Expansion remains a hot topic in the NHL as more and more markets are expressing interest in bringing in a hockey team.
We have already seen one unlikely destination receive a team this season, with the Utah Hockey Club popping up in Salt Lake City. Other American markets like Houston and Atlanta also reportedly have an appetite for NHL hockey.
Those two cities remain as probably the next best bets to receive a team, but another unlikely candidate has entered the conversation: New Orleans.
ESPN’s Kevin Weekes is reporting that a group from New Orleans recently met with the league, hoping to bring an expansion team to Louisiana.
👀 In speaking to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and other sources involved,I can confirm that there was a recent meeting in NYC with a group expressing their interest in bringing an @NHL expansion team to New Orleans. #HockeyX #NewOrleans pic.twitter.com/fAhYY5cbDH
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) February 19, 2025
“I can confirm that there was a recent meeting in [New York City] with a group expressing their interest in bringing an NHL expansion team to New Orleans,” Weekes said.
Expanding to New Orleans is not an obvious move for the NHL, but it is an intriguing one.
With a metro population of just 1.2 million, it’s on the smaller side for an NHL city. There’s also competition from other major pro teams in the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans.
In terms of geography, New Orleans could be a fit for the Central Division, given it is in the Central Time Zone. You can also fly from New Orleans to Dallas or Nashville in just an hour and a half.
An NHL club could play out of the Smoothie King Centre, whose primary tenant is the NBA’s Pelicans. It is primarily used for basketball, but it can seat 16,900 for hockey. That is still small in comparison to many NHL arenas, but it fits more than the Winnipeg Jets (15,321), Utah (16,200), and New Jersey Devils (16,514).
Only one hockey team has called the arena home, with the now-defunct New Orleans Brass of the ECHL playing there from 1999 to 2002. That was the last major hockey team to call the Big Easy home, which is a bit concerning and shows that there isn’t an established hockey culture in the city.
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