Gary Bettman spoke out about an expansion involving Quebec City, among other things

With a brand new amphitheatre just waiting for an NHL team, unlike another place in the league where it's the complete opposite, Quebec City unfortunately doesn't seem to be in Gary Bettman's mind.

Everything is already in place to welcome back an NHL team, but the commissioner prefers to keep teams like the Coyotes and the Panthers that are struggling to fill an arena, and that have not made any profit since they entered the NHL.

Twice, Quebec City has been passed over in the expansion process. At least Vegas and Seattle seem to be real success stories for the NHL. So you can't really criticize that.

In connection with an upcoming second round of expansion, Bettman was asked about possible next destinations. The names of Houston and Atlanta have been coming up a lot lately, while Quebec City seems to have been forgotten.

Here is what he had to say:

So these words confirm three interesting things to remember.

1) Quebec City still has interest in an expansion team, and the name even came right out of Bettman's mouth, which is a good thing.

2) Atlanta does want a team back for a third time, even after more than one dismal failure.

3) This is not a priority project for the NHL. So we'll have to be patient before we see the league go to 34 teams.

Basically, there will be a lot of potential market competition when the NHL decides to expand into new cities. It's not very encouraging news at first, but the fact that Bettman mentioned his name among the interested parties still shows some openness.

Credit: LetsGoHabs.com

Canucks head coach Rick Tocchet under fire by fans for his treatment of JT Miller before he left the team

Toronto Maple Leafs connected to several big name centers to replace Max Domi in the top-six

Ryan Reaves' brother bashes Darnell Nurse for his recent comments about the Maple Leafs enforcer

Heartbreaking cancer diagnosis revealed by Vegas Golden Knights organization player

TSN insider reveals superstar NHL goaltender will waive his no-trade clause for the Edmonton Oilers

Elliotte Friedman links the Maple Leafs to acquiring a top NHL forward in a blockbuster deal

Panthers' Aaron Ekblad gets into a serious altercation with a fan during last night's game

Robert Bortuzzo facing likely suspension after breaking an unknown NHL rule

Elliotte Friedman provides major update on JT Miller after he recently stepped away from the Vancouver Canucks

NHL releases a new video to justify not suspending Zach Whitecloud for his hit on Matthew Knies