Toronto Maple Leafs' president and general manager Brian Burke took NHL Commisioner Gary Bettman on a tour of the team's new practice facility on Tuesday and took the opportunity to make a pitch for an outdoor game at BMO Field.
Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment also applied to host an NHL All-Star Game and two NHL Entry Drafts at the Air Canada Centre in the next four years.
BMO Field, the home of Toronto FC of Major League Soccer, has a capacity of just over 20,000 for soccer.
"We are looking at feasibility of adding a handful of seats for next year," said Tom Anselmi, VP and COO of MLSE. "We want an outdoor game for Toronto and the league is aware of that. We think it could be spectacular at BMO field. I see filling the seats plus 'festival seating' on the field for at least 25,000 total attendance."
This year's Winter Classic will be held at Fenway Park Park in Boston on New Year's Day with the Philadelphia Flyers taking on the Boston Bruins.
Previous Winter Classics have been held in Ralph Wilson Stadium in Buffalo and Wrigley Field in Chicago. And the Heritage Classic between the Edmonton Oilers and Montreal Canadiens was played at Commonwealth Stadium in 2003.
Bettman was in Toronto for Monday night's Hockey Hall of Fame induction ceremony.