I only know what I saw in an interview with his sons, who are hockey enthusiasts. I think there is a change in thinking with expansion. The NHL carefully chose markets that weren't directly competing with the NBA, going back to Nashville and Columbus. Vegas and Seattle were slam dunks, being the primary winter sport team.
Now it's looking at market size, the NHL just lost a top 10 U.S market, after relocating another one to the league's smallest market, north of the border. I think Bettman and the owners want to make a move that in appearance puts the NHL back in the big leagues, still ahead of MLS, behind NBA but not by as big of a margin. I think it's PR, to keep growing value in the NHL brand. You know both markets will be guaranteed All Star games within the first 5 years. Probably have a battle of Texas outdoor game. I don't know if the next round of expansion is good for the game, but it is good for business.
