Anson Carter-led group formally requests NHL add expansion team in Atlanta
The possibility of the NHL returning to Atlanta got a little more traction on Tuesday afternoon.
Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment, a group led by former NHLer and NBC Sports broadcaster Anson Carter, formally requested the league initiate the expansion process to bring a team to Atlanta.
“I've lived in Atlanta since 2009, and I have no doubt that the best league in the world will thrive in its return to Metro Atlanta,” Carter said in a release, via Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman. “…I have been in dialogue with Commissioner Bettman since 2019 about an expansion team returning to the Fulton County Metro Atlanta market, knowing that NHL franchise decisions are exclusively decided by the NHL Board of Governors.”
Carter divulged that the ASE Group is also partnering with Fortune 100 company New York Life for the potential construction of a mixed-use development in the Alpharetta area near the North Point Mall.
Carter’s group already has community support from both Alpharetta Mayor Jim Gilvin and Fulton County Commission chairman Robb Pitts.
The NHL-to-Atlanta fires were initially stoked back in September when NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly stated he felt the roadblocks that prevented an Atlanta-based NHL team from working two previous times could be overcome.
The Flames, who never finished above third in their division, lasted just eight years (1972-1980) in Atlanta before moving to Calgary. The Thrashers lasted a bit longer (1999-2011), but they ultimately moved to Winnipeg and became the Jets. They finished second or better in their division just three times in 12 years.
However, the viability of an expansion team in Atlanta will be significantly increased from the previous two attempts after the NHL’s last two expansion teams — the Vegas Golden Knights (2017) and Seattle Kraken (2021) — laid out a blueprint for success.
Both clubs expedited the roster-building process thanks to more favorable expansion draft rules, leading to quicker revenue generation and rosters that were competitive nearly immediately. Both instances would surely appeal to any potential owner wanting to gamble on an Atlanta-based NHL team for a third time.
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