Quattordici mesi dopo il debutto dei Vegas Knights, i proprietari degli attuali 31 club della NHL hanno approvato all'unanimità l'aggiunta di una 32a squadra a partire dalla stagione 2021-22. La nuova franchigia, ancora senza nome, sarà basata a Seattle. La città ritroverà dunque una formazione in uno sport maggiore invernale dopo aver perso i SuperSonics, che partecipavano alla NBA e che nel 2008 si sono trasferiti a Oklahoma City. Prima di conoscere il nome della nuova squadra potrebbero passare anche due anni, ma già nel 2017 la NHL ha registrato i diritti di "Seattle Metropolitans".
Per l'hockey ai massimi livelli si tratta di un ritorno a Seattle, visto che nel 1917, prima ancora della nascita della NHL, i già allora Metropolitans erano diventati la prima squadra statunitense a vincere la Stanley Cup battendo in finale i Montréal Canadiens. L'entusiasmo sulle rive del Pacifico è grande: sono stati prenotati 10'000 abbonamenti in 12 minuti e le richieste sono state 30'000.
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