ESPN Analyst Drops Big Update on NHL Expansion

Originally posted on Athlon Sports
By Spencer Garrett Ostrow | Last updated Mar 20, 2025 8:23 PM ET

With less than a month left in the NHL regular season, the playoff race is heating up. Teams are battling for the final wild-card spots, while others fight for home-ice advantage.

Meanwhile, league expansion remains a hot topic. In recent years, the NHL has grown from 30 to 32 teams with the additions of the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken. Now, talks continue about where the league might go next.

Cities like Quebec City, Houston, and Atlanta have previously been mentioned, and after a February meeting reported by ESPN's Kevin Weekes, New Orleans also expressed great interest in welcoming a team.

But in a new update from Weekes, the NHL may not stop at 34 teams—it could expand all the way to 36.

"There will be 34. There could be 36," Weekes reported on Thursday. "Expressed interest in the ownership of an @NHL franchise is through the roof per sources involved in all sides of the process. #Hockey."

There will be 34.
There could be 36 …
Expressed interest in the ownership of an @NHL franchise is through the roof per sources involved in all sides of the process.
#Hockey pic.twitter.com/3I4wILeNMW
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) March 20, 2025

Despite interest picking up, nothing is imminent. Back in September, there were rumors that the NHL might formally be working on expansion.

However, NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman clarified publicly, saying, "We’re not going through an expansion process... Everything was either speculation, or I don’t know what to call it, but it had no basis in fact."

That doesn't change the fact that interest is picking up even more from potential ownership groups and cities.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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