Report: Record 12 NHL teams valued at over $2 billion
The growth of the NHL continues to astound in the sports landscape.
On Wednesday, Sportico released its annual valuations ranking of the 32 franchises across the league. While many of the teams near the top of the list – the Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, and Montreal Canadiens – might not be surprising, the quantity of franchises that are worth big bucks is certainly eye-opening.
According to the report, a total of 12 teams across the NHL are now worth over $2 billion. To the average sports fan, that might not seem like a lot. However, given the league’s status as it emerged from the COVID pandemic, it’s a notable achievement. In 2021, only the Maple Leafs were valued at $2 billion. Two years later, the Rangers and Habs joined the select club. Now, 37.5 percent of the league has hit the mark, with some notable increase in values as well.
The Leafs ($4.25 billion), Rangers ($3.65 billion), and Canadiens ($3.3 billion) occupy the top three spots in this year’s rankings, with the Boston Bruins ($3 billion) and Los Angeles Kings ($2.96 billion) rounding out the top five. The Washington Capitals, currently sitting ninth on the list, have broken into the $2 billion club after a 24% value increase from last season, now worth $2.3 billion. The Detroit Red Wings ($2.11 billion), New Jersey Devils ($2.06 billion) and Vegas Golden Knights ($2.02 billion) are also bringing in the bacon.
The biggest mover over the past few years has been the Carolina Hurricanes. Tommy Dundon’s team shot up 10 spots from last year’s ranking, having a reported growth of 49%. It’s impressive because it was just four years ago that the franchise was worth $545 million, sitting 28th in the NHL. The Hurricanes, who sit 15th at $1.92 billion, will be in the $2 billion club soon if they continue to rise at its current pace.
The Columbus Blue Jackets are at the bottom of the rankings, worth $1.3 billion, despite a 23% increase in value from last year. The Ottawa Senators ($1.34 billion) and Winnipeg Jets ($1.33 billion) sit just ahead of them.
Sportico determines a team’s total value by the sum of the enterprise value of a franchise, combined with team-related businesses and real estate holdings. None of the value includes rent from non-hockey operations or other licensing fees paid by non-hockey third parties.