This afternoon news has been reported that the NHL is once again looking to expand which means we can now start to predict what a 34-team league could look like for the NHL.

The National Hockey League has been the fastest-growing sport in North America in terms of the number of teams it has added over the last decade. Adding the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken in recent years has set the blueprint for the NHL to continue expanding. A new report today from Andy Strickland believes that expansion to 34 teams is on the horizon with Houston and Atlanta being favorites to be added to the NHL.

The addition of teams to markets like Houston and Atlanta will have a cascading effect on the NHL as a whole both on the ice and off. The NHL would be exploring an entirely new market while also returning to a previous home that did not flourish last time.

NHL focusing on building new fanbases in nontraditional markets

If the NHL were to expand to Houston and Atlanta, the move would once again reinforce the idea that they want to tap into non-traditional markets. Both Las Vegas and Seattle were markets that were not home to hockey in the past. Shortly after being announced as new homes for NHL franchises, fan bases sprouted up, and a die-hard fan base developed.

More recently this trend continued after the Arizona Coyotes relocated to Utah and became the Utah Hockey Club. Despite relocating on short notice fans came out in full force and immediately sold out season tickets in support of the new franchise.

Now of course the nontraditional hockey market hasn’t always been successful. Looking at Arizona which just needed to relocate due to its inability to build a state-of-the-art arena. Beyond that, the former Atlanta Thrashers franchise struggled with attendance.

The NHL has had great success in recent years expanding to new markets. If they once again hit the jackpot the NHL could look drastically different on the ice as well.

What could a 34-team NHL look like?

If the NHL does give the go-ahead for Atlanta and Houston to be added to the NHL then realignment would once again be in order. With these two cities in mind, the easiest thing to do would be to go to a 17-team conference alignment adding one to the West and one to the East.

Let’s take a look at the Western Conference first. Adding Houston to the mix would make the most sense, and putting them into the Central Division would create a natural rivalry with theDallas Stars. This would also allow the Utah Hockey Club to head back to the Pacific Division, where they fit in better as far as travel and logistics are concerned.

When it comes to the Eastern Conference, there are more options at play. Adding Atlanta in with Tampa Bay Lightning and the Florida Panthers would make sense as they are the closest in proximity. If the NHL wanted to further build up rivalries for the new Atlanta franchise, the Carolina Hurricanes could also make the jump to the Atlantic Division.

If Gary Bettman and the NHL were to move the Carolina Hurricanes to the Atlantic Division, one team would have to come back to the Metro. The Buffalo Sabres could make sense as they are in relative proximity to the other Metro teams. If the NHL wanted a major shakeup to the divisions, the Boston Bruins would be the higher-profile team that could fit the mold geographically as well.

When it comes to the expansion process there are many factors to consider. For the NHL and Gary Bettman money talks and if expanding to Houston and Atlanta could increase revenue then it is a risk the league will take. As the process unfolds further it will be fascinating to see what kind of insights we get from the NHL on what this new look 34 team NHL could be like.