Atlanta favourite to make NHL return: Critical factor emerges

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Tom Banks
September 17, 2024 (1:55 PM)

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Rumours have been swirling for some time of the NHL's impending return to the city of Atlanta, and now one major factor has emerged as the difference maker.

This off-season, the NHL officially introduced a new franchise with the Utah Hockey Club, and unsurprisingly, it didn't take long for the topic of expansion in the NHL to rise to the surface once more. Recent reports have revealed that Houston and Atlanta are now the two favourite cities to get the next NHL team, and now, one factor has emerged as crucial to the NHL's attempt to go back to Atlanta for the third time.

That would be one of the most important factors for a sporting franchise; a new arena, but getting one will be much harder for a team looking to join the league rather than an already established team. According to reports, the fee to join the NHL as the league's 33rd team will hit $1 billion, and with Atlanta having the backing to pay this fee and then some, it appears they remain the front runner, but how will the costs add up with a new arena?

According to the group leading the charge to bring the NHL back to Atlanta, they have backing in the realm of $225 million to build a new arena in the city, with that money contingent on becoming the NHL's 33rd team. The project however is expected to cost upwards of $3 billion, putting the price tag to join the NHL at $4 billion for the arena and the fee, making this one of the most expensive projects in recent memory.

Given the success of the Golden Knights and the Kraken, it may very well be worth it for the group leading the charge to bring the NHL back to Atlanta, but for the league, they must wonder if this is preferable to a place like Houston or Quebec City, that may already have the facilities in place to make a run at being the 33rd team in the league. Ultimately, it makes sense for the NHL to go back to Atlanta, as it is one of the biggest and fastest rising cities in America with teams in all of the other three big North American sports, so if they can make a brand new arena happen, expect talks to heat up in the coming years as the NHL eye expansion once more.