The NHL has made it clear that it will focus exclusively on the expansion bids from Quebec City and Las Vegas as no other groups managed to file an application before the July 20 deadline.

So while nothing is certain, it’s starting to look like Canada will get an eighth team as the Quebec Nordiques might be reborn just as the Winnipeg Jets before them. But does the fact that the Canadian dollar has declined substantially give the NHL pause? A loonie will get you just 76.65 cents American at this point and the concern, at least from the outside looking in, is that the drop might have a significant impact on Canadian franchises if it’s continued, particularly in small markets like Quebec City would be.

“It’s something the process will have us evaluate,” NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the Boston Globe. “We’ll have to see . . . The Canadian dollar, it tends to get overstated. Our system accounts for the Canadian dollar. The Canadian franchises are seven out of 30 and it gets factored into the system.”

Bettman added that the existing Canadian clubs are doing fine and so he doesn’t see a problem raising the number to eight.

He did add though that the NHL might ultimately only add a single team or none at all.

Related: Post expansion, could NHL realign with eight divisions?

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