I don't know which posts you are talking about but the future doesn't erase the past. As much as i like the team composition and think MB did a great job last summer i wont run around and say i don't have my doubts. The team is playing well but anyone expecting nothing to go wrong and that we will have an easy path to the sc after being one of the worst team for the last 3 years is living in la la land. There will be ups and downs and MB will have to fill holes and fix things. Winning a cup is a process it doesn't happen overnight (see Vegas). MB could not do it the last time. He had a great core but could not address the holes. He could have done better with the core he inherited imo. Will he be able to do it this time? We will see.
MB has been lucky. Technically speaking his team was supposed to miss the playoffs and finish close to the bottom 5 of the league again. He was supposed to have a hard time signing all his ufas and he had a lot of them to sign (still have 3 to sign). He was heading right where he was when he lost Markov and Radulov for nothing. Then covid happened. His team made the playoffs and had a great run. The economical situation made it easier to sign more team friendly deals with our ufas (playoffs run helped too probably). The fixed cap prevented a lot of good teams to be active on the ufas market which means we competed with crappy teams and marketa for the middle of the pack ufas. I applaud MB for seizing the day. It's one thing to be lucky it's another thing to take advantage of it. But it doesn't change the fact that things were not looking good at all a year ago.
If someone is negative about the present then yeah it's silly. If someone express some doubts because of the past then no it's not silly at all. Players don't want to sign here because the team sucked for the most part the last 30 years and the taxes rate. Nothing to do with the fans. Do you really think players put the fans before the money and opportunity to win a cup? First reason to sign with a team is money (after taxes). It by far outweigh any other reasons. 2nd reason is opportunity to win and play for a good team and with good players. Then 3rd probably the city/state/province/country. Fans and journalists really don't matter as much as people think. Very very very few players will be like they offer me 500 000 more (after taxes), have a great team, i like the city but i wont sigh there because of the fans and journalists.
Its tough to generalize what each player values most in their best fit market.
I mean, you mention that after tax income is the biggest factor in a player's decision along with team success. I lump the tax rate into the cost of living category.
If we look at the one market which consistently is the most desirable to play in, no matter if they are doing good or bad, its Manhattan. We can say alot of things about Manhattan, and I understand that most players likely don't live there, but cost of living is also very high over there, and it's still a highly desirable place to be.
I think what makes Manhattan so attractive is that it offers the glitz and glamour in terms of endorsements and other special perks in a city with alot of things to do, yet, you have the anonymity to just blend into your surroundings. It's the best of both worlds in that sense.
Therefore, I think the privacy, and anonymity factor is also a huge element at play if we are to generalize, and that is a huge strikes against Montreal.
However, each player has their own unique circumstances, and maybe every once in a blue moon, a marquee free agent's criteria might match with this city, and the only thing that the habs can control to make it more desirable is to build a perennial contender. Even that is sort of not in the habs control because even the most well run organizations all have to have their demise at some point, but it's the best the habs can do to make the market more desirable.
Now, I don't think this will make players come here in droves, but it can only help.
