Southern Ontario could probably support 3 or 4 teams. The issue is that the NHL wants to expand in the US market, and get more TV contracts there. As a result

Southern Ontario could probably support 3 or 4 teams. The issue is that the NHL wants to expand in the US market, and get more TV contracts there. As a result, they are willing to have teams lose huge amounts of money in garbage hockey markets just to satisfy that. If you wanted strong teams, move one to Ontario. If you want to lose a whole bunch of money for a while and potentially do better in the US market - continue on this path.