Unnumbered Thoughts: As the NHL expansion wheel turns Atlanta has a real chance

I was talking to an NHL executive last week and we naturally started talking about expansion. 

And you might as well call in the $1 billion dollar question. 

At some point, the NHL is going to expand to 34 teams. And for NHL owners, it would behoove them to get it done before the end of the 2025-26 season when the current collective bargaining agreement expires. 

One of the likely sticking points in the next CBA will be how expansion fees are distributed. Right now, they aren’t part of hockey-related revenue. Which means the 32 other NHL owners get to split the fee amongst themselves, and don’t have to share it with the players. 

The uber rich get richer, and they don’t want to share. 

And a potential $1 billion expansion fee isn’t anything to sneeze at. 

So if the formalities for teams No. 33 a