NHL commissioner Gary Bettman was in attendance for the Toronto Maple Leafs’ home opener against the Montreal Canadiens. Not to announce anything specific, but just because he wanted to be there.
Bettman took questions from the media ahead of the game and spoke fondly of the Maple Leafs, who recently topped Sportico’s NHL franchise valuations, being valued at $4.25 billion heading into the NHL season. He went as far to cut off a reporter who was asking what the Maple Leafs’ ranking meant for expansion talks surrounding a potential second team in Toronto.
Gary Bettman held a press conference prior to Leafs-Canadiens opener:
On the Leafs’ valuation: “Still undervalued in my opinion.”
Bettman also rejected the idea of a 2nd team in Toronto. “That doesn’t come up at all.”
— Arun Srinivasan (@Arunthings) October 8, 2025
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Bettman elaborated on his blunt answer about the expansion factor by explaining that adding another team isn’t the most attractive financial opportunity, despite popular belief.
“I think people tend to forget that expansion is not really the money-making opportunity that it’s perceived to be,” Bettman said Wednesday afternoon at Scotiabank Arena. “Because, when you admit a new partner, you’re now dividing the national revenues by an extra portion, that has an economic consequence and an economic value to it.”
A second team in Toronto has never really been a serious consideration when the talk of expansion comes up. The extent of it is typically disgruntled Leafs fans joking that they wish Toronto would add a second team to save them from cheering for the Maple Leafs. From a genuine business perspective, Bettman shut down the possibility of any immediate further expansion around the league, let alone in Toronto.
“You may get some cash up front, but over time, it isn’t the boom that sometimes it’s portrayed to be,” Bettman continued. “So, no, we’re not focused on expansion anywhere right now to the extent that somebody wants to come in. And I’ve said this probably than you want to hear it, if there’s an applicant who can show us strong ownership and wherewithal, the suitable market, a suitable arena, and can make the case that it will make the league stronger, then we’ll take a look at it. But we’re not in an expansion process and we’re not committed to expansion at this point in time.”
The 2025-26 season will mark the 32nd in a row without a Cup going to a Canadian team. When asked what part of him wanted to see the Cup come back to Canada, he gave the safest answer imaginable.
Asked Gary Bettman tonight what part of him wants a Canadian team to win a Cup before he retires, if for no other reason than to change it up: “I love all my children, my grandchildren and all my teams equally. The beauty of our competitive balance is anything can happen.”
— Lance Hornby 🇺🇦🇨🇦 (@sunhornby) October 8, 2025
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The Maple Leafs and Canadiens will open their respective seasons on Wednesday night after Tuesday marked the opening festivities around the league.
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