NHL commissioner Gary Bettman: No expansion yet

By Cory Buck | Sep 22, 2014

Jun 27, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; NHL commissioner Gary Bettman addresses the crowd before the 2014 NHL Draft at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports /

Talks have heated up in recent months surrounding the possibility of the NHL expanding to new markets in North America. Las Vegas, Seattle, Quebec, and many other cities have been tossed out as potential sites, but the league has maintained that expansion is not at the top of its agenda. Commissioner Gary Bettman recently reiterated that stance in an interview, citing the league’s unprecedented health as reason to stay the course — for now.

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Bettman spoke on expansion in a video interview with Sportsnet.

"The fact is, this is the most stable our franchises have ever been. The healthiest we’ve been as a league. We’re not looking to expand right now. No teams are relocating. I’m not suggesting that in some point in the future we might not look at it, but we’re not ready to do it now."

Some might say league health is a prime reason for expansion, but if anything it shows the league doesn’t need a big cash grab the way it did when it expanded to Southern Florida, Tampa Bay, Anaheim, Nashville, Columbus and others before them. Now they can actually look at which market would make most sense for varying reasons beyond just how much an owner is willing to pay. At least until an owner from Las Vegas offers way too much money for NHL owners to ignore.

Look for the league to eventually expand or relocate elsewhere, but not any time soon.

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