32 Thoughts: The Podcast - Sixty-Six Million Reasons to Stay

Episode Date: October 7, 2024

In this episode of 32 Thoughts, Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman open by delving into Jeremy Swayman's contract extension with Boston. Then the guys reflect on the pair of Devils-Sabres games in Prague that left Buffalo hampered (10:09). Kyle and Elliotte talk about the Wild's challenge to re-sign Kirill Kaprizov (14:42). After, they hone in on Columbus where Boone Jenner is dealing with an upper body injury (19:29).  The fellas also take time to reflect on the names that hit the waiver wire Sunday (21:00). Elliotte touches on the trade the Canucks made Sunday for Erik Brannstrom (25:47). Kyle and Elliotte discuss the future of NCAA hockey and their relationship with the CHL (28:25). In The Final Thought, Kyle and Elliotte run through all 32 teams and predict which ones will make the playoffs (37:11). Kyle and Elliotte answer your questions in the Thought Line (53:14).In the finals segment the guys welcome in beat writers from across the nation to touch on every Canadian club as we inch closer to opening night in North America:Gene Principe (1:03:39)Ryan Leslie (1:11:19)Eric Engels (1:20:38)Luke Fox (1:28:03)Iain MacIntyre (1:35:47)Jacob Stoller (1:45:38)Alex Adams (1:53:08)Email the podcast at [e-mail] or call the Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemailThis podcast was produced and mixed by Dominic Sramaty & Cam Barra and hosted by Elliotte Friedman & Kyle Bukauskas.The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.  

Hello, Kyle and Elliot. The pod is a staple. I rarely miss one. I think you're going to like this one. Thank you, Todd. I like this guy. Tim. Oh, so you never... Thank you, Tim. I love this guy. I don't know his name, but I really like this guy. All right, welcome to it.

32 Thoughts, the podcast presented by GMC. Sramati, Friedman, Bukaskis with you. Regular season games are underway. Prague, Czechia, the host to a couple of New Jersey Devil victories over the Buffalo Sabres on Friday and Saturday. We'll get to that in a little bit. Also later on in the episode, the Thought Line is back and we do a tour through all seven canadian markets touching base with some of our colleagues and getting a boots on the ground feel of all canadian franchises ahead of the beginning of the regular season but elliot you know where we have to start

how was your sunday morning so sunday morning I woke up early to some beeps and I kept on checking. And finally, people started to respond that Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins were closing in. And I really liked the way the Bruins did that with the arrival of the car. I thought it was a great piece of video. Again, the NHl social media accounts keep going keep pushing the limit keep doing what you're doing the content is getting better every day i thought that one was fantastic and i i think what happened is number one the number one thing that I think everybody needed to hear from Jeremy Swayman was that all of the history was buried he took the history he dug a hole in the ground like in

the movie casino and he poured dirt over top of it because when you sign an eight-year contract from with someone you're saying whatever may have happened I'm taking the money we're starting fresh and we're all good like the thing about the Amazon as great as the Amazon video is the tough thing for Swayman was it's something that he said back in what May and it's all of a sudden dumped on this situation right while it's hot. It's right after what Neely Happ said. And all of a sudden, this is thrown into the middle of it. And it's like, ah, Swayman will never get over it and stop whining already. I think Swayman set the right tone.

And that is that it's over it is over I'm signed I'm a Bruin the past is the past someday when he writes his autobiography in 25 30 years he can put a chapter in on that but now it's over and if ever anyone asks him about it he should simply say okay I signed here that shows you how I feel about the Bruins and and that's what he had to do but I really think that you know when Neely said what he did Swayman needed a couple of days to calm and cool down everybody did everybody needed it and I think when Swayman

cooled down and he thought about what do I really want what do I really want he wanted to be a Bruin and even though I think it was a rough couple days at the base it never changed and then you know what it comes down to kyle it's like when you have this kind of a negotiation where you know like like neely said 64 million and swayman wants a certain amount then it becomes all the um okay what's like we know we're going to get this done but what's a number that everyone's going to agree on because Because, you know, some people are saying, well, the Bruins said 64. If it's $64 million and one cent, they caved. So Swayman wins.

And then, you know, Swayman initially was up in the nines. And if he signs for $8 million, then he caved to the Bruins. And if, oh, if he signs for $8 million, then he caved to the Bruins. And so then it becomes just everybody's sort of mangling the metal to get the right deal. And look, it's a great deal. It's $66 million. Who's going to complain about that? So it's done. And I think there were some, I heard, but nobody will say anything, but I did hear there

were some heart-to-heart conversations. And it's sort of like Aaron Judge when he stayed with the Yankees. They had to have sort of like one last conversation to make sure that this is the outcome everybody wanted. And I think that was the case here, too. I think that when all the smoke cleared last week from what Cam Neely and the Bruins media conference, Smoke cleared last week from what Cam Neely and the Bruins media conference. Everybody just had to sit down and say, it is our desire still. Number one choice, number two choice, number three choice,

that Jeremy Swayman stays with the Bruins for a long time. And that's what everybody wanted. And at the end of the day, that's why it got done. So as you love to say, everything can change with one phone call. Was this as simple as, as ugly as it was this time a week ago, the players saying, okay, I'm ready to pick things up again, or how did it all get back on the rails and across the finish line in the end? or how did it all get back on the rails and across the finish line in the end? Yes, I think that after Monday's press conference, I really believe that it was all in Swayman's court.

And ultimately, he had to decide after what was said if he wanted to stay a Bruin or he wanted to ask for a trade. And I think once things calmed down, he wanted to stay a Bruin. Whether you liked or didn't like what Cam Neely said, the thing he accomplished with his 64 million reasons quote was he forced a decision. It forced Jeremy Swayman to sit down and think, am I in or am I out? And ultimately the answer was in. He thought about it. He was obviously upset, but when it came down to, do you want to ask for a trade or do you want to be a Boston Bruin? The answer unequivocally was he wanted to be a Boston Bruin. Now, I don't know if he called them first or they called him first,

but I do think there were some serious heart-to-heart conversations and he reiterated he wanted to stay. You know, they had the deadline of the season starting, the effect it could have on the cap, the financial losses to Swayman if he wasn't signed by Monday night. But ultimately, Swayman wanted to be a Bruin, and he didn't want to miss games. And I think that's ultimately how we got to where we got to. Okay. And you see, he was back on the ice Sunday morning.

He wasted no time. There was the car arrival, and then you see he went on the ice at their practice facility. Yeah. And he'd been practicing. And as he said, it was Boston university. I can't see them throwing him in there on Tuesday night. I mean, talk about a Hornets nasty. You haven't faced NHL shooters at all and you get the Panthers on the night

they're raising the banner. So I can't imagine he's going in there to start game one but you know we looked at the Bruins schedule they don't have back-to-backs they really don't have back-to-backs until the middle of or end of November so they have time to he's gonna have practice time he's gonna have the ability to get ready and I'm I'm curious to see what they're going to do here in terms of, you know, scheduling him and when he does make his debut. I don't think they're going to wait too long. I think you just reach a point where you kind of get thrown in there and say, OK, it's time. And you know what?

Like some people were saying to me, all the Bruins fans, they won't forgive. Come on. Some people were saying to me, oh, the Bruins fans, they won't forgive. Come on. The moment that Swayman goes out there and has his first shutout, whether it's 17 saves or 46 saves, everybody's going to be just fine. Oh, yeah. The heart rates in Boston have all gone back down to a resting rate again. I wouldn't be surprised if he goes to Jim Montgomery and says,

look, given the way our season ended last year, let me at these guys right away. Give me Florida opening night. I know I haven't been around. That wouldn't shock me in the least. I agree with you, Kyle. If I was a competitor, I would want that. I would a thousand percent throw me in that game. Now, as we all know, Bob Essence is the goalie coach there and he's a

really good one so he's gonna have a big say maybe you know what now part of me wonders does a team say you know what Corpus Allo was here all the way through and we don't want to risk the injury or anything like that but you know I have to say that's that's not the worst statement you've ever come up with because you know how competitors are. They will want to be in that game. Beautiful. So that's one thing to keep an eye on for Tuesday night down in Florida. So the Swayman saga is over.

He is a Bruin for the next eight years. How about the couple games we saw over the weekend, Elliot? A pair of Devils victories, 4-1, 3-1 over the Sabres. You talk about team admins coming out firing. How about the Devils social? You see what they did with the O2? Oh, yeah, the O2. Tough crowd.

Tough crowd. Wow. So Buffalo, Elliot, we talked about no excuses this year, time to make something happen, and a bit of a tough start out of the gate overseas. A lot. Coming back home to Buffalo with no points. Kyle, I don't like to overreact after two games. Never.

It's two games. But, but, if i could pick one team the team that could least afford to start like that it would be the buffalo sabers and it isn't just the losses it's the injury jj peterka a really important player for them suffers a concussion i didn't think it was a suspendable hit if anything I thought it was a touch late that's why I got the penalty but it wasn't a head hit the primary contact was was with the body that said I hate concussions and I hope Paterka is okay as soon as possible but also Benson gets hurt although he tried to play through it so does obey Kubel so immediately the Savers have some concerns there it's also you know the way they

lost to their their whole camp and Lindy Ruff coaches a team he wants you to be tough to play against the whole camp was about being tougher to play against and then you come out and you lose the first two games they kind of got pushed around they got controlled by New Jersey for most of those six periods New Jersey was the better team and you know one of the things about the Devils is they thought they got pushed around a bit last year and they obviously had the sexy attractive pickups the Jacob Markstrom's who may have had the save of the year in the first period of the first game of the season obviously Brett Pesci too but there were some other moves they made like like Dylan Dylan is a guy who when he's on the ice you're aware

that he's out there. And the other guy I really like, and there's some recency bias here because he scored a couple of times, is Paul Cotter. And I like Cotter at the time when they signed him last year. When Vegas won the Stanley Cup, he was a really good depth player on a really good team. And players like that help you win. They're not the biggest names, but they help you win. And I like that help you win. They're not the biggest names, but they help you win. And I like that pickup. And, you know, Seamus Casey, first NHL goal, gets the Rolex, great weekend for him.

As wrong as everything went for Buffalo, everything went right for New Jersey. And the other thing, too, last year was, you remember Buffalo, one of the reasons they started so poorly was their goaltending wasn't settled. Well, that wasn't the problem here. Levi, especially, was tremendous in game number two, and he kept Buffalo in it. You know, like I said, I don't like to overreact after two games. And then one of my buddies said to me wait a sec I hear you say that and you're the guy who keeps the November 1st stat aren't you that if you're more than four points out on November 1st you don't make the playoffs so maybe you should be more concerned and he's

right to point out my hypocrisy there but it already seems like it's late early in Buffalo and you know I see online that the Sabres fans are pointing out about the unsold tickets for the opener once they get back home. And there's still plenty of time to save this. And there's plenty of time to pull this back from the abyss. But you can feel after the way it went in prog that the stress is already high in saber land you can't fall apart you have to find a way through but just it's one of those things you're watching that game and you're looking at it and you're going oh man like this can't go any worse and it really tests you it really tests you but you have

to trust what you're supposed to do and you have to find a way you can't pack it in two games in it's just not possible you can't do that and you can why already, why the Devils are kind of the sexy pick in the East to do some damage this season. Sheldon Keefe, 2-0 to begin his tenure behind the New Jersey bench as well. So we talk about how big of a year this is for Buffalo and the pressure seeming to mount already out of the gate. Kind of feels like it's becoming a big season in Minnesota too, don't you think, Elliot?

So Kirill Kaprizov, next summer, he'll be eligible for an extension. It was last week, the owner, Craig Leopold, doing a media availability with the local press there saying his line that nobody can offer more money, more term than what we would offer them when it comes time. What was your read when Leopold went out and said that about their star player? So after reading those quotes, I was thinking, Kyle, that this is going to become one of the biggest stories in the NHL this year. What, what you know for how long before Dreisaitl signed were people debating his future same with Austin Matthews look at what we're doing with

Mitch Marner it's just when like star players so rarely move in this league that when you get a situation where it looks like a star player might consider going elsewhere, might. People just glom onto it and they can't get enough of it. And so, you know, Craig Leopold, I love the quotes. I thought they were really honest. I think they're completely true. But this is why, you know, where Minnesota is, both at the deadline and next summer, the results they have this year, just the fact that these are out there means that there's going to be a kind of Caprizov watch going on. Lazarus of the athletic, you know, he kind of made an off the cuff comment about, oh, I think Chicago. And he kind of had to walk it back because you forget that sometimes you make these

predictions and then the, the fires of the internet start burning and they send you all over your body. So, um, you know, you know, like this is, this is the kind of like so so I really look at Minnesota's year and they're on notice and they're admittedly on notice like nobody needs to tell them that Kirill Kaprizov they're gonna have to show him that they're worth staying with and you could always go into next season if you want there's lots of ways this could go and I don't really want to pour any gasoline on the fire with guesses or anything like this but I've got down in my notes that you know just watch the wild and caprisv because they're on notice by their own words which means everybody

else is on notice too and you know boldy got hurt but the thing the thing i noticed is it looks like some of their kids like ogren and rossi they had good camps it's still early but that's the kind of thing like they're going to need those guys to continue making steps if they're going to convince Kaprizov even Walstead the goalie too there's another one they're going to need those kids to convince Kaprizov that the wild is where he wants to stay so I'll be watching those young players as much as i'll be watching the results and the other thing too this is the final year of the wild paying that hefty cap penalty for the buyouts of parise and suitor right yes this year still almost 15 million dollars in dead cap just to that alone it goes down to just under 1.7 next season so flexibility opens up to

do more roster wise for Bill Guerin and company and though he's still two years away from a new deal to create a situation for Kaprizov to sign their long term because it sure sounds like that's the team's desire but you're right it's a big time for them now after missing the playoffs last year, something they haven't done a lot in the last decade, but they came up short last year. So suddenly it feels like the pressure's on there as well to have a much better outcome here and to convince a guy of Kaprizov's caliber, this is where you want to be.

And this is where you're going to have the best chance at winning. And you know what, Kyle? Some of that will be part of their pitch to him. Like the shackles are coming off. No more handcuffs. Even though, obviously, a chunk of that money will be going to him. Okay. Let's go to Columbus next.

So the Blue Jackets, a couple of injuries at the end of last week, their captain Boone Jenner, Dmitry Voronkov as well. Jenner's coming in practice. They signed Kevin LeBanc, who was on a PTO with New Jersey to a one year deal this weekend. But what are you hearing on the Jackets captain? I don't like what I'm hearing. i believe he's going to go for some second opinions this week which is you know that's pretty normal drew dowdy did that before the kings announced his timeline which we're expecting to be around three months um patrick liney did that before they announced his timeline which obviously he found an opinion that was like

that was saying, we don't need surgery and we can see if he can come back in a shorter timeframe, which obviously he was happy with. We'll see what Jenner comes up with, but I don't like what I'm hearing. It sounds like a pretty significant injury. I feel terrible for Jenner and I feel terrible for the Jackets who have been through an awful time as of late for a lot of different reasons. I, you know, it's such a flute play like you fall into the boards during practice.

But I just feel terrible for both him and the organization because it sounds like it's going to be quite a while. Okay. Tough to hear. And yeah, as you say, Elliot, the Blue Jackets have been through enough already the last little while. So Sunday, number of names on the waiver wire at 2 p.m. Eastern. Anything catching your eye there? I mean, I look at a guy like Pierre Engvall who's still got a lot of term left on the island what stuck out to you when the names came across your desk well the first

thing that made me think is it looks like Samuel Honzik has made the Calgary Flames that was one of the first things that jumped out in my mind and I really I like that like it looks like there's a bunch of kids that are going to get the trial here Yakim Chuck it looks like is is going to get it you think Kyle seems to be Godet Yannick on waivers I wonder if he plays opening night but at least starts the year on the roster I would love to see it because I I really do believe if you make like plays should dictate that's not the way the world works we know there's sometimes it becomes who you know or nepotism or things like that but in a fair world Kyle the best players or the players who earn it should make the roster and to me Yakimchuk deserves to make the Senators

Hanzik deserves to make the Flames and it sounds like Hanzik has made it so you know great on him you know the Engvall one is the one that jumped out there's a few guys Engvall, Hall, Anderson Dolan from Winnipeg, Brandstrom, Vancouver Trading Forum and then putting him on waivers you know the thing about engvall is you know the islanders know that nobody's going to claim him and this is this is their way of you know pierre engvall ask anyone who knows him he is one of the most gifted athletes anybody has ever seen like he just looks like a great athlete and people who've played with him say that he should be a great player because he has every tool that he needs to to make it and be us a useful very useful

NHL player but this is their way of shocking him just saying you know what it's one of the last things they can try and they're gonna and they're gonna hope that it lights the fire under him that they need so I looked at a bunch of guys there and I was like wow those are kind of surprising but usually that's what happens when you're sitting there and you're saying, what else can we try? I think there's some really interesting players on there. Janique, as you said, Kyle, I thought he had a great camp. I was really impressed with him. Rafai from Toronto, I thought he looked really good.

I know the Oilers fans really like Raphael Lavoie. Jacob Pelche from Calgary surprised me a bit. Sounds like he kind of lost his spot there. Yes. Yes, yes, he did. There's no question, but I was still surprised they did it. Samuel Bullduke, I had a couple people say to me that they thought that he might be the kind of guy that's worth a pickup. And Fajimo from the Kings.

Now, he's been claimed on waivers before. He was claimed by Nashville last year, but he's a right shot. He's still a young guy. He's scored 40 goals in the American Hockey League. I always wonder about guys like that. And there's a couple more. Those aren't the only ones. But one of the reasons that teams

do it today is that they're banking that a lot of other a lot of their opponents are sitting there and saying you know what we've got our roster we've maneuvered the cap the way we need to maneuver the cap and we have no room for any of this stuff so I do know that teams do do that they say today is the day to drop someone on waivers that you're concerned about losing because other clubs might be too tied up in what they've done or too committed to what they've done to claim them we'll find out it doesn't always work but it's kind of like your best odds day. I think the goalies too. Busi to me from Boston is a really interesting one. They put both him and Pitera on waivers. You're obviously not expecting to lose both. Cooley from

Calgary, he's one that I know a couple teams were kind of interested in. James Reimer's a veteran not making a lot of money. Like there are names on this waiver wire that make sense. It's gambling. That's exactly what it is. It's walking into the casino and playing roulette, saying I've got to put this guy on waiver sooner or later, so I'm going to do it now. Can I just ask you about the trade that the Canucks made on Sunday.

Acquired Eric Branstrom from Colorado for Tucker Pullman and a 2025 fourth. And then Branstrom went on waivers immediately. Is this about cap flexibility with the unknown around Demco? Okay. Yes, it is. And what it will do is that it's going to allow, it's going to give the Canucks the possibility not to go into LTIR. They want to bank space like they're like the Oilers. They want to add at some point in time. So they want to bank space and this is going to give them a better chance to do it. This is going to give them a better chance to do it.

And what the Avalanche are doing, like the Colorado Avalanche hired a new GM, sorry, assistant GM. I don't want to break news that they hired a new GM this summer. But the Colorado Avalanche hired a new assistant general manager this summer. His name is Andrew Wilson, and he's been at the central registry for like the last few years. He's been at the NHL head office for like 20 years, but he was the number two to Sean McLeod at central registry the last couple of years. Sean McLeod, by the way, he's the ghost. He never returns messages, but he's, so he's the ghost who runs central mess registry. And so basically whenever a team hires someone like this, they're looking for someone to do these kinds of things.

And that's what, so because they did the cap, like the, the Canucks kept 20% of the salary. So what that's going to do, if you do the math is that it's going to take Colorado close to the line. So what that's going to do, if you do the math, is that it's going to take Colorado close to the line. So they've got Landeskog on LTIR, but they're expecting him to play. They don't have to activate Nachushkin's salary

until he's cleared and out of the program. But it will allow them. So ultimately, you can't go crazy acquiring people because you still have to activate these other players. So you don't want to walk yourself into one cap problem from another, but what this will allow them to do is maximize their cap for that flexibility. And that's what they've, they've done here. It's a, it's a pretty smart move. Like it's, it's a pretty smart move like it's it's not anything I would have thought of Kyle because I'm not smart enough to think of stuff

like this it's good that's very mature of you admitting that you have to know your own failings and failures as a human being and my list is long and I am well aware of them. Beautiful. Music to our ears, Elliot. Okay, Elliot, NCAA hockey and the relationship with the Canadian Hockey League. So on Monday, NCAA conference commissioners are scheduled to meet. One of the things they're going to talk about is to allow CHL players permission to compete in college hockey at the Division I level. I mean, a few weeks back, we talked about Braxton Whitehead of the Regina Pats sharing that he intends to play at Arizona State University next year. So this shouldn't necessarily be seen as a surprise.

You talked about how this has been in the works for a little while now so what happens next after they meet Monday someone was saying to me today by the way Kyle that when we were first talking about this a couple years ago people thought we were nuts for saying it was going to happen and it's just really yeah it's just stunning how quickly it has changed when the NHL told their general managers last year at the GM meetings in March we should have realized it was on the horizon but I still don't think anybody thought it was going to be this fast I think the thing is now I guess an email went out at five o'clock on Friday afternoon and that they're going to be voting today.

And now what there is, there seems to be a lot of chaos, like a lot of unanswered questions. What is this all going to mean? How fast is this going to happen? I mean, they're, they're losing so many court case. It was bound to occur. But I heard that when Arizona State committed to that CHL player, people were really mad at them because they were like, you're jumping the gun. It's too soon. You're creating hysteria where it doesn't need to exist. And now it just appears they were simply ahead of the curve

and maybe they knew what was coming. But I think there's, you know, what's really interesting about this, Kyle, is that, you know, we joke about your connection to the Canadian Hockey League with your brother working at the WHL. And there seem to be a lot of people who think that this is much much better for junior hockey in Canada than it is for the NCAA like a lot of NCAA coaches think we were winning this and we don't need this and it's the academics who are telling us or the administrators who are telling us we have to do this and we don't want it.

And, you know, one of the groups of people I heard that are really concerned about this is maybe not the star players on an NCAA team, but maybe some of the guys who are a bit deeper down the roster. And they're worried now when these CHL players, when they're done up in Canada or in the Canadian leagues, they'll just parachute onto NCAA teams and they'll cost some of these players their jobs. And then where are those players going to go? Well, they could go to other schools.

Maybe we'll get more teams created. That's my hope. Although one frequent listener of this pod says he's not sure there's the money to do that. Maybe they're going to end up in Canadian universities. I'm hopeful there's going to be places for all these players to go, but others aren't sure. At the very least here, there's also questions about when can CHL players leave? Can they just drop out at any time? Or if they've signed the education contract with their with their teams does that

mean they're bound to stay there until their junior eligibility is up so you know we knew this step was going to occur Kyle but it's but we still don't have a lot of answers to how this is all going to work and if you're an NCAA sports fan not only only in hockey, but in anything else, you know the craziness the transfer portal has created. The athletes have a lot more power and I've got no problem with that at all. But it has been like a complete zoo in terms of players going here, there, everywhere. Like you need like a mega chart, a really good Excel spreadsheet to figure out and keep track of it all. So I think that's the thing people are wondering here is how exactly is this all going to work? And is it going to lead to mega craziness with movement? You know, it's funny. I had a uh father of a player in the nhl who went the ncaa route before turning pro and he the father's

obviously a big advocate of playing college hockey because of the education component to it and his line that he tells people is we don't need any more dumb athletes and i it's gosh i just wonder about like that. You say the trickle down effect and all the craziness, like how many, how far and how many different tentacles does this all touch? I mean, we were just talking off air, the BC hockey league, what does it mean for them now going forward? Yeah.

There's a lot to this beyond what's going to happen out of that meeting. And then the council voting on things later on in the week, that just the tip of the iceberg it feels like yes i agree with that and there's going to have to be a lot of agreements made i think it's going to affect older players more than younger um ultimately to me i really hope what it means is more American schools playing hockey. We've talked about how Tennessee State is picking it up. You know, there's a lot of places that kind of have club programs, like Vegas has a club program. I hope it, there's a question about how much money is truly available for all this. But what I hope it means is maybe a player who gets pushed out of one team's lineup finds somewhere else to go because there's more teams out there.

But there are definitely players who are going to get squeezed. And those are the players right now, I think, who are most looking at this and saying, I don't like this. I don't like this at all. The BCHL is going to hurt. I don't like this. I don't like this at all. The BCHL is going to hurt. I wonder if some of those kids who get squeezed out of NCAA teams, maybe they end up at Canadian universities, and maybe they'll be able to get some more players.

I don't know. But you joke about how I always say Colin Campbell's line, what's the law of unintended consequences? And there's a lot of that here. A lot of that, potentially. It's only just getting started. By the way, you went for a haircut today, right? Yes, I did.

How long does that take you, just out of curiosity? Well, Dino is meticulous, so it's close to an hour in the chair it's close to an hour holy cow an hour in the chair yeah what are you five minutes not that long but the thing is like people who are in the chair for an hour they usually get like coloring or maybe something designed into the head like you're just getting a straight cut right well but there's a washing condition mixed into it's the whole experience wow maybe a little espresso if it's early enough in the day still takes you a long time to drink it? That's why you're sitting there for an hour? Yeah, exactly. Exactly. You know me, I like to enjoy my coffee. What did you say, by the way? Someone sent in their whole system into the thought line?

Yeah, Elliot, that's right. In the thought line this week, Josh from Scarborough, Ontario, mentioned, well, I love the fact that we take coffee equipment on the road. It's fascinating by all because he does the same. He actually sent a picture too of he also has an AeroPress, travels with a grinder and a scale. And he's even got like a little briefcase, a protective briefcase for travel that it all fits into. I'm not that high end, but I was blown away. I'm pretty impressed. Look, you have created, everybody's coming out of the woodwork now, Kyle. First, we hear about the coffee.

Next, we're going to hear about hour-long haircuts. Oh, geez. Well, what did I say? I said there's a big, big community out there. There's a big community out there for coffee. And cuts. And time-consuming haircuts so that's that's going to take us to the final thought which is presented by gmc

okay here comes playoff rapid fire yes or no we're going to go team by team through the divisions one-timer styles all right okay i'll say the team you give your answer i'll give mine you're ready yeah yeah all right we'll start in the atlantic boston bruins 100 playoffs you yes big time swayman's in they're in with you buffalo sabers well i mean it's almost like cheating, right? You're almost given the answers before the test, but I'm going to say no. I will say no as well. Detroit Red Wings.

No. You know what? I didn't like the way they ended the preseason, and I know that that's not always the way that it should go, but they basically had their whole team against Toronto. I wasn't crazy about that game. I'm not crazy about their goaltending. And by the way, just send all the best to Jack Campbell, who they announced was going into the program on the weekend.

I don't know. I still think they're a year or two away. I really do. I'm going to say yes. You are a, I'm going to say yes. Yeah. I,

I did those games right at the end where they almost snuck in. I think they'll get over that. Oh, okay. Bold prediction, Kyle. I like it. Yeah. We've already submarine this rapid fire style, by the way. Who cares? Wow. Okay. Bold prediction, Kyle. I like it.

Yeah. We've already submarine this rapid fire style, by the way. Who cares? I don't follow instructions. You know about it. Absolutely. They're in. Montreal. No, they're a no for me. Not ready yet. No for me too, Doug. Ottawa. I know yours. I've got them in i am pot committed

i i'm going in with a 2-7 off suit i am i am pot committed i'm gonna say no pay that man his money i'm saying no really you know that uh they might not let you into the building eh Hey, you know that they might not let you into the building, eh? I know. I know. It's nothing personal. I wonder who gives you the stink eye first. Green, Andlauer, Steyos, Kachok.

Just let me know who gives you the first stink eye. Good. It'll be a good revealer of who listens to our show. That's true. Tampa Bay. Yes. I'm saying yes okay toronto you pause for a second there i thought you were uh i'm saying i'm saying yes on toronto as am i okay to the metro carolina yes yes i'm i was curious because a lot of people are down on Carolina. I think it's too soon.

I really think it's too soon. But a lot of people are down on Carolina. They're just still a good team. You know what I mean? And I don't mean to borrow a line from Pierre Dorian. We're a team. Yep. But I think they've got a system that'll sort out their subtractions over the

off season. Yeah. I like them too. Columbus. No, no. New Jersey. Yes.

Yes. The Islanders. No, no for me. But you know what? I have to say this. I just realized this on the sports net predictions that came out today, I predicted Patrick Waugh would be coach of the year. I saw that, which kind of made me scratch my head. Not that I don't think he's capable of winning it, but I had to say he weren't particularly high on the Islanders. So the highly disrespected Islander fans, and there's no group of fans that think

they're more disrespected than the Islanders, are going to look at this insanity for me saying, WAA coach of the year and no playoff team and say this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. So I recognize the flaw in my argument. I may end up walking this back because I think that WAA will have a huge impact in a positive way on them. But as I sit here right now, I'm kind of sitting here thinking and saying, who are they going to beat out? And I just don't have that. I don't have I don't have a bunch of teams are going to beat out yet.

OK, so I'll stick with no. OK, as will I. The Rangers. Yes. Yes, for me. The Flyers. No. No. I thought about it The Flyers. No. No.

I thought about it, but no. You did? Yeah, I thought about it. Pittsburgh, no. Yeah. No. No for me. And lastly, Washington.

Well, I hemmed and hawed, but I mean, I've already got my eight picks in the East here. And I think you do too. Yeah. So Washington is a no for both of us. It's a no for both of us. Okay. To the West. Clip and save.

To the West in the Central Division, Chicago. No. No. Not yet for me either. Although I'll say this uh i really like their i didn't like what i saw when they played minnesota this week i like late i think they had a pretty good roster there and they they got pounded and i didn't like that but they recovered nicely against st louis and i don't know you put the a on bedard and all of a sudden he starts fighting people I was going to say

I'm loving this side of Bedard giving it back to guys good on him Colorado yes yes Dallas yes absolutely

yeah no question we could see a repeat of the Western Conference final, I think, this year. You could? Minnesota. I have them as a no. But, but, I will say this. I had a real battle between four teams for my final Western Conference playoff team. So you're saying Kaprizov is gone in two years.

He's not resigning. That's good, Kyle. I like the position you're putting me in here. I think they go all out next summer when the shackles are off and they find a way to do it. I say they're getting in this year. They're a yes for me. All right. Nashville.

Yes. Yes for me. St. Louis. No. I'm going no to the Utahns. I like that you called them that. I like that. All right.

I think you have to have one go big or go home pick per conference. Ottawa is my team in the East and Utah is my team in the West. Ah, well done. You know, I'm more confident about Ottawa in the east than I am about Utah in the west but you can't just you can't be boring you can't

just you can't play it safe safe as death John Tortorella once told me so I'm you gotta you gotta every year there's at least one team that makes the playoffs kind of out of nowhere those are my teams Ottawa and Utah

good I'm gonna go no but they showed us something in the first half of last season before all the off ice stuff just got too much crushed them yeah crushed them so I don't mind your pick but I'm still sticking with no. Okay, Winnipeg.

Yes. I'll say this. Really? Okay. I'll tell you why. Kyle, I kept on saying yes. The amount of people that said no to me, I felt like I was doubting myself. I really did.

I don't like to doubt myself, but I went with them, but I looked at them and I said, you know what? I'm sticking with what I initially thought. I think they're going to find a way. I do. I'm going to say no. Yeah, you're not the only one. Like I said, I'm in the minority on this one. I am

definitely in the minority on this one. Happy to be proven wrong, but my answer is no right now. The Pacific. Anaheim Ducks. No. No. Calgary Flames. No. I'm with you there. The Edmonton Oilers. No. Calgary Flames. No. I'm with you there.

The Edmonton Oilers. No. Yeah, right. I just wanted to see if you were paying attention. I'm an autopilot now. So we say yes. Yes, of course. There's your one more bold prediction.

The LA Kings. I went no. Oh. I'm going yes. Yeah. Kyle. Yes. I'm kind of waffling.

Hold on. A wise man once said this is not a waffle house. That's true. He did say that. But, you know, I'm sitting here and I'm looking at Utah and LA and Minnesota

and Winnipeg and I just really struggled with this group of four teams. So did I. So did I. I don't like leaving LA out. I really don't like leaving LA out. really don't like leaving LA out just because of the pickleball or is there more reasons no I already took my L in pickleball um I don't know

the Doughty thing it's it's it's really tough with me it's uh he's such a huge part of their team. I totally get it. But man, I think, well, Brant Clark is one thing. We've talked about Quentin Byfield and the show, of course. I think I watched those games in Quebec City this weekend. He looks dynamite. Yep. He sure does. Like every time the Kings go out there there they get listed as the third line

and and i'm like that's the third line yeah yeah yeah and kopitar almost seems i don't know if rejuvenated because it's not like uh he's lost an incredible step over the last little while but as much of the talk is of you know is, is Byfield going to usurp him here sooner rather than later? He looks to be in no position of interested in letting that happen. Yeah. Which is great. It's just great for them. Yeah. I'm really struggling with this LA Utah. I'll stick with what I did, but I don't feel great about it. All right. Brave man. San Jose. You will be allowed to go back to Los Angeles next year and play pickleball. I will not.

No. That's right. I'll need a new partner. No to San Jose. Seattle. I don't have them in. Yeah, I don't either. They're going to be close.

You know what? And I'm also wondering if Eberle gets named captain there. Okay. Well, you were bang on with Clayton Keller in Utah last week. Yeah. So I wonder when they signed Larson if it would be him, but I think my pick is probably more likely Eberle. Okay.

That's a great one. So we're both no on Seattle. Vancouver. Yes. And I think Vancouver could win the Stanley Cup this year. The thing for me is Demko. And I would not be surprised here. Like Jim Rutherford does not discuss injuries.

It's the one thing it's like kryptonite to him like JT Miller could have a hangnail and not miss a game and Rutherford would not talk about it my theory on Demko is they're gonna hold them out longer than we're thinking like I don't want to put a timeline on it because it'll go crazy but i think they wait i think they really really wait they they you know i i think they're comfortable enough in lankan and silovs and you know according to ian mcintyre who you'll hear silovs looked really great in the preseason um i think they waited out, they're patient, and I think they're going to add because that's what they do when they have a chance to win. I like Vancouver a lot. I do too. And because of,

you mentioned the tandem they've got as the stand-in until Demko is healthy, I think they'll get through it. Defense is more than good enough in front of them to make it all work in the meantime. They're in for me going away. Lastly, Vegas. I have to tell you that there are a lot of people who are also down on Vegas. Hmm.

I can see it. I said somewhere that I still think it. Like I, I, I said somewhere that I still think they can win the Stanley cup. And again, I had like people saying to me, like, you're nuts. They lost a lot and they're not that good.

And I was like, well, not that good. I mean, you know, I like, like they have great players on that team. As a matter of fact, I'll say this,

like one of the Dallas guys was telling me that Eichel does not get credit for how good he is and how great a player he's become. I was like, Eichel, you mean like the number one center on a Stanley Cup team? Like people aren't aware of how good he is? But there are, I don't know if people just don't like Vegas or what it is, but there are people out don't know if people just don't like Vegas or what it is,

but there are people out there who are really down on their chances this year. I still think they're really good. I'm with you. I'm keeping them in. Going back to Mark Stone at their golf tournament when he was like, oh, another year, everyone writing Vegas off. They'll have plenty of motivation to be good again this year. So I say yes.

So those are our picks, our yes or no's across the league come playoff time this year. So that was the final thought or thoughts presented by GMC. Elliot, before we go to break, I know there's something on your mind and in your heart here on this Monday. I know there's something on your mind and in your heart here on this Monday. Yeah, a friend of mine from university just received just awful news in the last couple of days that someone I knew, Susie Stanley Diamond, passed away about a week ago. And I wanted to send my best and our best to Steve Diamond, Lindsay and Cooper. Huge hockey fan Susie was. and our best to Steve Diamond, Lindsay, and Cooper. Huge hockey fan, Susie was, and so is her mother, Mary.

They never missed a game. They never missed an intermission, which could not have been easy with some of the stuff that's been said in our intermissions over the years. But it's a really tough time for their family, and I wanted to send them the best. I went to university with Susie and her brother, Tim, and I knew Mary pretty well. So all the best to the Diamond family and especially to Lindsay and Cooper. Listen to the 32 Thoughts podcast ad-free on Amazon Music, included with Prime. Okay, time now for hockey's favorite audience participation segment,

the Thought Line, the phone number to call 1-833-311-3232, email address 32thoughts at sportsnet.ca and elliot we will begin this edition hold on voicemail hold on oh before we start i i because you never give me an opening but the uh we did get some audience participation on what hurts more, a punch with a glove or without. And I have to say that of the responses I got, more people sided with you. It hurts more without the glove. I still disagree, but it doesn't look like I'm winning this argument. Well, I watched Jack Eye and Zach McEwen throw down Saturday Night in Ottawa, and I thought that didn't look any more

enjoyable than if he had his gloves on. That's what I was thinking watching that. I have to say you are right about that. I'm glad to see I have a good effect on you though. This is good. Yeah. It's all downhill from here. All right. We're kicking it off with a voicemail this time around. Elliot Trent from Chilliwack. What's up boys. It's Trent from Chilliwack. What's up, boys? It's Trent from Chilliwack. Go Canucks. I had to leave a name and a location because last time I got through on the thought line, I forgot to do that. And Elliot actually chirped me for being in the Witness Protection Program. My question, though, is about money being involved in NHL trades.

You know, back in the day, we've seen trades where Jager got traded from Pittsburgh to Washington and $5 million went back to Pittsburgh. There's also the massive deal with like a boatload of picks and $15 million cash being traded for Eric Lindros. So I'm curious if we will ever see this again in the NHL. Is this even allowed anymore? Love the pod. So excited for this season. Kyle, I think you're doing a great job. And one last thing, try the ribs.

No, you, you can't do it anymore. It's it's, it's not allowed. And you mentioned of course, the Gretzky trade, which was the big trade, which with 15 million dollars in it. But no, I mean, the only thing you can do is teams can eat up to 50 percent of the salary in a contract. And you can eat three contracts at any one time on your roster. But in order like trading cash. No, that doesn't that doesn't happen anymore. It's not allowed.

And that's because of the salary cap that's now part of the NHL. Yes, 100%. Okay, Mitch in San Francisco. Hi, 32 Thoughts team. Big fan of the pod. My question is, why does the NHL disclose less about injuries? For example, in the NFL, I can find out exactly what Christian McCaffrey is dealing with, or ate for dinner, or at the very least, his whereabouts.

Feels similar in the NBA, somewhat detailed injury reports from teams or local reporters. Not saying NHL reporters don't pull out this information, but it does feel like we tend to know less about injuries in the NHL. Am I right about this? Is there a reason reason or am i crazy thanks everyone yes elliot injury disclosure in the era of many things in the nhl being brought to you by a major sports book if you are crazy it is not because of this statement that's what i'll tell you uh the nhl is much much more secretive about this stuff and the to be honest like the question has been asked not me but i've heard reporters ask a question before now that the nhl is more

in bed with gambling books and things like that will there be will there be additional information or clarity on injuries and the commissioner's been on record as saying no. And he said that it's not going to change. Now, there are people out there who say, well, it wouldn't matter because players don't target injuries. I think they're totally wrong. I think they absolutely 100% do target injuries because if you're on the ice in a big playoff game,

you're pretty much fair game. However, I disagree, especially now that more gambling money is involved. I disagree with how secretive they are. And I just think that if you're anyone who bets money on games, you have to take that into account. I have had people who told me, and these are people who'd like to wager, that they limit how much they wager on NHL games because of this. They don't trust the reporting. It's just the way the sport is, and I don't get the chance that's going to change anytime soon. The one thing I'll also add to this, Kyle, some of my biggest fights I've ever gotten into as a media person have been when I reported injuries and I get it I don't always like it I had a big one in the playoffs last

year with Nylander just because it was such a crazy situation but people in the in hockey are very sensitive about it because they do believe players will get targeted. So that's the best answer I can give you. Yeah, Bill Daly was actually asked about all that last month in Vegas, said we haven't received any pushback from the sportsbook entities that they're partnered with. So it doesn't sound like anything is changing

on that front anytime soon. Okay, next. Mike from his truck on the rigs. Keep mentioning gaining cap space throughout the year. How is that possible if you have a cap of $88 million to gain more? Really confusing. Please expand. Take care, fellas.

Love the pod. Basically, the way you look at it is you look at it like a bank. This is the simplest way I can explain it because it's the simplest way it was explained to me. It's like the more money you have in there, the more interest you accumulate. It's like that as a team. The more cap space you have, the more cap space you accumulate on a daily basis. It's like collecting interest. So that's the way I would explain it to Mike on the rig. I love the tagline, by the way, but that is the best way to do it. Great. Last one, Tim from Calgary. We get a lot of entries from Calgary every week, by the way. They're very active on the thought line hello kyle and elliott the pod is a staple i

rarely miss one i think thank you todd i like this guy tim oh so you never thank you tim i don't know his name but i really like this guy it's like the guy charles Barkley got the bracelet from. Whatever your name is, thanks for the bracelet. Yes. Okay, I think you're going to like this one, Freach. Okay. I've been running a hockey pool for 25 years,

and in 2019, I replaced my beloved goon category, which scores points for pims and subtractions for goals and assists, with an under-21 category using the NHL's September 15th cutoff date. This season, the top few U21s are easy, Bedard being number one. But if you were drafting late, who would be your sleeper pick for a U21 player? Do you want to start? You go first. Let me think for a second.

So I'm assuming when he mentions the September 15th cutoff date, is that if someone's turning 21 today, they would be eligible still to be in this U21 category for Tim's hockey pool. So with that being the case, a late pick who could help you in this scenario I'm taking Pavel Minchukov the defenseman from the Anaheim Ducks had a pretty good year last year though he missed some time from injury but was almost a half point per game as a defenseman I would take Minchukov as a sleeper I I don't know if your premise is correct I just don't know. But I think it's a great choice. I think Minchikov is a really, really talented guy.

So I like that pick. To me, like Logan Cooley, is that a sleeper? Leo Carlson, is that a sleeper? Leo Carlson, is that a sleeper? You know, those are pretty high picks. You know what player I really like? I'm just curious to see where he's going to fit on the Capitals. Is Ivan Maroshnishenko? Like he was a first-round pick who missed some time in his draft year but he's a really talented

young guy I guess the other two I'd put out there one would be Brant Clark I'm sure he's on a lot of people's radars he's going to run that power play early but the way people talk about Joshua Roy he'd be another guy I'd look at so So those are some options for you. I tried not to name the obvious guys. Those are some other names that I would give you. Fun one from Tim to wrap it up. That was the Thought Line. 1-833-311-3232. 32thoughts at sportsnet.ca.

Much love for all that submitted this week. And thank you to Griffin Porter for help curating the list for us. More 32 Thoughts when we come back after this. Okay, as promised, we thought before the regular season gets underway, at least in Canada on Wednesday night, we would take a little trip across the seven Canadian markets and check in with some of our colleagues and get their sense of what's going on with the teams that they cover all season long. All right, we're going to begin in edmonton the site of last year's stanley cup finalists the oilers and we are so pleased to be joined now by gene principe rinkside host of oilers hockey on sportsnet gene first of all what season is this for you now working

ringside in edmonton wow kyle uh well first of all, congratulations. Not that you don't do enough great things for our company, but now you've got another role in our wonderful ad alongside Elliot. And back then I was working for what was called A Channel, which is now City Television owned by Rogers. And in 01, I moved over to Sportsnet. So 23 years at Sportsnet. And the math is getting to be high when it comes to numbers. But I guess that's a sign of longevity. And hopefully everyone, if they don't love me, at least they can tolerate me. If they don't love you, it's too late me if they don't love you it's too late it's not like you're going anywhere like it's just like a marriage right Elliot it's too late that's

right it's too expensive and too aggravating to walk away from that's right we're just we're staying together just because of the kids you know the kids are on the team. The grandkids, the grandkids. You're right. I remember when I started this job and I was 31. And, you know, I was I would have been a little bit older than most of the players. But there were a lot of players in their early to, you know, mid 30s. And then you get to be the age of the parents. And then you get now I'm a bit of a tweener. I'm older than many of the parents or some at least.

But I'm not quite at the grandparent stage. So we'll see if we can get to the grandparent stage as the host of the Oilers on Sportsnet. All right. Here's the big question. Cup or bust? Oh, buddy, it's cup for sure. No problem, especially because last year it felt like a bust, even though they made it to game seven and were a post away, a bounce away, a break away from winning the Stanley Cup. So I really feel like these guys, they're not looking too far ahead, but it's right there in the back of their head and will slowly move to the front as they work their way through the season.

These guys are focused, not only the players, but the staff, the organization to come so close. It was different in 2006 because it really felt like a shot in the dark, a one-off that it wasn't a belief that this was going to be something that they could have a chance of doing year after year after year. This is a belief that it is something that they can do or at least have a shot of doing year after year for the next few years. So I'm going with cup over bust, Elliot and Kyle. Very good. So I think of Connor McDavid's line about the main lesson he took away from last year

is that you can't win it all right out of the gate. And we know the story of how they started last season after putting so much emphasis going into this time a year ago. How did you read how they managed the last couple weeks and gearing up for game one of 82? Yeah, Kyle, I don't think it's the kind of preseason that you would boast about. It was probably a little underwhelming for Edmonton,

considering where they did finish in the cup final in game seven last year. But honestly, I don't have a crystal ball, but I'm not like shocked. There's a lot to unpack after that. And I think it's easier, a lot easier to unpack when you win it than when you get that far and don't. So I have no concern. I don't think the Oilers have been as good as, you know, fans will look at their preseason record. But I also don't think they're as off as people would think.

And I know Wednesday night with an all-Canadian matchup coast to coast on Sportsnet with Winnipeg coming to town that it'll be a great game and it'll be a great season for Edmonton. You know, I think after a 16-game winning streak and what they were able to accomplish, a lot of people think, oh, they'll be 8-1-1 in their first 10 or 9-1. It may not be that easy. There have never been easy games for Edmonton when you have Connor McDavid and Leon Dreisaitl and company in your lineup. But this is a really good team who I think is going to have a really good season, even if the preseason wasn't quite

what they might have expected. I remember the not so good years and the Oilers would be 6-2 in the preseason. And then by midway through, things were going so difficult for them that they didn't have a shot at the playoffs. So I would see this as the opposite with lots of

runway to come and a team that's going to take off soon enough here's my question for you gino you know that the oilers are going to try to bank cap space and add at the trade deadline if you were to bet what is the ad going to be for this team? Maybe not a name, but a thing. Yeah, that's a great question. So Evander Kane is a bit of a question mark because we just don't know after having one surgery, but fixing multiple things that were wrong with him, where he fits in or when he fits in. I guess that's kind of the question. I know he fits.

It's just, are we talking January, February? And if it turns into February, March, then he is an incredible pickup at the trade deadline. I would say from what I can see that if there is something to be added, I would circle back to two deadlines ago when they picked up Matthias Ekholm. And there's no Ekholm to be had,

I don't think, at the deadline this year. But something defensively that maybe they feel they need just a little bit more of. And I only say that because they lost three of their seven defense that made their way through the cup run. So I think up front with Arvidsson and Skinner added Henrik returning, Brown returning, Matthias Janmark returning. I just don't, you know, I look at their 12 forwards and 13, and I'm like, you know, what do they need? Now, this, of course, barring any potential big injuries,

but I would say something defensively that they just feel they need that will work along their blue line, if they are to make something big happen at the deadline elliot and kyle gene if there's one thing i learned being at edmonton during their run last spring connor and leon are the two big stars but you are firmly the third member of that podium popularity in that city it's uh great with all that said it's great that you made a few minutes for us today i appreciate it guys and hey longevity gets you somewhere so they're i guess they're happy to see you in the playoffs everybody's happy there are no enemies unless you're

part of the opposition so i look forward to another long run and spending uh many uh nights not only during the season but in the playoffs alongside you guys and maybe on a couple of planes as well. Well, I'll just say this. I know that in the Amazon dock when McDavid is yelling at the players, well, he's not yelling at the players. He's yelling at you. Pick it up. That wasn't a game. I better dig in. You know what? And we'll, we'll drop the expletives, but I'll definitely dig in for whatever season it's going to be for me and the Oilers this upcoming year. Great.

All the best, Gene. Thanks, man. Take care, boys. Keep up the great work. All right. We'll head to Calgary next and check in with Ryan Leslie, the ringside host of Flames Hockey on Sportsnet, one of the great libraries of impressions on the tour does Ryan have.

Ryan, good to have you on here. What were your main takeaways? We'll start main takeaways from Flames training camp as we look forward to a new season for them. Yeah, well, it was an interesting one from a standpoint of, I guess, just a different feel this time around, Kyle. Last year, there was this kind of cloud hanging over them in terms of the business that they had to do,

much like every team every year has that kind of business. But with so many pending free agents last year, it was evident given the way the direction of the team was going, that moves had to be made, significant moves and saying goodbye to a number of significant players with a lot of talent. And that was the task of Craig Conroy. So this year, a lot of that business was kind of taken care of.

It wasn't as though they had the same scenario. And I think what you're seeing in Calgary right now is there's just kind of a different feel inside that locker room where, all right, those who are here want to be here. Those who had to take their talents elsewhere have done so. And now it's sort of a lighter, more positive feel. Listen, this time of year, I get it. Optimism reigns supreme. But they're very realistic about what they want to do,

and that is be a hard team to play against every night. They want to have, and that is be a hard team to play against every night. They want to have this injection of youth, and I think we saw a little bit of that in training camp. Sam Honzik was producing some points for a young guy, and we see some various new faces in there, but some players I think Flames fans were watching going, okay, is he ready to take a step? What does this year look like for a number of young players? Connor Zerio had 14 goals last

year. Is he going to progress and take another step in his career? What are we seeing from Jacob Pelche? That's a question too that at some point we should address. But yeah, just the idea that it's just a lighter feel around here this time of year, going into the regular season with some young guys who, you know, are going to get a chance to prove themselves, to go along with a mix of guys who have been there. So I think a pretty realistic approach to the start of the regular season. One of the questions hanging over the team is some of the veterans, Ryan. Now, I understand that Craig Conroy has said, timeout. We're going to see how this goes before we make any decisions.

Do you think that the veteran players are on board with that? Yeah, I do. And I think they've been very professional from a standpoint of understanding the direction of this team right now. Is it a retool? Is it a reload? Whatever the word is that everybody can agree upon, you're seeing some change. And those players like Kadri, who was fantastic last year. Blake Coleman, great year. Mackenzie Weeger, Rasmus Anderson. So there's some veterans here, Michael Backlund, of course, the captain,

who are on board with where we are right now in terms of the situation. And we've got to see how this thing plays out, though. You know, like it really does have to play itself out. and get to see how this thing plays out though. It really does have to play itself out. Are they all going to be here at the end of the year? Time will tell, but I will say there's buy-in, Elliot, from what you're seeing out of these veteran guys,

guys who've done it before, guys who've won before, and guys with contracts and who are here for now and we'll see where it goes. What's been your read on Dustin Wolfe here now that the Jacob Markstrom situation got sorted out last offseason, and he's now in New Jersey? Well, it's an opportunity for sure. Dan Bladar says, I'll take it and run with it. Dustin Wolfe

wants to make it a difficult decision on a daily basis. And Cooley has been good as well in the free season. So that was nice to see as well. But I still think Dustin Wolf has some work to do. And I still think that there's a great opportunity here. You mentioned Markstrom, he's moved on. And so there's a couple of goalies, if not three, who are kind of vying for some work. And, you know, I'm not overly convinced just yet that Dustin Wolfe is completely ready, but he's certainly got an opportunity to take it, and we'll see what he does with it. There's some challenges for a goaltender with his stature. Dan Boudard is a big, big goalie, and Dustin Wolfe isn't. So we'll see how he navigates it.

He had some time last year, but I don't know as though he necessarily said, it's my job at any point. So last year, preseason this year, and into the regular season, Dustin Wolfe's got a chance. What's he going to do with it? Time's going to tell. What's your going to do with it? Time's going to tell. What's your best outcome for the team this year, Ryan? Do you think the Flames are a playoff team?

I don't, but I don't think that that is, you know, that's certainly the goal for them. They want to get there. I just think you got to be realistic. And I think it's a team that can certainly on any given night beat any given team. But I just think consistently over the course of this season, we're going to see. And with some of the questions that may potentially be lingering in terms of those veterans, are they going to be sticking around given where the team is? And, you know, there's a lot of things that can happen over the course of the regular season. I think everybody in this market is, is realistic about it. I think inside those

walls, they like being the underdog. They like knowing that people are saying, no, it's, it's not for them. Rankings, what have you, they'll take it, they'll accept it. And then they're going to go out and try and use that. Not much of a big prediction guy, but I just don't see it at this point. And again, there could be additions. They've got cap room. There could be subtractions. It's going to be an interesting year in terms of the way people are looking at what they have in the system, younger players. I think a lot of people are really curious about the regular season, what it's going to mean, the direction, really curious about, you know, the regular season, what it's going to mean, the direction,

where are they going to position themselves, either in the standings or with some of the talent that they do have. So again, not much of a prediction guy, but you know, I think everybody here is pretty realistic about where they are in this retool and accept that. And we'll go to the rink on a nightly basis and watch the games on a regular basis to see who's doing what and see how it all shakes down. And over the course of a year, like so many other teams

that either are going to be competing for a playoff spot, which I think you could be in and around that conversation, but there's a lot of time and a lot of work to be done here. And I think inside that locker room, that's their goal, understandably. And you know what?

They still have a lot of talented pieces, so we'll see how it goes. But it's going to be a challenging year in the win column, but that doesn't necessarily mean that's how you're going to gauge it, I think, if you're watching this team. Good stuff, Ryan. Hey, have you picked out a rookie dinner spot for John Abbott yet? Well, there is some talk of Utah. We're there at the end of the month and excited to have John on board. And so it'll be a Vegas and Utah scenario. And, oh, man, yeah, that'll be our first time there, obviously. And I'm looking forward to it.

John's a good man. Really excited to get working with him and happy that he's here. I know he's pretty excited and getting his family situated here. And, yeah, it's a lot, but I think he's up for the challenge. That's for sure. Now, I understand with Rick Ball not there, the price of wine just went down. Is that true? Very fair.

And we're all sad to see Rick go, but kids can afford to go to college now. It's that kind of thing. Kids can afford to go to college now. It's that kind of thing. But, yeah. I mean, I'm sure Kelly will still give it the old college try. And, you know, it's losing Rick. You know, he was just so great to have on the road. And his tastes were very extravagant in terms of a good steak and a good

glass of wine, but I'm sure John Abbott can bring it as well. So looking forward to it. It's, you know, a new guy in the booth and, you know, somebody who's been in NHL markets and Vancouver and Ottawa and, you know, he's got a lot of experience under his belt, so it's going to be fun, but yeah, we'll have to stick him with a tab or two. A little credit card roulette. Yes, always on the table. Ryan, have a great season. Thanks so much for doing this.

Thanks for having me, guys. Okay, from Calgary out to Montreal. Eric Engels of Sportsnet.ca joins us here now. Eric, preseason treat you well. How are you doing? Preseason treated me very well. Probably a lot better than some of the players in the Montreal Canadiens who ended up on gurneys after that one game. But I think we're all happy that it's over.

Yeah, well, that's where I wanted to start. I mean, of course, the injury to line A, Reimbacher to a certain extent, like was that enough to take the wind out of the sails after there seemed to be like legitimate buzz coming into camp or do you believe this team is is better equipped than in years past to withstand all that yeah i think it depends who you ask if you ask the fans i'm sure some of the wind was taken out of the sails if you ask management the coaching staff we would probably like to put a positive spin on it you You know, I thought they saw Line A as a guy that could boost what they had around them this year. But the main emphasis on them taking a step was based on their young core

having one more year of experience under their belt. So you look at guys like Arbor Jack, and Caden Gooley, and Justin Barron, Jaden Strubel on the back end. You look at Nick Suzuki, and Cole Caulfield, and Yorai Slavkovsky, and Kirby Dock coming back I think the Canadians sense of optimism that they could quote unquote be in the mix and achieve that goal this season is based around the maturity of that young core now losing Patrick Laine I think is less about the player himself not that he wouldn't have been productive with the Canadians

through the first few months of the season but more about the fact that you had a more rounded top six to insulate what is a much deeper bottom six with guys like Gallagher and Anderson and Armia down there and Evans and Dvorak now a lot of people would look from the outside and say well they're paying too much money for those guys to be in the bottom six but when you could afford it it't matter. And it becomes an advantage if they're well insulated. So I'm curious to see how it works out from a secondary scoring perspective and also how that depth ends up following through now that a little bit of insulation has been taken away with line is injury. I'm curious about the defense. I know you're a big Gouley guy. You really love Gouley. But where do you expect

who do you expect to take steps this year? 82 games from now who is going to say I'm a Canadian's defenseman long term? Well Lane Hudson definitely is going to. And I know there's a lot of buzz, a lot of hype. Not that there's ever been hype about a rookie coming into Montreal. I know you guys are not used to that. But this kid, what he can do, and I think a lot of people have been exposed to it in the preseason and also in the rookie camp. You know, I get to watch him practice on a daily basis, which is somewhat of a privilege.

The things that he can do, he's not a conventional skater. It's a little strange watching the way he moves around but he is so shifty and manipulative that he's blowing his teammates away and I just think this kid is entering the league with star quality already there's going to be nights where he gets blown up he gets hit he ends up on the minus side of the ledger but I think what he can do with the puck and also certain parts of his game defensively, which probably don't get enough credit. The way he angles guys off, the way he pushes them into uncomfortable space, the way he uses his stick. I just think the positive is so far going to outweigh the negative in his case that people who think he might be in the race for the Calder.

I don't think they're out of touch with reality on that. You look at Stru on that you look at Struble you look at Jack I there's a good race between those two players Justin Barron when he was traded for Arturi Lekanen came over with a lot of offensive promise you talk to the guys who play with him in the offseason Sidney Crosby Nathan McKinnon Brad Marchand among them out east and they are believers in the player and I just think he hasn't put it together so far throughout his young NHL career and then you remember that he's still pretty young and has around 100 games of NHL experience under his belt so you look at those guys the Ghoulies, Barron, Struble,

Jack Eyre they're going to take that pivotal step that they need to take with that experience under their belt because if they can I see a good mix between what they have I think they're better than the sun like the sum of their parts is better than the individual components especially with Mike Matheson and David Savard as the veteran anchors there all right so based on that Canadians playoff team angles are they a playoff team oh man I think I know that's a no I'm undecided like I was seeing you oh my god get like this isn't the waffle house this isn't the waffle house come on all right all right Derek you want to make a bold prediction like Elliot did just to be bold instead of giving any

kind of reasoning as to why he's picking the Senate. I'm sorry. I didn't realize this was the soft section of the show. I will predict the Canadians will finish ahead of the Ottawa senators in the standings. Even with line A out for two to three months. Okay. Well, that's not nothing. I appreciate it.

I appreciate you giving us something there, Eric. Well, I think we're going to make the playoffs, right? Ottawa, yes. Yes, I do. I guess that means I think Montreal has a better chance

of making the playoffs than Ottawa does. Okay, that's fair. That's fair. That's fair. That's something. Last one for me, Eric, quickly. Joshua Waugh. I mean, I really liked watching him last year when he got hot there for a bit.

Like, what's realistic in terms of a type of growth season he could have? You're asking me a hot-button question because his camp has been somewhat pedestrian, and his worst game of the preseason came in the very last one he showed some really good stuff throughout the preseason and throughout training camp in Heinemann's case as 22 years old the guy who was traded to Montreal you just see that a year of North American hockey brought him to a place where he could be a player that's on this roster and I know that when this gets released we won't have clear answers yet in terms of what the roster will be

with the 5 p.m. deadline. But in terms of why, it seems as though he's played himself in that conversation. And I think Alex Bariboulé has the likelihood of being on the roster, which means one of Heinemann or Hoa could end up in Laval to start the season.

I still think this player is going to be a real quality player. You saw what he could do with the World Juniors with a guy like Conor Bedard next to him. He has an elite hockey sense. He's a competitive player. He can play in all situations, but he's still young. And there are steps for him to take in order to prove

that he could be a regular guy. And I think if he goes through that humbling experience of having to go down, not that I'm expecting that necessarily, I think he'll come back up playing ready to be a solid contributor to this lineup. Great. Eric, thank you for your brave prediction and your insight. We'll see you this week in Montreal. Yeah.

Take care, guys. All right. To Toronto next. Luke Fox, lead writer for the Maple Leafs for Sportsnet.ca, joins us here now. So Luke, first off, how are you doing? How are you feeling about things around the blue and white after training camp, new coach around how people anticipate things will go with the Leafs as there are every year. What's your sense of everything right now? Well, you mentioned it in new coach. I think that's the biggest difference at Maple Leafs camp this year. You know, Sheldon Keefe didn't run an easy camp, but I'll give you an example of how things worked.

Day one, there was a lot of conditioning, just incredible bag skating, and that's how he tired the guys out. Day one of Craig Berube's camp, for one, he turned off the music. There's no DJ at practice anymore. But the big thing was the number of battle drills, just the amount of body contact in the first day of on ice at camp that really stuck out.

And he has been preaching a very simple message, but a very clear message that he wants these guys to finish every check. They want them to play north south, that he absolutely demands they get back on defense, absolutely demands that they compete. And that kind of has been the tone of camp. That's the biggest difference. And, you know, time will tell, because I think Sheldon Keefe's a good coach, if this actually improves the team,

but they're going to play different, or he's going to want them to play different. That's the big thing that feels different, because they didn't really make any massive changes to the core of the roster. So when I look at this team, I think they had a pretty good offseason. I liked a lot of their moves. My biggest question is Wool. Not because I don't think he's good enough. I do. But because he hasn't been able to stay healthy. In your mind, is this the year he puts it all together and grabs the number one spot?

It's going to be his to grab. And we saw that by him getting the start in the final preseason game, which is as close to a dress rehearsal for the real thing as you're going to see. And he was absolutely solid. I mean, they were playing the Grand Rapids Griffiffins but he made a couple cross crease saves that were phenomenal uh and he says he feels good and you just kind of cross your fingers and hope that whatever they did differently over the summer in terms of his training he spent a little more time in toronto with the leafs guys than he normally does uh that he's going to be built for this i

mean this is do i know if he's going to get hurt i don't uh but how can you not know that that's pathetic but i will tell you this every every time he winces or something everyone's kind of on alert because of his history so there's going to be a lot of attention paid if he gets up slow, right? That's true. Stretches out to make a save. And the other thing is Stoller's had a fantastic camp. Yeah, he's a good goalie. He's a good goalie.

And the Leafs season starts with a back-to-back. So they're each going to get one start. I would safely assume that that wool starts at the bell center wednesday and stolars gets the sheldon keith bowl thursday in jersey and say say stolars has a much better game than wool you know this market all of a sudden there's going to be a goalie controversy in week one so why i want to ask about nylander why was the center experiment abandoned so quickly once again despite a new head coach in charge i think it's i think it's the player i think coaches don't trust this player to play center uh you know he says that he needs

to work on his face-offs and he needs to work on his defensive positioning. There were a couple times in the preseason games where, you know, he looked a little bit lost. It's not natural to him. Yeah, he played center with the Marlies and as a kid, but this is year nine of his NHL career. And I mean, maybe you guys can recall an instance of this happening, but has there ever been an all-star winger that switches to center semi-permanently at this stage in his career? I can't think of one. I mean, someone mentioned to me that Mark Messier, is Red Kelly, who went from a Norris Trophy winning defenseman to like a center with the Maple Leafs and won four more Stanley Cups. But that's the only guy I can think of off the top of my head.

You're going back a ways. Yeah, I love how you prefaced it, though, saying, this in no way relates to what Luke is asking about. I'm just going to tell you what I know. That's right. this in no way relates to what Luke is asking about I'm just gonna tell you what I know that's the pot in a nutshell Kyle that's the pot that's great that's great yeah sorry Luke go ahead no no just the funny thing was at camp uh Kneelanders seemed to take a you know a friendly shot at at Keefe when I asked him like why the experiment didn't last very long at last camp and he said well you gotta ask my coach about that but here we got another coach and it's the same thing so you know I think they're hoping maybe he becomes an option if they need him but

I think he's proven he's one of the best wingers in the game he likes to blow the zone and and stretch it out and get breakaways and we we all know defense is not his strongest suit. So they're going to try and work with him at it. But right now, the coach loves Pontus Holmberg. So all of a sudden, this guy who didn't make the team out of camp last year is poised to be the third-line center. And we're back to kind of status quo with Tavares and Nylander as a duo. Okay, here's my two yes or no questions to wrap it up for me number one do the Maple Leafs

win two rounds in the playoffs this year number two does Mitch Marner re with Toronto Wow geez oh I'm gonna sound like a hater but I'm gonna say no to the first one and and I'm gonna say yes to the second one at least you took a stand unlike some other people on this podcast at least you took a stand I like that way less hesitation Luke we'll give you credit my last one there's a reason why your handle on social is luke fox jukebox what uh is scratching your ears right now musically what's at the top of your playlist these days oh i appreciate the question there kyle i i've been listening to a lot of Griselda. There's an underground kind of rap crew from Buffalo. Wow.

Particularly Benny the Butcher. I like him a lot. I've been listening to that. But yeah, I'm always looking for new stuff. And the new Talib Kweli is actually pretty good too. And the new, you know what's good? He's old, but he actually put out a good album, his LL Cool J.

Q-Tip from Tribe Called Quest produced the whole thing, and that's been pretty good, too. Phenomenal. I got some stuff to Google. I wrote it down. I'm looking up Griselda right now. I'm actually doing it. Terrific.

Luke, appreciate the time. We'll see you opening night. Okay. Thanks for having me, guys. Okay, to the West Coast next. Ian McIntyre of Sportsnet.ca joins us now. Ian, nice to have you on. So Quinn Hughes, a monster season a year ago,

captain of the Canucks, Norris Trophy. What does he have for an encore this season, in your opinion? Well, it's hard to think that the ceiling is higher, but Quinn Hughes, and maybe he's not so different than all the great players in this, he always believes there's another level. And the one thing about Quinn Hughes that I've learned

in a very short period of time is to never doubt his ability to be even better. Because if you think about it, he came into the league and right away, he was kind of a generational skater. Such an agile defenseman, incredible passer of the puck, but that's what he was regarded for. And then he didn't like that he wasn't regarded as a good defender. And so he really focused on being a good defender and then, you know, was part of this incredible class of defensemen who have all come into the NHL

in a fairly short period of time. And he saw guys, you know, Yossi's a little bit older than him, but Kale McCarr was a rookie at the same time. And Adam Fox, who's a friend of his, won a Norris. And Quinn decided, well, I need to score more. I need to score more goals. I need to work on my shot. And last year, he scored 17 goals. So he thinks that he can be an even better player than he was.

I floated the idea to him, well, what about being a 100-point defenseman? Because Eric Carlson's been the only one of those in the 21st century. And he didn't dismiss the idea, but he did say that he thinks he should score more. And even though he had 17 last year, he thinks he can get more this year. So we'll see. he's not a guy to be doubted he's a world-class player and i think is is you know just now showing what he's really capable of or at least last season showing what he's really capable of he is winning the heart trophy this year that's my call wow yeah i like it and and you're not and elliot you're not the hot cake guy well you're

starting to be generally very reasonable he's starting to become one kyle is bringing it out of me this is kyle's influence on me now i i gotta ask quickly uh how how is how is kyle working out elliot is this going to work? Are you working on him? I'll let you know in six months. In your image? I'll let you know in six months. I was going to say, cut the feed.

So from what you understand, Ian, where does it stand right now with Demco? What do you think is going on here? Yeah, obviously being cautious. I was talking about this to somebody the other day, and that was tremendous, what Demko did on the first day of training camp, because we haven't seen that from Thatcher. First of all, we haven't seen an openness by a player to discuss his absence the way that Thatcher wanted to.

And this was his initiative to talk to reporters. This was the first day of camp in Penticton. But also that level of kind of engagement by Thatcher on any level, that was like a side of him. We saw a lot of that when he was coming into the league. We haven't seen so much of that last couple of years. So that was great. The impression that I think most of us had from that availability was that although this has been a really difficult recovery

from a very obscure injury, things were trending well and that it might be, you know, a matter of time before we see him with the team. In fact, even that day that he spoke to us, day one of training camp, he was out on the ice himself ahead of time. So the ice a long time, but here we are now after the preseason and we still haven't seen him with the team. So that part, that part is disappointing. The reports though, and Rick Talkett has given a couple of updates, just that Thatcher continues to have good days and that they're, you know, nothing has happened that makes them less optimistic that he's going to be back sometime fairly early in the season. But we still haven't seen him with the team.

The biggest thing that's happened since, you know, Thatcher met with us that day at the start of camp, well, two things that happened. Artur Shilov has had a terrific preseason. He was excellent in all three of his games. Shilov has had a terrific preseason. He was excellent in all three of his games. He was the star of the one and only training camp scrimmage that the team staged. And then, of course, they went out, GM Patrick Alvin went out and got Kevin Lankanen. And Lankanen has looked really good in his couple of appearances. And suddenly this whole issue which which threatened really to cloud everything it certainly overshadowed everything up to the start of training camp it it threatened to be the story that just hung over the Canucks Thatcher Demko's absence suddenly it it it feels

manageable and the team is in a good position to start the season with Shilovs and Lankanen. Ultimately, they're going to need Thatcher. Whatever this team is going to achieve this season, whatever they're going to do in the playoffs, if they make the playoffs, they're going to need their Vezina runner-up goalie. But for now, I think Talkett and the coaching staff, they're really comfortable. It's been really encouraging what Shilovs and Lankanen have shown in the preseason. Okay, last one from me. What do you believe is standing in the way of a deeper run for the Canucks this year compared to last, if anything?

Well, I mean, there's details of the game. You know, their power play has to be more effective at key times. You can look at how much Elias Pettersson struggled in the playoffs. And he's looked very good in the preseason as well, playing with Jake DeBrusque and Daniel Sprong at the end of the preseason.

You know, Pedersen obviously is a difference maker, and if he is as good in the playoffs as he was, say, in the first half of last season, that's a huge thing as well. But honestly, I think the biggest thing, you know, other than luck and health and your goaltending and all this, you know, other than luck and health and your goaltending and all this, is they have more experience than what they had when they went in last year. And most of their young-ish core players had never played real playoff games.

They now have some real playoff experience. And I think the key is that obviously they need to use that. We all need to use the things we learn in life and hopefully be better because of it. But again, because it's a young group, they have to understand that they haven't done anything yet. And I think that's the theme within that dressing room as the regular season approaches. Is that, yeah, last year, and JT Miller said it to me in an interview, that everybody tells him how great last year was, but, you know, last year is now last year. And however good it was last year, that's not what this group is aiming for.

You know, they're not starting the season planning to be a second-round playoff team. They want to win a Stanley Cup. So if they can take the experience that they got last year and then kind of pair it to focus and intensity and really pushing themselves forward and not allowing complacency or satisfaction don't take anything for granted and just play with that sort of relentless edginess that urgency to to get back there and beyond I think this team can go further this year than they did last year okay one word answer am I nuts yes but I think the Canucks can win this good answer but let's wait for the rest of the question am I nuts but I think the Canucks can win the Stanley Cup this year well I don't know how to do that in one word but you're not nuts

there you go Canucks the Canucks the Canucks the Canucks can win the Stanley Cup this year so can the Edmonton Oilers in the same division. I understand it. It's going to be a hell. Yeah. It's going to be a great fight. But yes, yes. And I'll say one other thing.

I know you wanted a quick answer. But the team is desperate to go into the season maintaining the tiny bit of salary cap space that this regime has never had. And if they can do that, they will add another player or two along the way. So this team is going to be stronger, should be stronger at the end of the year than what we see now. So yes, it has the capability of winning a Stanley Cup.

Great. You're not nuts. I'm glad to hear that. Jury's still out on that part but ian we appreciate it see you down the road all right pleasure being on with you guys good luck have a great season see you throughout the year all right to winnipeg next so pleased to be joined by jacob staller one of our new members of the sportsnet.ca cast of writers covering the Jets this season. Jacob, welcome aboard. First off, what's your read on things in Winnipeg

after a relatively quiet offseason in terms of the different moves that they made? What is your sense of the Jets right now? Well, for a second straight year, they've got a lot to prove. It's different. You know, last year, they kind of were a big surprise in coming out of the gate and being, you know last year they kind of were a big surprise and coming out of the gate and being you know atop the western conference and then there was the whole fraud

stuff um which the team really seemed to rally behind and then you know the playoffs come around and they falter as many kind of expected and i remember one thing that stuck out to me was at the end of what would have been game five or whatever the the last game of the year they had in winnipeg josh morrissey was talking about how they needed to find an extra level and like that that group there and while that is true it's it's tough seeing after last year them swing you know swing and miss on bringing back sean monahan brendan dillon um you know elliott said on another podcast how they were in on Adam Henrik. So they kind of strike out. And then Kevin Shevelday off says, oh, this is a good time for youth.

It looks like as of now, the youth haven't forced their hand. That is in Brad Lambert, Nikita Chibikov. So you look at it and we're kind of back to square one and square one being this team looks capable of being a playoff team. One being this team looks capable of being a playoff team, but nothing is really showing us at least yet that they're capable of being better or even as good as last year because it can't just be Connor Hellbuck. And last year, even the year before, was a prime example of that. So I think the Jets are a playoff team, but I've got people disagreeing with me, Jacob. I'm a little surprised by how many people are disagreeing with me on this.

How do you feel? I'm not surprised to hear that, Elliot. I think that the issue the Jets have right now is last season, they were a self-proclaimed stingy five-on-five defensive team. And for the first half of the year, they were, by all means. They were top five in scoring chances against top 10 expected goals against. Then the second half of the year,

things really trailed off in both of those sectors and that identity that they preached sort of crumbled. And then when you lose a Brendan Dillon, when there was the hope of Billy Heinle coming in, that's on pause for now, you look at the decor and it's not the most inspiring and there's a lot of question marks there so if that the one thing i will say though is it seems like scott arneal is really focused on trying to get more offense you know during rick bonus's tenure a

big thing was that team defense and i'm not saying they weren't going for offense of course but the power play this year like that's a new look here. They have Nikolai Ehlers in the bumper role, Davis Payne, the new assistant. They're trying things, and it's preseason, guys, but it looks really good. There's a lot more movement. Last year was just a lot of hot, hot potatoes,

so the power play reconfiguration is definitely inspiring in a lot of ways, but the thing is, guys, the Central got a lot better this year. And the Jets remains to be seen. But if I'm chalky-ed up now, I don't think they're any better. They're probably worse than they were last year.

There's so many unanswered questions that there's always this notion of, well, they have Connor Heldmuth, anything can happen. But guys, he said it last year, he can't do this on his own. And that's not to say he was throwing anyone out of the bus,

but what he was saying was going into game four he thought he was going to steal a game and he thought he was playing well but just the amount of volume of chances he was facing especially after a heavy if not the heaviest workload during the year it's impossible for it just to be conor hellebuck so they need to find advantages in other areas. And so for that reason, Elliot, I'm really not surprised to hear people down on the Jets this year. OK, so you mentioned Scott O'Neill trying to have a bit more of an offensive minded focus coming into the year. With that in mind, Jacob, what player do you believe stands to benefit the most from that?

And maybe a young player that could be poised for a breakout year in your mind well i think that heading into camp we all thought it was going to be brad lambert and for good reason you know brad lambert has made tremendous growth in the last two years coming in you know the 2022 draft he slipped there was a lot of concerns about his game he has really risen his stock. But as of right now, the last practice we saw and in the final preseason game, he didn't dress. He's been an extra. So I'm not ruling out Brad Lambert benefiting from this because the reality is Scott O'Neill has experimented with different types of lineups. He's experimented with running

a more balanced top nine. He had a practice line of Nino Niederreiter, Brad Lambert, and Alex Iafallo, which would be the best possible line mates for Brad Lambert if he was in the NHL because you're not forcing him to be a top six center right away. You're giving him two wingers and Niederreiter and Iafallo who can do the dirty work in the corners,

retrieve pucks, and also provide some offensive ability as well. So the table, like the spot is there for Brad Lambert if he's able to prove it. But for now, I don't know if that's going to happen. One guy, though, Kyle, I think is really going to benefit is Nikolaj Ehlers. There's a lot of talk in this market about how Ehlers has been kind of shafted for opportunity in years past. It's kind of common knowledge now that Mark Scheifele and Kyle Connor

are kind of a cemented duo there. And Ehlers hasn't had the line mates really to to get the most out of him on that second line. But I think with putting him on the bumper role in the power play and I'm really high on Cole Profetti. So actually, maybe that's what I should have said. But I think Cole Profetti and his cerebral nature and facilitating abilities will help in Ehlers. And I guess while we're on it, you know, Cole Perfetti might be it's long winded here, but Cole Perfetti might be the person that will benefit the most.

Scott Arneal talked to him a lot during the off season about how Perfetti, who was scratched last year during the playoffs is going to be a big part of their team this year. And I have no reason to believe that he's going to backtrack on that. And I think Perfetti can come out and be a solid top six forward and kind of flirt with the 50-point mark, to be honest. So I like Lambert. I mean, to me, Perfetti's an NHL player,

but I like what I saw from Lambert this year. Like, I agree with you. I think he's shown me, to me, that kid, whatever happens in Winnipeg, that could turn out to be one of the steals of the draft. I'm becoming a bigger and bigger Lambert fan. So here's my question to you, Jacob. I'm putting everybody on the spot with one question.

At the trade deadline this year, is Nick Ehlers a Jet? No. I think that the Jets at that point will be similar to where they were when they traded Andrew Kopp. And that is around four or five points out of the playoff picture. I think at that point will be similar to where they were when they trade Andrew Kopp. And that is around four or five points out of the playoff picture. I think at that point, like I don't believe Nikolai Ehlers is going to resign to the Winnipeg Jets.

Don't think he doesn't like his time in Winnipeg, but after, you know, 10 years and becoming clear, he's not going to be a first line player here. I think he'll explore greener pastures. So I don't think Ehlers will be a Jet by that point. I think they'll sell. And I think they'll be forced think eelers will be a jet by that point i think

they'll sell and i think they'll be forced to they have no other choice at that point great all right i like it a good prediction like a no waffling this is not the waffle house and a good prediction i like jacob great stuff again welcome aboard and we look forward to reading your coverage welcome aboard j Jacob. Thanks for the time. Thanks, boys. Appreciate it. All right, we will wrap up in the nation's capital. Another newbie of the Sportsnet.ca fleet of writers, Alex Adams, joins us here now. So, Alex, as you know, Elliot went on national television at the beginning of preseason.

He had the card in ink, Sens playoffs. What was your reaction when you saw that i i thought he broke the internet that was that was my first reaction so i was i was pretty i think uh for about two days my timeline was filled with elliot's face so i don't know if that's a good or a bad thing but it was definitely entertaining that's definitely outstanding that's definitely you recently spent some time one-on-one with Travis Green. The article's up on.ca right now for those that want to go read it. What was your takeaway from the conversation? I think my first takeaway was just how much, you know,

his focus is really on the defensive side of the game for the Senators team. You know, since Brady Kachuk has entered the league, Tim Stutes, they've always been Senators team. You know, since Brady Kachuk has entered the league, Tim Stutzel, they've always been in the bottom, you know, third of the NHL in terms of goals allowed. And that's really been where Travis King has focused throughout training camp. And that was really the one thing was just a day-by-day process. They've been talking about process structure.

And I think with him, it was interesting. He talked to me how he's kind of changed from Vancouver in terms of maybe not running his team and his players into the ground. Kind of taking more off days, even though he still provides those bag skates that are pretty infamous from his time in Vancouver. So overall, I think he's brought a new voice to this team. overall I think he's brought a new voice to this team and at the same time um maybe more accountability for for guys like Tim Stutzel, Brady Kachuk, Drake Bathurston and a lot to to really focus in on that defensive side of their game that I think in the past years this team and their star players have really lacked you know the only thing that disappointed me about your interview with Travis is that you didn't steal something from his office on the way out.

That's the only issue. It was barren. I should have. Well, actually, he's a bit of a minimalist, so I'm not surprised. Just from reading from outside, it just seems like the presence of Allmark has really changed this team. And, you know, defense, as you talked about there, is not only about the goalie, it's about the team. But what do you think that Allmark, I know it's the preseason, but what do you think he's done to the group? I think it's encapsulated with his comment last night, right? He's played well throughout all preseason.

And just when asked, like, what does this mean for this team heading into the season? He just says, we haven't accomplished anything, right? And I think what he's brought to this group, alongside some of the other veterans like Nick Cousins, Amadio, Perron, who have won cups, as well as just a day-by-day approach and not getting too high or too low, which I think this team in the past, they'd win a game and they'd get high

and then they'd kind of ride the emotions and kind of lose themselves a little bit. And I think that's why they had poor starts this season and i think they got a bit ahead of themselves and i think with all mark obviously he's an amazing goaltender with which this team has you know for so long just um been mired in awful goaltending and now if all mark plays the way he has so far and how he, you know, did in Boston, the team will have a goaltender that can really put them on top and into a playoff swap. But at the same time, just brings that the culture of winning from Boston that I think over the years with the Senators team,

they've been so young and they haven't really had any veterans. I remember last year talking to Jacob Chirkren and he said, you know, it can't just be Brady and Claude that, you know, step up and talk in the room. And I think now the Senators have brought in guys like Allmark and others, veterans that can really help the young core move from, you know, talented to a winning team as well. Okay, so you and I were both at that game Saturday night when the Sens played Montreal to wrap up the preseason. And Travis Green postgame, he was asked about Shane Pinto.

And among the things that he said was he believes he's a guy that somewhere down the road is going to have a really deep understanding of the game because of how knowledgeable and inquisitive he is now. And also suggested

this is a guy very quickly, I think as soon as this year, is going to be someone he's going to rely on in all situations. He's my kind of pick for breakout player on the Sens this year. Who's yours? I think for me, it's Ridley Gregg.

And if we just go on, you know, the Habs-Sens rivalry from last night as well. Obviously, there's a lot of animosity between the teams. But, you know, talking to him, he's talked about how he's really improved his strength and really feels like he's learning the game at the NHL level. And I think, you know, he's really feisty. He's a really smart player. He can facilitate, but he has a good shot as well. And I think that's one player that if he's on the second line with the guy, like maybe Josh Norris and Drake Bathurst and that he can really thrive at

facilitating and helping those guys get good opportunities, but also, you know, maybe take a bit of a step on his offensive side of the game and can also penalty kill. And he's just kind of a man that can do a bunch of different things. And I think that's what this team needs. OK, so by the way, I'm just curious when the Canadians play the senators, do the media fight each other too, or just the players? Cause I was looking at some of those tweets the other night and it looked like things were getting spicy up in that press box. Arp and Bastard gave me a hug. So I think all is forgiven between Habs and Sens Twitter, I guess. I don't know, but I think, that that's, I think all is forgiven in the media side. We'll, we'll see about the two teams on the next Saturday.

Let's just wait to the next game. Yeah. What's that, Kyle? I was going to say the spiciest thing that goes on in the press box that sends games is intermission trivia that gets heated. Oh, is it still going on all these years later?

You would love it. Oh, that's awesome. I, it was there back when I used to go to more games, so it's fantastic. Okay, so you've heard my prediction. What's your prediction? Sens playoffs, yes or no?

I guess I need to get a picture of myself framed with a little card saying Sens playoffs. But I do believe that this team will make the playoffs. It will be a challenge. I think they're closer to that wildcard team but with allmark they have the goaltending that they've sorely missed from years prior um they've brought in the veterans that you know will insulate the core and i think just even with guys like tim stutzler who had a down year brady kachuk um you know heading kind of entering their prime from you know young 20 yearolds to kind of into their mid-20s.

I think this team is ready to finally take a step with Travis Green, and I think all the pieces are in place. But their division is a gauntlet. But at the same time, I do believe the Senators will make the playoffs. All right, Alex, it's great to have you part of things. Thank you so much for joining us. Welcome aboard, Alex. I appreciate it, and I'll see you guys soon all right so

that'll do it for the tour through canada all seven canadian markets touching on there looking ahead to the start of the regular season on tuesday you can call it the official north american opening night to the nhl schedule kraken and blues, 1.30 Pacific. You can catch that on Sportsnet 360. The Stanley Cup champions, Florida Panthers, will raise their banner as they host Jeremy Swayman and the Boston Bruins, 7 o'clock Eastern on Sportsnet. That'll be followed by the inaugural Utah Hockey Club regular season game.

They host the Chicago Blackhawks, Conor Burdard and Company, 10 Eastern, also on Sportsnet. The Canadian side of opening night with Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey comes the night following, getting underway with Toronto and Montreal from La Belle Province. Have a great week, everyone.

Enjoy the regular season hockey that is back. We will talk to you again on Friday.