The NHL has never been as popular as it is today and, more and more, there is talk of an expansion that would result in there being 34 teams in the league. This expansion will probably not be formalized until there is a new collective agreement, but it should not take long since negotiations will begin with the Players’ Association at the beginning of 2025.
Still, the challenges are numerous. First, there’s the location of the new franchises and I also asked the league’s top players if the playoff format should also be changed to include more teams:
In favor of expansion or not?
Sidney Crosby: I am 100% in favor of this project, as long as it makes sense. It would allow us to grow the league to new places and that would be exciting. And if I could decide the location of these two teams, I would say Quebec and Halifax!
Nathan MacKinnon: I would really like there to be a team in Quebec. I’ve always loved playing in this city and the fans are just incredible. I also know that it’s not realistic, but my dream would also be to see a team in Halifax. It would be wonderful for the Maritimes, but I know there would be many challenges.
Jack Eichel: An expansion would be fantastic because it will create more jobs and we know it works in non-traditional markets like Vegas and Seattle. I would like to see a team in Quebec. I played at the Videotron Center during the 2016 World Cup and I loved it. The fans are incredible. The city is cool and you have to find a way to set up a team there and make it work.
Leon Draisaitl: I’m definitely in favor of expansion. I think Houston would be amazing and Quebec too. I played in Quebec and it was sure that it would work, which is normal, we are in Canada. People love our sport there and it would really make sense to have a team there.
Connor McDavid: The more teams in our league, the better. It will make our sport grow even more and it will create jobs. It’s very positive. As for the best places to set up teams, I don’t want to comment because that goes beyond my skills.
Filip Forsberg: I don’t want expansion. We have 32 teams and that’s enough. There are 16 teams in each association and there is a reason for that. The current situation is really the ideal.
Auston Matthews: The more teams there are, the healthier the league will be. It’s good for the league’s revenue, so good for us too. And I would love Phoenix to get a team, and why not Quebec!
Should we change the format of the series?
Auston Matthews: It would be easy for me to say that we need to change the playoff format because it’s really difficult in our division. But in reality, the best team wins. However, I would like the format to return to what we knew in the past with the first team of an association facing the eighth in the first round.
Nick Suzuki: The professional leagues currently have no more than 32 teams and the associations would be even bigger than they are currently. Making the playoffs with two new teams is going to make things difficult for a lot of people.
Sidney Crosby: It’s so hard to make the playoffs now, but I wouldn’t want there to be more than 16 in it every year. It’s really tight. But I repeat, I would like us to return to a format where the best team in an association faces the eighth in the first round.
Jack Eichel: I don’t want us to come up with a formula like in the NBA where games are added at the end of the season to determine who enters the playoffs. We are playing enough games currently and 16 teams entering the playoffs is enough.
Connor McDavid: If you’re not in the playoffs after an 82-game season, it’s probably because you don’t deserve to be there. We play 82 games for a reason and 16 teams entering the playoffs is perfect.
Bo Horvat: the current format is the best. It’s so difficult to make the playoffs and that makes winning the Stanley Cup really special.
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