The NHL has taken another big step toward expansion, with Houston and Austin becoming the top choices for a possible 33rd team.

Commissioner Gary Bettman said after Tuesday’s Board of Governors meeting that the league has started a six-month review with the Friedkin family to see if either Texas city can support an NHL franchise.

This is the NHL’s strongest expansion effort since the Seattle Kraken joined the league in 2021. The plan could cost about $3.5 billion, including the expansion fee and a new arena. Both Houston and Austin would need new arenas before getting a team.

Bettman said the league has been talking with the Friedkin family for almost two years. The talks first focused on Houston before later including Austin.

“We have been in discussions for the better part of two years with the Friedkin family, principally for the last two years, about Houston as an expansion opportunity,” Bettman said.

He said arena talks later made the project bigger and brought Austin into the discussion.

“But as we continued to focus with them, particularly on the need for a new arena in Houston, the discussions morphed into also a discussion about Austin, which would also need a new building.”

As per the report by the NHL, the league has not yet sent the expansion plan to team owners for a vote.

Bettman said the league and the Friedkin family will spend the next six months studying the project. If everything goes well, NHL owners will then vote on it.

The Friedkin family said Houston and Austin both have strong business support, good fan interest, and the resources needed for an NHL team. The league will now decide which city is the better long-term choice.

Texas expansion leads NHL’s broader growth discussions

The NHL report also said NHL owners talked about other possible expansion cities, including Atlanta and Arizona. However, those markets are not as far along as the plans in Texas.

“We're in lots of discussions, but they've got to progress to a certain level before you create a framework to actually see if it's something that's going to work,” Bettman said.

Texas has one important advantage. The Dallas Stars do not have territorial rights that could stop another NHL team from joining the state. Bettman said a second Texas team could help grow hockey even more in the region.

He also said having an odd number of teams would not be a problem. The NHL operated with 31 teams after the Vegas Golden Knights entered the league in 2017. Bettman said the league should expand when a good opportunity comes along, not just to keep the number of teams even.

“The fact is, as we've talked about all along, expansion depends on ownership, market, arena and what does it do to make the League stronger,” Bettman said.

With interested owners in place and the review process now started, Houston and Austin have become the NHL’s top expansion candidates.

The next few months will help decide whether one of the two cities will become the league’s next home for NHL hockey.

What do you think? Which city would provide the stronger long-term home for the league — Houston or Austin? Comment down below. 

Read more at the NHL Fan Central.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Edited by

Koushik Biswas