The business of NHL hockey is real and in fact, business is good. The National Hockey League is the only professional sport that has lost a complete season to a work stoppage. Commissioner Gary Bettman has had a couple of work stoppages under his reign. But make no mistake about it, Bettman works for the owners of the 32 NHL teams. It’s a billionaires club and these business folks are in it (NHL hockey) to make money.
Owning a professional sports team is about prestige, in some cases it’s about passion for the game, but ultimately it’s about running a business in the Sports and Entertainment industry. Here is a look at how the thirty-two NHL teams stack up when in comes to value and overall net worth.
Valuation of All 32 NHL Franchises – 2024
A lot had changed in the NHL over the past five years. [See: NHL’s Most Valuable Franchises 2019 edition) Here is a look at the valuation of each NHL franchise. Some fun facts based on this data from Forbes.
- The Toronto Maple Leafs and the Edmonton Oilers are the two highest revenue generating teams in the National Hockey League having generated approximately $281M last year.
- The team that saw it’s valuation increase the most over last year? The Los Angeles Kings with a 54% increase in value. The team with the lowest? (excluding the Utah Hockey Club), the St. Louis Blues with a 13% increase.
- The team with the lowest operating income? The Stanley Cup Champion Florida Panthers at $6M. The team with the highest? The Toronto Maple Leafs with $127M.
- The Edmonton Oilers generate nearly $100M more in revenue than their provincial rival Calgary Flames and $83M more than their provincial neighbor Vancouver Canucks
- The New York Rangers generated $82M more in revenue than their rival New York Islanders.
- Of the Original Six NHL teams, the Detroit Red Wings have the lowest value at $1.2B (good for 15th overall)
- Of the original 1967 expansion teams, the Philadelphia Flyers have the greatest value ($1.65B), the St. Louis Blues the lowest at $990M.
| Rank | Team | Current Value | 1-Yr Change | Debt/Value | Revenue | Operating Income |
| #1 | Toronto Maple Leafs | $2.8 B | 40% | 7% | $281 M | $127 M |
| #2 | New York Rangers | $2.65 B | 20% | 3% | $265 M | $69 M |
| #3 | Montreal Canadiens | $2.3 B | 24% | 9% | $265 M | $99 M |
| #4 | Los Angeles Kings | $2 B | 54% | 5% | $279 M | $108 M |
| #5 | Boston Bruins | $1.9 B | 36% | 5% | $239 M | $57 M |
| #6 | Chicago Blackhawks | $1.875 B | 25% | 5% | $228 M | $96 M |
| #7 | Edmonton Oilers | $1.85 B | 45% | 4% | $281 M | $122 M |
| #8 | Philadelphia Flyers | $1.65 B | 32% | 0% | $219 M | $53 M |
| #9 | Washington Capitals | $1.6 B | 33% | 12% | $218 M | $74 M |
| #10 | New York Islanders | $1.55 B | 52% | 32% | $183 M | $30 M |
| #11 | New Jersey Devils | $1.45 B | 51% | 9% | $240 M | $55 M |
| #12 | Vancouver Canucks | $1.325 B | 31% | 9% | $198 M | $48 M |
| #13 | Tampa Bay Lightning | $1.25 B | 25% | 12% | $196 M | $27 M |
| #14 | Seattle Kraken | $1.225 B | 17% | 29% | $197 M | $44 M |
| #15 | Detroit Red Wings | $1.2 B | 17% | 8% | $199 M | $64 M |
| #16 | Pittsburgh Penguins | $1.175 B | 19% | 17% | $207 M | $49 M |
| #17 | Colorado Avalanche | $1.15 B | 34% | 30% | $182 M | $39 M |
| #18 | Vegas Golden Knights | $1.125 B | 17% | 13% | $233 M | $73 M |
| #19 | Calgary Flames | $1.1 B | 29% | 8% | $183 M | $37 M |
| #20 | Dallas Stars | $1.08 B | 17% | 15% | $210 M | $50 M |
| #21 | Minnesota Wild | $1.05 B | 24% | 15% | $185 M | $43 M |
| #22 | St. Louis Blues | $990 M | 13% | 13% | $184 M | $41 M |
| #23 | Nashville Predators | $975 M | 20% | 15% | $180 M | $38 M |
| #24 | Ottawa Senators | $950 M | 19% | 29% | $128 M | $5.1 M |
| #25 | Anaheim Ducks | $925 M | 28% | 27% | $164 M | $22 M |
| #26 | San Jose Sharks | $900 M | 22% | 6% | $158 M | $11 M |
| #27 | Carolina Hurricanes | $825 M | 29% | 18% | $177 M | $25 M |
| #28 | Winnipeg Jets | $780 M | 20% | 17% | $162 M | $21 M |
| #29 | Florida Panthers | $775 M | 41% | 21% | $161 M | $6 M |
| #30 | Columbus Blue Jackets | $765M | 23% | 18% | $151 M | $35 M |
| #31 | Buffalo Sabres | $750 M | 23% | 17% | $159 M | $25 M |
| #32 | Utah Hockey Club | $500 M | 11% | 62% | $120 M | $19 M |
Foe more information visit: https://www.forbes.com/nhl-valuations/list/
Related Reading
