The St. Louis Blues certainly generated enough headlines this week with the signing of Ken Hitchcock to head coach (again), the subsequent press conferences where he vowed to change little (again), and speculation over Blues center Vladimir Sobotka who fled St. Louis for a great payday (tax-free, even) in the KHL last offseason after a contract dispute.
For comparison, the KHL offered Sobotka more than $12 million tax-free dollars over three years to play for them while Sobotka was on the payroll for less than $3 million taxable dollars a year with the Blues. Professional athletes have a limited window in which they can make most of the money that will support them for the rest of their lives, so it’s understandable that he would make the financially responsible choice, even if he might find NHL hockey more dynamic and challenging.