Five NHL teams at risk of relocation after Oilers top revenue list
Edmonton Oilers revenue hit $431 million in 2024-25, the highest in the NHL. That number creates a problem for five other franchises.
Forbes estimates put the Oilers' operating income at $244 million, while the Buffalo Sabres cleared roughly $11 million. Same league, same rulebook.
The Columbus Blue Jackets sat lowest in revenue at $161 million, ahead of Buffalo at $175 million, the Ottawa Senators at $181 million, the San Jose Sharks at $182 million and the Anaheim Ducks at $185 million.
The cap floor, not the moving truck
Those numbers get read as relocation risk every time they circulate. The paperwork says otherwise, because Ottawa bought roughly 11 acres at LeBreton Flats to build downtown and every one of the bottom five now carries a valuation above $1.4 billion.
The real pressure is the salary floor. It sat at $70.6 million in 2025-26, climbs to $76.9 million for 2026-27, and reaches $83.9 million in 2027-28.
That is $13.3 million in forced new spending across two seasons.
Buffalo's entire estimated operating income was $11 million.
Edmonton's success writes Columbus's bill
The cap is tied to league-wide hockey related revenue, so record years in Edmonton and Toronto lift the minimum payroll every other club is legally required to carry.
Two Stanley Cup Final runs and a new Rogers television deal did not only enrich the Oilers. They raised the mandatory price of icing a roster in Columbus, Buffalo, Ottawa, San Jose and Anaheim.
The honest consequence is quieter, because the gap between what they earn and what they must spend widens every July.
The floor also rises whether or not a small market team makes the playoffs.
Missing the postseason no longer lowers the bill.
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