LAS VEGAS — NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Wednesday that a 33rd franchise in Houston or Austin is not a done deal for the league or for the family of Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin, which holds a nonbinding term sheet with the NHL. Daly spoke at the NHL/NHLPA player media tour in Las Vegas, in an availability reported by The Athletic.
The NHL board of governors meets Sept. 22. Daly said the league does not yet have clear direction from its board that every club wants to expand, and that it will seek that direction at the meeting, Daily Faceoff’s Matt Larkin reported.
“I don’t want to get ahead of the board,” Daly said. “I don’t want to treat it like a done deal, because it’s not. It’s not a done deal on the Friedkin side, and it’s not a done deal on our side. And that’s why it’s kind of a nonbinding term sheet. We’re both going to work hard to achieve that goal. But at the end of the day, it might not happen.”
Daly also said some clubs expressed concern in recent weeks and at the June board meeting, where the Friedkin bid was discussed. Last month, at the league’s European player media tour in Munich, Daly said the next step would be bringing something to the board, according to Daily Faceoff.
“We’re moving forward in Texas,” Daly explained. “I expect ultimately we’ll be in a position to bring something to the board to get their view on it.”
Dan Friedkin’s Nonbinding Term Sheet With The NHL
Commissioner Gary Bettman announced on June 23 that the NHL would open a six-month process to evaluate Houston and Austin, with the Friedkin family as the prospective owner. The board’s executive committee endorsed the framework of the terms that day, though no vote was held, according to NHL.com’s Dan Rosen.
Friedkin is the CEO of The Friedkin Group. His family also owns AS Roma of Italy’s Serie A and Everton of the English Premier League. The agreement with the NHL gives Pursuit Sports, the family’s sports ownership platform, exclusive rights to bring an expansion team to Texas.
Bettman put the family’s total investment at roughly $3.5 billion, including the expansion fee and a new arena. Both markets would need a new building, Bettman said. The Athletic reported the expansion fee alone could reach $2 billion. The league had been in talks with the Friedkin family for the better part of two years, principally about Houston, Bettman said in June.
“Ultimately, if we’re able to jointly reach a conclusion, at that time it would be subject to a vote of the board of governors,” Bettman said. “That’s something that will unfold over the next six months, give or take.”
Timeline For A Decision On Houston Or Austin
NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey said Wednesday that the league has said it will make a decision by the end of the calendar year on whether to add a team in Houston or Austin.
Daly had previously set 2029-30 as the target for the team’s first season. On Wednesday, he said 2030-31 would also be acceptable. The Houston Chronicle reported in August that a decision is expected in December.
