NHL meets with New Orleans expansion group in New York

The NHL met with a group exploring an expansion franchise in New Orleans, Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly confirmed to reporter Kevin Weekes on February 19, 2025. The meeting took place in New York City with league executives.

New Orleans had not been widely discussed as an expansion candidate until now. Most speculation has centered on Atlanta, Houston, and Quebec City. The city previously hosted minor league hockey from 1997 to 2002 when the New Orleans Brass played at Municipal Auditorium and later at what is now Smoothie King Center.

Businessman Nic Perkin, who owns the Monroe Moccasins minor league team, first raised the possibility publicly last summer. "If Las Vegas can stand up a championship hockey team in the middle of the desert, New Orleans can stand up a NHL team in the middle of the bayou," Perkin said at a June 2024 press conference.

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry responded to the idea in a June 2024 interview with The Illuminator. "I think New Orleans is one of those cities that is poised to be the place where sports happens," Landry said. "We would talk to the NHL. We would talk to anybody that wants to bring anything there."

Perkin told KNOE television he believes a team could be established within five years and has been discussing incentives and facilities with the governor's office. "We're talking to everything from big private equity groups, both here in Louisiana, as well as in New York, Connecticut, across the country," Perkin said.

New Orleans currently hosts the NFL's Saints and NBA's Pelicans. The city recently held one of the most successful Super Bowls and is reportedly in line to host WWE Wrestlemania for a third time. Minor league hockey has returned to Louisiana with teams in Monroe, Baton Rouge, and Shreveport.