The NHL Board of Governors convened this week to discuss expansion possibilities, including a potential team in Houston or Austin, Texas. However, no decisions were made at the meeting, per multiple reports.
Commissioner Gary Bettman told reporters that the league continues to receive pitches from potential ownership groups and remains in "wait-and-see" mode on adding expansion teams, ESPN reported. Bettman said the league is not currently in a formal expansion round. The Texas exploration process, which began earlier this year with an interested ownership group, was discussed but did not result in concrete action, per Yahoo Sports.
The mood around expansion appears to have shifted. Sportsnet insiders noted that enthusiasm for expansion has cooled since offseason discussions suggested the league might move more quickly on the matter. Elliotte Friedman suggested that expansion is "no longer a slam dunk" after the Board of Governors meeting indicated the league is pumping the brakes on the process.