NHL Deputy Commissioner pours cold water over Atlanta, Houston expansion rumours
Over the past few days, rumours have been running rampant regarding potential NHL expansion in the coming years, with two cities mentioned - Atlanta and Houston.
On Wednesday, National Hockey League Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff that they have no plans to expand to 34 teams right now, but that groups in Atlanta and Houston have expressed interest in having franchises.
"Expansion isn't our priority right now," Daly wrote. "But it doesn't mean we won't listen to people or groups who have interest. That happens to include both Atlanta and Houston. But it also includes other cities as well."
If the NHL did expand to those two cities, it would likely create the scenario of 17 teams in each conference, unless some form of realignment was to occur.
The NHL has had two teams in Atlanta before, the Flames and Thrashers, who both eventually relocated to Canada. As for Houston, they're no stranger to professional hockey, having the Aeros play in the now-defunct WHA, before another franchise with the same namesake played in the American Hockey League from 1994 to 2013.
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