Bill Daly reveals current NHL expansion plans

The National Hockey League couldn't possibly attempt for the hat trick and try putting a team in Atlanta for the third time.....right? According to a cryptic tweet from NHL analyst John Buccigross, it's a possibility. 

"NHL team coming to Atlanta againstay tuned. Alpharetta," his tweet read. 

As you may remember, the city of Atlanta has lost not one but both of the NHL teams that called the Peach State home in their history. The Flames now reside in Calgary, while the former Thrashers are now the 2.0 Winnipeg Jets. Meanwhile, the original Jets now known as the Arizona Coyotes are the doormat of professional sports by playing in a college rink and having over half of their salary cap tied up in dead contracts. 

As you may remember, the city of Atlanta has lost not one but both of the NHL teams that called the Peach State home in their history. The Flames now reside in Calgary, while the former Thrashers are now the 2.0 Winnipeg Jets. Meanwhile, the original Jets now known as the Arizona Coyotes are the doormat of professional sports by playing in a college rink and having over half of their salary cap tied 

So, what does NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly have to say about even further potential expansion? It doesn't sound as though anything is imminent, per Frank Seravalli of The Daily Faceoff. But that doesn't mean they're not listening to possibilities. 

“I don’t know,” Daly wrote in an email to Daily Faceoff. “No change in position on this end.”

“Expansion isn’t our priority right now,” Daly wrote. “But it doesn’t mean we won’t listen to people or groups who have interest. That happens to include both Atlanta and Houston. But it also includes other cities as well.”

“I don’t think Atlanta and Houston are in any better or any worse position than anyone else who has expressed interest in the last 12-18 months,” Daly continued. 

Of course, Quebec City has made no secret of wanting an NHL franchise back in town after losing the Nordiques to Denver. Meanwhile, the League's latest two expansion efforts into Las Vegas and Seattle have been extremely successful thus far. 

What are the chances that Atlanta gets a third opportunity before another Canadian city gets a second or even first attempt at calling an NHL team their own?