State leaders meet with NHL about team in New Orleans
03/19/2025
By Matt Moscona
Governor Jeff Landry and Representative Steve Scalise met with NHL officials to explore the possibility of adding a team in New Orleans. Landry announced the meeting on his X account.
.@SteveScalise and I had an extremely productive call yesterday with @NHL. I look forward to continued dialogue as the prospect of a New Orleans NHL team takes shape!
— Governor Jeff Landry (@LAGovJeffLandry) March 19, 2025
New Orleans is already home to the NFL’s Saints and NBA’s Pelicans. The Saints’ current lease with the state keeps the team playing at the Caesars Superdome through 2030. The Pelicans’ lease at the Smoothie King Center expires in 2029. There has been no public mention of where a hockey team might play its games.
Last month, NHL analyst Kevin Weekes reported a meeting took place between the league’s deputy commissioner Bill Daly and a business group interested in bringing a team to New Orleans. Participants in the meeting, which was held in New York City, were not named.
👀 In speaking to Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly and other sources involved,I can confirm that there was a recent meeting in NYC with a group expressing their interest in bringing an @NHL expansion team to New Orleans. #HockeyX #NewOrleans pic.twitter.com/fAhYY5cbDH
— Kevin Weekes (@KevinWeekes) February 19, 2025
Houston and Atlanta have widely been reported among cities in line for potential NHL expansion. There are currently 32 teams with the most recent move being Arizona Coyotes relocating to Utah.