I honestly can't go through another lockout, I need NHL hockey.

My two least favourite times of year are the nhl all star break and the mlb all star breakand running third is Christmas Day but that is the only day of the year i watch basketball

I need my jets fix, whatever games on fix, and my jays fix lol

The Leaf's aren't the only team that can afford to pay front loaded contracts. While the Leaf's may be the richest franchise (I dont even know if that is true..), there are dozens of others that have the financial wherewithal to do it too.

OMG...here you go again not knowing about taxes. YES, players DO PAY PERSONAL INCOME TAX

First of all 4m X 5yrs is a fair contract... offer sheets are not typically fair contracts. Leafs match because the compensation is poor. They move someone else for better return and keep kappy.

That is my opinion from the other side. Signing kappy to a 5 year deal sets us up better in the future. This is of course just my opinion. Maybe the leafs are so tight that they can’t match. The offersheet isn’t a tool to sabotage other teams caps... it is a tool to acquire a player who you are willing to pay more than the current team who holds his rights. It’s a tool to help the player and offering team. Not just to **** with the other team.

Ah, man. ..don't hate on Christmas...Thats the jolly fatman magic time of the year !

Some do, not all. Players with endorsements incorporate.

Fair enough just hating on sports breaks in the year.

im no tax expert, but a player in FLA will take home more $$$ than a player in TOR with identical contracts

TOR will no doubt use the premium centre/premium goal scorer argument against Marner and cite Kucherov at $9.5M as a good comparable. Marner side will cite productivity numbers that are elite and say Kucherov’s $9.5M is not applicable because it tax-free FLA $.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 5, 2019

I upset all the chartered accountants because I didn’t specify (state) tax-free money in FLA, not federal tax free. In any case, as everyone knows, a dollar earned in FLA in not the same as a dollar earned in Ontario, or NY or California for that matter.

— Bob McKenzie (@TSNBobMcKenzie) February 5, 2019

All players do pay income tax period. Endorsement income can be treated differently, salary income can not.

Offer sheets can be used however a team wants to use them. I would be happy with paying Kapanen 4x5 and it just so happens it ****s with the leafs at the same time.

Actually it can be incorporated with endorsements. I don’t file taxes for any nhl stars so I can’t tell you exactly how they file... but to think they don’t find loopholes and just walk into H&R block to get their taxes done seems a bit simplistic.

I also find it funny that it’s always Florida we hear about and never any of the other states with no tax and an nhl team.

I think the reality is that there are reasons to sign in a state where you would pay less tax and reasons to sign in a place like New York and Toronto.

Absolutely. And there are reasons that the Matthews contract was structured the way it was, and that he leveraged his Arizona residency so that he pays very little in taxes on his contract. There is more to it than the currently accepted debate on state/provincial tax rates. What that is, I don't know. I dont even like dealing with my own taxes... but I don't think tax jurisdictions and their rates are the massive advantage/disadvantage that the MSM hypes them up to be

If we have to give up kappy it certainly would, not great value but meh... saves us a couple of million. If we have to pay a bit more and get longer term and match meh that works too.

I think the Avs should focus on Rantanen personally.

There is no conspiracy theories behind how NHL players report their salaries on taxes. They are individual (not corporations) employees of the NHL teams and are paid directly with a W2 in which personal income tax is automatically deducted just like you or I or any normal person. That income can not be incorporated. That salary income is also taxed by every place in which they play games so all NHL players have personal income tax withheld in every state they play prorated against their salary based on number of games played there. Players who's home teams are in 0% income tax states (Florida, Texas, as an example) play half their games in those 0% income tax states and have a huge leg up on other players who don't in terms of actual after tax take home pay on their salaries.

This is not rocket science, there is no smoking mirrors or conspiracies. This holds true to any professional athlete that a league governs the teams that the teams are required to hire players as employees as is the case in the NHL.

Other income generated outside of their contracted salaries is a different story and corporations can be setup and the income from that falling under a corporate tax rules and loopholes. Just keep in mind, only 7 players in the NHL make over a $1M a year in endorsements and only 12 players in the NHL make more then $250K a year in endorsements. It's not the income most fans think.

The reason his contract was setup this way in Canada is Canadians are taxed much less on bonus income versus salary income; that is unique to Canada versus the US. Matthews is using his residency in Arizona for other tax avoidance reasons due to income (endorsements, appearances, etc.) but has nothing to do with his salary income that is strictly taxed based on the places you actually play games at.

Marner, mathews and Tavares are 3 of those players making over 1m so you might want to check that stat.

Yeah, that's my point, I guess. Something like 90% + of his contract is in signing bonuses. He's taxed at the full canadian/ontario rates on less than 10% of the contract value. So, my point is that Matthews and leafs were able to find away around the tax disadvantage in Torinto. I'm sure there are alot of ways around it.. but I won't debate ya on it, Chihawk cause I know when I'm out gunned... geez, man... i told ya I don't even like dealing with my own taxes, let alone cross border tax legislation..

Mitch Marner was not at the beginning of the season I know that for sure. Whether he is now I don't know. There were only 7 players at the beginning of the season making 7 figures or more on endorsements. Like I said, big endorsement deals in the NHL are pretty rare.

Yes, bonuses are only taxed at 15% in Canada however that is federal if I'm not mistaken and Provincial income tax rates still apply. The Canadian government has been zeroing in on players and teams that take advantage of it beyond one third of the total contract value but not a concern with Matthews due to US citizenship however, Matthews will still pay 100% of his income on the bonuses against US taxes.

That being said the major reason for bonuses being so high is this...because of the current CBA rules, contracts that are heavily weighted with bonuses versus salary guarantee the player the bonus money regardless of whether they play or not, if there is a holdout as an example, and furthermore, these contracts basically become buyout proof for the player. The new CBA hits next year and if there is a holdout, these bonuses get paid. For the team, these bonus contracts can make the contract easier to trade also, "hey we already paid the $10M bonus so if we trade him you only owe the salary" type of advantage. That all said, players get paid in July on their bonuses in one lump sum which is yet another advantage.

Back to Matthews; Matthews overall from a tax perspective claims the US and Arizona (relatively low flat income tax rate) as his residency and maintains his US citizenship. The tax treaty for athletes between Canada and the US allow US born players to avoid canadian taxes if they maintain a residency and "reside there" 6 months or more during the year and vice versa. In Matthews case, my bet is he makes sure to go back to the US every chance he can get to show 6 months in the US to avoid Canadian federal and Provincinal taxes as again. Because of the treaty and as a US citizen, he pretty much can avoid Revenue Canada.

Man, you're killing me!

Also, its almost tax time in Canada. And I can't avoid the CRA.. as far as I know? Do you do any tax work for small business owners?

LOL! Negative, I'm not a tax guy but familiar with it as a money manager.

K. Good to know. When i get some if that, we'll be in touch

This coming from a guy who insisted that Arizona would be happy to give the Hawks a first round pick so they could get Hossa's LTIR contract.