PEBBLE BEACH, Calif. Pete Maravich Jersey . -- Gary Bettman has always been careful not to get fans hopes up in cities that want an NHL franchise. That continued Tuesday when the commissioner reiterated the league has no official expansion plans in the offing. It wont happen for the 2014-15 season and maybe not even in 2015-16, but that hasnt stopped the calls from pouring in. "Were getting lots of expressions of interest, and no decisions have been made to do anything other than listen," Bettman said after the leagues board of governors meeting wrapped up. We havent embarked on a formal expansion process, but when people want to talk to us, we listen." If the NHL listens and decides to move forward with expanding at some point in the near future, Quebec City, Seattle and Toronto figure to be the front-runners. But Bettman insisted theres no ranking of potential cities and that no decision has been made to expand. Thats despite uneven conferences right now -- 16 teams in the East and 14 in the West -- that deputy commissioner Bill Daly conceded was a bit of misalignment. Getting up to 32 would make for four divisions of eight teams each and solve the disparity in playoff odds. It seems like a natural move, especially considering the expansion fees the NHL could get. But Bettman said a few things must be looked at before considering a place. "When theres an expression of interest, you look at three factors predominately, show-stoppers so to speak," he said. "You want to understand the market and can it support NHL hockey? Would it be a good addition to the league? Two, youve got to have an arena and three, and perhaps most important, it comes down to ownership." Ownership is one of the keys to the NHLs success in the big picture. Bettman was quick to point to negative attention around the Phoenix Coyotes and how theyve been sold along with the Florida Panthers and New Jersey Devils within the past six months. "My my, how far weve come since the summer, when all the articles and speculation were about all these franchises that were supposedly in trouble, which we never believed were," Bettman said. "The franchises have never been stronger. So we went from relocation in your view and distress to now we should be expanding. Everybody needs to slow down. We dont operate like that. Everything in due course. If, in fact, theres a due course to pursue." The city of Markham, Ontario, recently struck down plans to build an NHL-ready arena as the league made it clear it should not happen with the hopes of getting a team. An arena is being built in Quebec City, and one could be on the way in Seattle to lure an NBA team, as well. "I clearly have acknowledged that the Pacific Northwest has a strong interest in hockey," Daly said of the Seattle expansion possibility. As of now everything is just a possibility. But just drawing interest isnt a bad thing. "The fact is there are lots of expressions of interest from lots of different places and thats great, its gratifying," Bettman said. "It shows the business and the game are healthy because there is so much interest and people want to be a part of the game and invest in the game." Pelicans Jerseys China . The team let Keaton Ellerby, James Wright and Matt Halischuk become unrestricted free agents after declining to make them qualifying offers. Ellerby, 25, appeared in 51 games for the Jets last season and had two goals and four assists. DeMarcus Cousins Jersey .C. -- Kurt Busch put his chances at "70 per cent" at running the Indianapolis 500 this year because of recent developments that have pushed a potential program along. https://www.cheappelicans.com/775u-jaxson-hayes-jersey-pelicans.html . Rajon Rondo had 18 of Bostons season-high 38 assists and the Celtics committed just seven turnovers in a 118-111 win over the Detroit Pistons on Sunday night.The Carolina Panthers made a stunning move on Wednesday as they rescinded their non-exclusive franchise tag offer on All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman, making him an unrestricted free agent. Norman, one of the NFLs top cornerbacks, had not signed the franchise tag offer from the Panthers which would have paid him $13.9m in 2016. The 28-year-old Norman is now free to sign with any team in the NFL and there should be plenty of interest in his services.After a number of conversations with Joshs agent we realized that a long-term deal was not attainable, general manager Dave Gettleman said in a statement.We have decided to rescind the franchise tag freeing Josh to immediately become a UFA. We thank Josh for all his contributions and truly wish him well.Norman wasnt in a talking mood shortly after the move was announced.Man, I just dont feel like talking about it right now, Norman told the Associated Press. Josh Norman #24 of the Carolina Panthers makes a game saving interception against Brandin Cooks #10 of the New Orleans Saints According to ESPN, Norman is seeking a long-term deal in the region off $16m per season, while the Panthers made one offer to him of $11m and did not move off that figure. Custom New Orleans Pelicans Jerseys. ith the gap between the two parties so wide, Gettleman decided the best move for the Panthers was to move on and avoid the situation becoming a distraction for the team.That decision leaves Carolina with a huge hole at the position. Their depth chart now features a trio of Bene Benwikere, Brandon Boykin and Robert McClain at the top and all three are primarily known as slot corners.A former fifth-round draft pick, Norman had a career-high four interceptions in 2015 and helped the NFC champion Panthers lead the NFL in interceptions (24), takeaways (39), points off turnovers (148) last season. He also had 16 passes defended, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.He is unlikely to be a free agent for long, though only teams with significant cap space are likely to be able to afford his $16m-per-year demands.The Jacksonville Jaguars currently have the most cap space in the NFL with $54.8m, according to Spotrac.com. They are followed by the San Francisco 49ers ($52.5m) and Cleveland Browns ($39.8m). Also See: NFL Video Rookies guide NFL on Sky Sports Pundits ' ' '