Is Bettman plotting for a 36-team NHL?

[WATTAGE4451]

I can just imagine how bad the officiating is going to be when they have to add more refs due to more teams.

Bad enough 4th lines are going to be AHLers, but the games are going to be more frustrating to watch if we hit 36 teams.

Honestly im more concerned about goaltending. Theres already a shortage of teams with decent backups- some starters who arent even nhl backup caliber.

36 teams means more job security for guys like martin jones who really is only in the league over a random ahler cuz of who he was over 5 years ago.

 

[ricky0034]

A salary capped league and contracts with term make this an obvious non starter. If a team with multiple multi-year multi-million dollar contracts (which is to say, all of them) is ‘sent down’ - what happens to the contracts? Think the team still has to pay them (so, instant bankruptcy?). Players forced to move, or contracts voided (sell that to the nhlpa).


A relegation system doesn’t work at all in a system like the salary capped nhl.

and AHL team arenas tend to be WAY smaller than NHL ones so they would never be able to compete financially themselves

 

[waitin425]

With 32 teams as is, some teams will go 50, 60, even 100 years without winning the cup. Depressing to think about.

 

[Rec T]

Could probably put another team in Ohio (Cincinnati, Cleveland?)

Cincinnati would be great as that's a 20 min drive as opposed to 2.5 hours to Columbus...but I just don't see it.

They've got a MLB, NFL, MLS, & 2 regular March Madness college basketball teams. Hockey is covered by a very long term ECHL team (plus an AHL team long ago). Hockey is somewhat popular (BJs get some local news coverage), but there would have to be a new NHL quality arena built & I just don't see the support for that.

So I'm going to hold my nose & suggest Cleveland if there's going to be another team in OH.

 

[WATTAGE4451]

With 32 teams as is, some teams will go 50, 60, even 100 years without winning the cup. Depressing to think about.

I mean that already has happens in other sports like baseball.

 

[Koivu11]

The league has made it clear they prioritize money over everything even if it means having an inferior product so why stop there? Let’s have 50 teams!

 

[CharasLazyWrister]

32 teams is perfect, and cannot properly support each of those markets, anyway.

If you're going to expand it even further, just introduce movement between NHL and AHL so teams cannot just tank. If you're going to get relegated down to AHL, then maybe you'll care about winning games.

This will never, ever happen. The possibility of being relegated out of the league would instantly cause team values to drop. Not to mention the salary cap/revenue sharing issues already mentioned.

American professional sports leagues are sanctioned monopolies. It’s a rigged game. Hell, these supposedly “competing” franchises have a Commissioner to explicitly represent their collective interest.

The idea that the NHL or any other NA pro sports league is going to choose to give up monopoly status is preposterous.

 

[waitin425]

I mean that already has happens in other sports like baseball.

I follow other sports, but I am really only a diehard fan of my hockey team. This year will be 32 years since our last cup. I can't imagine waiting as long as the Cubs.....actually....ill be long dead by then. Depressing.

 

[rfournier103]

They’ll find a way to snub Quebec City again, too.

 

[waitin425]

It's been said numerous times...

But what about expansion to Europe. 32 Teams in North American playing in the NHL. Winner wins the Stanley Cup.

Create an NHL Europe or something slowly expanding teams as the game grows.

Stockholm
Oslo
Berlin
St Petersburgh
Moscow
Prague
Bratislava
Paris
London

NHL Europe plays for a new trophy......the Bettman Cup.

Than, the winner of each League plays off in the International Cup or something similar.

Some variation on that idea in my opinion is the best way to grow the game. Get the NHL truly in Europe as the top marketer for all things Ice Hockey.

 

[tucker3434]

I would think that all the leagues would be eyeing expansion. Basic population “inflation” should mean that North America can support more sports teams over time. 32 is just some arbitrary number, but it’s just temporary.

I don’t think we’ll go to 36 overnight. We went for a little while with 31 which is weirder than 34.

 

[ffh]

"Plotting"

 

[Zobitembois]

With 32 teams as is, some teams will go 50, 60, even 100 years without winning the cup. Depressing to think about.

Do you think NHL will still exist by 2124 ?
Honest question.

 

[OgeeOgelthorpe]

Wouldn’t 36 teams make the NHL the largest league in North America?


Aside from the one-off expansion fees this seems like a really bad solution in a profit sharing league with others already as unprofitable franchises.

 

[nhlfan9191]

They’ve watered down the league enough. They should be removing teams, not adding more.

 

[waitin425]

Do you think NHL will still exist by 2124 ?
Honest question.

I'm not sure the world will exist by 2124

 

[Rec T]

Do you think NHL will still exist by 2124 ?
Honest question.

Sure...but ... much like you or I going back in time 100 years to watch a game, what is played then would/will look remarkably different than what is played now/in the future. The rules & equipment will probably be different than today's game (& other major & minor tweaks), but you would recognize what's being played as 'hockey'

Hopefully it won't take that long to get consistency & competence in the DoPS though...

 

[Folignos Helmet]

it might have been Friedman or maybe another pod, but they made a good point about the NHL compared to the other 3 leagues
NHL - 32 teams, 7 in Canada, 25 in US
NBA - 30 teams, 1 in Canada, 29 in US
MLB - 30 teams, 1 in Canda, 29 in US
NFL - 32 teams all in US
So the NHL has 4 or more less teams in US then the other leagues, so that is where the league sees the ability to grow into markets, that the other leagues have.

It doesn't make sense from a competitive and quality of product point of view but from a pure business case, it makes sense and also why it would be American markets. Houston, Atlanta, Salt Lake, KC.
I'm surprised Milwaukee never comes up, I think the Admirals have been a solid franchise forever, they have the other 3 leagues covered (Green Bay is close enough),

 

[Nineteen67]

There are not enough NHL calibre players as is, but I don’t think they care about that.
There have always been a few players that don’t deserve to be in the NHL that somehow luck their way into a championship, but going forward there will be 5+ players getting their names engraved on the Cup every year that have no business in the NHL.

The legacy of the Cup will be tainted.

 

[HBK27]

I mean that already has happens in other sports like baseball.

It will just happen more frequently now in the NHL, which will disenfranchise existing fans. Not just Cup droughts, but longer playoff droughts as well.

I would think that all the leagues would be eyeing expansion. Basic population “inflation” should mean that North America can support more sports teams over time. 32 is just some arbitrary number, but it’s just temporary.

I don’t think we’ll go to 36 overnight. We went for a little while with 31 which is weirder than 34.

Yeah, would have to take a while to get up to 36 teams as the expansion formula has been established with Vegas and Seattle which results in some good players being available, so you have to go at least a couple years in between expansion drafts.

This formula also results in teams coming out of the gate rather strong, which further hurts existing franchises.

I get the owners love that sweet, sweet expansions money but at some point aren't at least some of these owners that are already filthy rich more interested in seeing their franchise have success versus weakening their chances with further expansion?

 

[Nineteen67]

I would think that all the leagues would be eyeing expansion. Basic population “inflation” should mean that North America can support more sports teams over time. 32 is just some arbitrary number, but it’s just temporary.

I don’t think we’ll go to 36 overnight. We went for a little while with 31 which is weirder than 34.

The population inflation could hurt the NHL as there are not very many hockey fans walking into the US

 

[Snuggs]

Love it actually. Will it dilute the league talent, sure, but it'll grow the game overall. If you can capture a 10th of the talent in Texas that would be football/baseball players, the game will get extremely talented in 15-20 years.

Houston or San Antonio(one or the other, not both)/Salt Lake are almost locks imo.

Milwaukee/Portland/San Diego/Indianapolis/Baltimore/Atlanta/Oklahoma City would all be in the "mix".

Quebec City/Halifax/Hamilton for Canadian locations that'd be equally, "in the mix".

If it was me I'd bring in Houston/Salt Lake and then Halifax and naturally name them the "Whalers" bringing back the old logo, etc. buying the rights or whatever from Carolina and then San Diego.
( Houston/Salt Lake/Halifax/San Diego )

Halifax would bring in those Maritime provinces in the fold and keep Montreal a Supermarket, same with Toronto. San Diego has a huge population, only show in town during the winter, and can expand the Latin American demographic to the NHL, possible international games in Tijuana.

 

[tucker3434]

The population inflation could hurt the NHL as there are not very many hockey fans walking into the US

If hockey isn’t growing at least at the same rate as overall population growth, the sport is in very big trouble.

 

[Rob Brown]

I already don’t hate your bruins anymore. It’s just the leafs, it’s sad.

Meh, it all ebbs and flows. There's not much of a rivalry between the Leafs and the Habs anymore, IMO the Leafs have more of a rivalry with the Panthers and Lightning. A lot of it is based on who is competitive and then of course meeting in the playoffs. I'm sure one day soon the Habs and Bruins rivalry will pick up again.

 

[crosbyshow]

Love it actually. Will it dilute the league talent, sure, but it'll grow the game overall. If you can capture a 10th of the talent in Texas that would be football/baseball players, the game will get extremely talented in 15-20 years.

Houston or San Antonio(one or the other, not both)/Salt Lake are almost locks imo.

Milwaukee/Portland/San Diego/Indianapolis/Baltimore/Atlanta/Oklahoma City would all be in the "mix".

Quebec City/Halifax/Hamilton for Canadian locations that'd be equally, "in the mix".

If it was me I'd bring in Houston/Salt Lake and then Halifax and naturally name them the "Whalers" bringing back the old logo, etc. buying the rights or whatever from Carolina and then San Diego.
( Houston/Salt Lake/Halifax/San Diego )

Halifax would bring in those Maritime provinces in the fold and keep Montreal a Supermarket, same with Toronto. San Diego has a huge population, only show in town during the winter, and can expand the Latin American demographic to the NHL.

In fact NhL should take Texas by storm with Houston....and Austin!...at the same rime

Austin's population in booming and young. The economy is awesome.

Texas has 30 millions people and one team is not enough.