Jazz owner asking NHL to consider expanding to Utah

In its own statement, the NHL was impressed with the group's efforts to bring the league into the state, saying that "Utah is a promising market, and we look forward to continuing our discussions."

In many ways, hockey in Utah looks like a perfect marriage. The state is synonymous with cold-weather activities, has shown it can support pro sports through the NBA and MLS, and has been home to the Colorado Avalanche's ECHL affiliate, the Utah Grizzlies, since 1996. Yet there have been concerns about the Delta Center's ability to host an NHL team despite prior renovations.

Back in October, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told The Athletic's Pierre LeBrun that expansion wasn't on the table at that moment, yet he recognized that multiple cities had expressed interest.

Houston is the largest city in the U.S. without a team while Quebec City has longed to get back in the league since the Nordiques moved to Colorado in 1995. Kansas City has been a pawn of sorts for years as a few teams flirted with relocating there before having new arenas built in their current cities. 

There has also been talk about giving Atlanta a third chance after losing the Flames (Calgary) and Thrashers (Winnipeg) with an arena in its suburbs. And hockey fans will never forget the saga of Jim Balsillie, who tried to buy three different teams (Pittsburgh, Nashville and Arizona) in order to move them to Hamilton, Ontario and have a second team in the Toronto metropolitan area.

With the NHL now at 32 teams, there would have to be a significant reworking of logistics to add at least one more. Though the league was successful in bringing Vegas and Seattle into the fold over a four-year period, none of the four major male leagues in North America have gone beyond 32 teams yet.

Utah may already have paced some ice already, however, with its recent bid to host the 2034 Winter Olympics. In the strong likelihood that Salt Lake City hosts the event once again, there's a strong chance a facility could be developed in mind for an NHL expansion team.