NHL says Houston-or-Austin call could come by end of year

Commissioner Gary Bettman said the Dan Friedkin group still has significant work ahead as it evaluates both Texas markets for a potential 33rd franchise.

The NHL could learn by the end of the year which Texas market a potential 33rd franchise would call home, commissioner Gary Bettman said Tuesday following the board of governors meeting in New York. Billionaire Dan Friedkin was granted exclusive rights in June to evaluate Houston and Austin for expansion.

Bettman said the Friedkin group still has plenty of work ahead, and he declined to identify a frontrunner between the two cities. Deputy commissioner Bill Daly said the league received a full briefing from the group late last week and exchanged messages with them Tuesday morning, adding that a deeper sit-down conversation will be needed soon.

Daly noted that prospective arena sites have been identified in Houston, though he offered no specifics. Any expansion would require approval from three-quarters of the board of governors, and while December marks the end of a six-month exploratory period, Daly stressed there is no hard deadline for action.

The estimated cost of a new franchise, including the fee and a new arena, is $3.5 billion. A team would not take the ice before the 2029-30 season at the earliest.

In other league business, Washington Capitals owner Ted Leonsis was elected chairman of the board of governors, succeeding Jeremy Jacobs of the Boston Bruins, who held the post for 19 years.