Brad Marchand confirms what everyone feared

The Florida Panthers have mastered the art of keeping their championship core together, and it’s not only a question of skill on the ice, but also thanks to their zip code.

Entering the season on a fresh six-year deal, winger Brad Marchand didn’t sugarcoat the truth during the Panthers’ training camp opening press conference. Asked about how the team managed to retain himself, center Sam Bennett, and defenseman Aaron Ekblad after their Stanley Cup victory, Marchand pointed to the obvious.

“Call a spade a spade, if we were not in a non-tax state, it wouldn’t have worked out probably for two guys,” Marchand admitted. “Two guys probably would have been leaving in that situation. So it’s a benefit that this team has, we were able to utilize and make work.”

All three players were set to hit unrestricted free agency and likely could have commanded more money elsewhere. Instead, they re-signed in Florida at cap hits below market value:

* Brad Marchand: six years, $5.25M AAV

* Sam Bennett: eight years, $8M AAV

* Aaron Ekblad: eight years, $6.1M AAV

Players know exactly how much of an advantage no-tax states like Florida, Texas, and Nevada provide. A dollar goes further, and in a hard-cap system, that can be the difference between keeping a Cup-winning core together or watching it scatter across the league. Marchand even added that many of these non-tax teams are some of the best run teams/organizations in the NHL. But of course, no one really admits that, because, especially with star players like Connor McDavid and Kirill Kaprizov waiting on contract extensions or, who knows, the possibility of testing free agency, there is a sense that no tax state have the best approach to land those superstars and still respect the salary cap...

For the Panthers, it’s an advantage they’re happy to exploit. For everyone else, it’s just another reminder that parity in the NHL isn’t always about the ice , sometimes it’s about taxes…