NHL just needs to say NO to any more expansion. The product is watered down enough already.

No they just like NBA and MLB need to get to 32 teams

Bettman: NHL expansion process open to Seattle

Think they want Seattle bad. Oh yeah

Fake News

They said that it 1967 as well. Where would your fandom be then.

The game has gone global they draw players from around the world they need 1 more team to get to 32 which is optimum IMO. This way half the teams miss the playoffs a far cry from when 5 of 21 teams missed in the early 80's. This isn't like the mass expansion of the 90's which was too many teams too fast. There was bound to be issues with players not ready for primetime. They should have staggered it over a longer period but the owners were greedy and thought that getting into the non traditional markets was the way to a bigger American TV contract.

Well they were wrong and the league suffered through lots of growing pains in these markets. For every Nashville success story there's a Carolina for every Dallas a Phoenix. Did you know that there were more players from New York State in the NHL at the start of last year than Russian nationals. There are players now from such hockey producing states as Florida Missouri Arizona now. These used to be outliers a kid who grew up in a non-hockey area moved as a kid to a hockey playing area. But now as former players retire they stay in their adopted homes and thru that hockey development in those areas flourish. This is how you build your game, at the root level and in that respect the expansions have been a success.

But as I said then and I say now regionalization is the way to go. I love that you have to play out of your division again in the SCP, cause the one thing that draws fans more than love of a team is hate of another. So I hope Seattle gets their team to make 32. I hope that Houston gets Phoenix and transfers to the Central making a perfect 8 team division for both the Pacific and Central divisions. I hope Calgary and Ottawa get their arena issues resolved cause they won't have the same patience with them as they have with Phoenix. They will move to the states and they very doubtfully will ever come back unless they get lucky in the way Winnipeg did, being in the right place at the right time. Cause unless a gun was held to all the owners heads there is no way a Winnipeg/Quebec City/Ottawa gets a franchise again

I wonder who's on HNIC?

The back to back reigning, defending world champs. That’s who!

Oh, and some overhyped team that hasn’t won a cup since the world champs came into the league.

The kids in Blue looked pretty good last night. Jarry wasn't on top of his game and it was 3 - 0 at the end of the first. They put in DeSmith in the 2nd and he let in one goal that the Pittsburgh partisans will say was deflected with a high stick. The official review couldn't figure it out so they let it stand. Pens came back but couldn't get the 4th goal past Anderson. It was a heckova game.

Not the Pens who were on the back end of another of their league leading 19 back-to-backs.

Ya know if Toronto gets into the playoff and does anything they'll make Babcock coach of the year cause that's how they roll.

Even if both those happened this month the Toronto media would still believe the Leafs were winning the cup this year.