Gary Bettman and the NHL set to approve two new expansion franchises today: we know the cities

In the past seven years, the National Hockey League have welcomed in the Vegas Golden Knights, Seattle Kraken and the Utah Hockey Club, who were relocated from Arizona, rather than a brand new expansion team. Now, just months after moving the Coyotes, Gary Bettman and the NHL are set to approve a further two teams to join the league, taking the amount of teams in the NHL up to an uprecedented 34.

Unsurprisingly, the two cities leading the charge are Atlanta, Georgia and Houston, Texas, following on from speculation for months that these are the two front runners to land the NHL's 33rd and 34th team. In Vegas and Seattle, the league have seen incredible success, and with rumours that the fee to now join the NHL as an expansion team could be as high as $1 billion, it's easy to see why the league are so supportive of the move.

While this will be the third time in Atlanta, it appears the city and the prospective new ownership group have the backing they need to make it work, and in Houston, they would have two teams in Texas to create a massive rivalry with the Dallas Stars, so while plenty of fans may not like it, the player base is there and ultimately, it's a matter of when, not if this happens.