The Chicago Blackhawks were named the smartest spenders among the 122 franchises in the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA, according to a report from Bloomberg Sports.
Franchises were rated “based on how much they spent in player payroll for every win during the last five seasons,” the report stated. “Each team [was] compared against the average price per win in its league to produce a score [called] the efficiency index. The less a team spends compared with its peers, the lower its score. Playoff victories and championships [received] extra weight.”
The Blackhawks had an average payroll of $58 million over the past five seasons compared to a league average of $55.6 million. During that time the team averaged 44.6 regular season wins with the league average at 37.6; they averaged 9.2 playoff wins per season compared to the 2.91 league average. The team also won championships in 2010 and 2013.
Rounding out the top five were the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Bruins, New England Patriots and Tampa Bay Rays with the Miami Heat being the top NBA franchise at No. 6 overall.
Despite their struggles this season, the Vancouver Canucks were the seventh ranked NHL team and 25th overall, the tops among Canadian NHL teams. They were followed by the Montreal Canadiens at 67, Ottawa Senators at 71, Winnipeg Jets at 99, Toronto Maple Leafs at 105 and Calgary Flames at 106. The Edmonton Oilers were the lowest rated Canadian sports franchise and the 30th ranked NHL team; overall, only the Chicago Cubs were rated below them.
The Toronto Blue Jays were the 19th ranked MLB team and 78th overall. Their average payroll was $79.7 million compared to a league average of $94.8 million. The Blue Jays averaged 77.6 wins, below the league average of 81.
The Toronto Raptors were one of the lowest rated NBA teams and came in at 107th overall. Their average payroll was $67.3 million compared to a league average of $69.9 million and averaged 30.4 wins, nine victories fewer than the league average of 39.39.
