Sidney Crosby and Maple Leafs Top Forbes' Valuation Lists for Players and Teams

Pittsburgh Penguins superstar center Sidney Crosby ranks first in total earnings among NHL players for the 2013-14 season at $16.5 million. Among franchises, the Toronto Maple Leafs top the list with a value of more than $1 billion.   

The valuations were made by Forbes, which ranked all 30 teams and the top 10 players. Forbes' Mike Ozanian passed along the formula used to evaluate the overall value, which uses a multitude of different league and outside sources:

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Our data comes primarily from sports bankers, public documents (municipal arena leases and financial reports), consultants who provide research and conduct studies for cities on the economic impact of an NHL team, arena naming rights and arena financing, credit rating agencies, player agents, network and cable executives, arena operators and, in a few cases, the teams themselves.

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Crosby leads the ranking of total earnings amongst players in large part due to his unmatched off-ice income, which is projected by Forbes at $4.5 million. Alex Ovechkin and Steven Stamkos are the only other players in the top 10 who earn more the $1 million off the ice.

Here's the complete list of top-earning stars:

Rank	Player	Team	Total Earnings
1	Sidney Crosby	Penguins	$16.5 million
2	Shea Weber	Predators	$14.1 million
3	Zach Parise	Wild	$12.8 million
4	Alex Ovechkin	Capitals	$12.5 million
5	Ryan Suter	Wild	$12.1 million
6	Vincent Lecavalier	Flyers	$11 million
7	Steven Stamkos	Lightning	$9.7 million
8	Brad Richards	Rangers	$9.6 million
9	Eric Staal	Hurricanes	$9.5 million
10	Zdeno Chara	Bruins	$8.5 million

Ozanian reports the average value of a NHL franchise is now over $400 million, which is an amazing jump of nearly 50 percent from last year's valuations. The Maple Leafs are currently the only team valued at over $1 billion, but a total of seven are worth at least a $500 million.

The other interesting note from the team breakdown is the fact every franchise gained value from last year's rankings. The Vancouver Canucks enjoyed the big boost as they are up 105 percent and moved into the top five. The Tampa Bay Lightning made the smallest jump at just 3 percent.

Here's a look at where all 30 teams stand this season:

Rank	Team	Current Value
1	Toronto Maple Leafs	$1.15 billion
2	New York Rangers	$850 million
3	Montreal Canadiens	$775 million
4	Vancouver Canucks	$700 million
5	Chicago Blackhawks	$625 million
6	Boston Bruins	$600 million
7	Philadelphia Flyers	$500 million
8	Pittsburgh Penguins	$480 million
9	Detroit Red Wings	$470 million
10	Los Angeles Kings	$450 million
11	Calgary Flames	$420 million
12	Washington Capitals	$414 million
13	San Jose Sharks	$405 million
14	Edmonton Oilers	$400 million
15	Ottawa Senators	$380 million
16	Winnipeg Jets	$340 million
17	Colorado Avalanche	$337 million
18	Dallas Stars	$333 million
19	Minnesota Wild	$330 million
20	New Jersey Devils	$320 million
21	Anaheim Ducks	$300 million
22	Buffalo Sabres	$250 million
23	Florida Panthers	$240 million
24	Nashville Predators	$205 million
25	Phoenix Coyotes	$200 million
26	New York Islanders	$195 million
27	Carolina Hurricanes	$187 million
28	St. Louis Blues	$185 million
29	Tampa Bay Lightning	$180 million
30	Columbus Blue Jackets	$175 million

The teams near the top are certainly no surprise. The top five consist of three teams from the hockey hotbed of Canada, a team from New York City and one of the most successful franchises in recent years, the Blackhawks.

Overall, the numbers seem to paint a very positive picture for the NHL. Every team is gaining value, at least according to Forbes' formula, and exactly half the teams raised their valuation by at least 50 percent from last year.