Québec would be virtually guaranteed a team in a 36-club league

When it comes to the Nordiques in Quebec City, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Every time the project seems dead and buried, a new ideology surfaces and revives the debate.

This is once again the case, even though Quebec City was never considered for the relocation of the Coyotes to Salt Lake City. Worse still, the two cities currently favoured to host an NHL team are Atlanta and Houston.

But that wouldn’t be the end of it. David Ettedgui mentioned last week that the NHL would have a plan to expand the league to 36 teams.

According to him, the NHL’s expansion plan is clear towards a 36-team league → https://t.co/iO1QH5u7No

– DansLesCoulisses (@DLCoulisses) April 11, 2024

Now Renaud Lavoie, TVA Sports journalist and, by the way, Quebecor employee, mentions that in such a scenario, Quebec City would be virtually guaranteed its team.

[OPINION] La Ligue nationale en pleine ébullition(@renlavoietva) https://t.co/ssjRItrv3U

– Le Journal de Montréal (@JdeMontreal) April 16, 2024

Here’s a piece of news that should put a smile on the faces of Quebec City residents and raise eyebrows elsewhere.

Yes, the NHL could benefit from additional revenues, but at what price? Already, 34 teams is a lot, but 36 is huge.

Lavoie mentions that this solution could help with the schedule, which doesn’t please everyone. He even adds that the number of playoff teams could be increased.

Finally, he believes that with a dilution of talent, there would be more goals because of the teams’ greater defensive shortcomings, another element the NHL would like to see.

I doubt this is realistic or something the owners want. They’d lose important players and have to divide the talent available at the draft even further.

Is it always necessary to want more instead of focusing on the current product and improving it? The NHL has a long way to go when compared to the NBA and NFL, especially when it comes to player marketing.

Geoff Molson mentioned in an interview with Lavoie that, for the time being, there have been no formal discussions about a four-team expansion.