The Toronto Maple Leafs are on top of the hockey world ... when it comes to how valuable their franchise is, according to Sportico.
Sportico released its 2022 valuations for each NHL franchise, and the Maple Leafs have the highest value at $2.12 billion, $110 million more than the second-place New York Rangers. All figures are quoted in U.S. dollars.
Five of the Original Six teams round out the top five most valuables franchises with the Montreal Canadiens ($1.7 billion), Chicago Blackhawks ($1.44 billion) and Boston Bruins ($1.41 billion) coming after the Maple Leafs and Rangers. The Detroit Red Wings, the other Original Six franchise, sit in 10th at $1.14 billion.
Outside of Toronto and Montreal, the Edmonton Oilers (eighth, $1.29 billion) and Vancouver Canucks (11th, $1 billion) are both valued in the top half of the league and above the $1 billion mark.
The Calgary Flames are 18th ($870 million), the Winnipeg Jets are 22nd ($805 million) and the Ottawa Senators are 27th ($655 million) to round out the rest of the Canadian teams.
Although the Senators are the least valuable Canadian team, Sportico estimates a 21 per cent increase in franchise value from a year ago — the largest increase of any team by 7 per cent.
Ranked 32nd: The Arizona Coyotes, valued at $465 million, up 13 per cent from last year, when they were also ranked last.
Sportico also reports that the average NHL franchise is worth $1.01 billion, up 9 per cent from last year. It's the first time the average has come over a billion.
