Quote:
Originally Posted by VilleN
I don't see how it can possibly be mismanagement across the board for Canadian teams over the past 30 years. And if it is, it's likely due to the same market issue we have for players. Simply put, most Canadian markets are less desirable for players, coaches, and management positions. Canadian markets rarely get the big free agent signings, I've never heard of a player refusing to sign in a bigger American market so he can play in Canada... the reverse happens very frequently. There is a clear handicap for Canadian teams, and IMO it accounts for the lack of success. It is hard enough to build a winner, you need a lot to go right and often times Canadian teams (especially the smaller market ones) have the deck stacked against them.
Edit: Let's take Vegas - Mark Stone and Jack Eichel are there because they wanted to be there. Would they have made it to the WCF without those two players? Unlikely. Might Edmonton be there instead? - or maybe they don't make the playoffs at all and Calgary squeaks in.
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TB isn't a "bigger market" but Tavares definitely chose Canada. I've seen a fair number of lower level players say they really wanted to play in Canada because of fan appreciation. Then again, for them money is about equal no matter where they are. But not too many stars that I can recall.
Idea for different topic: CBA changes to level the playing field like the cap was supposed to do. Like maybe annual adjustments based on tax burdens. Maybe a limit on NMCs per team. Maybe better rules/testing on LTIR. Limits on multiple retentions per player contract.