March 20, 2025 | 7:15pm ET
TheFourthPeriod.com
HOUSTON GROUP LOOKING TO ENTER THE NHL
Getty Images
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman
The NHL has been engaged in ongoing discussions with several groups interested in owning an NHL franchise and it appears a new group has entered the mix with the idea of bringing an expansion club to Houston.
According to ESPN’s Emily Kaplan, the NHL has met with The Friedkin Group, led by American billionaire Dan Friedkin, about owning a franchise in Houston.
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly told Kaplan via email that the League has met with them “on a number of occasions about potential interest in a Houston expansion franchise.”
As TFP’s David Pagnotta has reported multiple times this season, the NHL has been entertaining the idea of growing to 34 clubs in the not-too-distant future, with 36 total franchises expected in-and-around 2030.
The NHL has had ongoing talks with Vernon Krause and his group about bringing a team back to the Atlanta area.
Great work here from Emily. Houston's been in the NHL's crosshairs for a while. The NHL had talks with Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, but there's been doubt over his desire to cough up the cash for a team and rink/renos.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 20, 2025
As Gary Bettman told @DennisTFP & I a few weeks ago, if… https://t.co/wniksPEbvZ
Krause is developing an entertainment district, The Gathering at South Forsyth, which includes an 18,000-seat arena to house an NHL franchise.
The Freidkin Group, which is based in Houston, and currently owns AS Roma of the Serie A league in Italy, and Everton of the English Premier League.
As Pagnotta has previously reported, the NHL has also met with Tilman Fertitta, who owns the NBA’s Houston Rockets, about a team, but there have been concerns over his willingness to pay a high expansion fee and either build a new arena or renovate the Toyota Center to the NHL’s specifications.
As Kaplan has reported, The Friedkin Group has “emerged as a more viable option” than Fertitta’s group.
In an interview with Pagnotta and Dennis Bernstein during the pregame edition of “The Hot Stove” on SiriusXM NHL Network Radio in Columbus prior to the Stadium Series game at the start of the month, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman acknowledged that they remain in talks with interested parties, and because of that they do not need to enter into a formal expansion process.
“There are really four things, at 10,000 feet, you look at, if you’re going to expand: ownership, market, arena and does it make the League stronger to be there,” Bettman explained. “People come in, they ask us about it, they express interest and if somebody comes in and says ‘okay, we can check where four boxes, here we go,’ then we’ll take a look at it and see what, if anything, the Board wants to do. But there’s no mandate to expand anytime soon. We’ve got 32 franchises well located, our franchisees have probably never been in better shape; they’re all healthy, the game is good. So, you know, if it happens it’ll happen because somebody got it all together.”
The NHL also recently met with a group interested in bringing a team to New Orleans, while markets like Phoenix, Kansas City, San Diego, Cincinnati, Quebec City and Omaha are among those with groups interested in an NHL club, as well.
Meanwhile, in the PWHL, Pagnotta reported on Thursday that the league is expected to announce expansion of their own, with two new clubs expected to enter the league as early as next season.
More Expansion News: Hearing the PWHL has taken significant steps towards adding two new clubs and an announcement is expected in the coming weeks. From their Original Six to the Great Eight, as early as next season.
— David Pagnotta (@TheFourthPeriod) March 20, 2025