NHL Commissioner Bettman signs deal through ’22

A person familiar with the situation says NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman has signed a contract through 2022.

“If someone (from Seattle) wanted to give us an application right now, we wouldn’t take it” NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said about Seattle’s chances of getting an NHL expansion team, the Seattle Times reported.

Applications are being considered from Quebec City and Las Vegas, which could make the league 32 teams.

Bettman, who appeared a bit annoyed by the subject, wouldn’t get into what was said to Scott but believes the league has done its part to make him feel comfortable this weeekend.

“There is no universal view on that”, Bettman said, via the Chicago Tribune. “Those discussions are not really particularly relevant, because he made the decision to be here, and we’re all good with that”. I think the people at Barclays have been doing a good job of adjusting.

“We couldn’t be more excited and, perhaps more importantly, more pleased with the start this relationship [between the National Hockey League and MLBAM] has gotten off to”. Now, it has 30 franchises and there may be one or two more in a couple of years. “It can be no expansion, one team or two teams”, he said, reiterating that the methodical pace of the process is not indicative of any problems in that process.

Bettman said there has been no input from the Quebec City group that they might be reluctant to proceed because of the weakness of the Canadian dollar. As things stand right now, there’s no prospect for the foreseeable future for a new arena in downtown Seattle.

“We’re not running a 60-minute game where the clock is going to run out”, he said. Las Vegas has never had a major pro sports team. Continuing to use our Services on or after February 1, 2015 means that you agree to these changes, so please read them carefully. “I don’t know as we haven’t finished our deliberations”, said Bettman. He had a decision to make on whether he wanted to be here. “But people have had to adjust to going to a different place”. But if the executive committee is ready to make a recommendation to expand prior to the scheduled meeting, Bettman said he would call a special meeting.

Bettman also said he was encouraged with how well the league’s introduction of coaches challenges have gone this season and that he hopes the NHL will be able to install more cameras to help with some of the off-side reviews. It would take a three-quarters vote of the 30 owners to approve expansion.

The 2017-18 season would be the earliest the league would expand, and Bettman and the owners aren’t feeling any pressure to make a decision.