Oilers rank far ahead of Flames in Forbes' latest NHL valuations

The Edmonton Oilers are worth over $700 million more than the Calgary Flames, according to Forbes.

The business magazine released its annual NHL team valuations this afternoon, which shows a boost in both the Oilers and Flames’ overall value in the past year.

The Oilers have grown substantially, with their franchise value skyrocketing from $1.275 billion a year ago to $1.85 billion. Despite the large growth, however, they remain seventh among all NHL teams.

The Flames are currently valued at $1.1 billion, a significant increase from the $855 million they were at a year ago. As a result, they have jumped slightly from the 21st most valuable team in the NHL to 19th.

The Most Valuable NHL Teams 2023 https://t.co/YeP2YFUjb9 pic.twitter.com/MNckT28GDv

— Forbes (@Forbes) December 14, 2023

Meanwhile, the Toronto Maple Leafs have surpassed the New York Rangers to be the NHL’s most valuable franchise at an astonishing $2.8 billion, while the Montreal Canadiens sit third at $2.3 billion.

The Oilers are the third-highest Canadian franchise on the Forbes list, while the Vancouver Canucks are the fourth, coming in at 12th among all teams. The Ottawa Senators are the second lowest at 24th, while the Winnipeg Jets sit at 28th.

Though the Flames don’t rank among the top half of NHL teams when it comes to value, that should soon change. Construction on a new event centre to replace the Saddledome is expected to begin in 2024, with hopes of being completed and ready to go for the 2026-27 season.

The average worth of an NHL team today is approximately $1.33 billion, which has increased 29% from just a year ago. A big reason for the jump, as reported by Forbes, is that last season, revenue, including arena proceeds from non-NHL events, hit an average of $201 million. That marks an 8.6% increase from the 2022-23 season.

As for the remaining top five teams, the Rangers sit second with a valuation of $2.65 billion, the LA Kings are fourth at $2 billion, and the Bruins sit fifth at $1.9 billion.

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