Owner of the Utah Jazz is asking the NHL to expand

Ryan Smith, the owner of the Utah Jazz, loves the state that he works in and wants more sports leagues to settle down there. Because of that, he was part of a group requesting that the NHL bring an extension team to Utah.

In a letter delivered to the hockey league, Smith wrote about the benefits that would come to any NHL team in the state. Along with Elliotte Friedman, Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer, and NWSL's Utah Royals, Smith tried to make an impression on the wildly popular league.

In response to the letter, the NHL said "Utah is a promising market, and we look forward to continuing our discussions."

Major league hockey in Utah would make a lot of sense, as that part of the country gets a lot of snow and residents in the region are used to cold weather.

The NHL has been growing in popularity over the years and is currently on the hunt for new locations in America to plant its flag.

As for Smith, he is currently watching his team go through a slow rebuilding process after losing both Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert last year.

This season has been a disappointing one for the Jazz but there are reasons to be excited about the future, because the team has a ton of trade assets and young players who are only getting better. It has been predicted that the Jazz could be one of the best teams in the league within a few years. When that time comes, will an NHL team all be playing in Utah?