I don't believe in the "expansion will dilute the talent pool" argument

lol @1%, fans aren’t that stupid,
Not stupid, but just not that deep into the nuances of the game. The *average fan* is of the "cheer when there is a goal, boo if there is a penalty" varietal.

The outrage about dilution is only by a microscopically small set of hardcore fans.
 
Not stupid, but just not that deep into the nuances of the game. The *average fan* is of the "cheer when there is a goal, boo if there is a penalty" varietal.

The outrage about dilution is only by a microscopically small set of hardcore fans.
Maybe they are in Vegas, but not in Canada, or Northern US.
 
I would prefer they followed they English FA model, and have 20 team Premier and 20 1st division team (add the 8 best AHL teams) split across East and West, with the worst in the West and East being relegated, and the best of the 1st division promoted. It would stop tanking, and make end of season games for the bottom teams more competitive. Make the draft reverse order 1st division, then reverse Premier.

No. Making hockey more like soccer is asinine.
 
The most niche of the "biggest" sports in north america so naturally they should have more teams than the NFL, NBA and MLB. Makes sense.

I've always been a fan of quality over quantity. As long as there are teams like Buffalo in the NHL, who have not made the playoffs in ages and we just had a team that had to relocate because they couldn't play in a 5000 seat shitty arena, then I see no point in just adding more mediocre to shitty teams into the league.

Instead of focusing on the easy way out in just adding more teams, instead they should focus on how to market the sport and the stars better. When you ask people that are not hockey fans to name a player, then most will still say Gretzky. How bad do you have to be at marketing your stars if Gretzky is still the only name people remember when the guy retired 26 years ago?

Fix the basic foundation first and then maybe there's a point in adding more teams.
 
i think its ratios

6 teams into 12 is a HUGE change. 100% NEW players added.

32 into 34 is like...... less, and shit.
 
It will always dilute but more players will get a chance to play so guys who would go unnoticed are more likely to rise up considering each team also gets their own minor league affiliates.
 
Somewhat it will.

Yes, maybe some talented non-Canadian and non-American players will join, but also a lot of bottom-six plugs that ontherwise wouldn't have a job in the league. The questions remains:

- will this even be noticeable? I don't think many fans, including those who complain, will even notice such marginal thing.
- will the pros outweight the cons? From league POV it seems like a profitable move, and league is here to make a profit. Plus more fans will get their hometeams.

If there were just 2 teams in league, only top talent would play, real creme of the crop, but I don't think anoyone would want it.
 
The most niche of the "biggest" sports in north america so naturally they should have more teams than the NFL, NBA and MLB. Makes sense.

I've always been a fan of quality over quantity. As long as there are teams like Buffalo in the NHL, who have not made the playoffs in ages and we just had a team that had to relocate because they couldn't play in a 5000 seat shitty arena, then I see no point in just adding more mediocre to shitty teams into the league.

Instead of focusing on the easy way out in just adding more teams, instead they should focus on how to market the sport and the stars better. When you ask people that are not hockey fans to name a player, then most will still say Gretzky. How bad do you have to be at marketing your stars if Gretzky is still the only name people remember when the guy retired 26 years ago?

Fix the basic foundation first and then maybe there's a point in adding more teams.
To be fair Hockey is way more global than NFL or MLB. The depth of teams will downgrade a bit for sure but I dont think it will be that bad. As long as they dont expand playoffs I don't really care all that much
 
Just look at the top 10 in scoring the AHL. Ok players that been in the NHL and never made it. US hockey is growing but it will take a lot of time before talented guys won't get NHL spots.
 
Somewhat it will.

Yes, maybe some talented non-Canadian and non-American players will join, but also a lot of bottom-six plugs that ontherwise wouldn't have a job in the league. The questions remains:

- will this even be noticeable? I don't think many fans, including those who complain, will even notice such marginal thing.
- will the pros outweight the cons? From league POV it seems like a profitable move, and league is here to make a profit. Plus more fans will get their hometeams.

If there were just 2 teams in league, only top talent would play, real creme of the crop, but I don't think anoyone would want it.
How is you don’t notice, that you lose a player for every new team coming in.
 
It's not about the bottom of the roster players, it's the dilution at the top of the roster.

Yes, there are plenty of players in the AHL that can hold down a 4th line spot (probably not well though); however, there most certainly are not enough players in the league that can hold down a TOP6 FWD position, and most especially a TOP4 D position. There are some especially trashy defensemen in this league right now.

Bottom half of the league teams are mostly trash. There is such a discrepancy already between contending teams and hopefuls that it will just become a punching bag league.

If they move forward with FOUR(!!!) more teams going into 2030 like they are projecting, the league is going to be so much worse off for it. Expect multiple teams with 10ish wins in a season. Awful Hockey.
 
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How is you don’t notice, that you lose a player for every new team coming in.

I meant it in terms of "diluting the quality/talent pool". Otherwise, of course a lot of things will change, including all scheduling process.
 
having 36 team would kill any rivalry in the league. I barely remember the last time Habs and Boston played in the playoff. It would also make it harder to win the stanley cup or rebuilding a team longer.
To be fair, MTL hasn’t made the playoffs in years
 
I meant it in terms of "diluting the quality/talent pool". Otherwise, of course a lot of things will change, including all scheduling process.
Ahh. well of course it’s diluted, it’s impossible not to be.
 

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