Is Bettman plotting for a 36-team NHL?

[POVERTY]

The year is 2046 - there are 56 teams, 7 of them are in Canada

 

[Sasha Orlov]

There’s gonna be a team in f***ing Mexico City isn’t there

 

[mr figgles]

The year is 2046 - there are 56 teams, 7 of them are in Canada

7 too many

 

[Shrimper]

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

We can get rid of your team then.

 

[1specter]

May as well introduce relegation at that point lol

 

[AzHawk]

That would be six times the number of O6 teams, but still only one puck in play at a time (per game)? Seems off.

 

[26Mats]

The NHL will expand again simply because the existing 32 owners will happily pocket the expansion money. The problem is that 34 teams will cause another unbalance but 36 is workable.

It is becoming obvious that Atlanta 3.0 will happen

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atlanta.urbanize.city

The NHL has a willing suitor in Salt Lake City with the owner of the NBA Jazz.

Then we have Houston



Team 36?

View attachment 795020

Personally the idea of a 36 team NHL makes me ill but the NHL BOG has historically

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Can I make a case for Atlanta 3.0? Yes because it wasn't lack of fan support that caused the Flames and Thrashers to move.

Salt Lake? The owner of the NBA Jazz wants a NHL team.
Houston? Second largest state in the US and a natuaral rival with Dallas.
Quebec? A huge Francophone TV market that would embrace the team.

Bettman at this point will not walk away from Phoenix.

Obviously the best market for a NHL expansion team is Toronto or the Golden Horseshoe but...............

Would be crazy how many good players teams would lose if there were 4 expansion drafts in a short amount of time.

May as well introduce relegation at that point lol

Shorten the preseason. Have more teams make the playoffs. Have the first round be tournament style, then have the regular post season.

 

[redwings86]

The NHL will expand again simply because the existing 32 owners will happily pocket the expansion money. The problem is that 34 teams will cause another unbalance but 36 is workable.

32 teams is good too.

Pacific: Salt Lake City
Central: Kansas City/Milwaukee
Metro: Atlanta/Houston
Atlantic: Quebec City

Pacific: San Diego
Central: Milwaukee
Metro: Atlanta
Atlantic: Quebec

It's a maybe appear.

 

[Crosby2010]

Good grief, no. Why?

32 teams is probably 4-5 too many as it is. But it's fine. Don't add more. 16 teams make the playoffs and the NHL still has perhaps the best playoff format in all of sports. They had the perfect season in the NFL with 16 games and 32 teams before they added another game and then added two more teams to the playoff picture meaning only one team in each conference gets the bye. But all this will do for the NHL is add more mediocrity, not more talent. There are already enough mediocre teams who aren't going to contend this year, we know this already.

And please stop with the Atlanta nonsense. A southern U.S. city does not need a THIRD(!) chance to make NHL hockey happen. Especially when some have never had one, and others like Quebec have only had one shot. They practically freak out because Winnipeg is playing at 85-90% capacity and act as if that's a scandal while Arizona was playing in a rink smaller than most OHL arenas. If anything Toronto could support another team but I wouldn't want to see this via expansion. Maybe relocation, but that's it. Utah doesn't even have a name for their hockey team for crying out loud! We don't need more teams.