NHL Expansion 2017-18: Quebec City and Las Vegas

Quebec City and Las Vegas are now at the forefront of NHL expansion. Owners in the two cities were the only ones to submit expansion applications before Monday's deadline. The NHL said it received requests from and sent applications to 16 different groups or individuals.

Quebecor submitted a bid to bring the Nordiques back to Quebec City, and Bill Foley applied for a Las Vegas franchise. Ownership groups in the Toronto and Seattle areas considered applying and ultimately did not. The NHL said the intent of the expansion process was to:

set realistic guideposts to distinguish between bona fide expressions of interest ... from those indications of potential interest which were, at best, merely hopes or aspirations.

Apparently, only Mr. Foley and Quebecor have the confidence in their ability to secure an arena and suitable ownership capability to move forward with this process. 

Quebecor manages the Videotron Centre, which will host a pre-season game between the Montreal Canadiens and Pittsburgh Penguins in September 2015. A new arena is under construction on the Las Vegas strip and is set to open in the spring of 2016. The NHL expansion is set for the 2017-18 season.