34 IS GREATER THAN 32

TORONTO, ON — The trade winds are not the only thing blowing across the NHL these days. As we’ve witnessed this month, talk surrounding expansion is picking up and you can expect to hear more about it over the coming months.

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly did what they always do when it comes to this topic and brushed it aside when addressing the media during their ‘state of the union’ press conference over All-Star Weekend. Sure, nothing is imminent, but what is your definition of that word?

When Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith publicly declared his interest in an expansion franchise on Jan. 24, it was not without the NHL’s blessing. He wants a team and Salt Lake City wants a team. Guess what, they’re going to get a team.

Multiple well-placed sources have told me Utah is next on the list. They are a backup for the Arizona Coyotes, should the Coyotes be forced to relocate, and if things actually work out in Arizona, Smith will get his team through expansion.

But when?

“They’re very enthused about the possibility of getting an NHL team,” Bettman said over the weekend. “

“They made it clear they’d like one. The governmental leaders in Utah have expressed to us a similar level of enthusiasm.

“We’re not looking at the moment at either (expansion or relocation). What Utah, what Ryan Smith, has expressed an interest in, is an expansion team. I know where that question was going, but that’s not what this is about right now.”

If it were up to Smith and his group, Utah will enter the NHL next season. That won’t happen via expansion, but the wheels are most certainly in motion.

According to two separate sources, Smith has even offered to purchase the Coyotes for a significant sum, well beyond the current valuations per Forbes and Sportico, and is willing to cover the relocation fee on top of it. Whether that offer was formally in writing or something vocalized is semantical, but the overall price of doing so would be less than the expansion fee and the NHL remains firm on its position on the Coyotes.

Growing the League to 33 franchises is nice, but 34 is nicer. And yes, I’ve been of the belief and on record saying the NHL will be a 36-team league in and around 2030. But let’s get to 34 first.

In addition to Utah, Atlanta is right behind them. As my colleague Kevin Weekes has repeatedly reported, the wheels are in motion here, too. And the NHL doesn’t care how often you roll your eyes. If Utah is Team 33, Atlanta is poised to be Team 34. There is a strong prospective ownership group in place, and they have the land to build a state-of-the-art facility and overall entertainment district. In fact, there seem to be options in both Forsyth County and Fulton County.

Oh, about that expansion fee I was alluding to… you’re looking at a ballpark figure of $1.5 billion, per franchise, according to a current NHL owner. Now, math wasn’t my strongest subject in school, but if I multiply $1.5B by two, that’s $3 billion going into the pockets of the current 32 NHL ownership groups. No, that doesn’t count as part of Hockey Related Revenues – and the League will argue they are creating more on-ice jobs to offset that – but television, digital broadcast, sponsorship, ticket sales, merchandise, and more do.

“What’s happening is people are expressing an interest,” Bettman said. “We have no formal expansion process set up. We’re not envisioning what we did in prior times: We say, ‘If you want a team, here are the dates, submit the application.’

“We’re listening to the expressions of interest. I think it’s fair to say the Utah expression of interest has been the most aggressive and has carried a lot of energy with it, including from the governor and leaders of the legislature.”

With Utah leading the pack, expect to hear more about Atlanta later this season. And with Utah and Atlanta next in line, groups in other markets have also expressed interest in varying degrees. Kansas City, Cincinnati, Houston, San Diego, Quebec City and Portland are among them, and some of these markets have shown interest dating back to the late-90s.

“Lots of places want a team,” Bettman said.

Kansas City’s group is led by the Hunt Family, which own the NFL’s Chiefs, and they are big hockey fans. The city has the T-Mobile Center ready-ish to house an NHL franchise, minus some necessary upgrades, and talk surrounding their interest in an NHL franchise has continued to increase this season. They might even push ahead of Houston, as much as the NHL would love to enter that market.

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta has been most tied to a potential NHL franchise in Houston. However, according to several sources, his personal interest levels aren’t very high, and he is not, from what I have been told by multiple sources, overly keen on investing significant dollars into a franchise. And despite recent news that the Toyota Center plans on adding an ice machine to accommodate an NHL club, sources claim Fertitta does not want another major tenant in the building – not long-term, anyway. If Fertitta does enter the mix, as it stands right now, it might not be in a majority (or major) role, though that could certainly change.

All of this to say, interest in the NHL is at a major high and that’s great news for everyone involved. My read: The timeline to 34 is between one-to-three years. And if the cost of an expansion franchise hovers around $1.5B now, how much will that increase in three-to-five years when we get closer to 36 teams?

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE YOTES?

Right, those guys.

Circling back to the Coyotes, frustration has grown significantly over their situation. An announcement was expected in late-December over their arena project and subsequent land purchase. That was pushed to January, and then All-Star Weekend. It’s been pushed again. We’re expecting some news in the not-too-distant future, perhaps after this weekend, but we’ve been expecting this for a while.

The Coyotes remain confident they’ll get this done. As I noted earlier, Salt Lake City is a backup if this enters Thrashers territory – they moved to Winnipeg in May and began play in September after exhausting all efforts to find a local buyer. But we’re not here yet.

“Alex Meruelo, as recently as last week, told me he was certain he was going to get this done,” Bettman said. “I don’t make it a practice of contradicting owners unless I have hard facts to the contrary. I am both hopeful and reasonably confident that he’s going to do what he says.”

Make no mistake, that was a nudge. The NHL is also frustrated by the process, and they want an idea if this thing is happening or not. And if it’s not, that does not exactly mean the team is guaranteed to relocate (more eye rolling, I know).

SLC is a backup, not THE backup. My understanding is the NHL prefers to expand to Utah, not relocate a franchise there. Could the NHL pursue other ownership groups for the Coyotes? Yes, and I believe there are interested parties – ones that would keep the team in market.

We’re all frustrated, but we’ve also been (reluctantly) patient. What’s a few more weeks?

HERE AND THERE

• Expect to hear Scott Laughton’s name out there a bit more. We just added him to our Trade Watch List and as TFP’s Anthony Di Marco has reported, the Philadelphia Flyers are willing to move him for the right price.

• New Jersey’s in shit-or-get-off-the-pot mode when it comes to their goaltending. They are looking at options and it might be too difficult to complete a major move right now, which could result in a short-term fix in net before addressing a long-term solution in the off-season. We’ll be keeping tabs on this.

• I’m excited for the Stadium Series and seeing how things work out next weekend. For future games, Ohio Stadium in Columbus is on the NHL’s radar, but they need to make some adjustments to the facility before the League is comfortable hosting an outdoor game. I think it’ll get there and we’ll see NHL action inside The Horseshoe, but some work is needed first.

• Overall, NHL All-Star Weekend was a huge success in Toronto and it’s led to the possibility of the NHL hosting the event in 2026 before the Winter Olympics, instead of breaking completely and waiting for 2027. One team still in the mix to host either year: the New York Islanders.

• Unless Kyle Dubas picked up the phone yesterday, called agent Ben Hankinson and started negotiating a contract, there have been no formal talks between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Jake Guentzel’s camp, to date.

• Teams like Boone Jenner and it’s started to circulate. I’m not sure how eager the Columbus Blue Jackets are to move him, but they’ll be taking calls.

• One down, how many more to go? That’s the question surrounding the Calgary Flames. Noah Hanifin and Chris Tanev are the next on the list, presumably, but we’ll see what else GM Craig Conroy can conjure up between now and the deadline.

• And finally... a HUGE thank you to everyone who worked, participated in, and attended our events over All-Star Weekend. From the NHL All-Stars and PWHL stars and their families to the celebs, media and industry colleagues to our friends and staff, we appreciate your kindness and support, and can’t wait to do it all again. Sorry, folks, not everything can be made public, but we’ll be able to share some of the fun we had later this week.