Seven cities have expressed interest in acquiring an NHL team, according to an NHL insider

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Joshua Deeds
October 5, 2023 (6:59 PM)

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As Billy Daly mentioned earlier this off-season, the NHL is not looking to expand any time soon. However, interested parties are welcome to submit proposals.

Financially, the league is very interested in expanding since they stand to make a lot of money. New teams alone would generate $2 Billion in expansion fees. Adding two markets could result in $4 billion in revenue for the NHL.

"The best answer I can give you is yes, we have continuous expressions of interest from places like Houston, Atlanta, Quebec City, and Salt Lake City, but expansion isn't on the agenda," Bettman said. "But we're not in a mode to say 'OK, if you're interested in expansion, submit your applications, and we will evaluate,' as we have done previously."

He added, "We aren't there yet, and it's just an expression of interest. As you all know, I take meetings all the time on a variety of subjects, so if someone wants to talk, I'll talk to them."

As of 2015, Quebec City was one of the cities interested in expanding, but the league opted to expand into Las Vegas instead.

"Similar to @NHL in terms of no official process, yet plenty of interest expressed from the following and more ** In No Particular Order**
- Quebec City
- Salt Lake City
- South Forsyth (Metro Atlanta)
- Houston
- Portland
- San Diego
- 2nd Club GTA Toronto
#HockeyTwitter"

Several cities are interested in expansion in the NHL, including Quebec once again, according to NHL insider Kevin Weekes.

Although more teams are unlikely to be added to the NHL in the next few years, there is no doubt a goal to do so.

As of right now, the league isn't ready to expand, but Gary Bettman and the Board of Governors will accept applications.

Is there a city listed above that deserves an expansion franchise?