Two American cities revealed by top NHL agent Allan Walsh as likely expansion spots
NHL expansion is seemingly coming once more, and now a top agent in the NHL has revealed that two American cities are the front runners to land new NHL teams.
This off-season, the NHL officially welcomed Salt Lake City as the newest team in the league, and while it was relocation rather than expansion, the latter is seemingly on the way once more. With the money that a new team in the NHL generates, it's no surprise that expansion continues to be a hot topic in the NHL, with famed player agent Allan Walsh all but confirming the league will head to 34 teams in the near future.
- Allan Walsh
Unsurprisingly, it's the money that's driving the league's desire to expand, as they may have the talent base to make these teams, but most fans would ultimately agree that having four divisions with eight teams in each simply makes the most sense. As for the new locations, while the likes of Quebec City and a second team in Toronto have been discussed publicly, it appears the league will look to head back to Atlanta for a third time, with the other favourite considered the be Houston.
This won't make fans looking for a new Canadian team very happy, but given the rise that both of those cities are on, they make perfect sense for the NHL, and if ownership groups can get the backing that they need to make a bid, don't be surprised if the NHL is at 34 teams before 2030.
Source: Habs Fanatics
Two cities emerge as possible expansion frontrunners for Gary Bettman and the NHL according to Allan Walsh
| POLL | ||
SEPTEMBRE 8 | 512 ANSWERS Two American cities revealed by top NHL agent Allan Walsh as likely expansion spots Which of these cities most needs a new NHL team? | ||
| Houston | 83 | 16.2 % |
| Quebec City | 339 | 66.2 % |
| Atlanta | 27 | 5.3 % |
| Toronto | 63 | 12.3 % |
| LIST OF POLLS | ||
| G | A | PTS | ||
| Kyle Connor | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Alex Tuch | 1 | 1 | 2 | |
| Owen Power | - | 2 | 2 | |
| Michael Bunting | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Drew Helleson | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jirí Kulich | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Isac Lundestrom | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Vladislav Namestnikov | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Nino Niederreiter | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Gabriel Vilardi | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Jason Zucker | 1 | - | 1 | |
| Leo Carlsson | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Nikolaj Ehlers | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Ross Johnston | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Evgeni Malkin | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Josh Morrissey | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Cole Perfetti | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Bryan Rust | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Mark Scheifele | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Trevor Zegras | - | 1 | 1 | |
| Complete stats | ||||
| STANDINGS 2024-2025 | ||||||
TOP 10 | GP | W | L | OL | PTS | |
Jets | 20 | 17 | 3 | - | 34 | |
Wild | 19 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 29 | |
Hurricanes | 19 | 14 | 5 | - | 28 | |
Devils | 22 | 13 | 7 | 2 | 28 | |
Capitals | 19 | 13 | 5 | 1 | 27 | |
Golden Knights | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Maple Leafs | 20 | 12 | 6 | 2 | 26 | |
Rangers | 18 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 25 | |
Panthers | 20 | 12 | 7 | 1 | 25 | |
Flames | 20 | 11 | 6 | 3 | 25 | |
| Conference | Cumulative | ||||||