HENDERSON, Nev. — The National Hockey League’s plan to launch a 33rd team in Texas keeps rolling toward reality — but it’s not a done deal just yet.
“The presumption that we’ve gone far with this group, the Friedkin group, is correct. It’s something that we’ve been actually working on probably for two-plus years now, and it took us a while to kind of get to a place where we said, ‘OK, let’s see if we can make this happen now,’” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told Elliotte Friedman and Kyle Bukauskas Wednesday during a recording of their 32 Thoughts podcast.
“This is a long way from being done. Having said that, we’re farther down the road with Friedkin than we’ve been.”
Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin’s Pursuit Sports has agreed to pay the $2 billion expansion fee to place a new club in either Houston, the fourth-largest North American market, or the emerging Austin.
Narrowing down the exact location and discovering how the league can assist Friedkin’s bid be successful will be part of the league’s meeting with the Board of Governors on Sept. 22.
Is a 33rd club what the governors really want?
Daly and commissioner Gary Bettman will have a better idea after that briefing.
A potential Texas expansion fee would signal another payday for current team owners, who also cashed in when the league grew to include Vegas and Seattle.
Daly said he isn’t worried about a dilution of talent with the addition of one or two more teams, but some governors have expressed concern over the increased difficulty of winning the Stanley Cup in a 33- or 34-team league. Growing beyond 32 may open the door to an expanded playoff format and a revised schedule.
While the NHL remains in contact with the three aspiring ownership groups in Atlanta and two in Phoenix that also have significant interest in purchasing an NHL team, Daly doesn’t see another six-month bid process, like the one Friedkin is undergoing, beginning imminently.
The league has also taken meetings from hopeful owners in other markets, but none of them have risen to the level of Atlanta and Phoenix, let alone Texas, which aims to start playing in 2029-30.
“There are other cities that you would know,” Daly said, “but I wouldn’t put that in the same category.”
No issue with surprise Formenton signing
Daly found out about the Edmonton Oilers’ signing of free agent Alex Formenton Wednesday the same way as the fans.
“I didn’t have any inside information on that. I read it like you did. Having said that, all the players who were acquitted of criminal charges already went through a process with the commissioner,” Daly said.
Formenton was one of five world junior players accused of a 2018 sexual assault who were acquitted during a two-month trial in London, Ont., last June.
The Barrie, Ont., native hasn’t played in the NHL since 2021-22, competing with HC Ambri-Piotta of the Swiss league since then. The Ottawa Senators held his rights but cut ties with him.
“We met with each of them, and the commissioner allowed their return on a certain set of conditions, including timing and level of involvement early on,” Daly continued.
“All the players have satisfied those conditions. It would be fair to them at this point in time for us to reinsert ourselves and create new conditions. So, from my perspective, there’s no role for the league at this point in time.”
Asked point-blank if he wants the gig, Daly remained diplomatic.
“I love my job. I love what I do every day. I love working for the National Hockey League,” Bettman’s long-serving, right-hand man said.
“So, there is no need to change that role. Having said that, I’m happy to do whatever the owners or Gary ask me. So, I’m certainly willing to take on more responsibility, less responsibility. I think we have a really good thing going here, and I look forward to being part of it.”