Thrashers were bought dirt cheap bc their ownership group was basically having a civil war and the NHL needed to find an owernship group who can buy the team basically over night and be able to support the team....That thrashers situation was ugly and Winnipeg benefit from just being waiting patiently being in the right place a tt the right time.

Seattle and Vega have populations that dwarf Canadian cities and/or markets that the NHL saw major incentives to invest in. Canadian markets really don't check those boxes, it really doesnt grow the game. There was a major incentive to be the first pro team in Vegas...there is a major incentive to have another pro team in Seattle who has a population of the metropolitan area of 3.5m people. Just like Houston who has a population of 7m in the metro area......And thats their ultimate goal, expand their footprint in the US so they increase the leagues net worth in markets such as terse

I would love to see another Canadian team, but its just the reality right now...

Quebecor has been vocal about wanting to bring back a team to QC, but who knows NHL might not want to do business with that group bc they have pissed them off. If its not them, a group of investors coming together, I would have my doubts for long term success in that market

Even right now, it cant be great for Canadian ownership groups who have to pay their players salary in US dollars...Katz in Edmonton has to sign a 13m USD (18.1m CND) cheque to McDavid July 1. Leafs can handle it but July 1 they have 58.3m USD in Signing Bonus money....small ownership groups that is a huge strain to be able to do

Those signing bonus heavy contracts with a weak Canadian dollar has to be a nightmare for some Ownership groups.

Its just the time for another Canadian team especially if it wants to be competitive early

I just don't think a population of 36M can support a 7th team. Ticket sales, TV contracts, Advertising, Merchandise just aren't there to support one today let alone adding another. I could see one of the Canadian teams moving possibly but way too much money and population in other markets in the US.

well they already have 7 now, and they barely can with the Sens. I agree I just see the Sens being relocated within Canada as the only option for a new market

If california has a bigger population than canada, why don't they have more teams? Simple answer. Canada like hockey more. Lets face it, not many people in california like to watch hockey. It makes more sense to put a team in Canada to me (even if it doesn't to Betman) because there is a higher density of fans.

Sorry mistyped 8th team. Yes, that's the issue, they can support 7 teams adding an 8th makes no sense with only 36M people

Thank you captain obvious but that's not the point. The point is Canada is not a very populated place to support 8 teams and advertisers and TV contracts know this. Just look at hockey night in canada compared to Monday night football, or Sunday night football...hell even Thursday night football. Hockey Night in Canada looks like a college division 2 TV production comparably. Hockey is becoming more popular worldwide, you have the US who's population is growing exponentially and hockey is as well in the US and then Canada's population is relatively stagnant so their market share is shrinking.

Agreed again. Expansion is a US thing. Relocation is a different beast though. Not as much planning involved outside of a market with existing infastructure.

For me, I still believe the Vegas is a crap shoot (pun intended) with the NFL coming. I could be wrong. The Vegas market is unlike any other, and I give Bettman full marks for having the balls in having the NHL being the 2nd sports league to venture there (if you count the CFL lol, that was the first). Seattle for years imo was a natural fit for the league. Houston for sure on the short list. Too large a market not to be. But I do believe for that to work a new arena is needed. There is no need to "expand" the league in Canada or the financial footprint here. Too inherent to suggest it can be done. Any growth of the game takes place outside. But, unlike possible sites in the US where new arenas are needed, a couple Canadian cities have them.

So if an Arizona or a Miami relocates..... I can see Quebec as a very viable option. As an expansion franchise - no.

One of the main reasons a relocation worked to WPG was the non hockey buisness opportunities in WPG that will help True North reach break even faster. The bigges example of which is True North square. It was also easiest to relocate to. However Vegas was a good new franchise as it created a hockey culture in that area.

Therefore, I think if there is a relocation (I’m looking at FLA) it’s probably to Quebec because it has much of what WPG had 9 years ago. I don’t want to say Quebec City is underdeveloped but like WPG it can be developed further. I don’t think the same can be said about Hamilton to the same extent as Hamilton is already a business hub. I also don’t think it would be too fair to quebec as they have been trying hard at a franchise for a while now. It’s also important to note that an established Canadian market will not get an expansion team because the nhl needs fallback cities for struggling teams like Florida and Arizona. It takes a lot of money and effort to relocate a franchise for the nhl so moving them around often cannot be done. If a team relocated it has to be to a sure bet place

If an expansion, probably a bigger US city.

It would depend on where it's located IMO. The Greater Golden Horseshoe has a population of over 9M with only 1 team, they could easily support another. The trouble is, the one team that's already there has veto power. And if you try to locate the team in the western portion of this region - Hamilton has been suggested here - both Toronto and Buffalo have veto power. Absolutely zero chance of Hamilton getting approved, IMO. Whether Hamilton, a somewhat depressed working class city, could support a team is a moot point.

The Expansion Era is over. We're at 32 teams and that's where we'll stay for the foreseeable future. We may still see a relocation or two, but no Canadian location will be considered for a US franchise. Even with the Sens, I have a tough time seeing them moving to say Quebec City - I don't see how a pathway to sustainability is easier there than in Ottawa. The Senators need a fresh start via a new owner, not a new city.

Being from Halifax/Maritimes this is true. When the Moose had Mackinnon/Drouin those games were must see and selling out. Mind you, we were the best team in the CHL that year and tickets were under $50 dollars..

Not many people here can/will pay hundreds of dollars to most likely watch a crappy team

Only see Florida, I have a feeling that the league is tapped out at 32 right now and if teams do have to relocate...Sens or Florida to QC and Yotes to Houston, After the East and West are balanced when Seattle joins the league im going to assume they wont want to mess with that for a while

It's not just about selling tickets, it's about attracting advertisers to reach millions of people and getting a big TV contract.

I agree that at 32 teams the league is tapped out for now and for the near future. Atlanta with now over 5M people in the area, could be a market that someone entertains again. The population has doubled since the Thrashers left.

Atlanta itself is a notorious bad city when it comes to supporting its teams, Its failed there twice and those are not accidents, Its just not a sports mad city that blindly supports its teams.

Agreed, which I would say is practically impossible for an Atlantic province.

Which is part of the reason Ottawa will continue to struggle. Unless a new market in Canada has at a bare minimum 500K die hard fans, not population but fans driving merchandising, TV viewership, tickets, then I don't see it.

Nope. This mini expansion was with a plan for sure. Any relocation will need to ensure the East Wast balance.