s top league, after being drafted and before his career in North American pros began at the end of the 2020-21 season.
- Montreal Canadiens forward Alex Newhook is aiming for a return soon, says team general manager Kent Hughes. Newhook was announced as out for 10-to-12 weeks in early-December after suffering a high ankle sprain. That projection places his return in mid-February, at the earliest – though his return to the ice in late January suggests he’s progressing nicely. Newhook has appeared in 23 games with Montreal this season, scoring seven goals and 13 points. It’s his first time playing in Canada since his two-year stretch in the BCHL prior to being drafted. The Canadiens traded a 2023 first and second round draft pick, as well as Gianni Fairbrother, to the Colorado Avalanche this summer in exchange for Newhook.
How about pro teams going fwd fund their own arenas, ballparks & stadiums without taxpayer money? Deal?
Yes Bettman water the league down some more while you still have 28 year sentence of losing money in the desert.
Ummmm…I don’t think all five of those are getting expansion teams here
I think the writer was just trying to be polite there…
Move the Yotes to Utah first and then let’s talk.
There goes Bettman, placating the owners with nickels and dimes again instead of real dollars. His inability to get tv money is his continued failure. So he keeps adding teams with continued dilution of the product. Worst commissioner in the history of the league. And yes I know revenue has grown a lot during his time but that would have happened anyway thanks to the Canadian teams bringing in half of the league revenues and then the northern US teams like the Bruins and Rangers.
Hockey is literally the worst rated thing on American TV year in and year out, but if they had a better commissioner they’d get more money.
The NHL was all but literally a beer league with the Cup Final on borderline public access TV (actually that would have been better than SportsChannel) in 1992.
If they don’t want to put a team in Quebec City, no way Omaha gets one.
Umm excuse me Quebec City has expressed interest and you’d do a hell of a lot better attendance wise bringing back the Nordiques than placing a hockey team in the middle of the mormons, a desert oil city or a cornfield. Yeah I get the population differences and “potential” for more of Bettman’s almighty dollar but hockey IS and always will be Canada’s game and it just doesn’t seem to thrive in many places Bettman keeps trying to put it. I loved that Tampa has a full house but they had to win. You could ice the crappiest team in the league in the frozen tundra oil city for 16 years (yes that’s the oilers) and still sell games out.
On another note I used to get so excited for expansion teams (Columbus and Minny) but it feels like every other year a new team pops up. Starting to seem like it’s not that hard unless you’re in Canada to get an expansion team!
I feel like nothing good for hockey in Canada will happen as long as Bettman is still there
Quebec City. Atlanta for a third time? Bettman is a clown.
I could see Houston, Atlanta, and Cincy getting one for sure. Omaha vs Quebec would depend on what happens to the Coyotes.
Why Cincy? You already have Columbus. The state of Ohio is pretty much Blue Jackets and Penguins territory a 3rd team would cannibalize the Columbus fanbase.
A few of these cities being floated are just there to try to squeeze a higher price from the real cities on the list.
Houston and Atlanta are what the league really wants. Two top ten US media markets. I’d have to check but they might be the only top ten or even 15 US markets the NHL doesn’t have. Huge populations. Large corporate base.
Salt Lake doesn’t have Coca Cola or Delta Airlines but they could host a lot of “bring your families to the game” nights.
Meanwhile, they still have a better chance than Omaha or Cincy. OR QC, for that matter.
I think you’re probably right. To me the answer is move the Coyotes to Salt Lake City and then put expansion teams in Houston and Atlanta. It allows you to have 1 new team per conference and while Atlanta has failed before I think it’s grown enough and there are enough transplants it could succeed if done right.
Why isn’t Quebec at the top of the list? And I’m American, but that city is a no brainer. Hockey mad, no problem getting a world class arena and it will be sold out forever.
Bring back Le Nordique.
Cincy? I’m sure Columbus would love losing their 4 fans.
Salt Lake? Atlanta for the 40th time? What?
Bettman is clueless. Get a real national TV and streaming contract and put teams in Quebec and maybe even Hamilton, then focus on Houston or Kansas City. Maybe Portland or Milwaukee. Get the Yotes out of Phoenix where nobody wants them.
QC is ignored for a couple of reasons. Mainly because the guy who owns the arena in QC and the NHL bidding rights is Pierre Karl Peladeau, who has PO’d the league in multiple ways or made them adverse to awarding him a team including: 1) Being how he acted after he lost the bid to purchase the Canadiens and said the team should have been kept Quebecois. The team was instead sold to the Molsons, an English-French group. 2) His politics. Former leader of the Bloc Quebecois, a separatist party from the Province of Quebec. May seem insignificant to have that history but it has hurt his standing. 3) The metro population of QC is roughly 600k, the others are mostly around 1M. 4) His Business history. While Quebecor group has been mostly successful he has been known to take swings and misses and failed.
Well said, Julio.
Weird that Columbus managed to get a team, and now a Cincy shoutout, all while I hear zero about good ol’ Cleveland. Bring back the Barons you cowards!
There are teams now who can’t put together two scoring lines. Even talking about expansion is absurd. But this isn’t about the product on the ice, it’s all about $$$.
Agreed.
And the goalie situation is even worse. So let’s try to find two more quality starters and two more quality backups, when only five or six teams have those pairings now. Egads.
True. Did you ever think Cam Talbot would be in an All-Star game, lol!
Atlanta is going to have a team before gary retires. The only thing that ever happen in gary’s time he wants to change is Atlanta. Quebec only ever gets a team because like winnipeg. No one wanted team in Atlanta. gary only options at his price was Winnipeg or lose a team.
How many times does the NHL want to let Atlanta fail with a franchise?
The issue with Atlanta and QC is not the cities. Get good ownership and it won’t be an issue. Those are two of the biggest empty markets available.