THE EXPANSION QUESTION

WHERE WILL THE NHL GO NEXT? ATLANTA, HOUSTON AND – DON’T LAUGH – PHOENIX APPEAR TO BE THE MOST LIKELY DESTINATIONS

BY RYAN KENNEDY

IT IS NEVER GOOD to over-promise and under-deliver, which is why the NHL has been savvy in its approach to expansion in recent years. The instant success of the Vegas Golden Knights laid out a new template for franchises – do your research and you don’t have to be bad right away – which culminated in a Stanley Cup final berth in Year 1 and a Cup championship in Year 6. Then-GM George McPhee, now the president of hockey operations, built an instant winner by leveraging the expansion draft for maximum gains, getting steals such as Alex Tuch, Reilly Smith and Shea Theodore through trades by promising not to select certain players. And some of the players they did select, such as Jonathan Marchessault and William Karlsson, became instant stars…

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The Hockey News (Digital) - 1 Issue, Money & Power 2025

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