NHL waiting for firm bid before considering Atlanta expansion

• Greg WyshynskiSep 9, 2025, 06:15 PM ET

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  Greg Wyshynski is ESPN’s senior NHL writer.

HENDERSON, Nev. — The NHL needs a “fully baked plan” from an ownership group in Atlanta before having its board of governors consider bringing an expansion team to the city, deputy commissioner Bill Daly told ESPN on Tuesday.

Daly said the NHL met with multiple groups in July who are seeking to make Atlanta the league’s 33rd team. Daly said those talks haven’t “matured to the point where we have a proposal.”

Krause Sports and Entertainment is behind one of the bids. Forsyth County has approved plans for a $3 billion development called The Gathering at South Forsyth that includes an NHL-sized arena. There is a competing bid from the Alpharetta Sports & Entertainment Group that seeks to develop the North Point Mall site in Alpharetta, located about 30 minutes from where the Thrashers used to play.

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Daly said the NHL doesn’t need construction to start on either project to bring potential Atlanta expansion to its owners.

“It’s definitely not ‘shovels in the ground.’ It is having a fully baked plan to propose,” Daly said. “I think both groups are aspirational in what they want to achieve and how they intend to get there, but we haven’t gotten more than that. We need a plan that’s a little more actionable than where we currently are.”

Twice before, the NHL has tried to make hockey work in Atlanta — with the Flames, who left for Calgary in 1980 after eight seasons; and the Thrashers, who left for Winnipeg in 2011 after 11 seasons. Daly has previously said that changes in the city’s demographics and business community, as well as the proposed locations for a new arena, can help the NHL overcome the challenges it faced in the market with the Flames and Thrashers.

In June, the NHL said it hasn’t opened a formal expansion process but is listening to expressions of interest from potential owners and cities. Atlanta and Houston have received the most attention from fans and media. Billionaire Dan Friedkin emerged as a strong ownership option to bring the NHL to Houston, sources told ESPN in March, with him having met with the league multiple times.

Daly said the NHL is “uniquely positioned” for further expansion because of its deep player pool.

“I think we’re fortunate because of our supply of players,” Daly said. “We get players from more places. Elite-level players who are really skilled, really talented. We think that at the right time, and given the right circumstances, continuing to grow the league by adding additional franchises won’t be an issue for us.”

The NHL went from 30 to 32 clubs when it added Vegas in 2017-18 and Seattle in 2021-22. The expansion fee for Vegas was $500 million and $650 million for Seattle.

The most recent full ownership sale in the NHL was when Michael Andlauer purchased the Ottawa Senators in June 2023 for $950 million.