Report: Record 20 NHL teams valued at over $2 billion
The wealth across the NHL continues its exponential growth.
Ahead of the 2026-27 season, Sportico released its annual valuations, ranking the 32 NHL franchises and their monetary values.
Leading the charge, as per usual, is the Toronto Maple Leafs. For the sixth straight season, everyone’s favorite hockey team is the most valuable in the league, clocking in this year at $4.8 billion, a 13 percent increase from 2025. The New York Rangers join the Maple Leafs in the $4 billion club, clocking in at a value of $4.15 billion this year, up 14 percent from a year ago. The Montreal Canadiens remain third, as the fellow Original Six franchise is valued at $3.8 billion. The Los Angeles Kings ($3.33 billion) and Boston Bruins ($3.31 billion) flipped spots in the past year, with the Kings now the fifth-most valuable team in the NHL and the Bruins dropping to fifth.
While eight teams are worth over $3 billion this year, a staggering 20 franchises are now valued at over $2 billion, a new NHL record. In just five years, the “$2 Billion Club” went from being the Leafs alone to nearly two-thirds of the league. That’s insane, given the financial woes the NHL was facing coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
There were a few teams that really made headway over the past calendar year. The Calgary Flames jumped from 19th in value to 14th, with the franchise being valued at $2.24 billion. The New York Islanders had a massive jump, with their value growing a league-high 40 percent from last year and moving from 14th to 10th in the rankings. The Isles are now worth $2.7 billion. The team is worth enough now that ownership is close to selling 15 percent of its stake, valued at around $3 billion.
There were a couple of teams that fell down the rankings. The Florida Panthers ($2.15 billion), Vancouver Canucks ($2.05 billion), San Jose Sharks ($1.78 billion) and St. Louis Blues ($1.7 billion) all dropped two spots from last year, while the Pittsburgh Penguins ($1.75 billion) went from 23rd to 26th, seeing just a 3 percent growth from 2025, the lowest rise in the league.
