For the average hockey fan, investing in their favourite team is all about the passion, excitement and the hope that they will one day see them lift the Stanley Cup. It is of course no different for those who support the Vancouver Canucks.
However, the harsh reality is that owners are not always aligned with this dream, with money often being the bottom line, i.e. running the franchise like a business. Sure, consistent winning can help with said bottom line, but there are plenty of owners who will look to save money wherever possible.
Which brings us to a new study by Sportbet, which looks at the revenue for sports teams in the NHL, NFL, MLB, NBA, MLS and Formula 1, in order to predict how much they will be making by the year 2030. In order to predict these figures, historical revenue data from 163 sports team was ran through a linear forecast regression model to calculate potential future values.
Where are the Canucks ranked?
For the NHL specifically, Sportbet currently has the Canucks in 15th place among all 32 teams, with revenue of $198 million for this year. Interestingly though, while these revenue figures will improve over time, their actual ranking goes down.
As per Sportbet's linear forecast regression model, the Canucks' revenue is projected to improve to $226.14 million USD by the year 2030. However, their predicted revenue increase of 14.2 percent is actually the worst in the NHL,resulting in them dropping down to 21st among the 32 teams for how much revenue they will be making in 2030.
These findings are clearly a surprise, when considering the Canucks play in a world class city, and have an extremely loyal and passionate fan base. They also have an ownership which is invested in helping the team succeed.
As per Sportico's recent fourth annual valuations, the Canucks came in as the NHL's 13th-most valuable franchise with a worth of $1.73 billion USD. And last time we checked, Vancouver is quite an expensive city to live in.
In respect of that last point, the Canucks organisation does what it can, to make it as affordable as possible for fans to attend games at Rogers Arena, As per another recent study by FreeBets.com, they ranked as the ninth-most reasonable team to go and watch play in person, based on a family of four purchasing four non-premium tickets, four hot dogs, two beers, two sodas, two team hats, and parking.
With the revenue projections in mind, you could make the argument the Canucks need to raise some of their prices! At the same time, what better way to prove you're invested in your fans enjoying themselves, that overseeing the lowest percentage revenue increase between now and 2030.
Middle of the pack among Canadian NHL teams
In any event, it's still a surprise that the Canucks are projected to be where they will be in 2030. By comparison, the Edmonton Oilers ($347.34 million), Toronto Maple Leafs ($330.38 million) and Montreal Canadiens ($314.07 million) are all projected to rank in the top five in the NHL. (The Calgary Flames, Winnipeg Jets and Ottawa Senators are all ranked below the Canucks.)
Top spot goes to the Los Angeles Kings, with a projected revenue increase to $361.99 million by 2030. The Vegas Golden Knights come in a number four to complete the top five with a projected revenue stream of $317.80 million, with them also seeing the biggest revenue increase percentage at 36.4 percent.
Overall, the findings make for interesting reading and we will definitely be keeping an eye on how the Canucks do in the coming years. In any event, as per our opening comments, we are confident that they have an ownership that is committed to building a consistent winner and finally bringing the Stanley Cup championship to Vancouver for the first time, even if this compromises the bottom line.