NHL Commissioner Shuts Down Expansion Rumors

Gary Bettman is having none of the latest expansion rumors.

Jun 8, 2024; Sunrise, Florida, USA; Gary Bettman Commissioner of the NHL during a press conference prior to the game against the Florida Panters and Edmonton Oilers in game one of the 2024 Stanley Cup Final at Amerant Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The NHL expansion rumors seemingly never end, but they've been especially prevalent recently.

It seems that no matter where one looks, there's a new claim that the NHL is looking to expand to 34 or even 36 teams. Whether it's Houston, Atlanta or even a return to Arizona, there's no shortage of rumors out there.

At least for now, though, it's safe to say those rumors are not true. At a press conference on Monday, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman flatly denied any reports of further expansion.

“Everything that’s been written in the last week is categorically wrong,” Bettman told reporters, per TSN. “We’re not going through an expansion process. And other than updating the board on Oct. 1 as to places that have expressed an interest, there’s nothing else that’s going to be done on expansion."

The NHL remained at a steady 30 teams from 2000 to 2017, when the Vegas Golden Knights joined the league as the 31st team. Four years later in 2021, the Seattle Kraken joined to bring the league up to an even 32 teams.

This offseason, the Arizona Coyotes moved to Salt Lake City and became the Utah Hockey Club in the league's first relocation since 2011. Historically, Utah is a different franchise from Arizona, but the league remains at 32 active teams. Utah had previously been a popular expansion candidate before this move.

In the deal that created Utah H.C., owner Ryan Smith paid the league a $1.2 billion expansion fee. Apparently, that high price tag may put a hold on expansion for now. Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets and a popular owner choice for a potential Utah NHL team, believes the current expansion fee is a major deterrent for prospective owners.

"The NHL would be great in Houston, and they're looking to expand," Fertitta said, per the Houston Chronicle. "We're hoping that no team right now meets the price that they want [for] the expansion team. We're hoping somehow we can get the team by being one the best cities in America and paying the right price."

It seems inevitable that the league will eventually expand again, but for now, 32 teams seems like a good number to work with.

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