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Let me get this out of the way early. As far as I’m concerned, the NHL is fine as it is right now. It took years to get the league balanced. Eight teams in every division, sixteen per conference and a nice even thirty two teams in the NHL. Hockey now matches the NFL for having the most teams in their respective leagues. Major League Baseball and the NBA have thirty teams each. Now, as most know, the NHL is probably the least popular of the four major sports in North America. WE obviously love it, many of us are passionate hockey fans and die hard Sabres’ fans. But what business does the least popular sport have in expanding more, targeting a whopping 36 teams?
That is much, much bigger than the National Football League even. Quite frankly, the answer is the money. Mountains of sweaty money as far as the eye can see. The expansion fee for the Seattle Kraken was 650 million dollars. Any new team coming in now is probably looking at a BILLION dollar price tag to join the NHL. That much green multiplied by four new teams means an unGodly amount of revenue. But where does that leave the fans? For starters, they will have to deal with the annoyance of an odd number of teams again. On and off again for a decade or more as teams are added. With uneven divisions too as the NHL builds up to their goal. I’m guessing an 8-12 year time table to bring in all these new organizations. A new one every 2 or 3 years. Sadly, this means more teams that Buffalo will have to deal with and overcome. Not just to make the playoffs but ultimately win that elusive Stanley Cup. It also means a more deluded NHL, with top talent spread out thinner.
For me, the league is big enough at this point. As a Buffalo Sabres fan and lover of the game, this seems like overkill. The NHL is a business, I get it. But this comes across as massive GREED being the priority here. There is plenty to go around right now. Instead of adding teams to make money, how about controlling what is already in place? I would work on a new salary structure with the player’s union based on time served. Players in years 1-3 make this much. (set amount) Players in years 4 to 7 make this much (low to high window, better players make more but it’s capped) Players in years 8 and above can make much more but it’s still capped. (10 million if it was me). They can also sign for years 1-3 type money as a minimum, if their careers and/or success is winding down. Sorry, I am getting off track here, that is another topic. The NHL always says it wants to expand the game, to bring in more fans. While that sounds noble in the spirit of our great game, it’s really just buzz words for making money. And they want more of it, a billion at a time.
First up in the Pay to Play Club? Atlanta, yet again. The Flames and Thrashers couldn’t make it, so cue the third time is a charm cliche. There are reportedly two groups looking to make a pitch to the Board of Governors this summer from Georgia. One has the land and zoning for a new arena already. They also have the investors ready as the front runners. The Gathering at South Forsyth team says they are in the home stretch right now. They are ready to present their package to the NHL as soon as the Stanley Cup Finals are over. The NHL will probably delay that until after the draft, though it might be squeezed in still. Even though commissioner Gary Bettman’s time is nearing an end, he has wanted a team back in Atlanta for years. Like Arizona, he likes the big market. But maybe a new city should get a first look before a 2 time failure? Or give the Coyotes a chance again, they pretty much got their team ripped away from them. That doesn’t seem to be the case though. The NHL back to Atlanta is heating up first and if that happens, as many as 36 teams are possible. If you go past 32, you almost have to go to 36 to even everything out again. If Atlanta happens, I expect other cities to step up soon after as well. Besides Arizona, Houston is a top candidate for a franchise. Quebec City sure wants back in the fold too. Portland, Oregon and Kansas City have been mentioned as well.
This really feels like overreach to me. Having 32 teams is the perfect symmetrical number for the NHL. Balanced divisions, balanced conferences, balanced playoffs. They worked a long time to get back to this “even” point. Expansion will balloon the league to proportions bigger than any other North American pro sport. Raining dollar signs are leaving the owners short sighted, at least in my opinion. Can the NHL manage 36 teams, as well as the pains of getting there? The league has been far from perfect since the early 90’s, with lockouts and other work stoppages. Salaries have also hit the stratosphere. Will the next commissioner be able to handle as many as 4 new teams entering an already problematic league? This will also water down the talent among each organization. All of us will be watching an inferior product in the not so distant future.
So wrapping all this up, count me out as a fan of more expansion. Talk to me after the Sabres have 5 straight playoff seasons with a Cup as well. Maybe I will consider it then. It’s tough enough being a Buffalo fan. We don’t need more distractions and hurdles to overcome. Nobody needs an oversized NHL or deluded product either. Never the less, the league seems headed that way. Atlanta looks to be the favorite for a new addition to the ever expanding National Hockey League. They will bring their proposal to New York in a few weeks.
If more expansion is going to happen though, the hockey jersey fan in me is stirring my creative side. I’m throwing my choice out there for the new team name and colors. The Atlanta Reapers.
