When it comes to their standing in the NHL, the Canucks don't do too badly. From playing in a world class city like Vancouver, to regularly having one of the best average attendances, there's plenty to be encouraged by.
This all said, there was definitely a lot of intrigue after Sportico unveiled their valuations for the 32 NHL franchises. Put together by Kurt Badenhausen, this is the fourth annual edition of their valuation, although you need a subscription to read the article.
It should come as no surprise that the Toronto Maple Leafs are the NHL's most valuable franchise, with Sportico valuing them at $3.66 million USD, which converts to around $5 billion in CAD. At the other end of the spectrum, the Columbus Blue Jackets are the least valuable NHL franchise at 'only' $1.06 billion USD, which converts to roughly $1.47 billion in CAD.
How did the Canucks do?
Of course, the majority of people reading this are most interested in how the Canucks fared. Well, they ended up being ranked 13th in actual value at $1.73 billion USD, which when converted to CAD is around $2.4 billion.
This is actually just below the average valuation of all 32 NHL franchises at $1.79 Billion USD, which converts to roughly $2.49 billion CAD. However, the Canucks also ranked tied-eighth best with Tampa Bay Lightning, with an increase of 44 percent in value from last year.
One final ranking to consider is the Canucks placing right in the middle at fourth-most valuable among all seven Canadian NHL franchises. The least-valuable Canadian franchise is the Winnipeg Jets (also second-worst at 31 among all 32 NHL franchises), with them worth $1.1 billion USD and $1.53 billion in CAD.
Good but should be better
If we're being honest, while not doing terribly, the Canucks should arguably still be valued higher when you consider all the (potential) advantages they have. Although it can also be appreciated that their history and reputation pales significantly in comparison to, for example, their Canadian rivals in Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton.
One thing which probably could help the Canucks' valuation -- at least partly -- is building a new arena, preferably in downtown Vancouver. Consider that Rogers Arena is the eighth-oldest arena in the NHL, with the Canucks playing their first game there on Sept. 23, 1995.
In reality though this is unlikely to happen anytime soon, with Rogers Arena undergoing significant renovations in preparation for celebrating its 30th anniversary next year. Overall, however you slice it up, the Canucks are about (just above) average as an NHL franchise but with the promise of better to come.