Many people love to hate on the Vegas Golden Knights for whatever reason. Perhaps Kelly McCrimmon cut Mark Stone's stomach open so he could be sidelined for months. Maybe it's the salary cap conspiracies that hockey fans keep latching onto.
Whatever the case, hockey fans are always looking for something to get riled up about. One other thing that they'll get angry about is their favorite players leaving town for Las Vegas. Jack Eichel gave hockey fans a deeper perspective on the average NHL player's mentality regarding their next destination.
"I’ll say this: If you ask guys around the league, Vegas ain’t on people’s no-trade lists."Jack Eichel
I mean, it makes perfect sense. Why do you think that Dylan Larkin has Las Vegas as one of his preferred destinations? It sure beats living in Michigan with seasonal depression every single year.
What about Connor Hellebuyck? Gee, would you rather freeze your giggleberries off in Manitoba for half of the year or live in Sin City and sip mai-tais poolside? I know what I would choose if I were Hellebuyck and it certainly wouldn't be the former. The same likely goes for all the bigger names like Jason Robertson, Blake Coleman, and more.
And guess what? Kelly McCrimmon will do whatever it takes to bring in said big names. It's what brought Rasmus Andersson in, with the defenseman expressing a desire to stay. It's what brought Mitch Marner to Las Vegas after dealing with the noisy Toronto media. What McCrimmon wants is what McCrimmon will get.
Hate the Golden Knights all you want. But Las Vegas (and cities like Dallas, Miami, and Tampa) all have something that cities like Montreal, Detroit, and Buffalo don't: attractive incentives. No income taxes, a better climate, and a friendlier tax burden make the former cities much more lucrative to hockey players. Would you rather live in Metro Detroit and be stuck in a middling franchise or do you want to compete for Stanley Cups every single season?
It should be quite obvious. Las Vegas is the more attractive option in the eyes of many people. Heck, you can also make the case for cities like Los Angeles (Artemi Panarin) and Anaheim, despite California's higher taxes. Beach vibes, low taxes, and/or cool weather constantly beat a depressing environment year-round. Therefore, ask more from your government officials to make the burden easier for everyone.
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