The Toronto Maple Leafs, not surprisingly, are in big demand at ticket resale establishments. You'll need four large bills if you want to get a resale ticket online and attend a game at the Air Canada Centre. But for patient fans, those prices will drop as the season wears on.

The Hockey News

Fans of the Toronto Maple Leafs continue to pay the highest ticket price in the NHL, according to a report by TiqIQ, a leading resale ticket market aggregator.

The average listed resale ticket price of a Maple Leafs game at the start of this season is $373.50 (U.S.). That’s just a 3.87 percent increase over this time last season ($359.60). Canadian teams make up five of the top six spots in this report – Vancouver, Edmonton Calgary and Montreal are the others. The Chicago Blackhawks are the only American team in the top six.

Here’s the average posted resale ticket price for all 30 NHL teams, according to TiqIQ.

1. Toronto Maple Leafs, $373.50

2. Vancouver Canucks, $282.58

3. Chicago Blackhawks, $275.65

4. Edmonton Oilers, $259.83

5. Calgary Flames, $241.18

6. Montreal Canadiens, $218.30

7. New York Rangers, $217.97

8. Boston Bruins, $210.83

9. Pittsburgh Penguins, $208.50

10. Minnesota Wild, $178.81

11. Ottawa Senators, $174.32

12. St. Louis Blues, $163.98

13. Philadelphia Flyers, $162.47

14. Winnipeg Jets, $156.64

15. San Jose Sharks, $140.82

16. Los Angeles Kings, $132.95

17. Buffalo Sabres, $130.28

18. Washington Capitals, $128.88

19. New Jersey Devils, $127.16

20. New York Islanders, $125.88

21. Dallas Stars, $120.75

22. Detroit Red Wings, $112.27

23. Colorado Avalanche, $102.72

24. Columbus Blue Jackets, $96.52

25. Anaheim Ducks, $95.52

26. Arizona Coyotes, $95.51

27. Carolina Hurricanes, $94.64

28. Nashville Predators, $94.31

29. Florida Panthers, $89.76

30. Tampa Bay Lightning, $77.21

TiqIQ has been around since 2010, aggregating tickets from all major resale markets such as Stubhub, Ticketsnow, ebay, Ticketcity, etc. After assembling the inventory, they determine average price by team, game, area of arena and section. As you’d expect, the average resale ticket price changes from week to week, month to month. TiqIQ is not affiliated with individual NHL team box offices.

The average resale ticket price for an NHL ticket is $162.96, which is just 1.29 percent higher than this time last year ($160.89). TiqIQ says ticket prices tend to drop anywhere from 18 to 29 percent between now and the end of the regular season. That’s based on a broker’s resale price starting high, then working down, based on demand, as game date approaches, says Chris Matcovich, VP of data and communications at TiqIQ. “Prices adjust as we get closer to the actual game,” Matcovich said.

Other tidbits from the TiqIQ data:

• If you’re looking for bang for your buck, the Anaheim Ducks and Tampa Bay Lightning are easily the best deals in the league. Both teams are Stanley Cup contenders, yet their ticket prices rank 25th and 30th.

• Average resale ticket price for New York Rangers and Chicago Blackhawks games are down compared to this time last season. The Blackhawks were coming off a Stanley Cup in 2012-13 and demand for tickets were higher 12 months ago than they are now. Ticket prices for Rangers games likely dropped because Madison Square Garden was shiny new 12 months ago, and perhaps the lack of a big-name NHL superstar in the lineup.

• Biggest drop in average resale ticket price is in Winnipeg (down 24.16 percent) as the bloom starts to wilt, Florida (down 23.78 percent) and Carolina (down 17.21 percent).

• Biggest increase in average resale ticket price is in Anaheim (up 72.95 percent), St. Louis (up 62.81 percent) and New York Islanders (up 41.17 percent).

Brian Costello is The Hockey News’s senior editor and a regular contributor to the thn.com Post-To-Post blog. For more great profiles, news and views from the world of hockey, subscribe to The Hockey News magazine. Follow Brian Costello on Twitter at @BCostelloTHN