However, that is absolutely not the case, as made evident by Bettman in a recent statement. While speaking to reporters, Bettman claimed that any reports about immediate expansion are false. The owners are simply meeting to decide which two cities deserve to be at the top of their list. But expansion is still a ways away.
This is probably good news in the eyes of a lot of fans. 34 teams seems like complete overkill when you consider how now other professional league in North America has that many franchises. The NHL has a lot of work to do before they can consider expanding that much. Even 32 teams feels like a stretch.