Houston Mayor John Whitmire has publicly argued that his city should be chosen over Austin for one of the NHL's two planned expansion franchises, saying Houston would be a "better location" and that the league would "never regret" awarding it a team. The competition matters because it will determine which Texas city becomes home to the NHL's 33rd franchise, with the league also weighing a separate decision on a 34th club, potentially in Atlanta. Whitmire's comments add a public dimension to a decision that had largely been driven by league officials assessing market size and business fundamentals.

Whitmire told The Sporting News that Houston is "ready" and already in talks with multiple interested parties, positioning the city as a strong partner for sports franchises. Houston is currently the largest media market in the United States without an NHL team, a factor NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly has confirmed is significant, though the city has no NHL history beyond hosting the WHA's Houston Aeros in the 1970s. Austin, by contrast, could offer the NHL a first-mover advantage as the first major league team in the city, a strategy that succeeded for the Vegas Golden Knights. Austin Mayor Kirk Watson's office has not responded to Whitmire's remarks, while Atlanta continues to be discussed as a leading candidate for a further NHL franchise, backed by two competing arena projects.