With Disney buying most of 21st Century Fox, ESPN (Disney owned) appears to have acquired the regional NHL TV rights for many NHL cities.
https://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...st-Century-Fox
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Combining with Disney are 21st Century Fox’s critically acclaimed film production businesses, including Twentieth Century Fox, Fox Searchlight Pictures and Fox 2000, which together offer diverse and compelling storytelling businesses and are the homes of Avatar, X-Men, Fantastic Four and Deadpool, as well as The Grand Budapest Hotel, Hidden Figures, Gone Girl, The Shape of Water and The Martian—and its storied television creative units, Twentieth Century Fox Television, FX Productions and Fox21, which have brought The Americans, This Is Us, Modern Family, The Simpsons and so many more hit TV series to viewers across the globe. Disney will also acquire FX Networks, National Geographic Partners, Fox Sports Regional Networks, Fox Networks Group International, Star India and Fox’s interests in Hulu, Sky plc, Tata Sky and Endemol Shine Group.
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Fox has (had) the NHL regional rights for Anaheim, Arizona, Carolina, Detroit, Florida, St. Louis, Minnesota, Columbus, Dallas, Nashville, Los Angeles, Tampa Bay, Nashville. With this sale, Disney/ESPN has acquired them all according to reports.
NBC's national coverage contract ends in 2021, could be a sign that ESPN will also make a huge play for the national broadcast rights in the US.