New York Rangers
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The New York Rangers are the top valued NHL team as ranked by Forbes.

Frank Curto

Winning or losing, first place or last, it really doesn’t matter for the New York Rangers. The original six franchise ranked number one on the Forbes list of most valuable teams. It was the fourth consecutive year New York topped the list.

The Rangers missed the playoffs last season, but that didn’t hurt the value of the team whatsoever.

The Blueshirts were valued at $1.55 billion in the listing by Forbes. That was a three percent increase over last years value of the hockey club.

The Toronto Maple Leaf, $1.45 billion, Montreal Canadiens, $1.3 billion, Chicago Blackhawks, $1.05 billion were all in the top five of Forbes list released on Wednesday. The entire list is available at Forbes.com.

According to Forbes, the average value of an NHL team rose six percent to a record $630 million.

Forbes reported the league’s average operating income hit a record $25 million for the 2017-18 season, which was a 39 percent increase over the 2016-2017 season the previous season. The NHL and NHLPA signed a new collective bargaining agreement in January 2013. The ten-year agreement (which can be opted out by either side in 2021) reduced the players’ share of hockey-related revenue to a 50-50 split.

The Florida Panthers, No. 30 $295 million, and the Arizona Coyotes, No. 31 $290 million, are the only teams in the NHL who had a decrease in team value over the past year. Both teams have a negative three percent value decrease.

Last year’s Cinderella team, the Vegas Golden Knights, was ranked No. 12 at $575 million, which is 15 percent more than their expansion fee.

That increase in value in just one year should make the owners of the new Seattle based NHL franchise excited. Seattle was just awarded a franchise on Tuesday, one in which they reportedly paid over $600 million for their expansion fee into the league.

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A graduate of St. John's University class of '91. I have been a fan of the New York Rangers since the days of Peter Puck. Founder of Ranger Proud, the Facebook page that covers all news, notes, pre /post-game stats, and player quotes. I can be reached at Nyrfc12@gmail.com