One of the hot topics entering the 2025 Stanley Cup Final was the issue of no-state income tax, which has been cited as a reason why the Florida Panthers have made the Stanley Cup Final three years in a row. Everyone points out that, over the last seven years, at least one team from a no-state-income-tax state has made the Stanley Cup Final, dating back to 2013.
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But fans got riled up because a former player, who will remain nameless, stated on National Television the reason why the Florida Panthers are back in the Stanley Cup Final after they beat the Carolina Hurricanes in the Eastern Conference Final in five games and how they keep their team is they have an advantage of no-state income tax and has to be addressed in the CBA.
However, as NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said before Game 3 of the Stanley Cup Final on the NHL on TNT, it is a ridiculous argument, and the league has stated that they are not addressing it because it is a non-issue to them, as the tax codes in these states have been in place for years.
It’s a ridiculous issue. When the Florida teams weren’t good, which was for about 17 years, okay, nobody said anything about it. And for those of you who played, okay, were you sitting there with the tax table? No, you wanted to go to a good organization, in a place where you wanted to live, where you wanted to raise your kids and send them to school.
You wanted to play in a first-class arena with a first-class training facility, with an owner, an organization, a GM and a coach that you were comfortable with, and you wanted to have good teammates, so you’d have a shot at winning. That’s what motivates it. Could it be a little bit of a factor if everything else were equal, I suppose, but that’s not it. And by the way, state taxes are high in Los Angeles, high in New York. What are we going to do, subsidize those teams?
And Commissioner Gary Bettman nailed it on the head when it comes to the success of these teams in States without income tax, as NHLRumors.com has documented. The Panthers built a winning team under General Manager Bill Zito. He understands that the culture needed to change and that he needed the right players to bring a championship to the Panthers organization. It helps when the owner backs him all the way.
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But the no-state income tax thing isn’t a thing at all. It is just long-term injured reserve. That was the hot debate topic when the Vegas Golden Knights and Tampa Bay Lightning won their Stanley Cups. Yet every team in the league could do it. Those teams hired good general managers, who in turn hired skilled personnel to understand the intricacies of the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). But when one person said something, fans thought it was gospel. Similar to this situation with the no-state income tax.
It is a lazy argument because if it were such a thing like everyone says it is, wouldn’t the Dallas Stars have more than just $4.5 million in cap space? Nobody is bringing up the no-state income tax issue with the Stars as they try to find more cap space, even with the cap rising. Shouldn’t they have $5-$10 million in cap space because of no-state tax? Yet here the Stars are trying to move Mason Marchment, Matt Dumba, Ilya Lyubushkin, and maybe Jason Robertson to sign Jamie Benn, Mikael Granlund, and maybe Matt Duchene.
If the no-state income tax were a reality, the Nashville Predators and Seattle Kraken would have made the playoffs and advanced to the Western Conference Final. Both missed the playoffs, and the Predators finished 30th out of 32 teams. The general manager still needs to assemble a strong team to achieve success. He must make the right trades and foster a winning culture that enables players to reach their goals.
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Everyone talks about the cold-weather Canadian tax, but the Edmonton Oilers are back in the Stanley Cup Final for the second consecutive year. It isn’t stopping them from being successful. Five of the seven Canadian teams made the playoffs this season. Those GMs are building good teams and sustainable winners.
Yes, television is a medium that presents shows, often sparking debate and controversy. But go through the facts before believing something as gospel. No-state income tax isn’t a thing. NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman is right about that. Those GMs do a better job of assembling winning teams and keeping them together by making tough decisions.
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