How does the Golden Knights' success impact plans to add a 32nd team? John Shannon answers that question — and many more — in his third annual list of the NHL's top 25 power brokers.

With a market the size of Houston publicly and warmly opening its arms to NHL hockey, it is a relocation and expansion option that is not going to go away anytime soon.

So while it may be true that the NHL is not currently in expansion mode, it is almost a given, that it will be again and sooner rather than later.

Investing in China has to be consistent and aggressive and, for the foreseeable future, should grow with the market’s interest in hockey. More games, more teams, more players.

Seattle is an attractive market and the NHL has considered putting a team there in the past. But until the city can get a suitable arena, there's no sense in getting fans worked up about the potential of having a team.

HNIC. Hockey Night in China. Yup, you read that correctly. The announcement earlier this week that two pre-season games between Vancouver and Los Angeles will take place this fall in Beijing and Shanghai, constitutes the NHL’s official sojourn into the world’s most populous country.

With Gary Bettman saying people should assume the NHL will not go to the Olympics, does that mean the league is for sure out? Not so fast: the key negotiations are just beginning. John Shannon hits on some key points.