NHL commish Gary Bettman reiterates 'we're not looking to expand right now'

NHL commissioner Gary Bettman appeared Monday at the Canadian Club of Toronto and spoke candidly about the state of the league and its 30 franchises ahead of the 2014-15 season. 

As it goes, Bettman was grilled about the NHL's rumored interest in expanding beyond the current markets, continuing to deny reports that suggest the league is looking to put down more roots.  

The fact is, this is the most stable our franchises have ever been. The healthiest we've been as a league. We're not looking to expand right now. No teams are relocating.

I'm not suggesting that in some point in the future we might not look at it, but we're not ready to do it now. And I don't want to build up anybody's expectations because that's not fair to the people in the communities that want to have a franchise. 

Still beaming from the lucrative Canadian TV deal signed last year, Bettman joked that the only thing bothering him about the inaccurate reports was that his franchises were undervalued.

He also downplayed the impact of the conference imbalance and how expansion could help remedy the current discrepancy. 

You don't expand just to fulfill someone's notion of symmetry. It's a very important business decision to make and you do it for the right reasons and at the right time. 

We are feeling good about where we are. We are feeling good about the future. But I'm not sure at this point that's something we need right now. 

For Bettman's comments on expansion in full, tap here.