. Now that the NHL is looking to expand, it may be considering cities like Houston, Texas; Austin, Texas; and Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta has had two failed franchises, but apparently, that hasn't discouraged them from believing Atlanta can host a successful team. Such a decision would certainly be strange, especially after the Carolina Hurricanes won the 2026 Stanley Cup and the Florida Panthers' recent dominance. Geographically, such a decision doesn't exactly make too much sense.
Should the NHL Consider a Different City Than Atlanta?
Nothing is official, but Allan Walsh, a sports agent/lawyer, claimed in a Twitter post:
NHL expansion is coming. Houston and Atlanta. https://t.co/IgKcYEaJxp
— Allan Walsh🏒 (@walsha) August 7, 2026
Such a decision might make sense for Houston, since it is the fourth-largest city in the USA after New York City, Los Angeles, and Chicago, all of which have hockey teams. Other cities that could get a team are Austin and Atlanta. Austin might be an even weirder decision than Atlanta, since it wouldn't be far at all from Dallas, which, of course, has the Dallas Stars. But the true question is: should Atlanta get another chance? There are other cities that could make sense, like Milwaukee and Quebec, both of which would love hockey. Quebec has wanted another hockey team ever since the Quebec Nordics moved to Canda.
Milwaukee would love to add a hockey team. Milwaukee would also be a pretty safe bet for the NHL, considering just how good Midwestern fans are across all sports. Atlanta has three teams of the four major sports with the Braves, Hawks, and Falcons, so getting another would make sense. However, there's obviously a lot of risk considering that they've had two different franchises come and go.
Utah was a great place with great and passionate fans. Atlanta would definitely be a lot more risky. Plus, there might be better places available.
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