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Unexpected City Makes Bid to Become the NHL's 33rd Franchise After Announcement From Gary Bettman

Originally posted on House of Hockey | By Tom Banks | Last updated Jun 27, 2025 8:17 PM ET

Gary Bettman appears intent on expansion in the NHL, and now a surprising city has joined the race to become the home of the NHL's 33rd team.

In the past 10 years, the NHL has introduced three new franchises in Vegas, Seattle and last season in Utah (a relocation team technically became a new franchise), and now, the Commissioner isn't stopping.

Recently, Gary Bettman has stirred rumours that the NHL is potentially looking to expand, with Atlanta becoming arguably the favourite to host the NHL's 33rd franchise, despite being relocated not once, but twice before.

However, they aren't the only city pushing for it, as a recent report has revealed that a surprising city is set to throw their hat in the ring as expansion talks once again heat up around the NHL.

According to a report from Daily Faceoff, sources around the league are indicating that Austin, Texas, one of the fastest growing cities in the world is quickly becoming a potential destination for the NHL, as they would immediately have an inbuilt rivalry with the Dallas Stars down in Texas.

Also in that report is the revelation that the expansion fee in the NHL is set to hit $2 billion, up significantly from the $650 million that the Kraken paid and the $500 million from the Vegas Golden Knights.

At this point, it seems to be a matter of when, not if we see another franchise in the NHL, and with cities like Kansas City, Houston, Atlanta, Austin, Quebec City and even Arizona all expressing interest, it's safe to say that no one around the league would be shocked to see 34 teams in the league one day.

This article first appeared on House of Hockey and was syndicated with permission.

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