One of my favorite stories to follow each year is the franchise value rankings for all 32 NHL teams.
This year, franchises around the league rose in value by a combined 17% averaging out at $2.01 billion per team. It’s also more than doubled since the average franchise value was around $1 billion in 2022.
The Toronto Maple Leafs rank at the top of the list, coming in at $4.25 billion. The Avs are 20th, valuing at $1.81 billion, which is one spot lower than where they were a year ago. The team’s value went up 15% year over year despite the drop in rankings.
Colorado is slightly behind the Calgary Flames ($1.82 billion) and the Vancouver Canucks $1.87 billion). The KSE-owned franchise is also one spot ahead of the Minnesota Wild ($1.79 billion).
Things are soaring quickly for this league, and you can see it everywhere. Kirill Kaprizov signed a landmark, record-breaking $136 million contract earlier this week. And young defensemen like Jackson LaCombe and Luke Hughes are set to make $9 million annually, each, on long-term deals.
It’s a new landscape in this sport and it’s something we’ll all have to quickly adjust to. We’re likely not far off from the first $20 million AAV in the NHL. Could it be Cale Makar?
