Despite Sorry Decade, Flyers’ Value Climbing

These aren’t Ed Snider’s Philadelphia Flyers.

They rarely make the playoffs, rarely are Stanley Cup contenders, rarely draw sellout crowds.

But they are getting more valuable.

According to Forbes Magazine, the Philadelphia Flyers, despite winning just one playoff series in the last 10 years, are the NHL’s eighth-most valuable franchise. Their estimated value is $1.25 billion, a 4% increase from last year.

Snider and Jerry Wolman headed the ownership group that purchased the Flyers for $2 million in 1966. Snider died on April 11, 2016 after a two-year battle  with bladder cancer. He was the chairman pf Comcast Spectacor, the Flyers’ parent company.

A little over five months after Snider’s death, Comcast Corp bought out the portion of the Flyers and other Comcast Spectacor properties owned by Snider’s estate. At the time, Forbes estimated the Flyers’ value at $660 million.

In one of his media appearances last season, Dave Scott, chairman of Comcast Spectacor, said there was no plan to sell the Flyers.

NHL teams, on average, are currently worth $1.03 billion, the first time they have ever topped the the $1 billion mark and 19% higher than last year, per Forbes.

Not bad for such a struggling economy, eh?

Rangers are No. 1

The New York Rangers are the most valuable NHL ream for the eighth straight year. The franchise is worth $2.2 billion, a 10% increase from last year.

The Rangers, who have won just one Cup in the last 82 years (1994), tied the Los Angeles Kings for the most revenue in the NHL last season ($249 million), Forbes reported.

The NHL’s media deals with ESPN and TNT have contributed to the teams’ increased value. The networks will pay the league a combined $650 million annually over seven years. That’s nearly three times the previous deal with NBC.

According to Forbes, the teams’ 50/50 revenue split between owners and players has increased the teams’ value significantly. The players used to get 57% of the hockey-related revenue until 2014.Revenue per team averaged $185 million last year, according to Forbes.

Of teams ranked in the top 10 in value, four are not in playoff spots — the Flyers, Chicago, Montreal, and Washington.

Arizona (9-14-4) is last in value; the Coyotes, who are playing in a 5,000-seat college arena, are valued at $450 million.

Here are the top 10 teams in terms of value, along with their current records:

1. New York Rangers, $2.2 billion. Record: 15-10-5.

2. Toronto Maple leafs: $2 billion. Record: 19-5-6.

3. Montreal Canadiens: $1.85 billion. Record: 14-13-2.

4, Chicago Blackhawks: $1.5 billion. Record: 7-16-4.

5. Boston Bruins: $1.4  billion. Record: 23-4-1.

6. Los Angeles Kings: $1.3 billion. Record: 15-12-5.

7. Edmonton Oilers: $1.275 billion. Record: 17-13.

8. Philadelphia Flyers: $1.25 billion. Record: 9-14-7.

9. Washington Capitals: $1.2 billion. Record:15-12-4.

10. Seattle Kraken: $1.05 billion. Record: 16-9-