Why is it so hard for panthers fans to admit that they have a huge advantage because of taxes? How convenient is it that Yzerman went from instantly being a top GM in Tampa to a terrible GM in Detroit?
The criteria to sign players to cheap contracts appears to be:
1 - have low taxes
2 - be a good team
Every single team can potentially meet the 2nd criteria and be a good team if they are managed properly.
But there are only a few teams that will meet the first criteria because they have no control over taxes.
The panthers were a terrible hockey team for years and now they can finally benefit from their low taxes because they have a great team.
But their fans pretend that Zito is an amazing GM that can convince his players to sign for less without factoring tax.