NHL expansion plans take shape as commissioner Gary Bettman sets $2B minimum fee; Atlanta, Houston among interested cities

According to reports, the NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, could consider expansion with a minimum fee of $2 billion. Bettman told the Board of Governors during Wednesday's meeting that ownership groups must have financial stability and a suitable market.

"It’s not a door that we open," Bettman said about potential League expansion on Wednesday, via TSN. "If somebody knocks on the door, we’ll peek around to see who’s knocking and then decide what to do with it."

The NHL’s newest teams are the Vegas Golden Knights (2017), Seattle Kraken (2021), and Utah Mammoth (2024), which moved from Arizona. The current number of teams is still 32, but cities such as Atlanta, Houston, and Austin have shown interest.

"There is, and continues to be, interest from lots of places," Bettman said about expansion inqueries. "But none of it has reached the level that we need to focus on at this point."

Now, according to insights from NY Islanders co-owner Jon Ledecky, the lowest cost of potential expansion for a new team is going to be $2 billion.

"Gary Bettman told our [NHL Board of Governors] meeting that if there’s expansion, the minimum price will be a $2 billion fee, plus a $500 million to $600 million equity commitment for a new arena," Ledecky said.

However, no formal expansion decisions have been made yet.

Gary Bettman talked about League's expansion outside North America

Gary Bettman also focused on international growth during the Board of Governors meeting. The league wants to grow hockey in Europe through games, media, and grassroots programs. A new deal with Nine will broadcast 21 NHL games in Australia this season.

NHL's Executive Vice President, Daniel Kim, who manages international expansion, said (via sportsvideo.org):

"We are thrilled Nine shares our commitment to delivering live games to more fans across Australia,"

The Global Series will continue with Pittsburgh and Nashville playing two games in Stockholm, Sweden, in November. Europe remains the main focus because of its popularity and strong hockey communities.

"We're focused on what we can be doing more outside of North America to continue to grow the game on a worldwide basis," Bettman said, via NHL.com, "That's becoming an increasing focus and priority for us because ...we think there's a great opportunity. But even more than the opportunity, we'd like to see the game continue to grow."

The NHL is also returning to the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milano-Cortina, with players participating for the first time since 2014.