Sportico released their yearly NHL Franchise Valuations today, and the Columbus Blue Jackets are in an all too familiar spot – The bottom.
The Blue Jackets now rank 32 of 32 in terms of value. That value has come in at $1.06 billion, an increase of 20% over their 2023 ranking, which came in at $880 million.
The top team, of course, is the Toronto Maple Leafs at $3.66 billion. The CBJ’s expansion cousin Minnesota Wild ranks 17th, at $1.6 billion.
In 2021, the team was valued at $525 million, which is roughly a 50% increase.
So what does this mean for the Jackets? The simple answer is that the team is worth almost a billion more than when the McConnell Family started the team. But the next question is what happens now?
Many people over the years have speculated that once the Blue Jackets hit $1 billion, they would start the process of selling the team. Note, that this is pure speculation and no actual rumors of this have ever been confirmed to our knowledge.
Over the last few years, the team has upgraded and updated essential areas of Nationwide Arena. All of the areas the players rely on to be at their best have been upgraded such as the locker room and workout facility. The personal areas of the locker room, coaches room, and everything in between have been upgraded to be more modern.
Many people who have followed the Blue Jackets want the team to spend heavily on making the team a perennial playoff team. With the news that the team is now worth over a billion dollars, expect those voices to get louder.
What’s Next – Columbus will take on the New York Islanders on Wednesday.
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