Bill Daly makes bombshell statement on NHL expansion

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Axel Williams
August 25, 2024 (9:03 PM)

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NHL Commissioner Bill Daly has had a huge hand in all of the National Hockey League's decisions over the years, including expansion.

Seven years ago, the Las Vegas Golden Knights were born. Subsequently, we got the Seattle Kraken in 2021. Now, it appears as though the NHL is getting a bit greedy with potential expansion efforts. In a new report from Elliotte Friedman, Daly revealed that expansion is certainly on the table.

Based on Friedman's comments, it seems as though expansion is inevitable. However, Daly was not looking to make any brash commitments. What he did do, was note just how well expansion has worked out for the league thus far, and how there is a whole lot of potential for the league to get into markets that other professional leagues have explored.

"Bill Daly was very interesting when talking about expansion.

It's coming - and the union believes it too - but he was very careful not to commit too much either.

�At the right time,' he said. It's clear the league sees legitimate interest and is putting an appropriate process in place by organizing meetings and gathering information. He pointed out that in the U.S., the NHL is present in fewer markets than its professional counterparts, while Seattle and Vegas prove there is �a model that works, a model that allows you to be competitive from the start'

34 teams, is that the maximum, or could we see 36? Is there a maximum number you wouldn't exceed? �Yes. Do I know what that number is? No.'"

There are a ton of cities where expansion would make sense. Places in Texas like Houston and Austin have been floated around. Memphis is another city in the South that could work given the fact that they have professional sports already. However, there is no doubt that most NHL fans want to see the Quebec Nordiques make a triumphant return.

At this point, there is no telling what the league might do. Having said that, 36 teams is a lot, and at that stage, the talent pool would be very diluted. It seems too ambitious for right now, but we're sure fans had the same opinion of having 32 teams when we were sitting at 30 almost 10 years ago.

Do you believe that the NHL should expand? Or are there enough teams at this point? Let us know in the poll down below and stay tuned to Hockey Unplugged for the latest news and updates from around the hockey world.

Source: Sportsnet
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