Aleksander Barkov (Sam Navarro-Imagn Images)
Florida Panthers captain Aleksander Barkov is now a co-owner of a Major League Pickleball team, the Palm Beach Royals.
Joining Barkov on the staff are professional Canadian Tennis player Bianca Andreescu, Indianapolis Colts pro bowler Kenny Moore II and long-time NBA player Tyler Hansbrough.
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The team, which will debut in 2026, was announced last month, setting a “record-high valuation” for an MLP expansion team at $16 million.
The group, led by Zach Hunter and Taylor Meyer, former NCAA tennis teammates at the University of North Carolina, spoke with Sports Business Journal (SBJ) to share details on the team.
“Go back to 2021, [MLP] teams were trading in the maybe low six-figures. As you go into 2024, you started to see that eight-figure [valuation] mark get eclipsed,” Meyer said. “Fifteen million dollars was actually the initial target we had in our term sheet, and we could raise up to $16M if it did go oversubscribed. It sold out far quicker than we thought.”
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Barkov is one of the most successful players in the NHL currently, captaining the Panthers to back-to-back Stanley Cups, winning three Selke Trophies and earning an estimated career earnings of $74.18 million according to PuckPedia.