John Tavares is headed to court today, and the issue has nothing to do with what he does on the ice.
According to reporting by Joseph Brean in the National Post, the Toronto Maple Leafs center and former teammate Patrick Marleau will be witnesses in a trial over the taxation of the signing bonuses they received from Toronto. The case centers on the way Tavares’ first-year bonus was handled when he signed with the Maple Leafs in the summer of 2018.
That deal was a big one: seven years, $77MM, with a $15MM signing bonus attached in year one. The dispute now is over roughly $8MM in taxes.
The Canada Revenue Service says that $15MM bonus should count as employment income, which would leave it subject to a tax rate of more than 50%. Tavares’ side argues the money was really an “inducement” to sign with Toronto, and therefore should be taxed at 15%, which he already paid.
At the heart of the case is how the word “inducement” gets interpreted. The CRS has acknowledged that some signing bonuses can qualify that way, but it has argued that Tavares and Marleau’s bonuses do not. There is no accusation of dishonesty or wrongdoing here, only a disagreement over how tax law should apply.
Elsewhere in the Eastern Conference, the Hartford Wolf Pack made a pair of coaching additions this morning. The Rangers’ AHL affiliate hired Bob Woods as an Associate Coach and John Stevens as an Assistant Coach for the 2026-27 season. Both bring extensive NHL experience, and Stevens’ résumé includes a stint as head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2009-10 before he was replaced by Peter Laviolette, who then guided Philadelphia to the Stanley Cup Final that season.
The Utica Comets also added to their coaching staff, with the New Jersey Devils announcing that Michael Zalewski has been hired as an Assistant Coach. It’s his first coaching job since retiring from the ICEHL after the 2022-23 season. Zalewski, a native of New Hartford, NY, played six NHL games and 167 AHL games during his career.
In Other News...
Rangers Top Six Could Hinge On One Season Long Audition
Oliver Bjorkstrand is in line to open the season on the Rangers second line, giving the club a veteran option as it sorts out the top six. But the fit looks temporary. He is viewed more as a short-term answer than a piece of the teams longer-term structure, which leaves the Rangers treating that spot as one of the more interesting jobs on the roster.
The real question is who eventually claims it. Will Cuylle brings the edge of an established NHL player who already showed he can help, even if his work in the top six has been uneven at times, while Liam Greentree offers the kind of offensive upside and physical game that could force his way into the conversation sooner than expected. For the Rangers, the season may end up being one long audition for that role, with the winner determined by who proves most reliable as the year unfolds. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Just Made A Hartford Move Prospects Will Feel Fast
The Rangers have given their AHL affiliate a notable reset behind the bench, naming Bob Woods and John Stevens to the Hartford Wolf Pack coaching staff. Woods will work as associate coach under head coach Jay Leach, while Stevens joins as an assistant coach, giving Hartford a pair of experienced hockey minds with long resumes in both playing and coaching.
For a development pipeline that matters so much to New York, the move adds more than just veteran credibility. Woods and Stevens both bring broad professional experience across multiple leagues, and their presence should give the Wolf Pack a more seasoned voice as the Rangers look to sharpen prospects on their way up. [Read more 🡒]
Rangers Face A Brutal Question Heading Into 2026-27
The Rangers have spent the offseason trying to reshape a roster that has missed the playoffs in each of the past two seasons, adding Pavel Dorofeyev, Sean Durzi and Marcus Pettersson as part of the effort to get back on track. Even with those moves, the pressure still sits on the players already in place, especially Alexis Lafreniere and Gabe Perreault, whose next step matters just as much as any external addition if New York is going to look like a true contender again.
Injuries have already complicated the picture and remain part of the conversation as the club heads toward the 2026-27 season. The bigger issue is whether this group can finally sustain the kind of performance that has been too inconsistent over the last two years, because a quick return to the postseason will require more than a few upgrades and a healthier lineup. [Read more 🡒]