Bill Daly announces two pieces of news that won’t help the Canadiens

Félix Forget
Bill Daly announces two pieces of news that won’t help the Canadiens
Credit: Mike Stobe/NHLI via Getty Images

After years of rebuilding, the CH has finally become a competitive team again. The club has been acquiring talent for a few years now, and that helped it reach the Eastern Conference Final last season.

But the plan, of course, is to win the Stanley Cup… and to be contenders for it for several years to come.

Except that Bill Daly, in an interview with The Athletic, announced two pieces of news that won't help the Canadiens in the coming years. And the most significant one relates to an upcoming expansion in the league.

Daly confirmed to Chris Johnston that plans for a 33rd team are becoming increasingly concrete. Barring a catastrophe, the state of Texas will be granted a team (likely in Houston, though Austin is still in the running) that will make its debut during the 2029–30 season.

It could even be confirmed and announced by the end of 2026.

Daly, still on the topic of expansion, also noted that there are discussions underway regarding the addition of a 34th team. These talks are less advanced, and it's likely that this 34th team will come later, but it's on its way.

This means that the Habs, who are starting to build a deep roster of talent, risk losing two quality players in expansion drafts over the next few years.

The other news is that Daly, speaking about the expansions, acknowledged that the league might consider revising its playoff format once one or two new teams join. The league doesn't seem to want a 16-team playoff format in a league where 17 (or 18) teams would miss the playoffs.

We should therefore expect more teams in the playoffs… which will make it even harder for teams to make it all the way.

There are still three seasons to go before we need to think about all that, but Kent Hughes will have to be prepared to lose key players in expansion drafts and to give his team enough firepower for a playoff run that's likely to be even tougher in the future.

Stay tuned, then.


In a Nutshell

– Hey, guys!

– Will he be able to seize his opportunity?

– Bad news for the Yankees.

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