Potential National Hockey League expansion

The National Hockey League (NHL) has undergone several rounds of expansion and other organizational changes during its history to reach its current thirty-two active teams: twenty-five in the United States, and seven in Canada.

The geographic distribution of teams between the NHL's two conferences was not a primary consideration for expansion, and the earliest time when a new franchise could start play was the 2017–18 season.

[1] On June 22, 2016, the NHL approved expansion to Las Vegas starting in the 2017–18 season with the Golden Knights,[2] but deferred Quebec City's bid for a team.

[9] In March, former player Anson Carter and the newly-formed Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment also issued a formal request to bring the NHL back to Atlanta.

[11] The potential of adding additional franchises in Canada had been an ongoing source of controversy for the NHL in recent years as numerous groups proposed expanding the league into a new Canadian city, or purchasing a struggling American franchise and relocating it north; to a certain extent, these issues continue even after the Atlanta Thrashers relocated to Winnipeg to become the country's seventh active team.

Quebec City and the Golden Horseshoe area of Southern Ontario are most frequently proposed as locations for new Canadian teams, as was Winnipeg prior to the announced relocation of the Thrashers.

Former National Hockey League Players Association executive director Paul Kelly has repeatedly argued in favor of bringing a new team to Canada.

[26] In May 2011, Labeaume stated that Pierre Karl Péladeau, president and CEO of Quebecor, was in talks with the NHL regarding a new Nordiques' team in Quebec City.

"[31] Prior to the 2011–12 NHL season, an exhibition game between the Montreal Canadiens and the Tampa Bay Lightning was played at the Colisée Pepsi, the former home of the Nordiques.

[33] In September 2012, construction started on an 18,000-seat arena in Quebec City that would eventually become known as Centre Vidéotron, the cost of which (C$400 million) was split equally between the provincial and municipal governments.

[34] On June 24, 2015, Quebecor announced that it planned to apply for an NHL expansion franchise, with the aim of bringing a Nordiques team back to Quebec City.

[41] The following day in New York City, Quebecor and the Las Vegas ownership group presented their bids to the NHL's executive committee.

Commissioner Bettman also said that expansion requires a three-quarters affirmative vote from the Board of Governors, but the members of the executive committee would first have to make a recommendation to the group.

In November 2021, Quebec Premier François Legault stated that he would meet with Commissioner Bettman in the coming months to "find out what we need to bring back the Nordiques".

[17] While it was speculated that the Toronto Maple Leafs and Buffalo Sabres did not want an NHL team in Hamilton due to territorial competition, former league president Gil Stein has denied that was the case.

[51] Balsillie then reached an agreement to purchase the Nashville Predators for $238 million on May 24, 2007, and began a season ticket campaign in Hamilton a week later intending to prove that the city was capable of hosting an NHL team.

[56] Balsillie launched a public relations campaign aiming at igniting Canadian nationalistic feelings and the perception that Bettman had an anti-Canadian agenda,[57] including a website.

"[64] In June 2009, a group headed by Andrew Lopez and Herbert Carnegie proposed a $1 billion plan for a second Toronto team, called the Legacy, to begin play no earlier than 2012.

[67][68] The proposed location for the arena was near the Unionville commuter train station on land owned by Rudy Bratty, chairman and CEO of Remington Group, an organization that is charged with the development of Markham's downtown.

Hunter secured provincial backing to construct a new NHL-sized arena, thousands of season-ticket deposits, a multi-million dollar sponsorship arrangement with Molson's, and even provisionally hired Don Cherry to coach the team.

That game led to speculation that the city may host the Flames if the team's regular arena, Scotiabank Saddledome, which had been damaged in the 2013 Alberta floods, did not complete its repairs in time for the 2013–14 season.

As of March 2024, there are two separate groups vying for a third Atlanta NHL franchise, with both parties planning to build an NHL-sized arena as part of a larger mixed-use development in or near Alpharetta.

[83] In late March 2024, the Forysth County Board of Commissioners approved subsidies of up to $250 million towards construction under the stipulation that Krause's group secures an NHL team for the proposed arena.

[85] Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment, headed by former NHL player Anson Carter, who has lived in the Atlanta metropolitan area since retiring in 2008, unveiled a competing bid in March 2024.

From 1972 to 1978, the Aeros twice won the AVCO World Trophy and featured the first father/son combination to play together in professional hockey, Gordie Howe and his two sons Mark and Marty.

[101][102] The T-Mobile Center is capable of hosting an NHL team,[103] having previously hosted St. Louis Blues preseason games,[104] and both local officials (including Mayor Quinton Lucas) and prominent Kansas City individuals (including Mavericks owner Lamar Hunt Jr. and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes) have expressed interest in either expansion or the relocation of an existing team.

While Omaha lacks an NHL-capable venue, local property developer Rod Yates has publicly stated a desire to build an arena in Gretna, as part of a proposed "Good Life District" surrounding the Nebraska Crossing, an outdoor lifestyle center;[108][109] Yates and Nebraska Governor Jim Pillen additionally met with NHL officials in New York City in February 2024, in order to pitch the league on expansion.

Two months after being granted the aforementioned opportunity, Meruelo stepped away as owner of the Coyotes, ending the initial possibility of an automatic reactivation;[110][111] PHNX Sports journalist Craig Morgan later stated there are other suitors who are interested in bringing an NHL team back, and Phoenix remains on the table for future expansion.

[112] In 2025, newly-elected Maricopa County Board of Supervisors Chair Tom Galvin announced the formation of a committee of political and business leaders to bring the NHL back to Phoenix, meeting with Gary Bettman over Zoom before Christmas in 2024.

"[115] In August 2010, the International Ice Hockey Federation president René Fasel stated that he would strongly oppose any expansion by the NHL into European markets.