Earlier today, NHL’s Kevin Weekes speculated that the league might expand to Atlanta.
Let’s dig deeper and see how this could affect the Canadian markets, specifically the fans of the Nordiques and Winnipeg Jets.
In the Wikeez tweet, he mentioned that there will be an announcement of a new arena development in Atlanta tomorrow (Monday, April 17th). He concludes the tweet by asking if the team would come to Atlanta if the stadium was built.
** Watch **
Tomorrow’s news is for an announcement regarding an upcoming arena development in Georgia large enough to house a hockey team. If I build it, will they come? espn @employee @employee @employee @employee # Hockey_Twitter pic.twitter.com/Oeue1SExg6– Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) April 16, 2023
From 1972 to 1980, Atlanta was home to the Atlanta Flames, who were eventually replaced by the Calgary Flames. The Atlanta Thrashers gave Atlanta a second chance at an NHL team in 1999.
However, in 2011 the team moved to Winnipeg and is now known as the Winnipeg Jets, one of the seven Canadian teams.
This may open up a whole new world of possibilities, but two stand out. The first is to expand the NHL beyond 32 teams, and if the NHL does that, should they seriously consider bringing a team to Quebec?
The second option will not be popular with Canadian hockey fans. The Winnipeg Jets can fly here again. With the exception of the Arizona Coyotes, the Winnipeg Jets currently have the smallest arena in the NHL. By comparison, the AHL’s Chicago Wolves have barely more than 1,000 seats.
The Jets have also struggled to sell games consistently this season, fueling speculation that they might relocate. Many fans would despise this possibility because it would deny a team one of the most loyal fan bases in all of hockey.
Is the news that Atlanta is building an arena capable of accommodating an NHL franchise the end of the Winnipeg Jets, or the beginning of further NHL expansion to locations like Quebec?