While a $2 billion expansion fee seems too good to refuse, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said a new team in Texas, along with a financial windfall for current owners, is not on the fast track for approval.
Daly revealed the prospect of a 33rd NHL team last month when he said at the NHL’s European Media Tour: “We’re moving forward in Texas.”
It was a reference to Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin becoming the possible owner of an expansion team that will call either Houston or Austin home. Early estimates had the new team taking the ice by the 2029-30 season if there were no unexpected delays, primarily with the construction of a new arena.
Now Daly is reeling in the expansion buzz, while still touting the benefits of Texas.
“I don’t want to treat it like a done deal, because it’s not,” Daly said from the league’s domestic media tour at Las Vegas this week. “It’s not a done deal on the Friedkin side, and it’s not a done deal on our side. And that’s why it’s kind of a nonbinding term sheet. We’re both going to work hard to achieve that goal. But at the end of the day, it might not happen.”
And yet the league continues to weigh the benefits of having a team in Houston, the fourth-largest city in the United States, or Austin, a medium-sized city that is on the rise with a fan base that can potentially bring the energy the league desires.
“Austin, we’d be the first of the major four (leagues) to put a franchise there,” Daly said. “And there’s some benefit to coming first.”
Houston is desired for its population numbers alone. The latest figures from the U.S. Census Bureau show Houston has nearly 2.4 million residents. It has 7.8 million residents in the metropolitan area, the fifth most in the United States, based on 2025 Census figures.
“We don’t have the same footprint across the United States that the other major professional leagues do,” Daly said. “So, to add a city of Houston’s size and demographics to our league, there would be certainly benefits associated with that.”
Daly added that there is no requirement to have an expansion to be in place by 2029-30. The following season would be acceptable.
The Utah Mammoth are considered the NHL’s most recent expansion team in 2024-25, but the franchise actually had its assets relocated from the former Arizona franchise. The Seattle Kraken made their debut as a true expansion team in 2021-22, while the Las Vegas Golden Knights entered the league in 2017-18.
Before Las Vegas, the most recent expansion teams had been the Minnesota Wild and Columbus Blue Jackets in 2000-01.