A second NHL team in Toronto is no longer as unrealistic as it sounds

A second Toronto NHL team isn't out of the question with the league's expansion talks, though any new team would need to make sure they stay clear of the Maple Leafs.

With the discussion about expanding the NHL to potentially 33 franchises with Houston and Austin bidding for their chance to be the next expansion team. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman revealed there have been serious talks about adding another team in Texas, with the starting price reaching over $2-billion.

However, there are several Canadian fans who are hoping for expansion in Canada, with hopes for a potential return to Quebec City, with other cities like Hamilton, St. John's, and Saskatoon. There are even some fans who are hoping that Toronto can get a second franchise, giving them an alternative to the Maple Leafs while creating a brand new inner-city rivalry.

It seems a bit farfetched but there is a chance that could happen, should everything fall into place.

Maple Leafs have territorial rights, but not an absolute veto when it comes to NHL expansion

Now, there are some rules and restrictions that a potential Toronto expansion team should be aware of, the biggest being territorial rights.

NHL territorial rules have historically given clubs exclusive rights within their home city and roughly 50 miles beyond its corporate limits, which would make a second GTA franchise complicated.

Vaughan, Ontario has actually been discussed before. In 2009, Daly met with a group interested in placing a second Toronto-area franchise there, although the league said at the time it had no plans to expand or relocate a club.

In fact, Daly took umbrage with the Maple Leafs back in 2006 when they wrote a letter stating that a 'unanimous vote' not a majority one, would be needed to bring a team into Toronto - with Daly blasting their statement:

Just because we don't have a team (in Toronto) or we didn't agree to Jim Balsillie hijacking a team in Phoenix and moving it into Hamilton, that means the Leafs have a veto? Two plus two doesn't equal three. The whole concept that someone has a veto is just plain wrong. It's made up. It's a falsification of the facts.

The larger business obstacle would be protecting the value of an established Maple Leafs market. A second Toronto team would have to convince the NHL that another franchise in the same city could generate substantial new revenue without simply dividing the existing fan, corporate and sponsorship support.

They hold the broadcasting rights to the Maple Leafs so they aren't going to risk promoting another team - and they do hold leverage in terms of location. Scotiabank Arena is lot more connected to the wider areas of the GTA and Southern Ontario, and fans will find it easier to get to (though still expensive).

Also to note this is purely hypothetical and there have been no talks about expanding in Toronto as of this article.

A second team could challenge Toronto's ownership of the hockey market

However, a second team does bring into account something Rogers and the Maple Leafs higher-ups may not like - competition. Right now, the Maple Leafs really have carte blanche to charge whatever for tickets, knowing the fanbase will pay simply because they have no other alternative.

If a new team came into the GTA, they would have the distinct advantage of being able to charge less for tickets, less for concessions, and promote a more 'fan-first' environment. A lot of issues the die-hards have come from how corporate and passionless the games feel, and how the Maple Leafs can change that.

A new franchise may be the only way, and it's not like they wouldn't have exposure. You're still in the largest hockey market in the world, with a group of fans who are desperate for something different, with media that is so widespread and prominent that it'll be hard not to be in the spotlight.

Competition breeds innovation, and the Maple Leafs and Rogers would need to keep up. That means lowering ticket and concession prices, offering more incentives for season ticket holders, more promotions, more fan-centred activities or overall environment - they'll have to do something.

Whether that would actually lower prices is impossible to know, but it would force both organizations to compete for attention in a market the Maple Leafs have dominated for generations.

It's fairly similar to how the New York Giants and Jets operate in the NFL. Both are completely different franchises within the same boundaries (though technically the Jets play in New Jersey), but offer two separate experiences with ticket prices being a bit cheaper on the Giants end.

Or it's like the Lakers and Clippers in the NBA. Clippers games are much cheaper to attend compared to Lakers games, despite for a long time sharing the same stadium. It's about experience and atmosphere, not just money.

Rogers and the rest of the Maple Leafs corporate representatives aren't worried about competition on the ice when it comes to a new franchise in Toronto, or stepping into their long-owned turf.

But it's about the worry that they may need to adjust from being a money-first mindset into a more fan-centric atmosphere because for the first time in a long time - there could be a fight for fans' time, attention, and support.

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