The Toronto Maple Leafs' absence from the playoffs completely exposes NHL television ratings
Photo credit: Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images
When Rogers bought a majority stake in the Maple Leafs it was seen as their cash cow, but without the playoffs we can see how important they are to the viewers.
The purchase of a majority stake in MLSE by Rogers Communications was a huge coup for the billion-dollar conglomerate as they acquired a slew of profitable teams with a huge and dedicated fanbase that includes the Raptors and Blue Jays.
But the Maple Leafs are still at the top of the list in terms of fan loyalty, dedication, and most importantly to the boardroom — profitability.
Rogers' $5-billion dollar investment heavily relies on the Maple Leafs
They paid a pretty penny for the rights as it cost over $5-billion for Rogers to get the NHL TV rights knowing that they are going to have at least the Maple Leafs as primetime viewing and the money can flow in.
Though without the playoffs, Hockey Night in Canada is going to look a lot different on Saturday nights and taking a look at the schedule; it's a strictly American affair:
While there are Canadian teams playing on Saturday, it's the primetime evening slot that is dominated by series like Philadelphia/Pittsburgh and Minnesota/Dallas. If you're a Canadian fan you're going to need to watch on a different night, or catch the matinee games that are being played on that day.
But it's certainly a much different look than we expect. Toronto, for as frustrating as they can be are still a primetime and the team to watch on Saturday nights. That's just how it's been for decades now, but with them out of the playoffs it's up to faces like Sidney Crosby and Quinn Hughes to drive viewership.
This should be the wake-up call to Rogers and make them focus on improving the team
This is an ownership group that gave half a billion dollars to Vladimir Guerrero Jr. to keep him in town, and while there is a salary cap to deal with; it should be the onus of Rogers to allow Toronto free reign to really bring in whoever they want that could win.
But in letting Pelley make a lot more decisions that he probably should be, Rogers is blissfully unaware of just how bad he has been.
When you're using AI to try and make trade decisions, hold secret meetings and make several changes that frustrate both fans and players for the sake of profit — there needs to be change.
Hire people who know how to run a hockey team and you'll instantly see success. Bring back a President of Hockey Operations, hire an analytical and results-based GM, and make a team worth watching.
Even if the Maple Leafs were bad but made the playoffs, you can bet your bottom dollar that fans would flock to the game either to see them succeed or watch them falter.
You can't deny that the Toronto Maple Leafs make Rogers and MLSE a lot of money, and by losing out the chance to earn even more — it's the balance sheet jolt they've needed to kickstart things in the right direction.
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