Will Houston or Austin land the NHL’s next team?

The NHL is confirmed to be expanding to a 33rd team, with both Houston and Austin, Texas under serious consideration as the host city. NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly indicated the new franchise would ideally begin play in the 2029-30 season, allowing approximately three years to finalize the location and build an arena. The expansion would give Texas a second NHL team alongside the existing Dallas Stars, with an unnamed billionaire investor leading the bid but not yet publicly favoring either city.