Aarif Deen
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?