NHL Morning Coffee Headlines – June 5, 2025
The Oilers draw first blood in Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final, Nikita Kucherov wins the Ted Lindsay Award, the Avalanche re-sign Brock Nelson, the Penguins and Bruins have new head coaches, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
OILERS DEFEAT PANTHERS IN THE OPENING GAME OF THE STANLEY CUP FINAL
NHL.COM: Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl opened and closed the scoring as his club overcame a 3-1 deficit for a 4-3 overtime victory over the Florida Panthers in Game 1 of the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Edmonton Oilers forward Leon Draisaitl (NHL Images).
Draisaitl scored early in the first period, but the Panthers rallied on goals by Sam Bennett and Brad Marchand midway through the period. Bennett’s second goal of the game early in the second period gave the Panthers a two-goal lead, but a slapshot by Oilers winger Viktor Arvidson quickly cut that lead to one goal.
Connor McDavid set up Mattias Ekholm for the tying goal at 6:33 of the third period. McDavid also picked up the primary assist on Draisaitl’s game-winner on the power play at 19:29 of overtime.
Game 2 is Friday, June 6, in Edmonton at 8 pm ET.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Draisaitl tied a Stanley Cup Playoff record with three overtime goals in a single postseason. Teammate Stuart Skinner settled down after giving up three goals, making 24 saves over the rest of the game, including 16 in the second period.
McDavid leads all playoff skaters with 22 assists, holding a one-point lead over Draisaitl (28-27).
Bennett scored his 12th goal to lead all scorers in these playoffs. He also set a franchise record for the most goals in a single postseason. Jesper Boqvist rejoined the Panthers’ lineup for Game 1. He replaced A.J. Greer, who is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
Before this game, Oilers winger Zach Hyman revealed he dislocated and tore ligaments in his right wrist in a collision with Dallas Stars winger Mason Marchment in Game 4 of the Western Conference Final. He’s out for the remainder of the playoffs, but hopes to be ready for training camp in September.
Meanwhile, Aaron Ekblad told reporters he hopes to remain in Florida after this season. The long-time Panthers defenseman is slated to become an unrestricted free agent on July 1.
“I live and breathe for the Florida Panthers,” said Ekblad. “I bleed for the Florida Panthers. I’ve given my body and everything to this team. I want to keep doing it forever, for as long as they’ll let me keep coming to the rink.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Ekblad is completing an eight-year contract with an average annual value of $7.5 million. The Panthers must also re-sign Bennett, meaning Ekblad might have to accept a significant pay cut on a shorter term to remain in Florida.
HEADLINES
TAMPA BAY TIMES: Lightning winger Nikita Kucherov is the 2024-25 winner of the Ted Lindsay Award as the NHL’s MVP, as voted by the membership of the NHL Players’ Association. The team surprised Kucherov with the award during a training session on Monday.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Kucherov previously won this award in 2018-19, the same season he won the Hart Memorial Trophy. He’s up for that award this season with Edmonton’s Leon Draisaitl and Winnipeg Jets goaltender Connor Hellebuyck. Kucherov also took home his first Art Ross Trophy in ’18 -’19 and won it this season for the third time.
THE DENVER POST: The Colorado Avalanche signed Brock Nelson to a three-year contract extension with an average annual value of $7.5 million. Acquired from the New York Islanders at the March trade deadline, the 33-year-old center was due to become a UFA on July 1.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Re-signing Nelson addresses the Avalanche’s long-term need for a second-line center. However, it leaves them with $1.2 million in cap space, with 19 active roster players under contract for the 2025-26 season. Expect a cost-cutting trade in the coming weeks.
PITTSBURGH HOCKEY NOW: The Penguins named Dan Muse as their new head coach. He served previously as an assistant coach with the Nashville Predators and New York Rangers.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Hiring Muse surprised observers expecting the Penguins to choose a more experienced NHL head coach. Nevertheless, he’s considered a smart bench boss who works well with young players, which should make him a good fit for the rebuilding Penguins.
EISHOCKEY NEWS: The Boston Bruins announced Marco Sturm as their new head coach. “A dream come true,” said Sturm. “I’m proud and super happy that it worked out.” He’s returning to the club that he played for from 2005-06 to 2009-10. Sturm was the head coach of the AHL’s Ontario Reign for the past three seasons. He’s the first German-born head coach in NHL history.
NHL.COM: League commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA executive director Marty Walsh said collective bargaining discussions between the two sides are going well. They didn’t offer a timetable for when an agreement will be reached, but Bettman felt it should be in place before the current agreement expires in September 2026.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Talks are likely to continue throughout the summer.
Bettman said the league has had discussions with parties interested in adding new markets, but insisted there are no plans to expand beyond the current 32 teams.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Speculation suggests Houston and Atlanta could become the next destinations for NHL expansion clubs. It won’t be surprising if there are new franchises in those markets by the end of this decade.
Bettman also said an All-Star event will be hosted by the New York Islanders in 2027. The franchise was supposed to host the 2026 All-Star Game, but that plan was scuttled by the success of this year’s 4 Nations Face-Off tournament.
SPORTSNET: The NHL and NHLPA indicated there will be no changes in the upcoming CBA to address any perceived advantages for teams located in no-tax states.
NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said there are many reasons why a player chooses to play in a certain location, a particular team or a particular coach that have nothing to do with the tax situation in that market.
NHLPA assistant executive director Ron Hainsey pointed out that clubs in higher-tax states like Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston dominated the league between 2008 and 2020. He noted that superstars like Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Patrice Bergeron, and Zdeno Chara could’ve made more money playing elsewhere, but stayed put because they were playing for contenders, they liked where they lived, and didn’t want to move.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Stick tap to Hainsey for pointing out the blatantly obvious to punch holes in this “issue”.
The notion of teams in no-tax states having an advantage over other clubs has been recently trotted out by critics of the Florida Panthers, insinuating it’s the main reason behind their recent success. It’s the same excuse being used to explain why a Florida-based team has reached the Stanley Cup Final in every season since 2020.
That critique, of course, is nonsense.
The Panthers, and the Tampa Bay Lightning before them, were built by smart general managers and guided by shrewd coaches. To suggest otherwise is insulting to the hard work that those franchises have done to become champions.
THE ATHLETIC: Hainsey confirmed that the league and the PA are working to address the long-term injury reserve loophole in the next CBA. He didn’t get into the details, but said they continue to discuss finding a mechanism to put into place to manage that issue.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: LTIR is legalized salary-cap circumvention because there is no salary cap during the postseason. Every team has used it at one time or another, but some clubs have used it to bolster their rosters in preparation for the playoffs.
The Panthers are the most recent example. Matthew Tkachuk suffered an injury during the 4 Nations Face-Off that sidelined him for the final weeks of the regular season. The Panthers used the salary-cap savings to acquire Seth Jones and Brad Marchand before the trade deadline. Tkachuk returned to action for the start of this postseason, able to rejoin the roster because the salary cap only applies to the regular season.
The Panthers operated within the rules as laid out in the CBA. They did nothing wrong, and they aren’t the only team to have used LTIR to their advantage. Nevertheless, this loophole allowed them to bolster their roster for the playoffs in a way that they wouldn’t have had if Tkachuk had been healthy.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: T.J. Oshie will make an announcement on Monday, in which he is expected to reveal his intention to retire. The 38-year-old Washington Capitals winger missed all of this season dealing with back issues.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Oshie tallied 302 goals and 393 assists for 695 points in 1,010 games between 2008-09 and 2023-24. He began his career with the St. Louis Blues before being traded to the Capitals in 2015, and helped the latter win the Stanley Cup in 2018. He had 34 goals and 69 points in 106 playoff games.
Great game. My prediction of a tight series with possibly 2, 3 or 4 OT games got off to an exciting start with OT # 1. Just sad to see it end on probably THE cheapest aspect of the rule book: “intentional-puck-over-the-glass delay of game” penalty.
First of all, there is no possible way the officials could know for certain it was intentional, short of being a mind-reader. And anyway it takes longer for the referee to skate to centre ice to announce the bloody penalty than it would to grab a new puck. Hell, they have longer “delay of game” situations with the interminable commercial breaks while the players stand around with their thumbs up their butts.
It’s a pathetic call and should go back to the way it was before the damned rule was introduced. Although I’m pulling for Edmonton to win the cup, I hate seeing an important game, where they put their whistles away for the most part anyway, decided on something as Mickey Mouse as that, especially in a sudden-death situation. The Hockey Writers nailed it in this article 12 years ago!
https://thehockeywriters.com/the-puck-over-glass-penalty-must-go/
https://scoutingtherefs.com/2020/09/29905/puck-over-glass-penalty-wreaks-havoc-in-playoff-ots/
Would a “intentional-puck-over-the-glass delay of game” penalty be better if it were only 1 minute? or be like an icing, where the guilty party could not do a line change?
There shouldn’t be any penalty at all – same as the umpteen times a game a puck goes into the crowd – or a bench – as the result of a stick or body deflection.
Problem is George, that these guys can easily fire a puck over the glass under pressure to relieve pressure. Now it’s try to not put it over the glass or ice it.
It complicates defence and makes the game faster imo.
It is cheesy as it’s never intended these days, but it used to be an play all the time before it was a penalty.
Icebear – in the end it’s no different than time-outs for commercials or pucks deflected by sticks/bodies over the boards.
Get a puck – have a face-off. If they MUST have a rule, then make it simple as Johnny Z suggests – no line changes allowed – face-off in the defending zone.
Sure, there’ll be deliberate instances – it’s when it’s not deliberate and simply a puck rolling up over the glass and it’s called that it becomes Mickey Mouse and should certainly NEVER factor into a playoff OT.
George, I’m with you. I think it’s a dumb rule and such a penalty should be reserved for situations where, as suggested below, a team is under pressure and clears the puck over the glass just to relieve pressure,
Nevertheless the rule is clear. When a defender in the defensive zone clears the puck over the glass without any sort of deflection it’s a penalty. And it’s clear cut. Not the type of thing that can be overlooked by referees putting the whistle away.
Maybe now that such a call decided a Cup finals game there may be some move for a change in the rule.
The reason for the rule was because back in 80’s and 90’s if a team was hemmed in their own zone they would intentionally flip the puck over the glass to get a whistle. I know a lot of fans don’t like it, but there is a good reason for the rule.
I, for one, am thankful for the Puck over Glass and Too Many Men penalties. It’s the only time the referees are forced to actually call an infraction in the playoffs.
And George, I’m almost always with you on your comments, but I think you’re wrong on this one.
Don’t want to receive a ‘puck over glass’ penalty? Easy, don’t shoot the puck over the glass. They are NHL professionals, they know what they are doing
AMEN!
Exactly. I also think you’re generally spot on George, but I played defence at a high level for along time until my body gave out. It forces players to try to make real plays and support each other, and the risk is that if you panic and put it over it’s a penalty. My coach also had me just put it over the glass, as I could no problem, and I didn’t make the nhl.
I also like the fact that it’s one of the few they have to call. The whistles away bulls**t can be very frustrating, and also decides hockey games.
Double amen.
Gary Bettman also talked about allowing teenagers into the AHL. I saw that on another site. More confusion for the CHL. An 18 year old will have 3 options.
Remain with his CHL team, head for the NCAA or play AHL. The CHL will be watered down with their stars heading for other pastures. Much younger major junior league teams. Big impact on small market junior teams.
I understand George. I don’t care for it either but … the alternative is what? I mean for posterity the wording to be changed but I think it still needs to penalize the defending team is some regard otherwise we would see more pucks over the glass. But yes it is a sad way to lose a game.
LTIR is tricky but something needs to be done. While I do not doubt any of the injuries in question. The loophole is there so you cannot blame teams for exploiting. Maybe it is as easy as having a cap in place during playoffs. Loading up is fine. But icing a team per night that is 5 10 20 mil over the cap is unfair. Having injured players in the reg season should not equate to an advantage when the playoffs begin. Should be interesting how they resolve that.
I still don’t get the chatter about the tax free states. There are pros and cons to each city and they are on an individual basis. As well there are only so many roster spots. It’s not like TB and Fla are landing the top free agent on the market each summer.
Congrats on Kuch winning the Lindsey. Another great season. Still hoping Leon snags the Hart but that’s only the fan boy in me…Kuch is as deserving.
I think a solution could be having a cap on the actual game day roster in the playoffs but not a cap on the overall roster construction. So if someone comes back from ltir in the playoffs they can play but the dollars of the team iced that day can’t exceed the cap of the regular season. Teams would have to figure out who to sit in each game to get under cap. But they would have depth options for the inevitable injuries occurring in the playoffs
Would it be the players choice or the teams choice if the player goes to the AHL or stays in the CHL?
Player would have to sign at least an ahl contract or a nhl one to play professionally. So the player has the say on whether or not to sign that deal. Teams then could choose I guess but I doubt they sign them to just send them to chl.
I am old enough to remember when, prior to this rule, every time a defense got pinned down in their own end they’d fire it over the glass. It ruined the flow of the game. A stupid penalty to take in OT? Sure, but that’s on the defense for taking the lazy way out.
I think George’s point is the “intentionality” and that it cannot be a judgement call. So every puck over the glass is defined as “intentional”.
Then in the playoffs it would never be called.
Just like hooking, or goalie interference ….
For those they put their whistles away, but God help the player who desperately tries to clear his zone and have the puck roll up and over. Automatic. Two minutes. Power play time.
Nuts.
I’ve been watching hockey for over 70 years and for most of that I was a Hell of a lot LESS disenchanted with that when there was no penalty, than I am now when it’s called – intentional or not. And I repeat, how does the official know if it was or was not intentional?
The Panthers did nothing wrong?
I’d think I’d rephrase that to it being difficult to prove they did anything wrong.
Time and time again a player is out for an extended time. For whatever reason they can’t play game 82 being unfit due to an injury. But a miraculous healing event occurs where they are 100% come opening night of the playoffs.
Does anyone really believe players Like Tkachuk couldn’t play game 82.
Unless you’re a medical doctor with access to Tkachuk’s medical file, you’re in no position to make that insinuation.
The league follows these situations closely, Jeff. Teams must provide substantiation for why a player is on LTIR and for how long.
To be fair, both teams used LTIR to their advantage this season. Tkachuk for the Panthers and Kane for the Oilers. At this point I really don’t see an issue with it. All teams can use it.
What I don’t like is the no cap in the playoffs. If teams want to expand their roster for the playoffs then the cap should be raised by a certain percentage for the playoffs, not just disappear.
Or, more easily and consistently. the lineup has to fit into the regular season cap.
Years ago Don Cherry proposed increasing the height of the glass or extending the high glass a little further towards the centre line. That would eliminate all the delay of game calls where the puck just barely makes it over the glass.
I believe the glass is lower in some arenas than others, so making it the same height throughout the league would be better for the players.
When the over the glass rule came into effect, the NHL made all the rinks use the same size and they actually raised the height of them too. To give the refs even more responsibility to determine whether a player put the puck over the glass intentionally would be insane. Players abused the rule to the point where something had to be done. It`s one of the few rules that are cut and dried and brought the skill level of players up in the process. It`s a great rule, too bad they can`t come up with a rule to stop Bennett from intentionally falling on goalies
Right and while your raising the glass around the rink, let’s change the nets, maybe widen the ice a bit and….
No. Nothing needs to be changed and puck over the glass, “intentionally” or not, just like an accidental trip or a hit from behind on the numbers is a penalty. Players are 100% responsible for their actions, intentions aside. It’s not the refs job to determine intention but rather did it or did it not, aka black or white.
Doesn’t make it any less Mickey Mouse, Ron.
Not when you have umpteen commercial time outs “delaying the game” and disrupting the “flow” and waiting for the ref to skate to centre ice, get out his little voice communicator, and announce that egregious infraction … taking a LOT more time than simply getting a F&^&%ing puck and having a face-off.
Responsible for their actions my butt!
And I should have added – re “responsible for their actions” that this hardly equates to high-sticking or spearing.
In the end it’s absolutely NO different than when an exhausted D ices the puck 5-on-5 and not one player an leave the ice for a change.
Do that. Problem solved. Get a puck and continue.
How many puck over the glass penalties are there in one game? I bet the average is less than one.
Before this rule it seemed like every few minutes a puck was going over the glass. It was disrupting the flow of the game big time.
The players know the rule is there, so if they don’t want to be called for it, don’t do it!
Oh for ….
HOW – in terms of delay of game – is it any different than desperately icing the puck when pressed 5 on 5?
In that instance no one on the icing team can leave for a line change.
Wait until it happens in the playoffs when a team is already killing a penalty, and go down 2 players …
Brilliant rule.
The difference is that it’s easier to flip the puck over the glass, which also endangers the fans, than icing it. besides, teams are allowed to ice the puck when killing a penalty.
You may not like the rule George, but having to put up with less than one puck over glass penalty a game is better than having 10+ more stoppages in a game due to a puck being flipped over the glass.
Endangers the fans??? A rolling puck???
How about the deflection of a 90-mph slap-shot up into the crowd? Or when a player, chosen as one of the 3-stars, flips his stick over the glass to eagerly waiting kids. Wait until one get the edge of the blade in the eye as they grapple for the stick.
If a team is allowed to ice the puck when killing a penalty, why should they be penalized when trying to do the same damned thing only to have the puck – on edge – rill up and over? Putting them down 2 men.
You look at it your way – I’ll loom at it differently.
Icing the puck is a hockey play to kill a penalty. Shooting the puck out of play isn’t a hockey play. It’s a cheap play to get a whistle and that’s it.
FYI, the nets at each end of the ice is to prevent the 90-mph slap-shot from going up into the crowd. If it’s deflected, well then it’s not going 90 mph anymore.
How many sticks have fans taken to the eye at a hockey game compared to bloody heads and faces from pucks? I would think once a fan gets an eye injury from one of these sticks, then we will not see anymore sticks be thrown into the crowed.
How many bloody heads or faces have been prevented from the puck over glass rule? I would think a lot.
Ok George what about the concept of spirt of the game or a hockey play? Wouldn’t you think a trip, high stick, fight, interfere, hold and too many men aren’t any different than the delay of game/puck over the glass? All of those are outside of the rules/spirit/hockey play where they are performed either under duress or poor judgment…if a player ices the puck his team is penalized for it but if the player has the same intention but the puck clears the glass they are penalized even harder…it’s the 4min double minor high sticking but for ‘icing’. The rule works and maybe your beef is the same beef, different pile, of video reviews wrecking the flow or prolonging games more than it’s worth.
If that’s the case, your choices are either call everything right or use it to confirm a call on the ice or don’t use video reviews which will never happen.
With Nelson re-signing in Colorado, it’s almost a certainty that Coyle will be traded. Might be an option for the Habs.
He’s only got a year left on his contract so it’s not a long term commitment. He’s coming off a poor season but one year removed from a solid one. Could very well rebound playing with solid wingers like Laine and Demidov. Or could be a third line option if Dvorak leaves.
Would likely cost a 2nd rounder at most.
Oilers , did the same with Evander Kane , pretty sure he could have played game #82
Yep. Agree it’s fair now in the finals. but what about the teams eliminated by the oil and panthers? Does that happen with out a tkachewey or Kane…maybe maybe not.
The one thing that would eliminate all this is using LTIR until the end of the season is by having a cap in the playoffs.
If there was a cap in the playoffs then LTIR would not be used the way it is being used.
The pick over glass is very simple and the rule for years is the same. There is no decision to be made on intentionality, out of play over the glass …..penalty.
These can control the puck unless they are gassed or pressured and delay the game.
You mean, like when pressed into exhaustion 5 on 5 and a defender ices the puck to relieve the pressure?
The only “penalty” there is that no one on the defending team can leave for a line change.
How, exactly, is that any different than having a puck roll up over the glass?
An official can grab a new puck in less than 5 seconds.
Got it. So the rule should be changed so that when a team ices the puck they get a penalty. That takes away the disparity.
I mean it’s a clean rule not open to interpretation and brought on by abuse.
The players all know the rule and don’t even roll their eyes anymore as they head for the penalty box immediately.
Come on George 20000 make the call right away.
Nice game… physically in play on both sides 51 hits apiece…Panthers had Oilers pinned in the D zone more often …PP is probably going to decide series … Panthers first goal could’ve gone either way was surprised it only took a short time for review..
Bruins…. The HC is only going to be as good as the tools he gets to work with … Sweeney needs to put the right pieces in place … if he trades Korpisalo he’ll have about $30 million to work with ..
Joe,I have nothing against Marco Sturm but I believe the Bruins went cheap on the hire. If he retains anyone from the previous staff that makes my argument even stronger.Trust me Sweeney harps on a original 6 franchise over 100 years old,remember his coaching hire is a first time NHL head coach with no prior Head NHL experience.
If George gets to ride his hobby horse about delay of game, I get to ride mine about non tax states.
In particular I am responding to Lyle’s dismissive comments labeling the dispute “silly” and “nonsense” with my own news flash:
No one here should confuse their opinions and point of views as insights gained by actually being employed in a decision making capacity with an NHL team. That certainly includes me; it also includes long time hockey fans, enthusiasts who who post on social media, and those who run such sites.
Thus when a number of teams complain about a situation it has some merit. Where do you imagine the comments flow from? Petty Jealousy? Laziness? Or experience in negotiating with player agents and hearing why a player has made a decision to sign, or not?
Hey LJ,
The saving on a $8 million in Florida from Montreal (The highest taxed city in the NHL) is $1.3 million. So that would mean a player would sign for $7 million just make $300k more in Florida. That isn’t that much of a difference. Players give bigger hometown discounts than that.
I think a player would gladly surrender $300k for a chance to win a Stanley Cup in another city.
Yeah, you will get the odd player who will sign in a tax free state just because it’s a tax free state, just like a player will sign in LA over Edmonton because of the weather.
If a team has competent management and can build a contending team, like in Edmonton, they will have no issues in keeping their star players and attracting big UFAs over tax free states or warmer weather locations.
I truly believe that a professional athlete’s number one goal is to win and making more money is secondary to that.
Well said, KevJam. As Ron Hainsey pointed out, from 2008 to 2020, the teams that dominated the league (Detroit, Pittsburgh, Chicago, Boston and Los Angeles) weren’t in “non-tax states”. Superstars like Crosby, Malkin, Bergeron, Chara, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews, Duncan Keith, Anze Kopitar and Drew Doughty could’ve gone off and made more money elsewhere, but they stayed with their respective teams because they were good, they liked where they lived, and felt those teams gave them the best chance to win.
LJ: I have supported my criticism of the state tax nonsense repeatedly here and elsewhere. Newsflash: I’m not the only person who has, as noted by Ron Hainsey’s comments. Where most of these criticisms come from are pundits like Larry Brooks of the NY Post and hockey analysts like Paul Bissonnette on TNT. They’re entitled to their opinions, but not their own facts, and the facts in this case are on my side. They, on the other hand, produce little evidence to support their views.
Again, if the Florida Panthers are supposedly benefiting from being in a non-tax state, to the point where their critics are insinuating it’s the reason they’ve been to the Stanley Cup Final three straight times, why didn’t they benefit from it from the time they entered the league in 1993 up until 2020? For most of those years, they were a laughingstock, a prime example for critics of the league’s expansion into the Sun Belt to frequently drag out again and again as proof that hockey doesn’t work in southern markets. So why didn’t they benefit from it then? Unless, of course, the real reason was they had incompetent management, lousy coaching and indifferent ownership during those years.
And pray, what advantage did the Panthers get by making Bobrovsky the second-highest paid goalie in the NHL in 2019? Or signing Barkov to a long-term deal worth $10 million annually starting in 2022-23? Fun fact: in that season, Bobrovsky and Barkov were among the five highest-paid players in the league. Gee, you’d think that a lack of a state tax would’ve seen them accept much less than that, right?
That’s why I dismiss that argument that they’ve got an “unfair advantage” as silly and nonsense. It doesn’t hold up under scrutiny. The real benefit the Panthers have is they have a general manager and a head coach who know what they’re doing.
Lyle:
It is fine for us to have a difference of opinion.
It is not just the media that has raised the issue. My point, as stated above, is that when NHL teams raise the issue and it gets elevated to a league discussion point then it is a legitimate issue.
Note the quote from Sportsnet today, with the plural as in “some” franchises. So it’s not just me, Brooks or Bissonette that think it’s an issue, and not one or two teams:
“Certainly, it’s an issue that some of our franchises have raised as a concern,” NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly said Wednesday evening in Edmonton, before the opening of the sixth consecutive Stanley Cup final to feature a team from a no-tax state. “What I’d say at this point is, we don’t share the level of concern that they have.”
And to be very clear, I have come off of my original comment some months ago that it was “the” issue driving signings, which frankly was silly. You could have fairly called me out on that point.
But in a highly competitive league where points for losing and the (regular season) cap are designed to drive parity an advantage available to only a handful of teams can make a difference. Yes, absolutely with other considerations. But it is still an advantage when access is limited.
Whether it is skillfully exploited is another matter.
Finally, your point about the cap being a great leveller is true, on the back half of the cycle when player demands escalate as a reward for winning the Cup and some players paid while others get moved.
It’s the front half of the cycle, as we are seeing now, where the Cap doesn’t negate the non tax advantage.
A difference of opinion is fine, LJ. But any complaints from NHL teams that teams in no-tax states have some sort of “unfair advantage”, one that is directly responsible for the success enjoyed by the Panthers and Lightning isn’t being treated as a legitimate concern by NHL HQ or by the NHLPA, as Daly’s comments and Hainsey’s comments in the Sportsnet’s link you cited clearly indicate.
If there were no salary cap, and if players were signing contracts for discounts well below market value, then the argument might have more merit. However, the cap is the great leveler, as the Tampa Bay Lightning has discovered, as the Panthers and Dallas Stars are starting to discover, just like every team where there are provincial and state taxes.
As I noted in my previous post, the Panthers made Sergei Bobrovsky the second-highest paid goalie in the league in 2019, and signed Barkov in 2021 to a long-term extension with an similar AAV as Bobrovsky’s ($10 million). In real salary that season, they sat among the top-five in the league, and among the top-10 in AAV. In other words, they were paid market value despite playing in a non-tax state.
What’s interesting in all this is no one gave a damn about the Dallas Stars being in a non-tax state in the late-1990s and early 2000s when they were a perennial Cup contender. The only complaint anyone had about the Lightning was their use of LTIR in 2021, which netted them (drumroll) David Savard, Brian Lashoff and Frederik Claesson, of which Savard was the only player of consequence, skating in a third-pairing role for most of their playoff run.
No, the only time this flared up was because Larry Brooks of the NY Post got a bee in his bonnet over the Panthers reaching the Stanley Cup Final for the third straight year, a team he had derided for years as “Puddy Tats” and as an example of why hockey “doesn’t work” in Florida. Brooks is smarter than that, he knows the lack of a state tax has nothing to do with the Panthers success, for reasons I’ve noted repeatedly.
The funny thing is, the Panthers made better use of the legal cap circumvention of LTIR (hello there, Seth Jones and Brad Marchand) than the Lightning did in 2021.
I’ve had my say about this so I will let it go, with one parting observation about your point about the NHLPA, Lyle:
The reason, surely, that the NHLPA is dismissing the issue is that they do not – cannot – want to eliminate a device that gets their membership more $$.
And I leave you with Hainsey’s remarks on the topic:
“From 2008 until 2020, who ran this league? Pittsburgh, Chicago, Los Angeles, Detroit, for a brief amount of time. Boston. Certainly (Brad) Marchand and (Patrice) Bergeron and (Zdeno) Chara could have made more money somewhere else. They didn’t. They chose to stay,” Hainsey said.
“They were a good team. Made for the finals a bunch of times. Pittsburgh — I’m certain Sid (Crosby) or Geno (Evgeni Malkin) or (Kris) Letang could’ve made more money somewhere else. They stayed there the whole time.
“Why? Good team. Liked where they lived. Didn’t want to move. Same thing in L.A. What do they all have in common? They all have a different tax situation from Florida, right? That was 12 years. Now we’ve had six years of Tampa, Tampa, Tampa, Florida, Florida, Florida. Just going off the previous 12, I guess we’ve got to wait six more years to see if there even is an issue, right?”
Hey LJ,
You mentioned Brooks above, is that the NYR reporter guy? If so, I’m sure he had no issues before there was a salary cap when NYR could sign up any UFA they wanted. It’s funny how there are no issues when the fortune favors your team.
Yes, Brooks is the NY Post reporter. And you’re right, he loved the era before the salary cap and has frequently railed against it since its imposition.
It’s tough to see a Montreal fan complain of other teams having an unfair advantage. It’s been a long time but the franchise owes not insignificant amount of historical success to the French Canadian rule. Did that factor in to the success at the time? Sure. Did they have to also be managed well and built well to win? Yes.
Brooks and Bissonnette are indebted to their memories for their jests and to their imaginations for their facts 🙂
Well, Chrisms, that and the fact that, in their early powerhouse days – like all the other 5 teams – they “owned” a player – figuratively speaking – from cradle to grave. Their farm systems even reached down to junior level.
I don’t read Brooks, Kevjam. But he certainly doesn’t seem to be well regarded on this site.
The mythical French Canadian rule provided the Habs with not a single player who made the NHL.
I didn’t see LJ complain that the Habs were in some way particularly hurt by the tax free States.
LJ and I disagree on this issue but he definitely has an opinion that isn’t founded in bias.
As a matter of fact I enjoy when we have different opinions and for the most part hash it out with open exchange.
Chrisms, I had to look up the French Canadian rule. Here is an excerpt from one site:
“This may seem like an outrageously biased allowance, given the importance of the NHL’s Entry draft of today. How could they grant so much leverage to one team? But this was 1963, don’t forget — all of the valuable junior talent was already signed and wrapped up through sponsorship. There simply wasn’t much highly desirable talent left to be drafted. Nobody raised an eyebrow. In fact, the Canadiens didn’t even make use of their French Canadian privilege in the inaugural draft. Instead, they drafted Garry Monahan first overall, a young prospect from Barrie, Ontario right out of the backyard of the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Using the French Canadian Rule
For the first five years of the Amateur draft, from 1963 to 1967, the Canadiens never invoked their French Canadian option. In 1968, the Canadiens saw an opportunity and finally made use of their exclusive right for the first time. They selected goaltender Michel Plasse and a centreman from Montreal named Roger Belisle. Plasse played 32 games for the Habs as a backup goalie and was subsequently lost with no compensation in the 1974 Expansion Draft. Roger Belisle never played a game in the NHL.”
Here is the URL for the article:
https://thehockeywriters.com/habs-french-canadian-rule/
Myth, do you think?
George when I googled the Canadian thing to be reminded of what it was called (French Canadian rule… whodda thunk) not only did I find a bunch of Canadian writers articles trying to rewrite history but I found an article on how the bruins purchased Bobby orr.
I don’t begrudge any of these team for doing the best by them. It would be hypocritical as a pens fan as I believe the tank to get Mario was magical. But let’s get off our high horse here people.
Lj. How do you think that rule being in place changed the entire draft process for the teams? It certainly was an advantage. But as you point out, not the be all end all. Montreal still had to draft develop build. Same as the no state tax teams.
Ultimately the no state tax thing is pretty much a guaranteed non starter for the league. The political ramifications of “going after” businesses in those states would absolutely drive the right wing media powe house bonkers. The nhl wants no part of that. It would hurt bottom line.
Chrisms: I am not looking for a fight on this issue (I don’t think you are either) but as far as I can tell HF30 is correct: I see no player the Habs drafted via benefit of the French Canadian rule.
You are probably right about the state of Florida going ape sh*t should any rule be proposed that had the appearance of a disadvantage, though.
LJ the no state tax is a nice perk but it wouldn’t be enough for me to take a discount or more desirable unless the place I was going to looked like a winner and I bet you’d feel the same.
I’ve always saw good players want to play with other good players and they usually form a good team. Where that team is Playing for the Kings means your living expenses are more they
will have to pay more in taxes such as a state tax and I know gong out in LA is more than Nashville. Would you really choose Nashville over LA because of no state tax?
The sad truth is teams like the Habs, Leafs, and /or Sens, Jets, and any other small market team will always pony up more for UFAs and re-signing of players due to their own baggage that comes with playing there tax free or not.
Ekblad likes to play tough guy from the protection of the scrum, likes to hit but overreacted when he gets the business.
Funny he ate a heavy hit and got up ready to go till he saw it was Evander.
Oilers are ready to play any way to win.
Ron Moore: a respectful, thoughtful comment deserves a reply.
You’re right, there are a # of factors that are VIP to players, and I’d rather play for a good team than a poor one with no improvement in sight. But it isn’t always that simple and – at times – it does come down to money.
You are also correct that Canadian teams do have disadvantages (taxes, weather, fan scrutiny) others might not. Yet, and this will sound like I am arguing against myself, the Habs, Leafs and Sens all have players who want to stay.
This is as balanced as I am capable of being, and now I am exhausted with this issue.