32 Thoughts: The Podcast - The First Trade Tranche

Episode Date: February 3, 2025

In this edition of 32 Thoughts, Kyle Bukauskas and Elliotte Friedman look back at a wild week of trades across the NHL. They begin with the Canucks' pair of trades that sent J.T. Miller to the Rangers in return for Filip Chytil and Marcus Pettersson from the Penguins. They also talk about the runway now for Elias Pettersson as the drama between him and Miller comes to an end (14:32). Kyle and Elliotte touch on when to expect the NHL's next best-on-best tournament following 4 Nations (16:24) and they also touch on Canadians booing the American national anthem this weekend (18:22). The fellas talk about the trade between the Sharks and Stars (20:40) before touching on the Calgary Flames' commitment to the current roster as they continue to fight for a playoff spot (27:00). Kyle and Elliotte delve into the salary cap projections how possible fallouts (36:37). They talk about the Oilers-Leafs game on Saturday night (44:25) and they touch on the new hottest team in the NHL the Detroit Red Wings (51:20). Elliotte mentions that teams are wary of the Florida Panthers (56:28) and provides an update on Brandon Saad (56:51). The Final Thought focuses on the Elliotte's theory around the Mikko Rantanen trade (1:03:16).Kyle and Elliotte answer your questions and respond to your voicemails in the Thought Line (1:13:14).In the final segment the guys touch on the craziness surrounding the Senators and Quebec City last week (1:35:26).Email the podcast at [e-mail] or call the Thought Line at 1-833-311-3232 and leave us a voicemail.This podcast was produced and mixed by Dominic Sramaty 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

Like, I don't know if you saw, like, the players are reacting all over social. Like Joel Embiid is like no effing way. And people are like, hey, why are you commenting? You don't even play anymore. And then Darren Fox was like, wow. And someone wrote, you shouldn't go to sleep. You're next. And he got traded on Sunday.

That's right. Welcome to 32 Thoughts the podcast presented by the GMC Sierra AT4X Dom, Elliot and Kyle all with you and Elliot this kind of feels like trade deadline light the last couple of weeks I don't know how you feel about all of this. So Gary Lawless was working the Vegas Ranger game on Sunday night and he used a great word, trench. He said this is the first trench of trades, three, four nations, and then there will be the second trench after the four nations with two weeks to go through the actual deadline. I like the word trench. I am stealing it and commandeering it as my own. It was a wild couple days.

Can I tell you a quick funny story? Please do. So on Friday night, our family was going to the Arcadia Museum in Toronto. It's kind of the environmental exhibit they have there. It's pretty interesting. My son, there's a real big light show inside it. My son wanted to see it. So we were going there and we went to eat dinner beforehand

when I got the call, start working on JT Miller to the Rangers. So I left the table that my wife and son were sitting at and I moved to another open table and I was calling and trying to narrow it down. I put out the tweet that talks are intensifying and one of the waiters came over and goes, "'Are you breaking a trade?'

And I was like, yeah, it's JT Miller. It was just funny, like the whole scene was just bizarre. The waiter had the details before anyone else. That's right. It kind of ruined the museum visit, unfortunately, with the family, but hey man, we know the business we're getting into. So it was just a funny, funny moment

with the waiter coming over. That's great. And that's why Steph has the backup boyfriend for moments like Friday. That's right that's right I'm going to think it's not I'm going to think I'm the backup husband. That's what I'm getting to think. Yes you're the seat filler. That's outstanding. Yeah so what we last spoke Elliot I mean we were just hours removed from the Calgary Philadelphia trade that brought Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee into the Flames organization and then as you say Friday night was the two big deals with Calgary Philadelphia trade that brought Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee into the Flames organization.

And then as you say, Friday night was the two big deals with Vancouver at the heart of it. So I don't know where you want to start here, whether maybe I guess the Miller trade. I mean, I know you guys had Patrick Alveen on, Ron McLean had him for just over five minutes on Saturday night here. Yeah.

I mean, this was something that had been discussed to put it mildly for months and months and months. That side of the saga has come to a close. What do you think ultimately got this one over the finish line? Because it's clear for a long while now Vancouver and the Rangers had been engaged in talks about finding some kind of solution here. So I think there were a couple of key things that happened during the season between inside Vancouver that kind of got things done and you know first of all I mentioned on Saturday night that early in the year the Canucks went on a road trip and they took them through Florida, Panthers

and Tampa Bay. And I don't know which one of those two cities it was in, but I heard it happened in Florida that there was a meeting of a small group of players. I don't know exactly the number and I have a feeling that the person wouldn't tell me and the people wouldn't tell me because they wanted to protect actually who was in the meeting. But there was a conversation with a small group of players and it was asked that Miller and Pedersen try to solve this. And it just didn't get any better. better and you know then they had the Nashville game and whatever happened after that game and I've heard a couple of different versions and nobody will

confirm it so I'm not gonna say it but whatever the case was JT Miller went on his leave but what I think Kyle really determined that a trade had to happen now that we're doing this 48 hours after the trade occurred was that when Miller came back from his leave, things just didn't get better in terms of the relationship and the stress and everything like that. I think everybody hoped he would come back and things would change and they didn't. And I think that was when the decision was really made.

Like if you listen to Aldine, he said that he had a meeting with Miller and his agent a couple of months ago and they kind of said that this might be best for JT and everyone else if this happens. And two months is pretty close to his return so I don't know the exact date but it's around there and I just believe at that time the final decision was made that they were gonna move on and Miller was gonna move on it was gonna be best for the Canucks for Miller for everybody involved if he goes elsewhere and you know I believe the Rangers were always

the preferred destination I think they were the team that wanted him the most I think it was Where he wanted to go the most It wasn't always easy You know, I think at times it was kind of considered Does he have to open up his list as you will is gonna have to be willing to talk to more potential teams? and Ultimately though, I think everybody wanted Rangers

Now was we know there was a trade that fell apart a couple of weeks ago. It was he'dl a prospect and a pick There were a couple things from the weekend that I found that were really interesting. I had heard that the issue was retention and I'm not sure but I don't think I was the only one who reported that. I'm not 100% convinced where it all came from but I don't want to say like I was the only one who said that. And I was interested that Patrick Alveen said at his media conference on Saturday that retention never came up and it was the first time and anyone had said that wasn't the case and I didn't, so I re-listened to it and I'm not sure if Alveen was referring to they were not

willing to do it and they never discussed being willing to do it or it never came up. Whatever the case that was different than what I'd heard and I reported so I wanted to note it and they never discussed being willing to do it or it never came up. Whatever the case, that was different than what I'd heard and I reported so I wanted to note it. The other thing that was really interesting was I heard that one of the issues in the first trade was that the prospect they were going to get, and they eventually got it with Mancini who I think is going to play in the NHL. But I had heard that the issue was that they wanted a prospect that was unsigned yet by the Rangers, a defenseman.

But I didn't know who it was. Arthur Staples in the Atlantic reported on the weekend that the Canucks asked about Drew Fortescu, who's one of the Rangers' top D prospects. He's playing right now in the NCAA in Boston. He's a very good player. So I thought that was interesting because I had heard that Vancouver wanted somebody, a defenseman who the Rangers hadn't signed yet.

And the fact that Arthur had that in his article indicates to me that that was probably a player that the Canucks liked. But eventually we got there. And if you saw Miller play on the weekend, he had two goals on Saturday. He was a real force, had a great assist on Sunday. The Rangers need a jolt. He's certainly gonna give them a jolt. And you know what the other thing I really thought was?

I think Heedle needed a fresh start too. You know, I think the Rangers- He had a nice goal. Yeah, he had a nice goal. I think the Rangers were in a position of you know I think they were kind of worried that you know he was in and out of the lineup. They didn't know how much they could really count on him because of his health and if you'll notice there's been some you know Heedle kind of said that he has said that whatever bothered him was not as simple as what everybody was assuming, though he didn't really go into it in terms of much depth. Like, when he got hurt last time, everybody talked about the concussion issues, and he said it's not that simple, but he hasn't said what it is.

Whatever the case is, I think he needed a fresh start too. You know, the one thing, even though the Canucks lost to Detroit on Sunday night, I thought they really carried the play and they looked like a different team. Like, Hedl was really carrying the puck, O'Connor was really carrying the puck. We'll see how it all goes, but I just thought that those players and the way they came in and played, especially with the puck, I thought they made the Canucks look a little bit fresher. And sometimes that's just one game, but I liked the way they looked on Sunday night with all those guys in the lineup, even though they lost.

Yeah, so that was one big one. And then you've got, you know, it was a little while later into Friday night that the second transaction between Vancouver and this time the Pittsburgh Penguins, Marcus Pederson and Drew O'Connor, that first round pick that they got in the Ranger deal, part of the package going the other way to the Penguins.

And as it's been pointed out, a multitude of times here since that trade was made, know the history between not only Patrick Alveen but Jim Rutherford of course too and them bringing Marcus Pederson and O'Connor to Pittsburgh when they were both part of that organization. I mean Rutherford gave the interview to the Athletics saying that in Pederson's case the defenseman I'm speaking of that he is just what they need in Rutherford's opinion, just a very steady defensive defenseman, but they're both on expiring deals. So do you imagine the Canucks to take a hardy run at trying to find new contracts for both

of those players? I think so, and there seems to be a lot of speculation around the league that the Cox are going to be able to do it. So I think right now, you go back to the beginning of the year, remember what I said? I said Dry-Cytl and Rantanen were both going to sign. Teams were taking them off the boards and Dry-Cytl did and Rantanen obviously didn't. The league really changed. The league has changed a lot since last summer.

Number one, the Dry-Cytl extension pushing the number up to 14 and number two, the new cap numbers we got on Friday, which we'll talk about a bit later in the pod. It's changed a lot, but I still do think those players are going to are interested in signing in Vancouver and I think Vancouver is interested in signing those guys so whenever there's that I always feel there's a chance and you know what the other thing too is Vancouver's D has been a problem this year all of a sudden if you have Hughes, Roenick and and Marcus Pedersen, it starts to look a lot better.

Pittsburgh wanted that pick. I'm going to be very interested in seeing if Pittsburgh keeps that pick or they try to turn it into another young player. I'm really like, because I'll say this when I told another team like on Friday night I started to hear that that pick was getting dealt for something else until I figured out what it was Or somebody told me what it was I was asking around are you the team are you the team that's getting this pick and I had a couple teams tell me They said

Vancouver's moving that pick and I go yeah tonight teams tell me they said Vancouver's moving that pick and I go yeah tonight and they're like oh darn I would have loved to have gotten my hands on that pick you know because it's top 13 protected this year but it's unprotected next year and some people like to gamble with those kinds of picks right they want that so I'm really curious to see a if Pittsburgh keeps it or B if someone else out there wants to gamble on what kind of year the Rangers are gonna have next year Right, they certainly looked a lot better Sunday night against Vegas that was a huge win for them

so We're going through again the aftermath of all this for the Canucks, Elliot, I mean, we all watched the postgame there in Dallas. You know, Dan Murphy did a great interview with Quinn Hughes. Obviously, the emotions are very raw, like you're just processing everything. The game had just finished from Hughes' perspective. You understand all of that. But you heard from him, you heard from Elias Pettersson, you heard from Rick

Tocket, he used the term heart and soul. I mean, it's clear JT Miller is a guy who, yeah, he's gonna rub some people the wrong way, but it also, it felt to me like there were a lot of guys within that room and organization that certainly enjoyed the edge and the bite that he brought to the table when it was channeled the right way. And that's going to be something that that team is going to miss. So with that now gone, I mean, I don't know if you have a thought on what this means for Elias Pettersson. I mean, you go back to even Alvin over the weekend, whether it was speaking to the media or in the interview with Ron, the idea that he's being paid a lot of money and with that comes different level of pressure, different level of expectations in the other players, understanding he hasn't met that yet. I just wonder how much time now does

the organization want to give for the dust to settle and to allow him to get back to the level that they hope and expect him to be at? Like what's the runway look like for Pederson and the Canucks now that all this stuff has been put to rest to an extent? Well I think it's just right now. I mean at least through Four Nations, Kyle, then we'll see what happens out of Four Nations. Like in theory they control the process until July 1st. That's when Pettersons no move clause kicks in, right? So like if they want to, they can go right up until the draft as far as I'm concerned.

But they definitely want to calm down the noise. They definitely want to say to Pederson, okay, you know, it's your runway now. And I think a lot of this is going to be up to him and how he plays. You know, the other thing I think that's going to become a thing is there were some rumors flying around on Thursday or Friday that Hughes maybe was going to pull out of Four Nations. I was told no, that wasn't the case. But then he heard again, got hurt against Dallas, and he tried to play took the warm up on Sunday night and didn't play. You have to feel

that this is going to start to become a conversation like is he is he going to play four nations, that would be a big loss for the Americans. but at some point here You can see the Canucks saying hey, you know we're in a battle for our playoff existence here and Were We need you healthy the other thing actually I heard there were some rumors going around that the Canucks were gonna move their own first round pick this year and one team told me that they asked about it and they were told that you know Vancouver isn't guaranteed to make the playoffs yet and they're not thrilled about the idea of moving that first

rounder so I think they're only doing that if it's something that they look at and say this is really worth trading a first rounder this year for. Okay well I want to get back to the first round conversation in just a moment here. But so you mentioned four nations here. Can I just ask quickly, like because they're looking at now 2028 as another date for a best on best event. The league is right. Like, yes, the plans of that.

Have they firmed up where in the calendar they want to put that? Like, do they want to do that again in February? Yes, they do. Yes. It's gotta be September though. No, you know what? You'll remember Kyle, actually sorry this was this was pre you being the host. Luke Robitaille came on here and he said if you want this to be big anywhere outside of Canada you have to get it away from football season. I understand that but it's also you'll lose steam when you've got some of the best guys pulling out because teams are nervous and you're that deep into the year where you're not that far from playoffs or the trade deadline and things like that.

If you're losing top players because of all that I mean the momentum seems to halt just the same even if there isn't football that you're up against or other things going on or on the sporting calendar. I think the NHL's argument, now, you never know, you could be right. Maybe they reconsider because of the injuries. But I think the NHL's argument would be if you can go to the Olympics, you can play in a World Cup. I understand, but you can also make the argument that those are two different things.

Hey, on that one, I'm not going to argue with you on them. But I'm not looking for one, but no, but no, I know you're looking for an argument. You're a very argumentative guy. Yeah, I just think that if you're going to do this, you're doing it for the most exposure and the best ability to grow your sport. And you cannot in North America take on the NFL. You cannot.

It's too big. It's too powerful. You know, I'll tell you something else, Kyle. I was just thinking watching on Sunday. I wonder, you talk about countries and nationalities and pride, I'm watching all these anthems get booed. Ottawa on Saturday night, Vancouver on Sunday night, the Raptors crowd booed the US anthem on Sunday afternoon in Toronto. I'm wondering if, I'm wondering if at any point someone's going to start saying maybe we shouldn't play, if they start playing the Canadian anthem too, especially in the States, I wonder if

anyone's going to say we should stop playing the visiting anthem. Can you imagine what it's going to be like in in Montreal when the team USA plays twice in Montreal. They play Finland on the Thursday and they play Canada on the Saturday. Well and the interesting thing about that Elliot, you mentioned Montreal, is remember you know back in 2003, so this is not long removed you know after the 9-11 attacks in New York City, you know there's a game in Montreal, the Islanders were in town and you know, there's some unrest certainly on the Canadian side about how, you know, the war against Iraq at that time was going and the decisions around the United States

and how they were handling all of that. Anyways, when the Star Spangled Banner was sung in Montreal before that game, the crowd booed the US anthem that night too. And I think that was a one-off, as all that was unfolding. And the Canadians apologized for it, I remember. And they did, you're right, yes. But it's interesting you mention that and the fact that,

yeah, we're just over a week away from four nations in Montreal and what's going on over the course of the weekend where that anthem was booed multiple times not only before hockey games as you mentioned the Raptors game too on Sunday. Crazy times man just and we'll talk about the cap a bit later and I know you know people are wondering could this the terrace and everything have an effect on the cap. Just just crazy crazy times. Okay well let's get back to the talk of and the value of first round picks right now Elliot because there was the other deal done during daylight on Saturday between the Stars and the San Jose Sharks. So the Stars bringing in Cody Cece and Mikal Granlund from

San Jose for a first round pick in 2025 and a conditional fourth that could become a third. So again, Cece and Granlund like Pedersen and O'Connor with Pittsburgh both on expiring deals now Dallas is dealing with a ton of injuries they did get Mason Marchman back to their lineup on Sunday he scored against Columbus but is that kind of the the sense right now that if you're looking at you know a couple of rentals a first-round pick could be at minimum the price tag you have to give up to get them. Well look Vancouver did it Dallas did it. So yes you know first round pick is a thing and

I will say this our draft guys Cosentino and bukala Seem to be on the same page. I've seen it from a few other places That look Dallas is hoping to pick late late late first round You know the Rangers pick we know we just talked about it already But a lot of the teams that might be trading them are gonna be late picks and it doesn't sound like this is a really deep Draft so you're probably going to do it right? But that's the thing now like a lot of these teams are gonna be saying, first round pick, first round pick.

And yes, some of them will say, some of the response will be what you said, well, we're getting two players. So you're not getting a first round pick unless you give us two players, but at very least it's on the table. Now, about the Stars, I don't think they're finished

with the makeup of their defense. I think they could change it further. I think it's possible that maybe somebody else goes out and someone else comes in. You know, Monday, today, they're supposed to find out about Heiskenen, get a better idea of what his situation is. They, you know, they seem to believe he won't be out until the playoffs. Could be back before then. But I don't think it's impossible that they continue to remake their blue line at least once more. The power play looks really good with Thomas Harley running it right now.

I heard Duchenne was kind of excited about Grandland. He knows him pretty well from Nashville together. They played together. And you know, the thing to me about Cece is I think Cece is one of those guys that a lot of people kind of bury because it's cool to bury him or it's an easy thing to do. Like I honestly think it becomes too much at some points. As long as you don't ask him to do too much, I think he's a pretty serviceable player.

He's gotta be on a good team, he's gotta be lower down in your pairings. And in Dallas, I think when everything gets settled, he probably will be. And the other thing too is, is that last year I thought in the playoffs, he played pretty solidly for Edmonton. He wasn't their best defenseman, but he was solid. And you know, I think on a team like Dallas, like the one thing about Dallas is, like somebody

said to me, oh, his numbers look terrible or as his percentages look underlying numbers look terrible in San Jose well I mean come on like they're they're not a very good team they've got some great young studs but they're not a very good team I think in in Dallas and that's a lockdown team like they lock it down on you that's really structured and again they'll have some challenges without Hayskinen here. That's really structured and again, they'll have some challenges without Hayes getting here But they're really structured. They they know what to do. That's a really good team They've kept their cells above water with some big injuries this year I look at that and I think as long as they don't ask him to do too much

He and he won't do too much and I think he'll be perfectly fine They loved him in the dressing room in Edmonton. Yes and he won't do too much, and I think he'll be perfectly fine. They loved him in the dressing room in Edmonton. Yes, he's a very popular teammate. You are right about that. He was in Ottawa, and he was in Edmonton. You're right, and he did that video this year in that Christmas video in San Jose. That's right.

And I wasn't surprised at all. From what. Oh, that's right. And I wasn't surprised at all. Like, from what I know, that's him. Like, he's just, I remember, so Mark Stone and him, they're married to sisters, right? And I remember there was one time I told Mark I was interviewing Cody for something and Mark Stone laughed and said, you'll never get anything out of him. That's right. Like, yeah, which is fair. It can be a tough nut to crack, but like very pleasant guy to talk to. And 88 career playoff games. I mean, to a certain extent, sure, you got to be in the right situation, be on a good team, but that also doesn't happen by accident. Yeah, I, I get it. You know, I just you know what like

You know what Kyle? He's guys. He's a first-round pick. So everybody thinks he should be like a first-round player He's not okay. It didn't work out that way, but he's still a very serviceable Defenseman as long as I stress this you don't ask him to do too much Other than that, I think he's fine and on a team like that. I think he'll be fine Yes, well Yeah, I suppose production wise you could make the case All right, is he a first round pick type player only Morgan Rielly's played more games than him out of his draft class. So He's held his own water pretty good.

I just think like when you're a first-rounder, people think you should be more of an impactful player. And you know what? Maybe they're right. But I think you have to stop thinking about him with that label and just say, okay, he wasn't that, but this is what he is. And again, I think certain players, they become cool for the internet to dunk on. And I think he's become one of them.

Well, we wish him the best. I'll tell you that. Hey, so you also had the story on Saturday with headlines there, Elliot, the Calgary Flames. So as we mentioned, they made the trade with Philadelphia a couple of days ago. And now you say they are telling teams that they will not be moving either of Mackenzie Weger, Nazem Kadri or Rasmus Anderson at this time. Now Kadri and Weger they have term but Anderson just one more season after this one you can imagine he would be someone that would garner a lot of interest if he hasn't already. So what kind of message is this sending from Craig Conroy and Company? Everybody knows the Flames don't want to tear it down and do a total rebuild. I think that what this says is look they're in the race right now.

Vancouver lost in overtime on Sunday, they won after they lost Detroit and we will talk about Detroit because they had a great trip through Western Canada, but they lose it home on Saturday and they win in Seattle on Sunday. They go up three nothing and hang on. I don't know if you saw the end of that game, Kyle. Did you see the end of it? I know you were out for dinner with Kevin. Yes, I was able to get back in time to flip it on. So I'm watching the end of that game and they have the puck down in the Seattle zone like behind the net with 10 seconds left I'm like, okay Congratulations flames big win. I almost got scored on like I was like, oh my god, like

If Craig Conroy and Ryan Huska go gray like that's Well Huska you might not be able to tell but if Craigroy goes gray, like I will understand after seeing games like that one. They went right down the ice and almost scored Seattle did. But yeah, they they're in the race and they like they want to keep Anderson in the worst way. And, you know, Ryan Leslie was on I think he he was on with Marquesi and Futa on Friday, and Ryan was all but saying Anderson's going to stay. And I think Ryan is really plugged in to the flames in their players. He travels with them.

Ryan's a very social guy, and I think people gravitate to that. So when he says something like that I think he really knows what he's talking about and so I asked around and yeah and I don't think anyone really believed Uygur was going anywhere but I think they were hoping Anderson would and I think some teams were hoping Cadry would and they and apparently the Flames have said no we're in the race and we're keeping all these guys. And I'll tell you what someone else said to me was that, you know how we

talked about Hellebuck last week or two weeks ago, whenever it was about the Jets. Like the Jets players are in a good place because they think Hellebuck gives them a chance to win. They believe they've got that human eraser and goal. Well, someone said to me that the Flames players are starting to believe that way about Wolf. That maybe they've got a real stud there. A real stud there. And if this is what he is,

and those guys see him every day, then you believe you have a chance to win. And I think that's what the flames are kind of hoping and banking on. Now, you still got to make a deal with Anderson. It's going to be a big number and everybody has to get in the position where they feel comfortable with what the number could be. But I think that the way they're going and they're in the race and because of who Wolf is and what he can do, I think they're hoping that some of that feeling of we can win here

is starting to come. Like Frost in particular, I thought really looked good on the weekend. I'll tell you something else I heard. What a shot. Yes. I'll tell you something else I heard. I heard that the, well, first of all, you saw all the Instagram posts from the Philly players about those two guys. Like that hit the Philly room hard. They liked those guys and they were really sorry

to see them go. But I heard the Flames sent a private plane with Craig Conroy on it to Philly to go meet those players. And so he traveled back, they were there for the game on time on Saturday, but he got a chance to meet them. And I heard like some of the guys they left in Philly were really impressed by that. Like, okay, that's a good. And the other thing I heard was I heard a couple of the Philly players, at least one, I think there might have been more, but at least one, texted some people in Calgary saying like, you got two great guys here, like take care of them kind of thing.

Oh, cool. Yeah. So like those Philly players, we're sorry to see those guys go. I guess, talk had said on Sunday that Sidney Crosby texted him about the two guys Vancouver got. And so I guess that, you know, so you like to hear when that happens but I heard the Flames were pretty impressed that some of the at least one and maybe more of the Flyers players reached out to say what good guys they were.

But you know they won again on Saturday Sunday that was a really weird game. That first period was really strange. Obviously you didn't see this because you were out with Kevin, but after the 3-0 goal, there were a couple of video reviews there and both of them went against Seattle. And after it was 3-0 Calgary, DeCord made a save and instead of giving the puck to the referee or linesman, whoever it was, he kind of threw it away. I was like, Oh man, first of all, I thought he played great despite it. They got out shot, but I saw the review on the, it was at the three nothing goal.

The one with the, where Sharon Govich hit the glove. Yes. Yeah. So I saw exactly what happened there is that, um, they, I saw exactly what happened there is that they I saw exactly what happened there and the first goal Schwartz goes into the crease and I'm like oh my god this guy's doomed because he's in the crease but you know he hits the stick and the I really think the only reason that one didn't count was because Schwartz just walked into the crease on his own. But on the third one, and I watched Balsma's post game, he says, well, I thought after

the first one, the third one would be disallowed. And the only reason I thought the third one counted was because, like, Sharon Govich is trying to score. So I was absolutely certain the Schwartz one wasn't going to count. I wasn't sure about the third one I I think it was because it was a shot and he was trying to score but again, I understand why everyone's confused But I saw the court he was mad like he like threw the puck at one point after a save I could tell he was really pissed off

It's just one of those periods for Seattle and it still managed to almost, almost flip the game on its head as they pushed their late in the third period. So a couple of things a couple of things here too. Sure. So Danny Breyer was on they played on Sunday and they lost in Denver. But Danny Breyer was on the Philly broadcast and he basically confirmed what everybody had said is that they're clearing cap room and they're going big game hunting. They're really going to try something. It's interesting. I had a couple of guys telling me the new cap numbers, there's going to be offer sheets

this summer. It worked for the Blues. They may not make the playoffs this year, but the Blues got two players who are really going to help them for a long time. And they think more teams are going to do this, and the Flyers have a lot of room. Now everybody has a bit more cap room, so I'm not sure if teams are going to be in a better chance to protect themselves against them. But I think Brear basically came out and said the Flyers are going to be a team to watch.

The other thing you just have to notice from the West is like, you know, they're all of a sudden like Anaheim's like crawling up the standings and like I don't think they're going to make it. They're still nine points behind Calgary or whatever they are, but you know some of those players are really starting to grow and go like When we mentioned the other day about how someone said to me they'd love to see Zegras go to Colorado You know for all of the stuff that's been talked about in Anaheim You know, I know somebody who

watched them Sunday night and said, boy, those some of those guys are really starting to get better. Like they're, they like, they, they're, they're ahead of Chicago in San Jose. Like they started this a bit sooner. They have a few more players, but they're starting to, when they lose lose it can look really ugly. But someone who was watching them on Sunday night said to me, like, you can see where this could go here. And he said, he's very curious because they say they got more D coming. They're going to have another high pick this year.

It's almost like they've got too many of these players. And he could see, he says, and you can see it like on defense like they're scratching Zellweger or they're scratching Mintyukov and young players they they hate stuff like that and they all want to play but so you're almost saying like okay they have too many of these guys almost but you can you can see them getting better like you can see Anaheim starting to calm a little bit All right. Well, then let's talk about you touched on it there the salary cap projections here You had the news there on Friday. Not only do we have next season, but the

Estimates for the two seasons following it so up to 95 and a half next year then to a hundred and four and that one according to the memos is set so 95.5 is set okay yeah yeah and then the other two are estimates correct so it jumped to 104 and 26 27 and then the year following 113 and a half. So my question to you is, Elliot, like we've never really seen this before, where at least publicly they're projecting out this many years in advance. So is this their way of flaunting how great revenues have been? Why would they go about, especially, we just talked about, like this is, we're entering a very strange time, certainly in North America and the uncertainty that could come from all

of this. So why are they going about saying, hey, not only are we going to have a bigger jump than we thought next season, but wait till you see the numbers that we could have come in two, three years from now? Well, first of all, I think they did it because they wanted to allow teams to plan for it. That's number one. Number two, I think they did it because the revenues, like one of the interesting things that's happened here is that, you know, before COVID, it was a 50-50 split. There's, I'll put an asterisk there because there's always people argue, is it really a 50-50 split with all the costs around it?

But it's just the easiest way to do it. Because whenever I say 50-50, somebody calls me and says, it's not really a 50-50. So I'm just saying 50-50 with an asterisk. So those people don't call me. Okay? But if you were to look at it 50-50, the cap would be higher than it is. Okay? So I think it's really interesting that we now have a three-year plan that might not necessarily be 50-50.

And I think one of the reasons for that is I think that A Batman knew that his owners think this is too high even though the agreement kind of says hey this is what the players deserve based on the revenues or they've earned based on the revenues and I have no problem with people no matter where you are in life trying to negotiate your best possible deal I think Batman knew his owners were some of them were really uncomfortable with where we're going like I did the math today I look there's a great currency converter if you're ever need to convert currency. I do XE comm 95.5 in US dollars is 140 million Canadian right now. Like holy smokes. Like even for teams like Toronto, Edmonton and Vancouver, that's a lot.

So the Canadian teams are very nervous about this and I do think that that's going to have to be addressed at some point. But I think the other thing is I heard that when they were doing their tour with the players One of the things the the players association is that they were asking them what percentage of escrow is Acceptable to you. That's the part of your salary that's held to make sure it stays 50-50 and I heard that once it started going over like it's at six this year And now it's being taken down to zero because the revenues are so strong I heard that the

Whenever it started getting like much higher than six like anywhere closer to ten the players Had a visceral reaction to it. They were like, no. So I think this is all done to what the union being very conservative said escrow is staying low. So but what it but basically right now for the next three years the 50-50 is not there. Like it it's D linked right? it's it's Really fascinating to me about how they are getting to this and it makes me wonder like what on earth could come up now to derail a CBA talk like I just I Don't write I I I'm very curious to see what could possibly derail this But look the players are gonna be making more money than ever

and You know there's going to be a lot of flexibility a lot of room to do things and yes now We're in this crazy trade war and I don't profess to know where this is all going to go Obviously the markets and everything are really skittish about it and really concerned about it but the other thing that people told me is that in the next not next year, but the two years after if The revenues stay the same as long as the world doesn't go even more insane It already is they think those 104 and 113 and a half numbers could go even higher Like I will tell you the best source throughout this whole thing to me

and he was right on every time like everything he said and most of what we talked about on this pod and on the show came true. He predicted the numbers would be 97, 107 and and 117. And that's what he thought they were going to be, 97, 107, and 117. And it just said to me that, and he still thinks there's room to go higher. He just doesn't know if it will. Now, I think that a lot of these teams are saying we don't want to go there and I understand it.

I think one of the most interesting things is going to be how many teams are in their competitive window who are like, I don't know if I really want to go there, but this is our time. Like this is our time to win. So we have to go for it. Right. Yes, because now it's not going to be as much of a guarantee that the majority of the league is right up against the cap. Now they're gonna start seeing

a little bit more separation. I think so. As up against the cap. Now they're going to start seeing a little bit more separation. I think so. And that's what people have told me. But I'll also say this. There are some people who think that's BS because your fans push you there and you know you're competitive. And again if you have a good team, you're gonna have no choice. But I still do think there'll be more resistance than we've seen. Right. Like

overall, it's a good thing. The business is healthy, it recovered out of COVID very well. But I like, again, I do think there's teams who are like we've already we're already asking for a lot of our fans. We're already making the most we can make out of our buildings You know, that's why you know the Canadian TV deal expansion all this stuff is gonna be Really fascinating like I had several teams say to me that I don't know how much more we can squeeze out of our fan base But we'll see and the world's insane. So I mean, we'll see how it all goes

Yeah, world's insane. So I mean, we'll see how it all goes Yeah, world's insane insane weekend at certain points to Elliott, so Why don't we touch on just Saturday night here a little bit while we oh, yeah, you you were at a great game So it was once again Evidence for you you are big on when it's the Leafs and the Oilers certainly in this McDavid and Matthews era, they should always be on Saturday night and That matchup again delivered a heck of a game proving why they should in fact be on a Saturday when they met in Toronto in November that was a compelling game and it was a banger at Rogers Place Saturday in Edmonton

So tell me like what did you see around there? Like, what was the atmosphere like? What did you see? The competing chance right from the opening puck drop was like there was good oomph behind it. Like, you know, when you're in the building there. Were you leading any of the cheers? No, no, I wasn't. I was leading the 50-50. That's a big number man. Yes, yes as it always is

out that way. Yeah. Yeah, no the competing chants were great and you know I don't know what you all felt watching there in studio but even when Toronto jumped out to that 3-0 lead I'm going this game is far far from over. I will say when Martin made a 4-1 you thought okay Toronto's got to control this thing again and then it was still a white knuckle finish. What a sequence there by Joseph Wall. I mean that was incredible down the stretch. We were talking earlier where maybe you know his core stats as a goaltender. Don't jump off the page at you, but he's had some really incredible games here, particularly over this last while with Stolar still out trying to get back healthy again, where maybe again it's not a 960 save percentage night after night, but he's made some saves at critical times to give them an opportunity to win. So, no, it was a fun night again between two teams that had been, I mean, Edmonton's had a really great run here, but I know their process, they weren't in love with it and kind of the week plus leading into that game.

Toronto had been starved for offense, but got the jolt with Matthew Nyes and Tavares back into the fold. It's a fun crowd, right? And then even again, like, you know, you do the post game stuff, you know, you say hi to a couple of people and, you know, by the time you're finally wrapped up, you're 35, 40 minutes after the final horn

and doing that walk out the pathway there back to the concourse of the arena. And like, I'm'm there's the door I'm walking towards so I can't see anything going on on the outside but you can hear the chants still going back and forth of fans that are still hanging out around the building there you know it just even later on in the night the the energy was still palpable it was it was a fun night in Edmonton. First of all there were three great early games the Washington Winni. It was a fun night in Edmonton. First of all, there were three great early games.

The Washington and Winnipeg was a great game that Morrissey won in overtime. The Ottawa-Minnesota game was a great game for half the audience, the ones that were watching for the Senators. And we'll see what Hartman gets. It looks like he's gonna get the book thrown at him here. But before I get back to Toronto Edmonton,

I thought that was a real team win for Ottawa in the sense that, you know, I think when that happens to you in a game, you kinda have to pile on your opponent. Like, you have to say, okay, like, it's a bit different now. Not, you know, the line brawl isn't always going to happen, but you have to say like, we're going to pound you for this. And six, nothing kind of did. Like that's a Minnesota team that won in the road in Toronto, won a very emotional game in Montreal for Flurry.

They lock it down and Ottawa pounded them. Like I liked that win for the Sanders for a lot of different reasons. Um, you know, Toronto, first of all, the MVPs of that game were Toronto's video coaches for catching that, that tying goal was offside. That was huge. Cause like Toronto's like on fumes at that point, as you said, and then they turn it to McDavid dry settle and overtime. And even with what Toronto can throw out there You don't like your chances

The other thing too is with wool and he made two incredible saves in the game and Cuthbert had a great call The only thing that scares me about wool is like when he goes down like that I'm thinking about game six against Boston. I just hope he gets back up Yes, yeah, well it should be that was the Adam Francilia bowl there on Saturday too. Yes. He works with both Wohl and Stuart Skinner. And I know that's a big part of, you know, since he's begun working with Wohl, it was okay.

How can we get you moving in the net that maybe doesn't lead as often to being in situations where you're susceptible to injuries as much as maybe has been in years past. So if they can get in a good space when it comes to that stuff, they've really got something cooking there in the Toronto goal. So the one thing about the complaining about the five o'clock start, like so a buddy of mine lives in Vancouver is like you always rip the Canucks fans when they complain about four o'clock on Saturday, which they're getting next week, like it's coming up, right? Are you going to rip McDavid and Dry Cytle? Because Dry Cytle made a snide comment about the start of the broadcast. And I was like yes

You know I look like It's the marquee game. It should be on at seven o'clock on Saturday I you know like I just I strongly feel that way and I know not everybody likes it, but I'm going to stand by it. It's look, I freely admit I work in television. We ruin a lot of things. We don't ruin that. We get that right. Yes. By the way, Winnipeg, I'm watching them against Washington.

You know what I want? When I want Winnipeg to get what's that some mobile beef What? Like one bigger mobile defenseman and one big mobile center. I think they need and I think they're going to be perfect. Beef on wheels. Beef on wheels. Beef on blades. Beef on blade, but it's got to be mobile Can't be stiff beef has to be mobile be that's what the blades are for. It's like Canadian By Canadian, that's right Alberta beef There we go. All right, so elsewhere on Sunday

Well, so you had the New York Islanders that were the hottest team in the league, seven in a row and then lost to the Panthers. And then you've got the Red Wings that I think are considered the hottest team in the NHL right now. Six in a row. In the playoffs. In the first wild card spot, one point behind Ottawa for third in the division suddenly. They've won six straight.

So and I still remember when we did that game in Toronto back in December this would have been a couple of weeks before they made the change from you know the loan to Todd McClellan and talking to one of the players there and just saying that you don't you just don't know when you've got you know you've got a group of talented young players like when it's all going to come together where they find it and the supporting cast finds it collectively. And we're starting to see that now with Detroit. Well, look, like some of their best players have been the guys who are supposed to be their young cornerstones, right?

Larkin. Like it was wild. Larkin took 39 face-offs in Edmonton the other night. He won 24 of them. Now he had an awful night in Calgary but he still found other ways to play great. Sider, he looks fantastic. He really looks terrific. Yeah, I like the access thoughts on him on Saturday too. And the reverse hits, like you really see them. He loves them. And Lucas Raymond, like he has been phenomenal. And some of their other kids that they started to call up

and give opportunity to, they're going now. They're starting to make impact. We talked about Dallas, their young corps starting to take over the team. We talked about Minnesota, their young core starting to take over the team. We talked about Minnesota, their young core starting to take over the team. Detroit's got veterans, but that's what Iserman's been waiting for, is the young core starting to take over the team, right? And it's still not a long runway that we've seen, but you can see it at least, right?

That game on Saturday night, that was, at the beginning McClellan wasn't putting a lot of stuff in. He was like, just play, just play and never quit. That was a McClellan kind of game. They got the lead and Calgary couldn't get anything. They had a couple of chances, but they really slowed it down. They're getting saves Talbot and Lyon are giving them saves but that's the one thing like I thought they were

on fumes in Vancouver on Sunday night. Understandably. Yeah understandably but they still found a way to win but that's the thing I look at with Detroit now in that a lot of their games I've watched lately it's their young guys that are kind of carrying them through it. Now the Islanders, their winning streak ended at seven. So Greg Picker, who is their radio guy, he had a stat on Saturday night when they came back to win their seventh in a row, there was a time that two of their D got hurt and Left the game on Saturday So they were basically down to 4d and he said they want there was a time in there

they only had one defenseman who was on their team in nine days ago, oh Wow Like it's insane like what they've been doing. So they picked Boquist off waivers from Florida and the honors have had some pretty decent run with the waiver wire. Mike Riley a couple years ago was a really good waiver pick up for them. And Tony D'Angelo has three points in five games and he's playing 25 minutes a night.

Right. Yeah, him and then Perunovich too that 25 minutes a night. Right. Yeah, him and then Prunovic, too, they got from St. Louis. I wasn't a waiver claim, but. Yeah, right. But Prunovic is is a great story because like I they like apparently they've been trying to trade them for weeks. And the agent, I think, had permission to talk to teams and he couldn't find anywhere to go and he suddenly gets his opportunity and he's been playing he's taking advantage of it. I mean the out and I'll say this like we're all talking about Brock Nelson and I don't know what's going to happen here but you know people are afraid to talk about it because it's Lamarello and they don't

want to cross Lamarello but at this point in time like the islanders really haven't shown a lot of indication that they don't want it that they want to do anything with them like I imagine they're in the race and they decide we're holding on to them I can totally see that that's gonna disappoint a lot of people yeah but I don't think Lou's

too concerned about that. No, I think he's really worried about disappointing other teams. By the way, everyone is wary of Florida. They don't have a lot of room, they don't have a lot of things to trade, but they somehow think they're like, they're gonna surprise us all. I think they're looking at a right hand shot, D, for sure. But teams are wary of them, man. Like they're gonna pull something out of, Bill Zito's gonna pull something out of his hat.

Okay, do you think? Like a vaudeville magician. Oh, that's good. Now seeing as you brought out the Panthers, are they using time to their advantage with the Sam Bennett situation, him on an expiring deal, or what do you think is going on there? I don't know. I mean, a little while ago, I remember at the time when they signed for Hagee, someone

said to me, they're not far apart, but I don't know that it's going to work out. Like again, everything's different now, right? Yep. So, I just don't know that it's gonna work out. Like again, everything's different now, right? Yeah. So I just don't know. All right, couple more things before we get to final thought. Brandon Saad.

Yes. So you had it basically right as it was announced or you hit two o'clock Eastern on Friday that his contract had been terminated with the Blues, that he was going to sign a one-year pro-rated deal, $1.5 million with Vegas. Made his debut Sunday against New York, who should say, congratulations, Jonathan Quick,

400 career wins. But Saad Elliott, I mean, he looks like a Bruce Cassidy. Do you have any doubt that Quick's going to the Hall of Fame, by the way? I was having this debate with someone. No, of course not. Someone said, like, he's not a Hall of Famer I'm like in what universe? No chance.

Like which Marvel multiverse is he not in the Hall of Fame? No I think all of them he's still in them. That's right. No matter what Kang the Conqueror does. Yeah and I think there was a time where he was. He's going to the Hall of Fame. Yeah, and just the playing style, right? Like just watching him. There was something about the Jonathan Quick

goaltending style that was, felt unique from everybody else and the other accolades to back it up, yes, he's in for me. So Brandon Saad, as I say, he feels like a Bruce Cassidy type player. He seems like a Vegas Golden Knight type player. So maybe we shouldn't have been that surprised that that is where he ends up after all this.

Well, he made it very clear, I heard, to teams that he was only going somewhere where he thought he could win a Stanley Cup this year. Like if you weren't, like I wouldn't be surprised for example if Ottawa Yep, and you know like maybe a year from now. It's different But I just don't think that he like like someone like in one of the other teams that was in on him They told me that they thought Tampa Bay made a really hard pitch me that they thought Tampa Bay made a really hard pitch. But if you were to rank all those teams that were interested in him, like Tampa Bay as we wake up on Monday morning, they're not in the playoffs. And while I think anybody

would be a fool to count out the Lightning, it's just not as much of a guarantee as it used to be. And some teams told me that they thought they lost out because he didn't see them as the best possible container. Like Vegas is a Stanley cup contender. And the other thing too is like they plug and play guys in who fit. So I'm not surprised at all that Vegas isn't playing really, really well right now. And you can tell Bruce Cast is getting pretty close to blowing his stack if he hasn't done

it already. But they're a really good team. Like I don't worry about them. And I think they're going to go out and get another winger at some point too. But they, if you're picking a team to go to win a cop, Vegas is going to be on your list. By the way, Hurdle's starting to look a lot better too. But I think Toronto was there, I think Edmonton was there, I think the Devils were there. But I think at the end of the day, he was... We talked about on Friday, would someone offer him two years? I think it was brought up. But I can't argue with him for making that decision.

And if he finds his form, which as we talked about last pod, was not there this year, that's a great get for the Vegas. And you want to win a cop, pick Vegas, can't really argue with that. No, I'm with you there. One other thing, so the Tage Thompson Stefan Nason hit in the Buffalo Jersey afternoon game on Sunday, I mean it didn't look great. Lindy Ruff not only said that Tage was doing alright post game, also came to the defense

of his players for how they handled the aftermath of it all. I mean, it wasn't the five men in and everybody against their guy when the hit occurred, but the head coach seemed to be OK with it. You know, it's it was kind of funny when I heard him say that, because it makes me think of the great clip when Billy Smith like buttons Lindy Ruff in the eye and he goes and just attacks him. Oh yeah. Like of all the quotes I ever expected to hear from Lindy Ruff that was not it but I guess it's just an admission of how different the game is right? I have to say like to me you know you have to do something there. I thought it was admirable the way that Ruff defended his players. They won the game. I guess you know what I think a lot of us grew up with things in a certain

way that if somebody does that to you you go after them and you know I think of that one situation is always with Toronto last year where, you know, they showed video of someone touching Vasilevsky and all the Tampa players, including Stamkos like trying to kill them. So and also too, it was a weekend. They had a really good ceremony for Rob Ray on Friday night. And like Ray was honored because he's, like, was one of the toughest sabers ever.

So it was just kind of a weird juxtaposition. But, so I'll just say this, to me, I didn't like it, but I really respected what Ruff said, because I think it's been a really hard year in Buffalo and it's like one of those situations where nothing you do seems to turn out right and I think as a coach it's your job in that situation to passionately defend your team and I respected the fact that he did that. Yeah yeah it's a tricky one but I think I'm for the most part I'm with you on there too.

Okay, why don't we get to final thought here then? Oh, before we do that, we should mention that the IHF is having its meetings this week, and one of the things they're going to be talking about is if Russia should be added back into international hockey. So we're going to see news on that one way or the other over the next couple of days. OK, all right. Another thing to keep an eye on. That's good.

All righty. Well, then that'll take us to the final thought, which is brought to you by GMC. So we've had a couple of days to digest the latest trades in the National Hockey League, Elliott We've had a little bit more time to digest what was I guess the first real shot across the bow from Looking at all the transactions that have transpired since but that was the big Miko Ratanin Martin Hs. Jack Drury Taylor Hall trade between Chicago, Carolina and Colorado from just over a

week ago now and you were telling me before we recorded on Sunday Elliot you have a theory about that one. Would you care to share? Okay so you want me to lay it out? Okay. Yeah I want to hear it. What do you think if if Randon hits free agency and he can only get a seven year deal. What do you think the maximum number is he's going to get? Maximum number. I have a hard time seeing him and the irony is it's the same representation. I have a hard time seeing him getting more than Leon's 14. So 14.

Yeah, 13 and a half. Okay, you know what? I'm going to go with 14. Okay. All right. Because I don't think you're wrong. I think you're in the ballpark. But so let's just say it's seven years, 14 million AAV out on the open market What does that equal? I was told there would be no math math. 98. Right. 14 times 7, last time I checked, is 98. So this is my theory. They're going to offer more than that on eight years. More? Yeah, they're going to offer no no not more than 14 but more than 98 I see they're gonna offer them maybe a hundred somewhere around there but

they're gonna beat 98 and they're they'll and if like I think they're gonna try my guess is they try to keep the AAV Around 13 maybe a bit less and they offer to defer So they can keep the AAV down maybe he makes a bit more cash, but the AAV is kept down now Deferring was proposed to Dry Cytl and he said no as you said same agent so I don't know how they'll feel about that but that's what that's what my guess is here I've been trying to figure out what the play is and I think the play is 98 is what we think he gets on the open market 7 times 14. So how do we beat that and keep it to Around 13, that's my guess

That's what I think what they try I I don't know if it'll work. We'll find out. But that's my guess. Now I'm curious is what if this doesn't happen by March 7th? What does Carolina do? Do they hold on and go for the cup? Do they flip them? What do they do?

They haven't really been in this spot before. Yeah, and they do want to have a top player. They've talked about that. They have one of the best players in the league right now. Yes, they do. I mean, I can't see the, well, I shouldn't say that because I don't know Renton well enough and I can't speak for his camp.

But I'd be surprised because as we've talked about, I shouldn't say that because I don't know Ranton well enough and I can't speak for his camp. But I'd be surprised because as we've talked about, players of that caliber, you're not taking money later. You're loading up on the bulk of it early through side bonuses. Right. And they can still do structure. You can do that. You can still do that. Like that's one thing, like those Carolina guys, they can figure out how to work that. Yeah. But that's what I wonder. I wonder if they're saying, okay, 98 from a financial point of view, 98 is the number we have to beat. How do we do that?

Right. Well, that's, I guess that's, yeah, that's always been the advantage of being the team that has the rights. You've got the additional year to try to map that out. So that's my theory. I don't know if it works. That's my theory on what's gonna happen here. That's a pretty good one. Do you have a theory on the... Not my worst theory?

No, it's not your worst theory. Do you have a theory on the Donchit trade over the weekend? My goodness. I thought that was, I thought, you know what I thought that was? I thought that was like NBA Centel. Do you know that account? No, I don't but is that like the I don't know Elliot Friedman with one team missing type of camp Yes, but it's a hilarious account. They come up with joke takes and they're really clever. They're really funny They get millions of impressions like for example on Sunday after they made that trade of impressions. Like for example on Sunday after they made that trade the Mavericks played Cleveland and they lost by 43 points. They were down 50 to 19 after the first quarter and this NBA Centela count put up a picture of Don Cich in his Dallas uniform wearing number 77 and it wrote, Justin,

the Mavericks have agreed to take a 77 point loss to the Cavs as a tribute to Luca. Like it's really funny. They do all sorts. So when that thing first came up, I thought it was a joke. And even Sham Sharanya, he had to say, no, this is not a joke. Like after he reported it, he was like, this is serious. And there's a video out there of someone handing a phone to Kevin Durant and Bradley Beale and the Suns players on the bench so they could see what the trade was. And they were like, they were shocked. Like nobody knew about this. Like the one thing is like doing this job, I really believe, Kyle, that the... I think the NBA

and the NFL in particular, they recognize that these trades are part of the show and they're part of the interest and they want it out there. Right? ANCHL's not like that. They, they're, it's like, and especially like with some of the ones that have happened recently, I don't always like it but I really respect it. They're like, no, people are gonna hear it from us, they're not gonna hear it from you guys. Makes the job a lot harder but I understand the thought behind it. And like these guys didn't know about it.

Like the players had no idea. Like other teams didn't really have an idea. I listened to Bill Simmons' Emergency Podcast. Like he's really plugged into the league and the people he's on with are really plugged into the league and they had no idea. Like this is like, there's nothing that will be like the Gretzky trade, nothing. He was at the pinnacle of his sport, an absolute superstar to accomplish so much, but I think

this is almost as close as you could get to it for shock value in this day and age. For shock value, yeah. Yes. I'll give you that. It's not the Gretzky trade, because it's Gretzky, but for shock value, this is as close as you could get. I couldn't believe it. And then, I don't know if you saw,

the players are reacting all over social, like Joel Embiid is like no effing way, and people are like, hey, why are you commenting? You don't even play anymore. And then Darren Fox was like, wow, and someone wrote, you shouldn't go to sleep, you're next, and he got traded on Sunday.

That's right. It's crazy. It was insane. Like, what a trade. Yeah, that was a whopper. Well, I mean, I love that at least some of the ones we're seeing in hockey the last little bit are like some good like hockey trades that have gotten some good reaction. But yeah, the NHL wouldn't mind being a little bit more like the NBA in some cases when it

comes to this stuff. It is awesome. Well, I'll say this. The ranting, it's going to knock a lot of things loose. I really do. I think we are heading into a new era, maybe not in terms of how information is shared, but I think we're heading into a new era in terms of, you know, with with the cap gone up so much and the top salary gone up so much, I think I think we're barely scraping the surface on where the league is

going. Beautiful. All right. Well, we'll park it there. That's the final thought, which is brought to you by GMC. We will take our first break and come back with a thought line as we always do. You're listening to 32 Thoughts the Podcast. All right, welcome back. Time now for the Thoughtline. Thank you, as always, to Griffin Porter for helping curate the list each and every pod. Elliot, is there anything on your mind

that you want to get off your chest before we get to today's submissions? If you know me, there is nothing on my mind. It's just crickets and tumbleweed rolling from ear to ear. Tumbleweed, yes. Tumbleweed is that it, yes. One thing I wanted to add. Tumbleweed is perfect. Nothing, yes. One thing I wanted to add. Yes, tumbleweeds is perfect.

Nothing describes what's going on between my ears better than tumbleweeds. Good. This is why we've picked you to answer all these questions. I should say from last pod we got the question about the Jerseys, right? How many Jerseys teams go through? I learned over the weekend that Toronto will go through four sets. So they're one of the teams that would do more than two Four sets of home and away over the course of the season and then you've got the alternates and specialty jerseys mixed in there, too

So they go a little heavier than some others as you might expect Lots of people want the autographed leaf jerseys game worn autographed leaf jerseys. Mm-hmm. All right this is by far the heaviest voicemail submission thought line of the season. All right. And we're going to start with one from Richard in Clinton, Ontario. Just had a question about the tampering you guys were talking about a couple weeks ago. Just wondering if that includes players, kind of player who is friends with another player, for we were talking about a couple weeks ago, just wondering if that includes players. Can a player who is friends with another player, for example, Sydney Grosby and Nathan McKinnon,

can Nathan McKinnon put the bug in Grosby's ear to come play for Colorado and is there any discipline for that? I think GMs could have that as an advantage if they just get players to go out and try to coach other players from other teams. Love to hear the answer, love to hear you guys all the time and hopefully I get on the podcast. Well Richard, I'm glad you could fish your wish so to speak. You have made the podcast with a great question. The memo itself did reference players tampering with other players. And of course, we believe this happens all the time. For example, I find it very hard to believe that McKinnon at some point hasn't said to

Crosby, hey if you ever leave Pittsburgh it's going to be here and we have joked that McKinnon would drive to Pittsburgh, put Crosby in his trunk and take him back to Colorado with no second thought about doing it. So technically yes, player on player tampering it was referenced. I just don't know if that was ever anything they could really police. It strikes me as one of those things you put down in a memo so everybody knows it's there. But you hear about it all the time when players hit free agency.

Yeah, I was getting a call from my buddy on this team and he was all over me. I just would like to see the day it ever got policed, if that would ever happen. I would love to see how a team could, or a player could get penalized for tampering with another player. I've just, I've just never heard of it getting punished before. Yes, but you know what, I mean, because even with New York over the last few days, Elliot, Vincent Trocheck saying it was like a nine-year pipe dream that he had that playing again with JT Miller because they grew up playing together for a long time and then their NHL

careers took them separate directions until reuniting on Broadway. So you know the conversations have happened. But the one thing about that, it's a great point Kyle, but the one thing about that was the Rangers had permission to talk to them. Right. So under that I would think it's open season, like do whatever you want. No of course, but I just my point was he's saying this was like a nine year dream for us right. So you know over the years they're golfing together in the summer or whatever saying it wouldn't be neat if once, you know, somewhere down the road, if the stars ever aligned, we got a chance to be teammates.

Well, you know what? Now we know if the day after this pod drops, Vincent Shrocheck is fined $100,000 for tampering, it's because you brought that up. Yeah, yes. So Vincent, if you get fined, it's all Kyle's fault. That's the last thing I need. The NHL didn't know about this until Kyle just mentioned it. That's right.

Those quotes were under wraps until I exploited them. That's good. That was a good question, Richard, and like a valid one. I'm kind of hoping Trojik gets fined fine now just because I can see the reaction to this. Okay, well now I hope that that clip gets pulled and what gets posted online in Rangers Twitter, Elliot Friedman. I kind of hope Trojik gets fine now. End quote. All right, Across the River from Manhattan to New Jersey, Sean writes in, hey Elliot, Kyle and Dom, I have a question. Can NHL teams Across the river from Manhattan to New Jersey, Sean writes in, hey Elliot, Kyle and Dom,

I have a question. Can NHL teams offer sheet drafted players who have yet to sign an NHL contract? For example, could the Boston Bruins offer sheet Ivan Demidov? Could Demidov be poached like any other RFA or do ELC rules protect teams from doing this? Does the same hold true for NCAA, CHL prospects as well? And by the way, Kyle, brew my own roast is not a saying and you've got to stop trying to make it happen, buddy. Keep up the good hair. Love the pod. Keep it rolling strong. Firstly, Sean, come on. I only said it once, like,

and you're accusing me of going full-on Gretchen wiener here I'm not trying to make it happen. I tried it on one direction wiener Yes, you know that reference. Yes. It was stop trying to make fetch happen, right? Yes. Yes, exactly Very good girls. Yes, that's exactly what I was thinking of stop trying to make fetch happen. Yes There you go reference great reference That's good. Sean. All right, by the way, I was Sean once is too many Sean the short answer to your question is no demodav is not eligible for an offer sheet because he is

Not yet signed his entry level contract. Nobody is eligible for an offer sheet until they've completed their ELC. So because he hasn't signed it yet, he can't do it. The other thing too is depending on you're not eligible for an offer sheet and depending on your age you've completed enough years if you're signed if you sign when you're between the age of 18 to 21 you need to play three years and then if it's 21 or 20 if it's 22 or 23 it's two years if it's 24 and above it's's one year. Now, the other thing too is, like there are some players, Johnny Goudreau was one, and Tory Krug was another. They signed their contracts, their ELCs, and they played

less than 10 professional games in their first season. So they burned a year, but if you play less than 10 professional games in their first season. So they burned a year. But if you play less than 10, it doesn't count as a year as professional experience. So when Johnny Goudreau signed his first extension with the Flames, the six-year deal, he wasn't eligible for an offer sheet. When Tory Krug signed his first extension with the Boston Bruins, that was a four-year deal.

He was also not eligible for an offer sheet. So, you know, there's rules there about who is eligible and who isn't, but in Demidov's case, he's not eligible because he isn't signed to his ELC yet and hasn't completed it. So that's the best answer I can give you. Not eligible yet. Thank you, Sean, for the question and the critique. All right. Another voicemail.

This one's Nya from Atlanta. Hi, my name is Nya. I live in Atlanta, Georgia, but I'm an Orlandstown. My question is, if Bouchard shot the puck into the goalie's glove, but he saved it, and then it flung back into the goal, would it still count as a goal? Thank you. You're welcome, Naya. And the answer to your question is yes. If the goal, if the glove goes back into the net, even though he saves it, it's a goal. I've seen it before. I remember a game between Toronto and Tampa where the same thing happened to Andrei Vasilevsky, where he made a great glove save, but when they looked at it in the camera, the glove was in the net, therefore the puck was too, goal.

So in your situation, Evan Bouchard, he scores. Thank you for the question. You bet. And even if it like was with such force that it blew the catcher's glove right off the hand of the goalie, if it's like a bang, bang play and the glove ends up off the hand with puck in the glove into the net, also a good goal. Nice. As long as it's kind of in one play. Very good question. All right, Jaden from Calgary. Hello Griffin Dom and Company. With Utah no longer pursuing the name Yeti due to trademark issues, it got me wondering how there are team names that cross over sports,

like the Panthers, for example. How does Utah have issues trademarking Yeti, and yet you can have two teams in different leagues or sports have the same name? Thanks for the pod. Okay, so I looked this up because I had a feeling at some point in time this This was going to come up after the Utah thing and Basically what it comes down to there's a couple of different things here It really comes down to in some cases. I was told by simply how the logo could look Is the name? Primarily a big part of the logo could look. Is the name primarily a big part of the logo? Can the two sides reach an agreement? Like as we heard here and Utah said, they couldn't reach a deal with Yeti.

It's basically comes down to that. Like for example, there was a story a few years ago that the Vegas Golden Knights reached an agreement with the US Army's parachute team, also called the Golden Knights. They reached a deal where they could both use the name. And at that time, the NHL team was the one that had to make it so that the US Army was happy because they had the name first.

So I think the best answer I can give you is that in these situations, it comes down to one of two things. Do the two sides make a deal or Does the trademark office the patented trademark office look at the logos and say you know for example The New York Rangers and the Texas Rangers They don't look anything like each other The Carolina Panthers and the Florida Panthers, they don't look like anything

like each other and their color scheme is completely different. I think if it comes to a situation where the two look at each other and say that's not the same or the trademark office looks at each other and says that's not the same, then something can be worked out and they can be accepted. They not like us. They not like us. That's good. Good question. Very good question. Jaden, thank you for that.

I've learned a lot in the last week about trademark law that I never thought I was going to have to learn. Yes, the places this career will take you, Elliot. That's right. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is power. Very good. Another voicemail. We're going overseas now. Stefan in Frankfurt, Germany. First of all, thanks so much for the nice part that you guys are doing. Elliot, tremendous knowledge about European geography, about Switzerland and Sweden. I was just wondering, the Capitals yesterday conceded two shorties from the Ottawa Senators. And I'm wondering what was the game where a team conceived more than two?

What was the highest game? And what was the game where you conceived the most shorthanded goals and still won? Appreciate the podcast, greetings from Germany and Go Caps Go. A Capitals fan in Germany, greetings from North America. All right, Elliot. Thanks for your kind words, Stefan. Yes. I'd like to be able to place things on a map

and thanks for listening. So you have an answer to this one? Would you hazard a guess at how many times in NHL history going into Sunday's action that a team has given up three short-handed goals or more in a single game? Well if I'm if I'm not mistaken it once happened with Calgary and San Jose right? Could be. I think I think Flurry had like two or three of them. I would guess it has happened 30 times.

Oh no. Higher or lower? It's higher. No. Higher or lower? It's higher. Ooh. I remember the Bruins did it once. The Bruins did it once in like, I think like a minute.

I will say 75 times. No, not quite that high. 60, 60 instances of this in NHL history. The 95-96 Vancouver Canucks are the only team to allow four shorties in a single game. That was against Winnipeg. Only once has a team given up three shorties and won the game. And it was actually rather recent. October 2023, the Dallas Stars against the Flyers.

Gave up three while a man up, still won the hockey game. What was the final score? They won five to four. Was Rick Bonas coaching that game? No. He would have been in Winnipeg. In 2023? Yeah. Yeah. So Dallas was up four to two and... Oh yeah, that was like, that was Peter DeBoer, yes. Yeah. And the Flyers scored two shorties on the same penalty to tie the game in the third period, and the legendary Joe Pavelski won the game in overtime.

I would have hated to have been responsible for the power play at the end of that night. Yeah, yes, absolutely. See Peter DeBoer just staring daggers through you. Yes. Absolutely. You could see Peter DeBoer just staring daggers through you. That'd be a tough, well, again, all the other instances, the team that that happened to lost, at least they could laugh it off and say, at least, you know, we took two points from it.

That's right. We made the game interesting. We gave the fans their money's worth. Yes. That's good. All right. We've got one final one here to wrap, okay? This is from Jeff.

Hello gents, long time listeners since the days of Six Thoughts. Yes, back in the original six. Elliot was feathered in ink writing his six thoughts. I gotta tell you, at least with six, I could get six every week, I could finish it. Problem is people keep making trades. Yes.

With your ink and feather, penning your thoughts, listening to the bonus pod with Flurrie and Fellino and hearing him talk about his fight with Luke Shen got me thinking because of Elliot's love for the WWE, who would you choose in a battle royale tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championship belts? Luke and Brayden Shen vs Matthew and Brady Kachuk vs Jordy and Jamie Ben vs Marcus and Nick Foligno.

Thanks guys, have fun, love the pod. Oh that is a phenomenal question so we got the bends yes the Filino's the shins yep and the Kachaks and the Kachaks oh What What a question yeah, I the shens to me are like the heart foundation. The Kachaks I think I'm putting in like edge and Christian category. They're bigger. You need a bigger team like the Road Warriors.

Yeah. They're physically, they're too big to be edge and Christian. Like you mean physically? Yes, like I know Right, but you just think about The stuff that I mean edge in particular and some of those TLC matches like I can see Matthew Kachak jumping off a ladder and Spearing Luke Shen who's dangling from the belt. That's the only reason why I went that way as opposed to physical comparisons, you know, I

Mean I don't know are the the Ben brothers like the Dudley boys or maybe they're more Legion of Doom, too. I Hope like Vincent Trotschek One of these groups of brothers takes real offense to what you're labeling them as these are some of the greatest tag teams of all time Yeah, but the Dudley boys the Dudley boys have those weird glasses. I'm not sure how the bands would feel about those glasses Sorry you're raking me over the coals because of glasses So who are the felinos So I have an answer. Okay.

Kevin Nash and Scott Hall? Man, I would be very happy to be compared to Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. That was a dynamite tag team. Yes. Okay, sorry. I have an answer. This intervention was meant for you. Go ahead.

What advantage do the Kachaks and the Felinos have that the Bens and the Shens don't? Ooh. They've got dads that play in the league. That's exactly where I'm going. So they're the managers, they're managing them? Yes, outside interference. Yes.

Outside interference. Outstanding. So unfortunately unfortunately while Wes McCauley is not looking outside interference from Mike Foligno and Keith Kachuk knock out the Benz and the Shenz they are not beaten cleanly but they are defeated. And then it comes down to the Folinos and the Kachucks. Mike Foligno was a tough customer, 2049. Keith Kachuk, career penalty minutes, 2219. Oh boy. So that tells us that Keith Kachuk is 170 penalty minutes dirtier than Mike Foligno, which means at the end of the day, he goes to a deeper level

to lead the Kachuk brothers to victory. Wow. He has the rag full of ether that brings the Kachuks the championship. Oh, I can see it. of ether that brings the Kachaks the championship. I can see it. And just the quick roll up pin for the three count. While the other Felino brother is distracted and they run out of the ring right away, the three of them together on the ramp.

Felinos are furious in the ring. That's a great scene. You could work in the creative side for WWE, Elliot. You get an act for these storylines. I'm actually proud of myself for this one. I'm not proud of myself for a lot of things, Kyle, but I'm actually proud of this one. Elliot Bruce Prichard Friedman. That is the greatest thing anyone has ever said to me.

Oh God, I'm glad I could be the author of it. Jeff, that was fun. Thanks for submitting that. Great question. Thank you everyone who wrote in. Fantastic question. Made me think. And called in. Yeah. Very good. All right, that does it for another Thoughtline.

We'll take our final break and wrap this sucker up. 32 Thoughts of the Podcast continues after this. All right Elliot, before we go, this has been a busy week, a lot going on in the sport of hockey and the world in general over the last seven days. So what's on your mind here as we wrap up the pod before we let our listeners know what to keep an eye on on the network this week? You live in Ottawa, right? Yeah, you've pointed that out a few times.

Okay. So you know that meme of Abraham Lincoln standing up and saying something that he believes is right that everybody else thinks is unpopular? Yes. Okay. I would like to imagine everybody looking at that right now, because I'm about to do it. Okay?

Are you ready? You are going dead poet society on us here. Yes Okay, I Thought the reaction of the Quebec City thing was crazy I Thought it was way over the top typical way over the top typical Toronto guy. Way over the top. Typical Toronto guy, once again. Once again. I could not believe the amount of apologizing

the Sanders had to do for that. So here's the thing. There is scar tissue there because of the previous regime. Now I too was like, wow, this is the reaction because I again, I thought new ownership in town, all those past horrors were behind the fan base. They can look forward.

Clearly they're not at that stage yet. That was the reminder. And you know, because again, you look at it and think, what's the big deal? But I'm not the one buying tickets, I'm not the one buying merchandise, I'm not the one emotionally invested into every senator's outcome. So you and I both see it from a different lens. I just think ultimately, and this has been hashed enough so we don't need to go through it in great detail, but ultimately, you know, the senators were looking at it as how can we

excite the Quebec fans as opposed to how are our own fans going to feel about this? Right? It was, I looked through it through one lens and not the other. But I, part of me wanted to to see Thursday night when they played against Washington all the players for warm-up coming out with half-Senator, half-Nordique jerseys, with Sparty's name on the back out of solidarity for their mascot. Nothing about appeasing Quebec fans purely out of defense and solidarity for their poor mascot that had himself a week as much as anyone. I mean when Shavat came out and defended the mascot I watched that scrum like six times. I

was laughing so hard. That was the best scrum of his entire career and I don't mean that to to criticize Shavat in any way. He was so well-spoken. No, I gained so much respect for Shavat in that scramble. He was incredible. He came out and he defended the mascot. Good for you, Thomas. Yes. I'm just trying to imagine the briefing. Ian Mendez and Sylvain Saint-Laurent saying,

okay, Thomas, you have to go out and you have to defend the mascot. Yeah. Like, yeah, I would be like, what? Okay. Like he did it. He was great. Yeah.

I would have said, I would have called my agent and I would have said, make sure these guys remember this next contract time. Okay. Yeah. He did his best Mark Borvietzky impression because Mark was the poor guy. Like anytime there was any officeice controversy going on in Ottawa we always went to him because he was the local guy and he was well spoken about it. So I have to there's a couple things I want to say about this first of all maybe it's maybe it's me because I

remember when all this stuff was going on Betman it was made very clear to me that Betman was not letting the senators move. You're right, I don't live there, I don't know all the scar tissue, but there was one time when it was really bad there and people were wondering what was the future was going to be under Melnick, and it was made very clear to me never go on the air and say the senators are in danger of moving. Like Betman was not going to let that happen. So I've always kept that on my mind.

Like, like, Betman was, there was no team leaving the national capital of Canada under Betman's watch. Okay. It was made very, very clear to me. So I've always looked at it through that lens. Number two, the whole thing about the half Nordics and half Sanders jersey. Okay, so when I go into someone's house and that's basically what the Sanders are doing. They're going into someone's house and that's basically what the senators are doing. They're going into someone's house.

Like Kyle, if I visit your house, I accept house rules. Like for example, I know if I go to your house, I have to sit on the couches with the plastic on them. Like I know that's one of the rules, okay? Yeah. I was wondering where you were going with that. So when, like you're going into Quebec City's house, you're trying to be polite. You're trying to be a good guest.

Yeah, you want to bring something. Yeah, I want to bring, like, you know, hey, I'm going to bring a flan or I'm going to bring like, you know, hey, I'm gonna bring a flan or I'm gonna bring a bottle of wine. Okay? Like, you're trying to be a courteous guest. And then I saw they had to meet with the media like two or three days later to explain it again.

I was like, come on, this is too much. It's too much. It was wild. Even some that I consider to be mild-mannered people in this market that have been around the team a long time, they were like, this is outrageous. Like I was taking a back. It was entertaining.

And thankfully for the team and I guess the fans, they have continued to win. So that storyline didn't linger on any more than they wanted it to be. Oh my God. That was great. Oh my goodness. Hey, so we've got some games to keep an eye on this week.

See, as you know, whenever I say something about someone, I like to show up to see if, you know, I've got to take my medicine. I think I'm going to be scheduling a trip to Ottawa pretty soon. Just stand on a corner and see if anyone wants to yell at me. That's right. Yes. Or, well, you can see Elliott in Montreal, the Four Nations, sends things if you want to make the quick drive over.

That's always an option too. Okay. So the Edmonton Oilers are going to be, uh, available to be seen a couple of games this week for the national audience. Tuesday night they are in St. Louis. Eight Eastern, six o'clock Mountain Time, Sportsnet One and Sportsnet East in Ontario. We've got a double header for Scotiabank Wednesday Night Hockey this week. So a US-US matchup beginning at seven Eastern, the Bruins and the Rangers once again. And then the Oilers are in Chicago. That's going to be a late one. I understand because of, you know, television.

Puck Drop is, I think, just after 8.50 local time, so that's central. So that's almost 10 o'clock Eastern by the time McDavid and Bidard get going on Wednesday night there. So not too bad for those out west that want to have all their dinner and chores done for the night and settle in for that one, but for the Eastern fans that want to stay up and watch those two stars go head-to-head, maybe a mid-afternoon nap before that one. And where are you next week? You're in Vancouver, right? Yes, we had back-to-back trips out west. Edmonton last weekend and now the other end of the Maple Leafs road trip right before Four Nations in Vancouver.

Should be fun. We'll talk about that I'm sure coming up on Friday's pod. All right bud, have a great week everyone. Yup, thank you Elliot. Look forward to having you over on my plastic couch. Like everyone's grandparents, that's right. Talk to you Friday. Bye.