Brad Marchand (Credit: AP Photo/Marta Lavandier) State income taxes are becoming a hot topic in the NHL. Players are starting to acknowledge that taxes can influence their decision on where to play. Teams in states without income taxes may have an edge when negotiating contracts. Recent comments from top NHL players suggest that financial considerations can impact roster decisions and free-agent signings.
Brad Marchand On Defending the Stanley Cup, Why He Re-Signed with the Panthers, State Income Tax
NHL players explain how state income taxes shape team decisions
There has been a flurry of discourse recently about whether state income tax has an impact on the way NHL players and teams conduct their business, and several players have now confirmed that taxes do indeed affect hockey operations.The conversation had previously reached Commissioner Gary Bettman, who dismissed concerns about state income tax as “ridiculous” to the NHL on TNT during the 2025 Stanley Cup Final.
Brad Marchand credits the Florida Panthers’ no-tax status for contract deals
Another team that could fall into the category of perennial contenders in tax-free states is the Florida Panthers, who have helped ignite the debate following their back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. One of their star forwards believes that the team wouldn’t be the same if state income taxes were to limit them.At the start of Florida’s training camp, forward Brad Marchand admitted to the media that he didn’t think he would be coming back to Sunrise for a second season after helping the team win the 2025 championship.He’s not wrong for believing that the Panthers were up against the cap in a hard way, headed into free agency on July 1. Three of the team’s most impactful skaters needed new contracts: Marchand, Aaron Ekblad, and Sam Bennett. All of them were due for a hefty payday, too, making Marchand’s concerns completely reasonable.But Panthers GM Bill Zito achieved the impossible and inked all three skaters to new deals: Marchand for six years at $5.25 million AAV, Bennett for eight years at $8 million per year, and Ekblad at $6.1 million for each of the next eight seasons.What made it possible for Zito to pull off these cap gymnastics? According to Marchand, in a given interview with a source, the lack of state income tax in Florida was a key factor.
Other tax-free NHL teams like the Dallas Stars and the Vegas Golden Knights benefit
The Panthers are just one of six teams that skate in tax-free states, along with the Tampa Bay Lightning, Vegas Golden Knights, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, and Seattle Kraken. Not all of them are contenders to the same degree; namely, the Preds and Kraken have fallen off in terms of success in the standings, but this raises questions about whether these teams have an advantage when it comes to roster construction.Although it may not be a consensus, as many NHL players have not yet spoken out about the tax debate, these players in particular have made it clear that taxes do factor into how a team is built.Also Read: NHL star Arthur Kaliyev of the Ottawa Senators faces $50,000 scam claim