The Next Possible City For NHL Expansion Revealed

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Tyler Ball
August 29, 2023 (9:51)

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NHL expansion has been a major part of the NHL since the Vegas Golden Knights came into the league in 2017. Now that Seattle is settled into their place in the league many are wondering who could be next.

NHL Insider Leaks Expansion

A couple of months back NHL insider and former player Kevin Weekes had put out rumors that the NHL was looking to expand again. This led to a whole bunch of speculation about where and when expansion was coming.

With this speculation, Gary Bettman responded to the rumors and talked about where expansion is currently at. Bettman when he spoke denied the information provided by Kevin Weekes but did confirm that cities like Atlanta, Houston, and Quebec all have an interest in hosting an NHL team.

Other Sources Have Different Ideas

While Quebec, Atlanta, and Houston are all definite possibilities to be the home of the next NHL team some sources say otherwise.

A report by Alexandre Desrosiers from Rumeursdetransaction.com the new destination may be none of the suggested cities above.

Another rumor by an independent source named Eklund Salt Lake City is a prime destination.

"Keep an eye on Salt Lake City as an NHL relocation destination. As the owner of the Utah Jazz (and their arena) tweeted recently..."

The Owner of the Utah Jazz of the NBA has been vocal in his pursuit of an NHL team. The city would continue the expansion into the Western United States of hockey. According to Pierre LeBrun Utah is also on the list of contingency plans in case the Arizona Coyotes do end up needing to relocate.

"Bill Daly confirms the NHL has heard directly from Salt Lake City (Utah Jazz/Ryan Smith) about their interest in having an NHL team.
(Potential relocation spot for the Coyotes although Bettman doubles down on saying he hopes to find a solution in Arizona)"

While the NHL has said that they will do everything they can to keep hockey in the desert Utah is clearly on their mind. This likely means that Salt Lake City needs to be added to every conversation about expansion along with long-time candidates like Quebec, Atlanta, and Houston.

Either way, it sounds as though the NHL is taking a break from expanding at the moment. While expansion is not likely soon imagining teams in these cities will always be an exciting exercise.