Why Another NHL Expansion is a Bad Idea

Two lockouts in a span of eight seasons. Is it still fair to say the NHL’s main priority is to produce good hockey for fans across North America? 

Year after year, the signs that that both players and owners alike are in it more for the money than for the love of the game becomes more and more apparent. When it reaches the point that players are willing to sit out a season of hockey due to money specific arguments with the owners, obviously, there is a problem. So let’s think for a minute: adding teams to our league is surely not going to increase the quality of hockey in it, so what benefits does a possible expansion actually bring?

For any suit-wearing lackey of Gary Bettman who actually generates revenue from the league, the scenario of a possible expansion is music to their ears. More teams equal more tickets sold, which equal more revenue, which equals more happy owners. And it seems like a great idea for players as well.

By adding teams, a lot of players that would had never have gotten the chance to play in the NHL would then be able to reach the big league and have their dreams come true. It will even give fans in places that don’t have an NHL team a great opportunity to experience the best hockey in the world first hand. So with all these upsides, how could it be such a bad thing? Simply put, by adding team after team, very soon we may not be able to call it the best hockey in the world.

Even by adding just two new teams to the league, (only half of the teams that were in the running), that is at the very least 44 more players to enter the league. Players that would’ve been playing in the minors, and may not be skilled enough to compete in the NHL, will now be a regular on the roster. There are already enough fourth-liners whose sole job it is to play a couple minutes a night specifically to get into a fight; we don’t need any more. Prospects that have great potential could be underdeveloped and rushed into their NHL roster due to the newly open spots.

It would also take several years for the expansion teams to be able to compete in the league due to their lack of talent, and that’s not a team the NHL can say fans will want to watch. By bringing in more players, the quality of hockey will drop, and once it is done, it will be very hard to undo. The advantage of simply moving teams opposed to adding new teams to the league is that the number of teams in the league stays the same, and so does the quality of hockey. Once a new franchise is added, they won’t be able to take it away if there is a problem.

By adding these teams, the NHL could say more fans will be able to watch pro hockey, however one has to notice the location of where they’re being added. There were talks of bringing back a team to Quebec City, creating a rival Francophone team for the Montreal Canadiens. But what’s hard to understand is why Quebec City would be given a second chance. If they didn’t have enough fan support last time, why is it going to be different now?

Speaking of Canadian teams, talks have also been started about the potential for a second team in the Greater Toronto Area. Toronto is undoubtedly one of the largest hockey cities in North America, however to think BOTH teams would be able to bring in 20,000 fans per game is absurd. 

Moving over to talk about the United States, it’s been reported that Las Vegas is a candidate for an expansion team as well. Las Vegas is a tourist city, therefore it would not be able to maintain a permanent NHL team. Vegas is built on different people coming in and out of the city, so it’s extremely unlikely they would ever have a loyal fan base, and the team would likely need to be relocated before 2020 hits. What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas, except for an NHL team.

Seattle is potentially the only team that would ever be able to keep an NHL franchise, as they would be able to rival the Vancouver Canucks and likely bring in a large amount of fans. However it’s all about getting past the first couple years after the expansion draft, and history shows teams have a tough time doing it. Columbus and Minnesota, the last two expansion teams, have only qualified for the playoffs a combined 7 times in a combined 26 seasons since entering the league.

In theory, if 44 hundred point scorers could come out of junior hockey the year the expansion teams come into the league, and the expansion teams were able to select every single one of them, there is a chance at the new teams doing well. However that’s about as likely as pigs falling from the sky and Charlie Sheen becoming sober. With the interest of NHL fans in mind, an expansion seems just about useless. The owners benefit and the fans suffer. Sounds just like a Bettman kind of plan.