Despite two losses in Atlanta, the National Hockey League (NHL) is not ruling out a team returning to Georgia.
In an interview with ESPN’s Greg Wyshynski on Tuesday, NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Bettman has no short-term expansion plans but firmly believes Atlanta has what it takes to accommodate a team.
“Things have changed drastically in Atlanta in the last few years and the market has evolved a lot since the first two times,” Daly said.
Remember, the Georgia city was home to the Flames from 1972 to 1980 and the home of the Thrashers from 1999 to 2011. In both cases, the team moved due to low attendance and financial losses.
But the setbacks so far have not dampened the NHL’s enthusiasm.
“There are potential markets that are suitable for the league and we always keep the door open,” Daly added. If you are interested and have a plan, come to us. If the other owners are interested, we can proceed with the file.”
To be successful, Daly believes a future project in Atlanta should be based on the Braves, a Major League Baseball team.
The latter experienced cash-strapped cash flows before construction of a new stadium, Truist Park, in the Atlanta suburb of Cobb County in 2017.