[Strickland] NHL Owners will be meeting soon to approve the expansion opening. Leading candidates/ownership groups are believed to be Fertitta in Houston and Krause in Atlanta.


[Strickland] NHL Owners will be meeting soon to approve the expansion opening. Leading candidates/ownership groups are believed to be Fertitta in Houston and Krause in Atlanta.

24 comments
  1. Can the North American and European junior systems produce enough players without sacrificing the quality of the league?

  2. I know it’s inevitable, but I hate it. 32 is the perfect number of teams, with half the field being eliminated by the regular season. This is almost certainly going to lead to play-in round garbage, and I’m not into that, personally.

  3. I think you eventually see four more teams. My guess is Houston, Atlanta, Hartford, and Kansas City. Just isn’t another hockey market in Canada to support a team. Any city in Canada could support one for the first few years while it’s new and exciting, but the nostalgia wears off eventually, especially with expensive tickets and the cost of living through the roof. You look at Winnipeg who was begging the city to buy season tickets not long ago.

  4. I think the NHL realizes that they need to grow their overall fanbase, so they need to open up large possibilities in major urban centres. Quebec City would not really gain net-new fans, as the fanbase is basically already there. I can see Quebec City getting a PWHL franchise long before they get an NHL team.
    I would love to see them get a team, but I just do not see it happening any time soon.

  5. Atlanta is the fair weather fan capital of the world. And it isn’t a hockey town and never will be.

  6. Does the NHL need expansion, from a quality of play perspective?

    Financially expansion will be a larger pie for everyone to get more money from. Is that worth having the level of play altered?

    I think the NHL currently has the best quality of play it has had for a very long if ever time.

  7. Once we get into the 40 team range (it’s inevitable) I want them to switch to the old national / American league style mlb used to have. There aren’t enough games in a season to play so many teams.

    Side note: the NHL’s decision to rely on expansion to make money is starting to remind me of irl empires that survived by conquest and when they stopped it collapsed soon after. Expansion indefinitely isn’t sustainable

  8. Fuck Atlanta, they had two chances and failed. Put a team back in Hartford and bring back the Whalers (though I’d love to see the Nords come back too)

  9. Atlanta had crappy ownership on their first two tries; how would Krause be different from past Atlanta NHL owners?

    Houston, on the other hand, bring back the Aeros!

  10. I would love to see the NHL fail in Atlanta again. They’re a great farm team for the Calgary’s and Winnipeg’s of the NHL.

    Maybe they can incubate Quebec’s next team.

  11. No. For eff’s sake NO! We tried Atlanta once, that was hot garbage and the fan base just isn’t there!

    I know the answer, but is bettman stupid?!

    I was already annoyed that Seattle and Vegas joined the fold, but was tolerant because 32 is a great number for sports leagues. I’m adamantly opposed to adding. Moving is fine, adding is a terrible idea

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