THE NHL and the NHLPA are working on a new collective bargaining agreement, and right now there don’t appear to be too many, if any, sticking points that could result in the league’s fourth lockout in the last 35 years.
However, one topic that has received a lot of attention over the past few seasons, and is a big topic of discussion now that the sixth consecutive Stanley Cup Final featuring a team from Florida has just begun, is the perceived advantage that teams from states without income taxes have over the competition.
Obviously, the argument is that a team based in Florida, Nevada, Texas, Tennessee and Washington – which have no state income taxes – could make an identical offer to a team in a state with income taxes, and would have an advantage given the player would sign with them because it would mean more money in their pocket.
Of course, this has to be one of the many things a player considers when signing with a team, but is that unfair?
According to Sports NetworkNHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly says while this issue has been raised, it’s not a big concern for the league.
“It’s certainly an issue that some of our franchises have raised as being a concern,” Daly said. “What I would say at this point is that we don’t share the level of concern that they have.
“These imbalances have been around forever. There’s nothing new here. There are so many reasons why a player might choose to play in a particular place, for a particular team, for a particular coach that have nothing to do with the fiscal situation of that market. So, I don’t expect that’s something we’ll proactively address in this collective bargaining process.”
The hot topic of teams in states without income tax benefits doesn’t appear to be a big issue for the NHL and NHLPA. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
Personally, I think this is a case of correlation not equivalent to causation. Yes, Vegas has been great, Dallas has been great, Tampa and Florida have been phenomenal, but is it because of their state’s tax code?
I don’t think so.
Plus, as TNT’s Anson Carter brilliantly pointed out last week, this issue never came up during Tampa Bay and Florida’s lean years.
I’m with Ace on this one.
