Yzerman was using the no state tax as leverage and he was smart to do so. How else to you think he got Stamkos, Hedman, Kucherov at their current cap hits? Cause they decided to leave money on the table like the Leafs want Nylander, Marner, Matthews to do in a province that has high taxes?
Yzerman played his cards well. To put things in perspective, Stamkos has more take home clear pay at $8.5M in Florida vs Tavares at $11M in Ontario. You can disagree tax difference means nothing but that means you think accountants are better in Florida vs Ontario.
Yeah, except, look at the timeline of Kucherov and Hedman's signings vs. Stamkos's. Hedman signed a full year in advance. Kucherov pretty much the same. Stamkos didn't get his offer until January. And Yzerman didn't even negotiate.
I think the tax difference is a big deal. But Yzerman sticking to his guns even while Stamkos met with other teams either shows an incredible amount of balls, or that he was willing to let Stamkos walk. I think it was a mixture of both.
But Yzerman knows what Stamkos is these days. Even the most loyal Stamkos fans don't call him an elite player now, or claim that he's the best player for TB. The decline is real.