According to reports, the NHL Executive Committee is set to meet today and make a decision on whether or not the league will indeed expand for the 2017-18 season.
The NHL's executive committee is meeting in New York. The nine-owner panel is expected to make a recommendation on expansion today.
— Chris Johnston (@reporterchris) June 7, 2016
The committee has three possible recommendations.
- They can defer their decision and push off expansion until the 2018-19 season.
- They can recommend both cities, meaning Las Vegas and Quebec City, be approved for teams.
- They can decide that expansion is on hold indefinitely.
There will be a two-week window for the NHL and whichever team receives a recommendation for expansion to complete paperwork prior to the final vote on June 22.
There has also been recent discussions that involved relocation of current teams as opposed to adding new franchises. However, most of those rumblings have been rumors at best.
If the NHL decides to expand, teams will have to begin planning for a 2017 expansion draft. Details on how that draft would play out are still quite vague but should be completely outlined prior to the NHL Entry Draft on June 24. The league discussed those rules for the first time on March 16, but changes and additions are likely.