Is Bettman plotting for a 36-team NHL?

[Sanderson]

NHL is just a Ponzi scheme at this point, being held together by expansion fees.

32 is more than enough teams. 36 won't survive. Hockey just sent that popular and never will be.

Besides, you'd have to find people willing to pay the expansion fees. If the NHL wants $1bn or more, that's a steep cost.

The owner of the Jazz for example, is worth $2.1bn. I doubt he's going to liquidate and pay a billion dollar fee.

You do realize that the NHL is not currently planning any expansion, yes?

Maybe criticise the NHL for what they are actually doing, instead of taking a claim that is completely disconnected from reality (here: 36 team NHL) and pretend that it is in any way real. It makes no sense whatsoever to criticise the NHL on this matter, when they have not made any plans for further expansion nor have given any indication that they are even contemplating further expansion at this moment.

How anyone can jump from Daly giving a vague complimentary non-answer to a question to pretending that the NHL actually plans a 4 team expansion, when that is nothing but a wildly unsupported claim from the OP and not even hinted at in the news article that is being quoted, is beyond me.

All actual news that exists, is that Atlanta is proceeding in the design-process for a new arena. One writer speculates that they might be interested in having an NHL-team again, which isn't based on any factual interest at all, just speculation. That's all there is to it. No firm interest from any possible owners, no comment from the NHL that they have even begun thinking about further expansion.

It's like some people just want to complain for the sake of complaining, and thus have to create something out of thin air.

 

[StreetHawk]

NHL has received enough interest from other parties to realize that they can get to 36 teams. Is it the right move to get to that number? Probably not.

But, with that much money out there with teams like Nash and Ott going for $900 mill -$1 bill that's a lot of expansion fee money.

I believe that the NHL is prepared to act if anyone of the interested parties is legitimately ready for a team. ATL is they get approval for that entertainment district. If Tilman Fertitia in Houston says, I will pay the $1 bill plus for a team. If SLC gets a new arena approved since the Delta Center can't accommodate an NHL team right now.

 

[JKG33]

I could get behind a 36 team league. The NHL has 4 smaller Canadian markets - WPG, CGY, EDM, OTT... & 5 if QC gets a team, that would never be considered by the other 3 leagues. That puts the NHL in roughly 28 big league markets. Adding 3-4 major American cities would simply put them on par with the other leagues in terms of footprint.

It also gives more jobs, opportunities, and money to the players. We'd get to see more guys like McCann, Karlsson, and Vatrano emerge. More goalies like Binnington, Daccord, and Thompson given chances they might not otherwise.

 

[Look Up]

More teams means more places for the dinosaur coaches to roam.

 

[Metnut]

Most of us won’t see our teams win the cup in our lifetimes. Let’s add 4 more teams to make the dim odds even worse.

 

[StreetHawk]

Most of us won’t see our teams win the cup in our lifetimes. Let’s add 4 more teams to make the dim odds even worse.

Yep. basic math would say your team every 16 years makes the finals. coin flip to win it so, once every 32 years your team may win it. But, we know teams that haven't won or gotten to a finals since the SJ expansion in the early 90's.

Since then (32 years) only Sea, Min, Cbs, AZ, Tor, NYI, have not made a finals appearance. With Tor, NYI and AZ as the 3 that have been around the whole time.

 

[Gulls Watcher]

Going to 36 would be the final of the NHL, I just can't imagine growing any larger. Current logic would believe that the addition of teams would continue on the trend of adding four more non-traditional markets. Knowing this I would expect those markets would be Atlanta (again), Houston, Arizona (also again) and San Diego (A new arena is currently being build for the NHL). The idea to add these markets would be to grow the game. I really don't see any new Canadian markets being added at any time.

 

[TheDawnOfANewTage]

The nhl is there to entertain, so f*** it- bring the drama of 4 new teams. They’re making money, so who cares?

If you want the best hockey, there’s the finals, the Olympics, all that. Don’t bitch to me about watered down when half the guys can go between the legs now, and half the dmen can skate sideways. It’s good shit.

 

[Hoochi Papa]

32 is already too much. I'd rather see 30 team league than one that is diluted to 36.

 

[ElLeetch]

go back to 6 teams

 

[Oleksiak]

The nhl is there to entertain, so f*** it- bring the drama of 4 new teams. They’re making money, so who cares?

If you want the best hockey, there’s the finals, the Olympics, all that. Don’t bitch to me about watered down when half the guys can go between the legs now, and half the dmen can skate sideways. It’s good shit.

The problem is that the officiating is already a serious concern. You want them to add more refs when they already are struggling to find honest ones?

 

[Pablo El Perro]

Probably better for the league. Expansion teams, at this point, make it more competitive.

 

[3074326]

Talent has outpaced the amount of spots left in the league. Dilution isn't a real concern. Expansion proves this every time it happens.

36 is a lot, but I don't really care one way or the other. I think hockey is as entertaining as ever after everyone said adding two more teams would spread the talent too much.

 

[BruinsFan37]

A 36 team league would totally work, and if they're serious about Atlanta/Houston, then it's the only "long-term" option. A 34-team team league would have two conferences of 17 teams, which doesn't allow for any nice divisions.

A 36-team league could do either:
- two conferences with two divisions of nine teams
- two conferences with three divisions of six teams
- three conferences with two divisions of six teams

 

[Korpse]

Why stop at 36 though? If you have two 9 team divisons, why not have four. And 9 seems like such an odd number for each division. Might need to have 10. Also in a 36-40 team league, you are gonna have to expand playoffs. The goal is always and will always be finding ways to increase revenue. That will never stop.

 

[BB79]

Why not, everyone gets an NHL team!
We'll start with-

Caribou(Maine) Caribou

Anchorage (AK) Boat Anchors

Burlington (VT) Badasses

Devil's Lake (ND) Angels

Saskatoon Cartoon Characters

Yeah baby!

 

[CDJ]

If the markets are strong enough to sustain the teams I have no problem with them upping the number to 36. I just don’t see how Atlanta makes sense again- not that I’d hate it. Always had a soft spot in my heart for the Thrashers

 

[Voodoo Child]

I could see 36 teams in but not anytime soon, at least 15 years from now. There were 17 seasons of no new teams added at the turn of the millennium.

Houston could certainly support a team, Central.

I don't think they should go back to Atlanta but they will, Metro.

Pacific is anyone's guess, Sacramento, or Portland but I think Phoenix might get another try.

And in the Atlantic Quebec Ci..., Toronto II.