What's Your Favorite NHL Franchise Worth?
December 11, 2021 December 11, 2021 by Sam Nestler
It is that time of year again. The Holidays are here and so are Forbes annual rankings for the NHL's most valuable teams. Following the COVID-shortened season that saw a 2.0% dip in overall team value, arenas are full once again and hockey has heated up quickly. Even though the pandemic is still hanging around, team values increased by 32% from last season, marking the largest increase in eight years. A huge factor in this increase is the recent seven-year television rights agreement with ESPN and Turner, who will pay the NHL an average of $625 million per year compared to the $300 million they were receiving from NBC in the years prior. The top spot this year goes to the New York Rangers, who become the first NHL team ever to be worth more than two billion dollars. Here is a look at the full list from top to bottom.
Alexis Lafreniere, New York Rangers (Photo by Jared Silber/NHLI via Getty Images)
1. New York Rangers
Value: $2 billion
2020 Ranking: 1st
Owner: Madison Square Garden Sports
2. Toronto Maple Leafs
Value: $1.8 billion
2020 Ranking: 2nd
Owner: Bell Canada, Rogers Communications, Larry Tanenbaum
3. Montreal Canadiens
2020 Ranking: 3rd
Owner: Molson family
4. Chicago Blackhawks
2020 Ranking: 4th
Owner: Rocky Wirtz
5. Boston Bruins
Value $1.3 billion
Owner: Jeremy Jacobs
6. Philadelphia Flyers
Owner: Comcast
7. Edmonton Oilers
2020 Ranking: 14th
Owner: Daryl Katz
8. Los Angeles Kings
Value: $1.025 billion
Owner: Philip Anschutz
9. Detroit Red Wings
Value: $990 million
Owner: Marian Ilitch
10. New York Islanders
Owner: Scott Malkin, Jon Ledecky
The club from the big apple becomes the first team worth $2 billion in NHL history. This marks the eighth straight year that the Rangers top the list, largely due to their 'original six' market, and $1 billion restoration of Madison Square Garden. The Philadephia Flyers and New York Islanders are two other teams benefitting from recent arena transformations. The two largest increases in the top ten came from the Islanders, who jumped from 16th to 10th with an increase of 83%, and the Edmonton Oilers, who jumped from 14th to 7th with an increase of 100%.
Middle of the Pack
Washington Capitals' Alex Ovechkin scoring his 700th goal, Feb. 22, 2020 (Jess Starr/The Hockey Writers)
11. Washington Capitals
Owner: Ted Leonsis
12. Pittsburgh Penguins
Owner: Mario Lemieux, Ron Burkle
13. Seattle Kraken
2020 Ranking: none
Owner: David Bonderman
14. Vancouver Canucks
Owner: Aquilini Investment Group
15. New Jersey Devils
Owner: Josh Harris, David Blitzer
16. Dallas Stars
Owner: Tom Gagliardi
17. Vegas Golden Knights
2020 Rank: 13th
Owner:Bill Foley, Maloof family
18. Calgary Flames
Owner: N. Murray Edwards
19. Minnesota Wild
Owner: Craig Leipold
20. Tampa Bay Lightning
2020 Rank: 21st
Owner: Jeffrey Vinik
21. St. Louis Blues
Owner: Tom Stillman
Among the middle of the pack are many teams that fell in this years' rankings. The biggest decrease came from the Vancouver Canucks, Dallas Stars, and Vegas Golden Knights, who all dropped four spots.
Related: Every NHL Teams' All-Time Best Goal Scorer
The newcomer Seattle Kraken grabbed the 13th spot on the list right off the bat with their impressive 'Climate Pledge Arena' and high number of initial ticket sales. The only clubs that saw an increase in this group were the Calgary Flames and two-time defending Stanley Cup Champion, Tampa Bay Lightning.
Colorado Avalanche center Nathan MacKinnon (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee)
22. Colorado Avalanche
2020 Rank: 22nd
Owner: Stanley Kroenke
23. San Jose Sharks
Owner: Hasso Plattner
24. Anaheim Ducks
2020 Rank: 23rd
Owner: Henry and Susan Samueli
25. Nashville Predators
Owner: Herbert Fritch
26. Winnipeg Jets
Owner: True North Sports + Entertainment
27. Carolina Hurricanes
Owner: Tom Dundon
28. Ottawa Senators
Owner: Eugene Melnyk
29. Buffalo Sabres
Owner: Terrence and Kim Pegula
30. Columbus Blue Jackets
Owner: John P. McConnell, Nationwide
31. Florida Panthers
Owner: Vincent Viola
32. Arizona Coyotes
Owner: Alex Meruel
Phil Kessel, Arizona Coyotes (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
Once again, it is the Arizona Coyotes rounding out the teams at the bottom of the list. Currently without an arena for the 2022-23 season and being threatened a lockout from their current arena this season, the messy Coyotes have traded hands twice over the past seven years. They were sold for $305 million in 2014 and again for $300 million in 2019 and have been the lowest valued team for a large part of a decade. This bottom group represents the least change as only the Ottawa Senators, Carolina Hurricanes, and San Jose Sharks moved more than one spot in either direction.
The NHL is seeing a reboot after a large decrease in revenue during the COVID-19 pandemics' worst times. After reaching a low of $2.9 billion in total revenue last season, the league is projected to see a steady increase in the coming years, eventually reaching $6 billion in 2025-26.
Now that you have read the full list, who are your biggest surprises?
Sam Nestler
Sam Nestler is a Dallas Stars contributor for the 'The Hockey Writers'. Growing up in New Jersey, Sam has been playing hockey since he was 7 years old. Developing a love for writing in college, Sam uses his hockey knowledge to create analyses and articles on every aspect of the game. Sam also hosts his own podcast on Spotify, the "Slapshot Sammy' podcast, breaking down action across the NHL and NCAA. Check out the podcast here, and give his latest article a read!
Categories Commentary, Editor's Choice, Top 10 Lists