ESPN.com · Dec 4, 2018
Everything you need to know about Seattle's new NHL team
The NHL will add a franchise in Seattle, the league's 32nd team, it announced Tuesday, following a unanimous vote by the Board of Governors. The as yet unnamed franchise will be Seattle's first winter sports team since the NBA's SuperSonics left for Oklahoma City in 2008.
Speaking of "as yet unnamed," you've probably got a lot of questions about the new team, and we're here to answer them!
When are they going to start playing?
The 2021-22 season. Seattle's ownership group initially targeted a 2020 entry, but the league had reservations about whether that might rush the $700 million renovations to downtown Key Arena, and instead, pushed the entry date a year later.