More concern about the league’s “no-tax” states, the Lightning’s Victor Hedman talks about Steven Stamkos’ departure, the latest on Jonathan Marchessault leaving Las Vegas, an update on Luke Hughes, and more in today’s NHL Morning Coffee Headlines.
THE ATHLETIC: Michael Russo reports NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said the league continues to monitor the issue of teams in “no-tax” states having an advantage over other clubs who must pay more to sign players. However, he indicated there are no easy solutions, pointing out that players make decisions on where to play for a variety of reasons.
Daly said Thursday that it’s still too early to determine if this is an issue to be addressed. He added that he’s spoken to the NHL Players Association about the matter and the mutual feeling is that addressing it would prove complicated.
If the league adjusted the salary cap for no-tax teams, it raises questions about what happens to a player who subsequently gets traded or demoted to the minors. It would also be difficult to determine how much of a “hometown discount” a player took to sign with one of those clubs.
NHLPA Executive Director Marty Walsh doesn’t see this situation as much of a problem, agreeing with Daly that it would be complicated to address. He also noted that there hasn’t been a similar debate about this issue in other sports leagues.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This became an issue because the Florida Panthers, once a league laughingstock, won the Stanley Cup this year.
Last season, folks were complaining about the Vegas Golden Knights using long-term injury reserve to their advantage to win the Stanley Cup, even though every team in the league has the same opportunity to avail themselves of LTIR (and have done so) in similar circumstances. The same complaint was raised about the Lightning in 2021.
By the way, the Lightning and Golden Knights also play in no-tax states. Scarcely a peep was raised about that.
The Panthers, Lightning, Dallas Stars and Nashville Predators have been around for decades. Their supposed advantage was never an issue when they spent years as also-rans or first-round-and-out clubs. Once they become champions or contenders, suddenly, it’s a problem. Heck, no one mentioned it when the Stars won the Cup in 1999 and the Predators reached the 2017 Cup Final.
The Golden Knights have been a perennial playoff club since their inception, in part because they fleeced several teams with savvy trades to land quality players before their expansion draft.
The Seattle Kraken haven’t been as successful in their brief history as their non-tax peers. Nevertheless, it’s only a matter of time until someone starts attributing any of the Kraken’s future achievements to playing in a no-tax state.
Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman (NHL Images).
Good management is the real reason behind the varying degrees of success most of those clubs have enjoyed.
SPORTSNET: Tampa Bay Lightning defenseman Victor Hedman said his team will miss former captain Steven Stamkos, who signed with the Nashville Predators this summer. Hedman also said he’ll miss Stamkos more as a friend.
Hedman praised Stamkos’ legacy with the Lightning, which includes leading the club to back-to-back Stanley Cup championships. He also said there will be plenty of focus on how the Bolts handle the departure of their long-time captain.
The 33-year-old defenseman is also considered Stamkos’ likely successor as team captain. “We’ll cross that bridge when it comes to that” he said.
THE SCORE: Golden Knights general manager Kelly McCrimmon explained his reluctance to sign Jonathan Marchessault to a five-year contract was why the 33-year-old winger departed to Nashville as a free agent.
“We emotionally are attached to the players that have helped us have success, and yet there’s just no supporting data that justify, or in our minds, demonstrate a reason to have wingers that age like that at the end of their career.”
SPECTOR’S NOTE: This comes within a couple of days of Marchessault saying his departure was over the length of a contract extension, suggesting the Golden Knights lack loyalty to their players in pursuit of the Stanley Cup.
NEW JERSEY HOCKEY NOW: Devils defenseman Luke Hughes suffered a left shoulder injury during offseason training. His expected recovery timeline is six to eight weeks.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: Injuries were a key reason why the Devils missed the playoffs last season. Hughes was among the few highlights in a disappointing 2023-24 campaign, finishing third among rookie scorers with 47 points. They will feel his absence during the opening weeks of this season.
NEW YORK POST: The Islanders claiming Ilya Sorokin’s absence from an informal veterans skate on Thursday has nothing to do with an off-ice issue. Last week, Sportsnet’s Elliotte Friedman speculated was “battling something” but didn’t elaborate.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: The Isles signed veteran goalie Keith Kinkaid to a professional tryout offer (PTO) yesterday, raising more questions about Sorokin’s status as training camp approaches.
SPORTSNET: Calgary Flames goaltender Dan Vladar said he’s pain-free following season-ending hip surgery in March. He intends to challenge the promising Dustin Wolf for the vacant starter’s job.
CALGARY SUN: Speaking of the Flames, they signed forward Jakob Pelletier to a one-year, two-way contract worth $800K at the NHL level.
TORONTO SUN: Maple Leafs prospect Ben Danford left a rookie scrimmage yesterday after suffering a head injury when he was knocked head-first into the boards. He was being evaluated but there was no further word about his condition.
THE NEWS & OBSERVER: A new naming rights agreement has changed the name of the Carolina Hurricanes’ home venue from PNC Arena to the Lenovo Center.
THE HOCKEY NEWS: Former San Jose Sharks goaltender Alex Stalock has retired and will begin a career in broadcasting with the Sharks Audio Network.
Stalock, 37, played 179 games in the NHL, 63 with the Sharks from 2010-11 to 2015-16 and 2021-22. He also played with the Minnesota Wild and Chicago Blackhawks. He finished with a record of 70 wins, 65 losses and 20 overtime losses, with a 2.70 goals-against average, a save percentage of .908, and 11 shutouts.
THE PROVINCE: Former NHL winger Stephen Peat passed away on Sep. 12 from injuries suffered when he was struck by a car over two weeks ago in Langley, BC. He was 44 years old.
Peat played 130 NHL games with the Washington Capitals from 2001-02 to 2005-06, amassing 10 points and 234 penalty minutes as an enforcer. He struggled with addiction and homelessness following his playing career.
His friends believe those issues were the result of CTE suffered during his playing career, but that can only be confirmed by posthumous examination of the brain.
SPECTOR’S NOTE: My condolences to Peat’s family, friends, former teammates and coaches.