NHL Expansion Teams by Year
Formed in 1917 as four teams, expanding to six by 1942, the Original Six of the NHL would eventually find themselves surrounded by another 26 teams.
Now 32 teams strong, the league has undergone many phases of expansion to grow its presence and bring professional hockey to the masses.
Here’s a look at the NHL expansion teams by year and how they’ve fared since entering the league.
What is Meant by “Expansion Teams”?
NHL expansion teams are new teams that are brought into the league by league approval.
They are brand new franchises as opposed to relocated or assimilated teams that have changed names within the league or been brought in via a league merger.
The First NHL Expansion – Building on the Original Six (1967)
California Seals / Oakland Seals / California Golden Seals
From their inception in 1967 to 1970, this NHL expansion team had four names. They were the California Seals, then the Oakland Seals. Later, they became the Bay Area Seals, and finally, the California Golden Seals.
Over their nine seasons of existence, they never owned a winning record. So, the team became the Cleveland Barons in 1976, but that team only lasted until 1978.
Los Angeles Kings
The Los Angeles Kings quickly earned a reputation for being a real force in the regular season, but not having the grit to handle the rigours of the playoffs. What truly put the franchise on the map and buoyed the sport in the Sun Belt region was trading for Wayne Gretzky in 1988. Still, the Kings would have to wait until the 2010s to win their two Stanley Cups.
Minnesota North Stars
Fully committed to establishing the team in the NHL, the owners of the Minnesota North Stars got to work on a new arena shortly after being confirmed as an NHL expansion team.
It wasn’t completely ready for their first season, but that didn’t matter. The team went straight to the playoffs and gradually built up to the Conference Championship by 1990/91. In 1993, the owners opted to relocate to Texas, forming the Dallas Stars, who remain regular favourites in the NHL lines.
Philadelphia Flyers
One half of a famed Pennsylvania rivalry, it’s fitting that the team that would create the Broad Street Bullies started in the same year as the Pens.
Much like their peers, the Flyers’ 1967/68 entry was hampered by the Original Six getting to keep their major talents, and yet, they won the division in that first season. By 1975, the Flyers were back-to-back Cup winners and have remained a staple of the NHL since.
Pittsburgh Penguins
Seeking to achieve urban renewal in Pittsburgh, state senator Jack McGregor started to lay the groundwork for an NHL franchise in 1965. His efforts proved fruitful, especially on the ice. As it stands, the Pittsburgh Penguins and Edmonton Oilers are tied for the most Stanley Cups outside of the Original Six with six titles.
St. Louis Blues
Rounding off this first major stage of NHL expansion, St. Louis beat Baltimore to be the sixth addition of the 1967/68 changes. The NHL chose St. Louis, rather than St. Louis petitioning the league to get a team. It proved to be a sound choice. They did take until 2018/19 to finally win the Cup, but the Blues do boast the most playoff appearances outside of the Original Six.
1970 Expansion
Buffalo Sabres
One of the hottest-starting NHL expansion teams, the Buffalo Sabres’ arrival in 1970 coincided with two other Buffalo major league teams getting underway in the NBA and NFL.
Initially, the Sabres were the most successful of the trio, flying to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1974/75 and again in 1979/80. They remained a force through to the late 2000s, but now, the Sabres have locked in 14 successive seasons without making it to the playoffs.
Vancouver Canucks
The Vancouver Canucks were a WHL team, but they entered the NHL as an expansion team rather than through a league merger. This came by way of the ownership group, who were granted an expansion team in the NHL, buying the WHL Canucks and taking a handful of their players before going into the expansion draft.
The NHL team started well, even going to the Stanley Cup Finals in 1982. They haven’t won the Cup yet, but have made it to the Finals three times and won the Presidents’ Trophy in 2010/11 and 2011/12.
1972 Expansion
Atlanta Flames
The fortunes of the two 1972 NHL expansion teams couldn’t be more starkly contrasted. While the new Long Island-based team went on to commence a historic dynasty by 1980, the Atlanta Flames were gone by then. Their last season in Atlanta was in 1979/80, at which point, they relocated to become the Calgary Flames.
New York Islanders
With the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the works, the NHL commissioned a new New York expansion franchise to block the WHA from getting a team in there.
Even with this being the premise for the team, the New York Islanders would quickly find their feet and, just eight seasons on from their founding, won the 1980 Stanley Cup, and then did so again over each of the three subsequent years.
1974 Expansion
Kansas City Scouts
Along with the arrival of the Kansas City Scouts and the Washington Capitals, the NHL formed four divisions to finalise this seven-year period of expansion in 1974.
After just two seasons, due to issues with inflated costs, a poor Midwest economy, and a lack of on-ice success, the Scouts were sold and became the Colorado Rockies in 1976.
Washington Capitals
At the time that this NHL expansion team and the Scouts entered play, talent was split across all of the teams of the NHL and the WHA. As a result, the new Washington Capitals of the 1974/75 season had to rely on several amateurs.
They struggled for close to a decade, but eventually rallied. Now, they’re a modern powerhouse, have won the Presidents’ Trophy three times, the Stanley Cup once, and are among the favourites in the Metropolitan Division odds.
1991 Expansion
San Jose Sharks
Following the entry to the NHL by the California Golden Seals in 1967, their move to Cleveland in 1976, and subsequent merger with the Minnesota North Stars in 1978, in the late 1980s, the North Stars’ owners wanted to move to the Bay Area of California.
The owners had to sell their share of the North Stars to get the NHL expansion team, and that team would take some North Stars players to enable both to partake in an expansion draft. In 1991/92, the runner-up name of the team would debut in the NHL.
In the years since, the San Jose Sharks have won the Presidents’ Trophy, been to the Stanley Cup Finals, but are currently at the foot of the Pacific Division odds deep in an all-in rebuild.
1992 Expansion
Ottawa Senators
Bruce Firestone, a local real estate developer, sought to bring the NHL back to the Canadian capital, commencing a public campaign in 1988. By 1990, the NHL bent to his will, commissioning a new NHL expansion franchise for the 1992/93 season.
Named in honour of one of the greatest teams of the early days of the professional sport, and one of the founding members of the NHL, the new Ottawa Senators are yet to achieve similar levels of success.
They are building a strong team now, and are worth a watch in the hockey odds, but the Cup still eludes this team.
Tampa Bay Lightning
In the 1980s, the NHL wanted a $50 million expansion fee. Battling for ownership of a Tampa Bay Area team, a St. Petersburg, Florida, group went head-to-head with Phil and Tony Esposito, who were backed by Kokusai Green.
In the end, the St. Petersburg-based group wasn’t willing to pay $50 million while the Esposito-led group was, and so, they won the NHL’s favour and launched the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992/93.
Now a titan in the Atlantic Division odds, before their future neighbours, the Panthers, would romp to back-to-back titles, the Bolts did so in 2019/20 and 2020/21. Prior to that dominance, the Lightning secured their first Cup back in 2003/04.
1993 Expansion
Florida Panthers
After Wayne Huizenga was awarded a Miami-based NHL expansion team, the businessman wanted to brand the team similarly to one of his most successful businesses, Blockbuster Video.
The team would play in blue and gold under the name Block Busters. Thankfully, the NHL rejected this, and so the Florida Panthers, adorning the critically endangered big cat on their badge, skated out for the 1993/94 season.
That team would set a record for the most points earned by an expansion team, but now, they’re easily in the best window the franchise has ever seen. The Panthers have gone to each of the last three Finals, winning the last two and now lead the Stanley Cup odds to achieve an unprecedented modern three-peat.
Mighty Ducks of Anaheim
In the 1990s, inspired by the 1992 film The Mighty Ducks, the Walt Disney Company sought an NHL franchise of its own. They paid $25 million to the NHL and $25 million to the Los Angeles Kings to permit them to share the local media market. In 2005, the franchise was sold and renamed to the Anaheim Ducks and won the Stanley Cup in the ensuing 2006/07 season.
1998 Expansion
Nashville Predators
Still standing as the only original major league team to be founded in Tennessee, Nashville was originally earmarked as the location for the potentially relocating New Jersey Devils in 1995. After a new arena opened in the city, NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was convinced, and so, the Nashville Predators were formed to commence play in 1998/99.
Since then, the Preds have become known for their penchant for spotting and developing defensive and goaltending talents. To date, they’ve been to the Stanley Cup Finals and won the Presidents’ Trophy once.
1999 Expansion
Atlanta Thrashers
In the summer of 1997, a year after the Winnipeg Jets relocated to become the Phoenix Coyotes, the league granted an NHL expansion team to Atlanta. They debuted as the Atlanta Thrashers in the 1999/00 season.
However, due to financial issues and a lack of on-ice success, in 2011, the team was sold and moved to Winnipeg to become the Winnipeg Jets, who are now dark horses in the Central Division odds.
2000 Expansion
Columbus Blue Jackets
In 1996, a team of investors paid the NHL a $100,000 application fee to bring the NHL back to Ohio. They’d been without a major league team since the Cleveland Barons of the late 70s, and a big part of what won them an NHL expansion team was the promise of a new stadium, which cost them $150 million. For the 2000/01 season, following a team name fan vote orchestrated by Wendy’s, the Columbus Blue Jackets would skate onto the ice. They’re yet to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals.
Minnesota Wild
After the Minnesota North Stars left in 1993, Minnesota remained keen to bring the NHL back. They were eager to house the relocating Winnipeg Jets, but they ended up in Phoenix, Arizona. By 1997, with the NHL looking to expand, the league awarded Minnesota with an expansion team. The Wild skated out in 2000/01 and surprisingly made it to the Western Conference Finals in 2003, but they haven’t reached those heights again since.
2017 Expansion
Vegas Golden Knights
Las Vegas, Nevada, craved major league sports, but was long seen as untenable by the North American leagues. In 2015, the NHL opened up to expansion bids, with Las Vegas winning by a unanimous vote to enter the league in 2017/18 with a specialized expansion draft to get the team underway.
That season, the Golden Knights were firmly established as a core part of the Las Vegas community and went on to make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. They lost to the Capitals that year, but with the window very much open, the owners went big on building a Cup-ready team and took the crown in 2022/23, making them the fastest expansion team to win the Stanley Cup.
2021 Expansion
Seattle Kraken
Seattle was a rumoured destination for NHL teams looking to relocate for years. Nothing materialized, primarily because of the promises (which wouldn’t be kept) made by the Coyotes franchise’s ownership. Instead, in 2017, the Seattle City Council voted to found a franchise, paying up $650 million to commission an NHL expansion team. With sustainability at the core of the franchise, from the eco-friendly stadium to the team’s finances, the Seattle Kraken is determined to build through the draft and develop young stars to form the foundation of the franchise.
Current Teams in the NHL
With the Seattle Kraken added in 2021, and the Arizona Coyotes franchise morphing into the Utah Mammoth by the start of the 2025/26 season, the NHL has a nice and balanced 32 teams spread across two conferences and four divisions.
Competing in the Eastern Conference odds, we have the Maple Leafs, Lightning, Panthers, Senators, Canadiens, Red Wings, Sabres and Bruins in the Atlantic Division. In the Metropolitan Division, there are the Capitals, Hurricanes, Devils, Blue Jackets, Rangers, Islanders, Penguins, and Flyers.
On the opposite side of the bracket, in the Western Conference odds, we have the Pacific Division and Central Division. The two newest additions to the NHL, the Golden Knights and Kraken, are in the Pacific Division with the Kings, Oilers, Flames, Canucks, Ducks, and Sharks. The Central Division is made up of the Mammoth, Jets, Stars, Avalanche, Wild, Blues, Predators, and Blackhawks.