Houston and Austin have emerged as the top two destinations to land the NHL's 33rd franchise. Where does Canada fit into the league's future plans for expansion? Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly shares his thoughts in this exclusive 1-on-1.
MUNICH — For Canadian hockey fans who have watched the NHL grow almost exclusively in American markets over the past decade, the question remains persistent and pointed: What would it actually take for the league to expand north of the border again?
NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly addressed that exact issue Friday during the league’s European Media Tour stop in Munich, offering a clear-eyed assessment that mixed optimism about Quebec City’s potential with a blunt acknowledgment of the economic realities currently steering expansion toward the United States.
In a 1-on-1 conversation with The Hockey News on Friday, Daly said that league continues to advance serious discussions with an ownership group interested in Texas, with Houston still the priority market and Austin as an alternative.
“We have agreed on the framework of a transaction, and we’re all working to get toward that,” Daly said. “We hope to have definitive agreements in place that would commit the franchise as early as December this year. And we expect that they’ll be able to begin play as early as the 2029-30 season, closing the transaction early 2029.”
The Texas process offers a useful contrast to the Canadian picture.
Discussions with the Houston group began several years ago and initially focused solely on that city. As talks advanced, Austin emerged as a secondary option. Daly noted the league is “not hung up on the numbers” of one franchise versus two, pointing to the successful individual expansions into Las Vegas and Seattle as the preferred model.
“We’re just farther along in our discussions with the interest that developed in Texas,” he said. “As we began those discussions, it was focused on Houston. As we progressed, the alternative to Austin was raised, and certainly I think our ownership group is willing to consider the benefits of expansion at Austin, although I still think the priority is probably Houston.”
That kind of concrete ownership commitment is precisely what has been missing in Canada.
NHL Expansion In Canada?
When asked about expressions of interest north of the border, Daly was direct.
“I’d say the interest in terms of owning and operating a franchise in Canada is less vibrant than it is for some markets in the United States,” he said. “With respect to other expansion interests in Canada, kind of bona fide interest from real cities, is fairly low. I think we’re in most of the big cities in Canada already.”
One of the Canadian markets that continues to generate conversation is Quebec City. Daly acknowledged the league remains impressed by the city’s previous expansion bid, which came around the same time the Vegas Golden Knights were admitted.
“While the facility is first rate and great and we think the city can work because of the passion for hockey, we don’t really have a potential ownership group that is kind of willing or kind of step forward and said they want to buy a franchise and want to operate in Quebec City.
“If and when that were to happen, that’s something that obviously we would evaluate at the time because we think there are a lot of positives about Quebec City and potentially adding a franchise there. But right now, I’m not sure our vision is necessarily shared by anybody else. So we’ll see.”
The disparity between Toronto, still home to a single franchise, and New York, which supports three teams, is not lost on Canadian observers.
Daly’s response suggested the dynamics and economics have shifted in ways that currently favor U.S. markets. The depth of the American expansion pool, combined with the relative scarcity of serious Canadian ownership interest, has produced the current imbalance.
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