Report: Bettman says decision on Quebec City, Las Vegas expansions could come in next few months

The decision on whether the NHL will expand into Quebec City and Las Vegas should come within a few months, according to commissioner Gary Bettman.

From Mason Levinson of Bloomberg News via the National Post:

The National Hockey League could decide whether to expand to Las Vegas or Quebec City in the next few months, Commissioner Gary Bettman said.

The NHL confirmed Tuesday that Quebec City and Las Vegas were being looked at as possible expansion locations after groups from each city submitted applications to move forward with the process.

Bettman said the NHL was "not under any deadlines" at the Beyond Sport United conference in New Jersey on Wednesday, adding that the process is now in place for the league to take a closer look at the proposals.

"The purpose of the first stage was to distinguish between what was reality and what was not," Bettman said at the event, according to Neil Best of Newsday. "So we'll now go through the process of evaluating those applications and the board will have to focus on whether or not it wants to expand, and if so whether either or both of these applications make sense."