In today’s NHL rumors rundown, the NHL could be making their next expansion in the near future, with Houston being the top candidate. Elsewhere, Edmonton Oilers superstars Connor McDavid and Leon Draisaitl are both out with injuries, but there has been an update on their health, and it was promising. Finally, recently acquired forward Scott Laughton has yet to find his footing with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Houston Expansion On The Horizon
An initial report from ESPN’s Emily Kaplan says that billionaire Dan Friedkin has emerged as a prime candidate to own a new NHL team in Houston. Bill Daly has confirmed that the league has held a number of conversations with the group led by Friedkin, and that they are interested in expansion.
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On the latest episode of 32 Thoughts, Elliotte Friedman extended the report by saying the NHL is going to aim for a $2 billion expansion fee and that they need to ensure that the expansion fee doesn’t de-value existing NHL markets. With teams like the Ottawa Senators selling for just shy of $1 billion, and the Tampa Bay Lightning selling a portion with an evaluation of $1.8 billion, prices of teams are quickly rising, and future NHL teams are going to pay more and more for their entry.
Expansion fees for the Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken were $500 million and $650 million respectively, and in under a decade, that number could quadruple.
Things are far from confirmed, and it is a lengthy process to acquire an expansion franchise, but it seems that things are in the works. Kevin Weekes also sent out a tweet saying that the NHL could go to 34 or 36 teams. The concern for some is the amount of talent in the hockey world, and if there is enough to continue filling out more teams.
Oilers Get Positive Injury Update
No injury is a positive, but considering the time of year and the way the Oilers have been playing, it might be a good time for McDavid and Draisaitl to have a short break.
No specific details have been released on the injuries to the two stars, but when asked about McDavid’s timeline, head coach Kris Knoblauch said that he is “day-to-day, maybe a week”, and the same for Draisaitl. Both players won’t resume until they are at full health, and having a week break for two of the top players in the world less than a month before the playoffs could be helpful.
Both Zach Hyman and Mattias Ekholm are dealing with nagging injuries, but it hasn’t held them out of the lineup.
Stuart Skinner, who left the last game due to concussion protocol after a collision, is okay and won’t miss any time.
Laughton Struggling to Fit In With Maple Leafs
Adjusting to a new team is never easy. Through seven games with the Maple Leafs, Laughton has yet to record a point, and has been demoted to the fourth line on the wing. There are a lot of things that come into play, including adjusting to the city, the team system, and much more.
Head coach Craig Berube stated “He’s from here and got a lot going on…you want to please, right? He’s got to forget about pleasing and play and do your thing. He is a good player. That’s why he is in the National Hockey League and has played for a long time.”
Having that kind of support in this adjustment is helpful, but he just hasn’t had a proper place in the lineup. Finding the right fit with a new player isn’t easy for a coach to do. Whether it is with players like Max Domi and Bobby McMann, or David Kampf and Calle Jarnkork, he has been everywhere in the lineup.
His defensive game has been good, he just hasn’t been able to find success on the scoresheet. He has been helpful to the team, and with another year under contract, there is still certainly time to say that there is a chance to collect himself and be a great impact with the team.
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