NHL Expansion Possibilities; Messier Comments on Schedule, Talent

The business of the NHL appears to be in good shape after the league signed a new collective bargaining agreement with players in June. The agreement runs through 2030 and the league has also experienced increasing television ratings in recent years.

After the success of the Seattle Kraken and Vegas Golden Knights, the league is at least considering expansion, according to reports. Commissioner Gary Bettman addressed the topic earlier this year and said the league is not seeking growth at the moment. However, he was willing to listen to interested parties meeting some criteria.

“We are not in an expansion process,” he said. “As I’ve repeated before, if a group comes forward and checks the following boxes – a strong owner, a good market, a suitable arena, and proof that its arrival would make the league stronger – we’ll take a look at it.”

Possible Expansion Opportunities

If the NHL moves forward to add to the league’s 32 teams, where might those new franchises be? Hockey writer Andrew Zadarnowski recently offered up some suggestions:

• Houston – The team was home to the Houston Aeros from 1994 – 2013, and the Dallas Stars have proven hockey can work in Texas. With a metropolitan population of almost 8 million people as the fifth-most populous metro area in the U.S., adding a team in Space City seems like a no-brainer.
• Atlanta – The Thrashers played here from 1999 to 2011 before being sold and becoming the second version of the Winnipeg Jets. The team faced financial losses and ownership struggles, but perhaps a new face could make it work down south.
• Phoenix – The lousy arena situation in Phoenix led to the Coyotes becoming the Utah Mammoth last year after the team was sold. However, there are some loyal hockey fans in Arizona and the team could work with the right venue and owner.
• Other options – A few other cities that might be considered include Kansas City, Milwaukee, and Indianapolis. Quebec City hosted the Nordiques from 1972 – 1995 before relocating to Denver to become the Avalanche. This is also a solid option.

For bettors, bringing in a couple new teams might offer an expanded NHL betting menu. Expansion tends to thin out the talent at least for a few years as well. The Knights and the Kraken, however, have proven that teams can compete immediately in today’s expansion landscape.

Mark Messier Looks at State of League

In terms of talent and the overall business model, the league really seems to be moving in the right direction. Edmonton Oilers and New York Rangers legend Mark Massier delivered that message this week in an interview with NHL.com.

“You can see every year, we think we’ve maxed out on the talent coming in the League and every year, you’re just amazed by the kids coming in,” the Hall of Famer and six-time Stanley Cup winner said. “Really some of the kids now are in their second and third year and they’re starting to take the game over.”

The NHL is playing a condensed schedule this year to make three weeks available for a stoppage in February as players compete in the Winter Olympics for the first time since 2014.

Bettors may believe this might offer some value with players facing fatigue issues after skating in numerous games in a short amount of time. However, Messier believes that probably won’t be the case and a quicker turnaround for games might even make the game better.

“Everybody is talking about the condensed schedule,” the ESPN broadcaster noted. “I don’t know if the players really think about that that much. We’re conditioned to play. It has always been four games a week for six months with travel. If it’s a little bit more, a little bit less, I don’t think it really matters to the players.

“I think if anything the competition, the competitiveness of the league is starting to get better and better and better. I think there are only a handful of teams in the East that are below .500. I mean, I don’t know who is losing. If everybody is winning, who is losing? So I think that probably plays more into the fact that the league is so balanced now that so many teams can win on any given night. That puts a lot of pressure on the teams, not so much the schedule.”