Bettman Hints at Future Expansion Possibilities

During the All-Star Event’s press conference, the NHL’s commissioner, Gary Bettman, stated some interesting things about the future of the NHL. On Jan. 24, 2024, a statement was released regarding expansion and the interest drawn from Smith Entertainment Group (SEG) about how they requested the NHL to begin the expansion process formally. This would certainly come into question at Bettman’s next conference, and in answering a question about it, he mentioned that there has been interest drawn from Houston, Atlanta, Kansas City, Omaha, Cincinnati, and, of course, Salt Lake City.

Characterized as all being in very early, preliminary discussions, it is clear that nothing is certain or imminent with any of these potential expansion locations, but it was quite interesting to hear some of these names. How likely is it for an NHL market to thrive in these locations? Is there a building already? Those are great questions, and much more need to be answered to truly consider their potential locations.

Third Time’s the Charm in Atlanta

After two relocations already, Atlanta seems prepared to make another run at an NHL team. The development of “The Gathering” in South Forsyth, Georgia, seems to be on track to be a high-end multi-use location that will have an NHL-calibre arena. Construction on the development isn’t expected to be completed until 2033, but the 18,500-seat arena could be done much earlier than that. The surrounding area will include a 1.6 million-square-foot office and retail space, a significant amount of residential and hotel locations, and more.

Atlanta has already failed twice, but there is reason to believe that a third chance could work. First of all, the on-ice roster was doomed from the start and was never able to develop into a strong one. With the way the rules the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken were given for the expansion draft, they were clearly set up much better than when the Atlanta Flames and Atlanta Thrashers were in town. On top of that, ownership was a bit of a mess in Atlanta as the NHL team was put on the back burner to the other major sports teams Atlanta Spirit owned. The money wasn’t allocated to the Thrashers. The NHL has shown that they are very picky and will take a long time for a new owner during the vetting process, as they displayed with Michael Andlauer and the Ottawa Senators.

With location, commitment from ownership, and roster construction already having more potential than the Thrashers ever did, there is a reasonable belief that a third Atlanta team could thrive in today’s NHL.

Salt Lake City May Be Next

Whether it is expansion or relocation, it looks like Salt Lake City, Utah, could be the next location for an NHL team. As mentioned at the beginning of this piece, SEG has made a pitch to the NHL and is the only team to take that first official step so far. SEG owns a number of sports teams, including the NBA’s Utah Jazz, Major League Soccer’s (MLS) Real Salt Lake, the National Women’s Soccer League’s (NWSL) Utah Royals, and more sports teams. They are certainly in a position to be interested in an NHL team.

As noted in the original process initiation memo sent from SEG, they are willing and capable of housing a team as soon as next season (2024-25). With the future of the Arizona Coyotes deep in the unknown, there is less than zero chance they are the new home of the desert dogs.

Hockey could certainly thrive in a location like Utah. They currently have just one professional hockey team in Utah, the Utah Grizzlies in the ECHL. Previously, a team with the same name was in the American Hockey League (AHL) but was bought by Dan Gilbert, owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers, and would become the Cleveland Monsters in 2006. There is currently only one player from Utah in the NHL: LA Kings forward Trevor Lewis.

With the support of the Jazz, Real Salt Lake, and other sports teams, there would certainly be reason for hope that there would be immense support for an NHL team. The ECHL team generates an average of 5,556 fans per game this season, which is a good turnout for the league and ranks ninth in the entire ECHL. In the past nine seasons, the Grizzlies hosted an average of 5,000 fans or more in all but three years, including two COVID-19-affected years.

Hockey Back to Kansas City?

In 1974, the Kansas City Scouts were welcomed to the NHL for a very short time. Just two years after joining the league, the 37-person ownership group realized they were in over their head and could not fund an NHL team, ultimately moving to Colorado and becoming the Rockies. There wasn’t much support from the fanbase either, with the team averaging less than 9,000 fans per game in their 17,000-seat arena. Could better ownership and marketing have saved the team? That is a question lost in history, but there is evidence that a team in Kansas City could do well in today’s NHL.

There is certainly a love for sports in KC. The NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs are among the most popular teams in North American sports today as the Patrick Mahomes era continues to develop into greatness. The help from Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift doesn’t hurt either. On top of the NFL, Kansas City hosts the Royals in the MLB, Sporting KC in the MLS, and KC Current in the NWSL.

The natural rivalry that would develop between Kansas City and the St. Louis Blues would certainly be intriguing. Sure, the Blues already have a strong fanbase throughout Missouri, but there is no doubt that there would be many hockey fans converted to KC fans if they had a more local team.

There is already an arena in the city; the T-Mobile Center was built and opened in 2007 and can hold 17,544 fans, more than enough for an NHL franchise. There has been reported interest in Kansas City about NHL expansion, as well as NBA expansion. There is certainly dedication to sports in the city, and there should be an NHL franchise here in the future.

A Second Texas Team Could Work

There has been talk of hockey in Houston for a while now, and with it being the only city of the six most populated American cities without an NHL team, it makes sense. There is already a venue for them at the Toyota Center, where the Houston Rockets play and the NHL is the only league that doesn’t have a team there.

The Houston Rockets (NBA), Astros (MLB), Texans (NFL), Dynamo FC (MLS), and Dash (NWSL) all have teams that do well with their fanbase and support their team.

There is one major complication with adding an NHL team to Houston, and his name is Tillman Fertitta. Fertitta owns the lease to the Toyota Center, along with Rockets. When the lease was signed, and an agreement was made with Fertitta and the city of Houston, there was an agreement that there wouldn’t be another multi-purpose arena in a 30-mile radius. That covers the majority of the inner workings of Houston and would make for a tough time locating a new location for an arena. There is a possibility that another owner could buy a team and share the location, which is seen in Philadelphia, Boston, and other cities. It takes away from the owner’s profit and could be a deterrent, but unless Fertitta buys the team, there could be some issues with another owner.

There is a huge TV market in Houston. Statista’s data shows that Houston has the sixth biggest TV market in the US and would certainly have little issue with their metrics. Formerly the hometown of the Houston Aeros, who have a lot of history. They were initially a World Hockey Association (WHA) team, but after they folded, the team returned as an AHL team and lasted until 2013.

Cincinnati On the Radar

A second team in Ohio wasn’t at the top of the radar for many people before Bettman announced there was interest. The Columbus Blue Jackets are already a struggling organization. While the location isn’t necessarily their biggest issue, another market in Ohio to take away from their fanbase and team support could kill the franchise. The likelihood of the NHL supporting a move like that is low.

In a vacuum, a team in Cincinnati could work. They have the Riverfront Coliseum that could work as an arena, but that building is nearly 50 years old and would need significant renovations, or there would need to be a new place for a team to play. There seems to be some progress on getting a new arena in the city’s downtown area, but nothing is confirmed yet.

The Cincinnati Cyclones, who currently play in the ECHL, draws an average of more than 6,000 fans per game. That is a very good number for the ECHL. There would more than likely be great support from the locals, and they would develop a strong fanbase pretty quickly. Still, again, having the struggling Blue Jackets just 90 minutes away by car, a new team in Ohio would be destructive to the organization.

Omaha Doesn’t Make Much Sense

The last city that Bettman mentioned was Omaha. They were home of the Omaha Ak-Sar-Ben Knights in the AHL for two seasons but were ultimately moved after struggling to gain attendance numbers. While Omaha is definitely an underrated sports city, there is reasonable doubt in its ability to fill seats. Omaha has a population of around 500 thousand, which is over 300 thousand less than the smallest NHL city, Winnipeg. One of the biggest critiques of Halifax, a proven hockey market, is the population, which is just a bit lower than Omaha. Testing the waters in a city that isn’t as proven as a city like Halifax would certainly be an expensive risk.

The CHI Health Center is an arena in downtown Omaha that seats 17,100 for hockey. That is enough for an NHL team. The arena isn’t new by any means and could use some upgrades, but could certainly be a viable option for an NHL team if they do go down that road.

It’s not like hockey in Omaha doesn’t exist. They have an NCAA Division 1 team, the Omaha Mavericks, who does very well in attendance. Of all 64 Division 1 teams in the NCAA, the Mavericks have the fifth-highest average attendance, with 6,841 fans on average. The United States Hockey League (USHL) also has the Omaha Lancers. Attendance for the Lancers sits seventh out of the 16 teams in the league, but the USHL has fewer fans than many other leagues. Between the Lancers and Mavericks, there are some good developmental leagues local to Omaha, but there is still doubt that an NHL team would be successful. The market size ranks 74th in the US, and with the low population, there isn’t much reason to think that it would thrive over some of the other cities mentioned.

Growing League Generates Excitement

There is a lot to be excited about when it comes to talking about new cities. Atlanta, Houston, and Salt Lake City are certainly the favorites for the next NHL team, but there are some other teams with an outside chance, as the three mentioned could be joined by Portland, Milwaukie, or even in Canada with Quebec City or Hamilton.

Regardless of where you think there should be another team added, there is an argument that could be made for any city. Right now, these are the six cities that have reached out to Bettman with interest.