NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly spoke openly about the potential for an expansion team in Atlanta during a media availability on Tuesday. In it, Daly shared that the league hasn’t yet received a full proposal yet, per ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski. Wyshynski further points out that a group backed by Krause Sports and Entertainment has received approval on a $3B arena development in Forsyth County, Georgia. They are one of multiple groups vying for ownership over a potential Atlanta squad.
Notably, Daly also voiced support for the idea of expansion overall. He told Wyshynski that the NHL is “uniquely positioned” for more teams because of how deep the player pool has become. Daly pointed towards the growth of smaller hockey markets as evidence of that growth, and said that adding new teams would be no issue for the NHL. That’s a strong bode of confidence towards the idea of expansion, though it doesn’t seem the league isn’t growing any more roots just yet.
Other notes from around the hockey world:
- Future Hall-of-Fame winger Patrick Kane spoke with Wynshynski about Jonathan Toews’ return to the NHL. Kane called his former batterymate’s comeback a great story, and remarked that it’s been enjoyable to follow Toews’ return as the two still talk frequently. The conversation led to Kane, once again, receiving the question of whether he’d have interest in moving to his own hometown club, the Buffalo Sabres, in the same way that Toews chose to join the Winnipeg Jets. Kane batted away the question, instead affirming how much he’s enjoyed playing for the clubs he has already played for – including Detroit. He called the Red Wings a team on the rise, and the source of his career’s revival. Kane scored 21 goals and 59 points in 72 games with the Red Wings last season. It brought his total scoring with the club up to 106 points in 122 games – and his career-long scoring up to 1,343 points in 1,302 games.
- Top New Jersey Devils centerman Jack Hughes also caught attention for interview comments on Wednesday. While participating at the NHL Media Tour, Hughes said that he would love to have a chance to play with his brother Quinn, whether that been in New Jersey or not, per Thomas Drance of The Athletic. The storyline of if, and when, the Hughes brothers would reconnect has been a rich one all summer. They’re a close-knit trio of brothers, including youngest brother Luke, with two-thirds currently playing in the Devils organization. But acquiring Quinn would be a near-impossible task for Devils general manager Tom Fitzgerald. Quinn is among the league’s best defensemen. He won the 2024 Norris Trophy, and finished last season as a Norris finalist. New Jersey – or, any team – would need to sell the farm to land Quinn. Luckily, he is roughly one month away from his 26th birthday, giving the Hughes brothers plenty of time to regroup with their oldest sibling before he’s past his prime yeras.
How can they possibly give Atlanta another NHL team? lost two already.
Well, if they fail again, they can always move the team to Phoenix.
3rd times the charm for Atlanta? Cmon….
Atlanta 3.0. Should work fine.
The Atlanta Hat Tricks.
I’m sorry but the NHL should look into the opposite of expansion. Daly says the player pool has become “deep” in his words. To me the player pool is becoming deep in career minor leaguers who are trying to be passed off as True NHL caliber players. The NHL is an elite league with tremendously skilled players who are able to play an amazing game at high speed, something the other three major professional sports leagues can not match. If you keep expanding it the high level of play and players is going to be diminished by continually fielding teams equal to minor league teams. Leave it alone. Don’t ruin it just for the sake of increased revenue to the league.
Amen to this. There are many teams that can’t even assemble a 2nd scoring line right now. Add two more teams to the mix and the availability of even having 3 forwards with 1st line ability becomes even more scarce.
No, this is about the massive expansion fee revenues Bettman and the owners desire.
Your ancestors were using the same complaint when the Original Six expanded to 12, and 14, and 16, right up to the current 32. Yet somehow, despite the claims of the league being ruined, it continues to thrive. Shocking.
And what happened/happens each expansion, donkeyhockey? Career 4th line guys become 40 goal scorers because guys that should be top 4 d-men in the minors are playing 18 a night in NHL. Also, with new 23 roster spots available in NHL that is 23 guys not in the AHL, the ECHL, SPHL, NCAA, CHL, etc. Which means guys that should be playing Jr.B are playing up. You must be new to the sport but the product is watered down across the entire hockey landscape
The 4th lines of AHL teams today are better than the 4th lines of NHL teams 40 years ago.
Go watch a montage of Gretzky goals and ask how many of those would actually go in today.
Talent pool isn’t the issue.
There weren’t actual fourth lines forty years ago. Teams could only dress 17 skaters and two goalies. Today teams are allowed to dress 18, hence the actual fourth line. Twelve forwards, six defensemen and two goalies. Forty years ago players played shifts of one minute to two minutes without change. Today’s players go all out for maybe 45 seconds tops. There are just too many players at the NHL level that should be playing AHL or lower, but because there are so many more teams today. Expansion brings the league more money that’s it. When you keep diluting something it doesn’t retain its’ potency. Maybe that’s the NHL you want to watch but I don’t. Maybe you should look at a montage of some of Mario’s goals and see how many of them would actually go in today.
“The NHL started dressing 18 skaters per game during the 1982-83 season. Before this, the number of players dressed in a game had varied, with an average of 17 skaters per game during the 1954-55 season and 16 skaters from 1960-61 to 1970-71, before returning to 17 for the 1971-72 season.
The 18-skater rule became standard in the 1982-83 season .”
You can make various arguments against expansion, but claiming the talent pool is diluted is as wrong as your math. 2025-1982 = _______?
All 3 Hughes Brothers will sign with the Florida Panthers on July 1st, 2030. NCSWIC.
Atlanta? Again? This isn’t baseball where you get 3 strikes before being called “out”.
Doing the same thing over and over, expecting a different outcome, is the definition of insanity.