The NHL is growing, as it appears two new teams will be added to the mix. It seems that Houston and Atlanta are the two front-running cities to land the next teams. According to NHL insider Andy Stickland, the owners are meeting today to greenlight an expansion that takes the league from 32 to 34 teams. As shown in the tweet above, he notes that Houston, Texas, and Atlanta, Georgia, seem to be leading the pack for those new franchises. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/andystrickland/status/1836768357036568980'> </a></blockquote></div> But seriously, Atlanta? Again? Thus far, both of the previous two Atlanta NHL teams ended up thriving once they relocated north of the border. The Atlanta Flames lasted a mere eight seasons before relocating to Calgary, where they became a successful franchise. The Atlanta Thrashers, losers for 11 seasons, were relocated to Winnipeg. Now the league wants to try again? As for Houston, well, it makes sense on paper. Houston does have the population and sports infrastructure to be able to support another pro team. With the Astros of MLB, the Texans of NFL, the Rockets of NBA, and Dynamo FC of MLS, the city isn't exactly foreign to big league sports. The NHL team would probably be owned by Rockets and Toyota Center owner Tilman Fertitta. While Houston could be a decent market, people can't get their heads around the idea of putting hockey back in Atlanta. The city has already failed twice as an NHL home. Meanwhile, Quebec City has been waiting in the wings since the 18,000+ seat Videotron Center opened in 2015. It is one of the largest arenas in North America without an NHL team. But it seems the NHL cares more about corporate backing than fan passion, and Quebec City doesn't check that corporate box. Until a major corporate presence emerges in Quebec, the NHL isn't likely to take notice. Great Canadian markets, like Quebec, seem to be an afterthought under the Gary Bettman administration. <div align='center'><blockquote class='twitter-tweet' data-lang='en'><a href='https://twitter.com/KDubeJDQ/status/1517641782380666882'> </a></blockquote></div> Yes, Las Vegas and Seattle have indeed been the feel-good stories of the most recent expansions within the NHL, but not every market is going to be a slam dunk. Franchises in Arizona, Florida, and Columbus have brought their fair share of headaches. <a href='https://athlonsports.com/nhl/report-nhl-expansion-leaning-toward-atlanta-usa-3-billion' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Expansion is always a gamble</a>, and fans are hoping the NHL approaches it far more conservatively this time around. Source: Hockey Feed <a href='https://www.hockeyfeed.com/nhl-news/report-nhl-to-approve-expansion-today-with-2-frontrunners?fbclid=IwY2xjawFZLnBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHQDK-5DGscwUncyLqZrNnHrkSqMX2kH3ZVQj-qhX0tl2gLdWBozqAFJSVQ_aem_fctw94d01WX54UOHBxQKUg' class='lien_marqueur' target='_blank' rel='noopener'>Report: NHL to approve expansion today with 2 frontrunners</a>