EDMONTON, Alberta

As the Florida Panthers prepare for their third consecutive Stanley Cup Final and attempt to win a second consecutive championship, there has been a lot of talk in hockey circles recently how a select group of teams possibly have an upper hand in the NHL because they play in states without an income tax.

This applies to six teams: the Panthers, Tampa Bay Lightning, Dallas Stars, Nashville Predators, Vegas Golden Knights and Seattle Kraken.

So naturally, the topic was addressed to Panthers president of hockey operations and general manager Bill Zito on Tuesday during the team’s media day ahead of their Cup Final rematch against the Edmonton Oilers.

Zito, who since being hired ahead of the 2020-21 season has taken the Panthers from a team that hadn’t won a playoff serie

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