It appears Houston or Austin could land the NHL’s next expansion franchise — possibly by the end of 2026 — and potentially begin play in 2029-30, The Athletic reported on Saturday.

Houston billionaire Dan Friedkin’s company, Pursuit Sports, has agreed to pay a $2 billion expansion fee to bring the NHL’s 33rd franchise to either Houston or Austin. NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly told The Athletic the league is anticipating an update from the group working with Friedkin in the next few weeks.

Friedkin’s bid requires the final approval of the NHL’s Board of Governors along with the ability to build an arena in either Houston or Austin.

“We’re moving forward in Texas,” Daly said in an interview at the NHL’s European Media Tour. “I expect ultimately we’ll be in a position to bring something to the board to get their view on it. So, that’s proceeding at a pace. We’ll probably get together with the group again in September and kind of see where they are in the process and what they want us to do to help, to the extent they need anything.

“If we finalize that and the board approves it, then (at the) end of this calendar year we’ll have an announcement that we’re expanding to either Houston or Austin.”

While Houston remains the leading candidate to be awarded the next franchise, Austin remains in the running and will undergo further exploration as a potential landing spot.

The NHL is also engaged in discussions with groups interested in landing the league’s 34th franchise — including former NHL cities Phoenix and Atlanta — though those talks lag behind those with Friedkin’s group.

“They’re projecting the ability to start play in 2029-30,” Daly said of the talks involving Houston and Austin. “So we will have one down and potentially one to go. We have ongoing discussions both with people in the Phoenix marketplace, but also Atlanta, and then we’ll see what comes of those discussions.”

Austin may benefit from the success of the Golden Knights, which established a fan base well ahead of the NFL and MLB in Las Vegas. Austin currently has only one major pro sports franchise — Austin FC of MLS.

“I view Austin to be similar to our decision to move into Las Vegas at a time where the other leagues weren’t considering it in part because of the size of the market and mid-size nature of it,” Daly said.

–Field Level Media