NHL Expansion: Latest Franchise Updates, Comments and Reaction

The concept of NHL expansion has been explored through three distinctive phases, but league Commissioner Gary Bettman implied Tuesday that pro hockey won't necessarily add any teams in the foreseeable future.

"We have work to do," said Bettman, per Pro Hockey Talk's Ryan Dadoun. "The committee is going to have to get together at least one time, if not more, and ultimately begin deliberations. There are a lot of issues and questions that are going to have to be answered before any decision can be made."

NHL.com's Dan Rosen highlighted another key takeaway from Bettman's press conference on Tuesday:

Per SportsCentre, Bettman added, "No (expansion) decisions were made at the executive committee. ...This is an ongoing process that doesn't have a specific timetable."

The third phase of the NHL's expansion deliberations began on Aug. 24, according to Yahoo Sports' Josh Cooper. Quebec City and Las Vegas were the two cities to proceed into that stage of the process after submitting bids on July 20.   

Updates on those two locations also surfaced when Bettman addressed the media, per Sportsnet's Chris Johnston:

Bettman previously stated in a press conference on June 24 that the league office has fielded "numerous" inquiries by cities interested in fielding an NHL franchise as part of a prospective expansion effort. According to Sportsnet Stats, the expansion fee for a potential 2017 club to be founded is $500 million, a figure Bettman confirmed Tuesday.

Also discussed in Tuesday's press conference was the value of the Canadian dollar and how it might impact a push for NHL expansion. Advocates in Quebec City may be wary given the currency exchange rate is at present approximately 75 cents to the U.S. dollar.

Seventy-five percent of the league's Board of Governors has to approve an expansion bid. A hypothetical vote is still well down the road with the NHL executive committee still uncertain about adding even one team ahead of the 2017-18 season.