The NHL added the Columbus Blue Jackets and Minnesota Wild in 2000. Both expansion teams began play in the 2000–01 season, increasing the league from 28 teams to 30.
The two franchises were built through the 2000 NHL expansion draft, held on June 23, 2000, in Calgary, Alberta. Columbus and Minnesota selected players from existing NHL clubs under roster-protection rules, giving each new team the personnel needed for its inaugural season. The expansion draft was followed by the 2000 NHL Entry Draft in Calgary on June 24 and 25.
Columbus joined the Central Division, while Minnesota initially joined the Northwest Division. Their arrival marked the first NHL season with 30 teams and expanded the league's reach into Ohio and back into Minnesota. The Wild's debut was especially significant because Minnesota had been without an NHL team since the North Stars moved to Dallas in 1993.
The Blue Jackets and Wild are both expansion franchises rather than relocations of earlier teams. Although the Wild returned NHL hockey to Minnesota, they do not own the historical records of the Minnesota North Stars; that franchise history belongs to the Dallas Stars.