Former NHLPA executive director Paul Kelly addressed the City Council of Markham, Ontario Tuesday, where he discussed the approval to continue the building of a 20,000-seat arena that would likely send an NHL team to the small suburb of Toronto. This, once again, sparked the rumors that the league is looking to expand to 32 teams in the near future.
The NHL recently announced plans of realignment that would create two conferences of eight teams and two conferences of seven teams, with the eventual plan to make the smaller conferences be eight teams. In his address, Kelly revealed that the league had been discussing the idea of expansion back when he was head of the NHLPA in 2009. Kelly suspects that Toronto or Quebec City could be potential targets for teams.
The idea of expansion does not come without much criticism. The league and owners cried broke during much of the lockout, leaving fans to wonder why they would attempt to add more teams when the ones already in place are struggling financially. Expansion does not seem the likely gift after an ugly 119-day lockout. However, the NHL was able to hold on to expansion fees in the latest CBA, as the players would benefit from increased revenue in higher markets.
Location will certainly be the key with the league expansion. History shows us that just because an NHL team is in the area does not mean the money or fans will come. Atlanta is the latest example of this argument as the Thrashers were sent packing to Winnipeg to help the NHL generate more revenue. Canada would be the easiest landing spot for a new team as it has proved to be a stronger market for the sport in general.
Time will tell if Kelly's statements on the future of the NHL come true. If officials have in fact been discussing this idea since 2009, actions should happen soon. At this moment, NHL league officials are denying any rumors of expansion, but it is hard to believe they are not thinking about ways to bring in money lost during the lockout.
