Daly: NHL expansion to Houston, Austin could come by 2029-30

It looks like the NHL might be on its way to expanding after all.

When speaking to the media in Munich, Germany, on Friday as part of the NHL European Media Tour, deputy commissioner Bill Daly addressed possible near-term expansion, with the Lone Star State a key player.

According to Daly, Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin and the league have been actively working together, with Friedkin’s Pursuit Sports having already agreed to pay a $2 billion expansion fee to bring a franchise to either Houston or Austin, Texas. One hurdle is building an arena in either one of those markets, with final approval coming from the NHL’s board of governors.

Daly admitted that Texas is a destination for a new team, that meetings are expected to take place soon, and that an official announcement could come before 2027.

“We’re moving forward in Texas,” Daly said. “I expect ultimately we’ll be in a position to bring something to the board to get their view on it. So, that’s proceeding at a pace. We’ll probably get together with the group again in September and kind of see where they are in the process and what they want us to do to help, to the extent they need anything. If we finalize that and the board approves it, then (at the) end of this calendar year we’ll have an announcement that we’re expanding to either Houston or Austin.”

Daly added that, if all goes according to plan, the new team in Texas could start play before the end of the decade.

“They’re projecting the ability to start play in 2029-30…So we will have one down and potentially one to go.”

Houston has been part of the expansion conversation for some time, with some even wondering whether the Arizona Coyotes would move there, before the organization bolted for Salt Lake City two years ago. The big hurdle for Houston, the fourth-largest market in the U.S., is arena availability, as sharing the Toyota Center, home of the NBA’s Houston Rockets, has never been in the cards. Austin has come on as a favorite for being a very unique city. Cedar Park, a suburb of Austin, is home to the Texas Stars, the Dallas Stars‘ American Hockey League affiliate.

Speaking of the Coyotes, Daly also mentioned that, with the new Texas team giving the league 33 teams, another franchise would need to be added in order to balance things out, with the NHL seeking out a pair of markets that it has already gone to and failed.

“We have ongoing discussions both with people in the Phoenix marketplace, but also Atlanta, and then we’ll see what comes of those discussions.”

When asked, Daly didn’t state how adding one or two more teams would affect the Stanley Cup Playoff format, but noted that the league isn’t worried about the style of play being watered down with more players in the league.