Potential NHL Expansion to Houston Gaining Steam

A new potential owner for an NHL expansion team in Houston has emerged.

Jan 8, 2023; Houston, Texas, USA; General view outside of Toyota Center before the game between the Houston Rockets and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images / Troy Taormina-Imagn Images

At 32 teams, the NHL seems to be in a pretty good spot at the moment with no immediate plans to expand, as commissioner Gary Bettman even said it wasn't a "front-burner topic" at last fall's Board of Governors meeting last fall.

However, another wave of expansion is definitely coming at some point down the road, and one city seems to be at the forefront: Houston.

As the city with the fourth-highest population in the country behind only New York, Los Angeles and Chicago, it's easy to see why Houston is a front-runner to land an NHL team. The Dallas Stars' success proves that hockey has a huge audience in Texas, and taking advantage of it would definitely be in the league's best interest. The NHL just needs to find the right person to make it happen, and such a person may have just emerged.

According to ESPN's Emily Kaplan, Dan Friedkin, chairman and CEO of Gulf States Toyota, has emerged as "a strong ownership option" to bring the NHL to Houston. The Friedkin Group, of which Friedkin is the CEO of, recently became the majority owner of English Premier League club Everton F.C., and just secured £350 million in funding for a new stadium. The group also owns Italian Serie A club AS Roma.

While the Friedkin Group did not respond to ESPN's request for comment, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to the network that the league has met with the group "on a number of occasions about potential interest in a Houston expansion franchise."

Tilman Fertitta, owner of the NBA's Houston Rockets, previously had discussions with the NHL about bringing a team to the city, but Kaplan reports that the league sees Friedkin's group as a more viable option.

The NHL could look to add two clubs in the next wave of expansion but stagger their start dates, similar to how the Vegas Golden Knights began play in 2017 while the Seattle Kraken began in 2021. Vegas paid an expansion fee of $500 million while Seattle paid $650 million.

Atlanta is reportedly another strong expansion candidate, though the league has already left the city twice. The Calgary Flames began life as the Atlanta Flames from 1972-80, while the Winnipeg Jets began life as the Atlanta Thrashers from 1999-2011.

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