The NHL’s expansion talk is starting to sound less like a hot stove daydream and more like a real runway toward the league’s next big move.
Elliotte Friedman’s latest comments point to a future in which the NHL grows again, with two teams in Atlanta and another in Texas as the league looks ahead to its next U.S. television deal, which expires in two years. Friedman also floated the idea that this would be the capstone of Gary Bettman’s tenure as commissioner, with Bettman moving into an advisor role and Bill Daly taking over.
The business case is easy enough to see. The league has spent years getting its attendance numbers healthier and pricing tickets more in line with each market, and that creates room to chase the next revenue jump. In this version of the NHL’s future, the big lever is the American TV deal, and the way to make that deal bigger is by planting teams in bigger U.S. markets.
That same logic is why the dream of more Canadian teams may stay a dream. There’s been plenty of appetite from Canadian fans for more clubs north of the border, but the league’s concerns about attendance and ticket sales remain front and center.
The Jets and the Nordiques have both had issues in that area, and with Ottawa finally selling a lot of tickets, there appears to be no interest in dropping another team into that market. The point, as the reporting frames it, is not greed for its own sake - it’s about building teams that can actually survive and help the league as a whole.
The Nordiques example comes up for a reason. When they moved to Denver, they needed time to grow, but they did grow, and that was the idea.
The louder buzz item, though, is Erik Karlsson. There’s a second-hand theory making the rounds - not something anyone is reporting directly - that if Toronto has a good season and the Penguins don’t, Karlsson could wind up on the Leafs.
The logic behind it runs through Daniel Alfredsson, and while it’s just a theory, it’s also described as plausible. Karlsson is a UFA at the end of this season, and the Leafs would still be looking for puck-moving help.
There’s also some movement on the Canadian broadcast side. Jonah Sigel reported that Ron Maclean is expected to return to Rogers’ Saturday night hockey barring the unforeseen, though Elliotte Friedman’s and Kevin’s contracts have not been finalized yet. Sigel also said there has been talk of one or both doing work with Amazon, but nothing has been done on either front.
In a follow-up, Sigel added that all on-air talent who were under contract last season are likely to return. He also said the NHL was not aware of Rogers’ usual participation being absent and was not pleased with certain “talent” being away from the European event.
That European event, though, was held during what was described as the dullest of dull offseasons, and in Canada it seemed to matter most to Oilers fans. Rogers, as noted, isn’t required to drag someone off vacation to do an interview with Leon Draisaitl.
A couple of roster-adjacent notes also surfaced. Chris Johnston relayed that a team release said an emergency backup goalie with Minnesota will wear sweater No. 00, and he added that every EBUG is required to wear No. 00 for their NHL team this season. As a reminder, each team will carry an emergency backup at home and on the road, and those goalies can’t have NHL experience or more than 80 pro games.
And yes, there’s already a pair of professional tryout agreements on the board. The Capitals announced that goaltender Cal Petersen will join Washington’s 2026 Training Camp on a PTO, while PuckPedia reported that Alex Nylander sounds likely to come to Flames camp on one as well after posting 24 goals and 53 points in 65 AHL games.
That’s where things stand for now, with training camp creeping closer and the season inching into view.
In Other News...
Former Oilers Forward Gets A Fresh Chance As Leafs Role Opens Up
The Maple Leafs forward picture keeps shifting, and the latest move only sharpens the competition. Jack Roslovics new two-year deal in Toronto has already created the sense that he could be asked to do more than some expected when he arrived, while the rest of the roster battle remains very much alive as camp approaches. For a team trying to sort out its depth and find the right mix up front, every opening matters.
Alex Nylander is on the other side of that equation, with reports tying him to a professional tryout at Calgary Flames camp after a productive season with the Toronto Marlies. It is a reminder of how thin the line can be for players chasing NHL jobs, especially when one roster gets crowded and another spot suddenly looks available. For Toronto, the competition around the bottom of the forward group is still a story worth watching. [Read more 🡒]
Leafs Are Watching A Familiar Experiment Slip To Another Team
Alex Nylander is headed for another chance to crack an NHL roster, with reports saying he is expected to sign a professional tryout with the Calgary Flames. For Toronto fans, it is a familiar kind of development: a player who made an impression with the Marlies last season, put together a strong year in the AHL, and still never turned that into a permanent spot with the Maple Leafs.
Now the Flames will get the look Toronto never fully granted him at the top level. Nylander will be evaluated through training camp and the preseason as Calgary tries to determine whether his game fits its NHL mix, leaving the Leafs to watch a once-familiar internal test play out somewhere else, with a different staff deciding whether there is finally a path forward. [Read more 🡒]
Maple Leafs Made Their Summer Bet And Fans Know The Risk
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It left Toronto with a lineup that looks sturdier in a lot of places, but not necessarily more explosive in the way some supporters might have hoped. The thinking was clear enough: reduce the weak spots, improve the back end, and trust the overall structure. The lingering question is whether that approach can hold up if the scoring balance doesnt come together the way the Leafs need it to. [Read more 🡒]