Skip to content

Rangers named most valuable NHL franchise by Forbes

Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

The New York Rangers have played a lot of playoff hockey over the past four years, and while they don't have a Stanley Cup to show for it, they can hang their hat on this: The club is the NHL's most valuable franchise, according to Forbes Magazine.

The Rangers are valued at $1.2 billion, topping the list of the most valuable NHL teams for the first time since 2004. The magazine cites trips to the Stanley Cup Final and Eastern Conference finals over the past two years, as well as recent Madison Square Garden renovations worth $1 billion, as major sources of revenue for the club.

The Rangers brought in $229 million in revenue in 2014-15 - the most in the NHL.

The Montreal Canadiens moved up from third to second with a valuation of $1.18 billion - an 18 percent increase over last year, thanks in part to a new television deal.

The Toronto Maple Leafs dropped from first to third at $1.15 billion, down 12 percent. Three playoff wins in 10 years have hurt the franchise.

The average value of an NHL team has gone up three percent to $505 million.

Montreal is the only Canadian franchise to see an increase in value, as a falling Canadian dollar has hurt teams north of the border.

On the other end, if you've got $186 million lying around, you can buy the Florida Panthers.

Here's the full list of Forbes' valuations:

Rank Team Value
1 New York Rangers $1.2B
2 Montreal Canadiens $1.18B
3 Toronto Maple Leafs $1.15B
4 Chicago Blackhawks $925M
5 Boston Bruins $750M
6 Vancouver Canucks $745M
7 Philadelphia Flyers $660M
8 Detroit Red Wings $600M
9 Los Angeles Kings $580M
10 Washington Capitals $565M
11 Pittsburgh Penguins $560M
12 Edmonton Oilers $455M
13 Dallas Stars $450M
14 San Jose Sharks $445M
15 Calgary Flames $435M
16 Anaheim Ducks $400M
17 Minnesota Wild $380M
18 Ottawa Senators $370M
19 Colorado Avalanche $360M
20 Winnipeg Jets $350M
21 New Jersey Devils $330M
22 New York Islanders $325M
23 Buffalo Sabres $300M
24 St. Louis Blues $270M
25 Tampa Bay Lightning $260M
26 Nashville Predators $255M
27 Columbus Blue Jackets $255M
28 Carolina Hurricanes $225M
29 Arizona Coyotes $220M
30 Florida Panthers $186M

Daily Newsletter

Get the latest trending sports news daily in your inbox