The National Hockey League is reportedly looking at Texas as its next frontier for expansion, with Austin and Houston cited as the cities under review. The reporting, attributed to unnamed sources, frames the discussions as exploratory rather than a confirmed, formal expansion process.
What stage is this at?
ESPN's Emily Kaplan first reported that the two Texas markets were being discussed in connection with the league's Board of Governors gathering in New York, citing multiple sources. Commissioner Gary Bettman informed governors that a process would begin to investigate the feasibility of an expansion franchise in one of the two cities, according to accounts carried by TSN and the Associated Press.
The accounts agree the process is early. Bettman has in the past sought to tamp down expansion chatter, and the reports describe the league as beginning to study the question rather than having committed to adding a team. Any of these characterizations should be treated as reported, not officially confirmed.
The 32-team backdrop
The NHL currently has 32 teams, a figure reached after the Vegas Golden Knights began play in 2017-18 and the Seattle Kraken in 2021-22. Adding a 33rd club would create an odd number for scheduling and division alignment — a structural consideration the league would have to weigh, though the reports did not detail how it would be resolved.
A steep price tag
The financial bar appears high. Reporting indicates Bettman has told governors that any expansion team would likely require a fee of "at least" $2 billion to make sense. That would be a sharp jump from prior expansions: Vegas paid roughly $500 million and Seattle about $650 million, figures that reflect the league's rising valuations.
Owners, arenas and player sentiment
No ownership group has been officially confirmed for the current process. In Houston, billionaire Dan Friedkin — whose holdings include the Italian club AS Roma — has emerged in earlier reporting as a leading prospective owner, while Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, who controls the Toyota Center, has been reported to have had earlier conversations with the league. These details come from prior reporting and remain unconfirmed.
Player sentiment leans toward Houston. TSN cited an NHL Players' Association poll in which Houston topped expansion preferences at 34.3 percent, well ahead of Austin. As of this reporting, the NHL had not issued a formal announcement opening an expansion process; until it does, the Texas talks remain a sourced report rather than a confirmed plan.
