You can call Seattle a hockey town now. The NHL's Board of Governors approved the city's expansion bid on Tuesday, awarding the Emerald City the league's 32nd franchise.

Which will be the next North American league to test the expansion waters? What cities might be part of that expansion? We asked our experts.

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NFL

Where will be next: London (but not the way you think)

Although Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is no longer bidding to buy Wembley Stadium, there is still ample evidence of the NFL's growing connection with London. A long-delayed NFL-influenced stadium will open at Tottenham in time for next season, for example. But absent the reintroduction of supersonic transatlantic flights, huge logistical obstacles remain for a permanent franchise relocation or expansion.

A London-based NFL team probably would have a lopsided schedule featuring weeks at a time at a North American practice site, and its travel would put it at a serious competitive disadvantage. That's why many observers think the NFL's likeliest play is a "virtual" team: eight (or so) regular-season games in London -- perhaps split between Wembley and the new Tottenham stadium -- that would give U.K. fans and corporate sponsors a full dose of American football while avoiding logistical imbalances.

In spite of the 2018 game relocation, the NFL has embraced Mexico City as part of its international series. Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

Where should be next: Mexico City

If the NFL wants a traditionally based international team, Mexico City is more viable than London. It wouldn't add a trip any longer than teams on either U.S. coast already face. The time zone links up. And unknown to many, the history of American football runs much deeper in Mexico than in Europe.

The relationship hit a logistical bump in November, when a game scheduled for Estadio Azeteca was moved to Los Angeles because of poor field conditions. And the chances of immediate financial success, not to be underestimated, might be better in London.

But part of the calculus must be about giving the franchise a chance to succeed beyond corporate sponsorships. The financial position of a losing team, even in a rich area, is unstable in the long term. From a competitive standpoint, Mexico City is a much better fit.

-- Kevin Seifert