Chicken or Egg?
To no one’s surprise, the Panthers save more than any other hockey team: just over $1 million per Unrestricted Free Agent cap hit (mostly by re-signing their own...). A NY Times analysis shows that no-income-tax teams have a clear advantage, saving $214,000 per signing, while taxed teams spend $378,000 more than expected. That $600,000 swing across an 18-player roster matters. But a deeper puzzle remains: are the Panthers good because they get discounts, or do players take less because the team is good? Full story →