NHL Deputy Commissioner Suggests Further Expansion Coming

NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly recently discussed the possibility of further expansion in the future.

Jun 3, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly speaks at a press conference before game one of the 2023 Stanley Cup Final between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images / Lucas Peltier-Imagn Images

The NHL/NHLPA's end of summer media tour is one of the only settings where so many of the game's best players and leaders are together and speaking to the media. The league's best like Jack Hughes, Sidney Crosby, and inocming rookie Macklin Celebrini were among the participants in this year's events.

Included in the conversations was the NHL's Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly. First hired by the league in 1996, he has been a staple in the organization for nearly 30 years. In 2005, he was appointed to be the first deputy commissioner and has held the position since. In his role, he is one of the main voices on all matters involving the league. He sat down with The Athletic, Canadian Press, Daily Faceoff, The Hockey News, and The Score during the media tour to discuss a variety of topics.

One of the first ones he was asked about was the topic of expansion. With the Utah Hockey Club entering their inaugural season, the Seattle Kraken off and running, and the Vegas Golden Knights being the golden child for expansion teams, Daly was asked if more expansion is on the horizon for the NHL. While stating it isn't a top priority presently, he suggested that it's not off the table.

"We have seven teams in Canada, and we're really only in the 22 U.S. markets because we have three teams in the New York market and two teams in the L.A. market," he said. "And so that means we're at 22 U.S. markets when the other professional sports leagues are basically at 30, 31 markets. So that means there's market availability, which I think helps."

In Daly's tenure with the NHL, he's overseen several expansion organizations developing as well as the dissolution of previously existing ones. The Atlanta Thrashers and Arizona Coyotes have gone by the wayside, while the Winnipeg Jets returned and the Kraken and Golden Knights were born. There was a time when the idea of expanding past 32 teams seemed impossible, but not any more says Daly.

"I know when I started this job, there was a real concern about talent dilution with expansion," he said. "Skill development and hockey development throughout the world. not just North America, has increased to such a point where I think we have plenty of players. I think we have very good players who could play in the National Hockey League. And so I don't think we have that kind of talent dilution ceiling either, at least imminently."

Daly's responses made it clear that a new franchise won't be introduced in the immediate future, but the possibility is open. With the successes the league has seen with recent expansion projects and popularity and revenue increasing, it's only a matter of time before the NHL adds their next franchise to the league.

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