I've been meaning to get this off my chest for some time now, but I also agree it could go either way.
What I've settled in on is Seattle and QC are your Expansion locations and the following are your later-on relocation/Expansion spots (Not all, just one of...) in the next 5-7 yrs.
Portland (WC Relo)
Hamilton (Expansion or Relo)
Vegas (EC Relo)
Houston (Expansion or Relo)
KC (???)
I believe those are most of the markets they're looking at (Although, I think they'd do a second GTA before Hamilton)…
But I also think they're planning bigger than SEA/QUE.
-- Because if they weren't, why they wouldn't have struck while the iron was hot following the Coyotes/Glendale lease hearings?
There was momentum and excitement in Seattle, Hansen was talking about getting the MOU re-written; The potential ownership group, mayor McGinn and Bettman had talks and the Seattle Coyotes. And Quebec's basically ready to re-join at a moment's notice. There's really no reason NOT to have announced Seattle & Quebec as expansion teams already.
-- If you ARE going to expand bigger than SEA/QUE. You don't announce until you've got all 4 or 6 teams ready, and you don't announce QUE first. You announce the most and least popular expansion candidates at the same time:
If they said "we're expanding into Seattle and Quebec," the story is "Quebec returns!"
Then the next story when the NHL expands into Portland and Las Vegas" is "Vegas, WTF?"
If they said "we're expanding into Seattle and Portland" the story is "NHL in the Pacific northwest; a SEA-PORT rivalry, etc"
Then the next story when the NHL expands into Quebec & Las Vegas, is "Quebec returns! (Vegas? Who cares? Quebec returns!)"
I think it's SEA-PORT; then QUE/Vegas; and then…after a while at 34, it's GTA2/Houston once Rogers/Bell/Alexander and all those issues get sorted out. And then they'll sit at 36 for a loooooong time (with Hamilton, Kansas City as potential relocation cities).