Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Michael Hage Staying At Michigan… What’s Going On?? | BB Clips

Episode Date: April 14, 2026

Boomer, Pinder and Rhett get into a heated debate over Michael Hage’s decision to return to Michigan for another season instead of pushing for a spot with the Montreal Canadiens, questioning what this really says about his development path and the team’s plans. The guys go back and forth on whether this is the smart long-term move or a missed opportunity to jump to the next level, and what it means for both Hage and a Canadiens team that feels like it’s starting to turn a corner.Video Link: https://youtu.be/fkNjtzn1go0#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #montrealcanadiens CHECK OUT OUR STUFF ⬇️BARN BURNER MERCHhttps://nationgear.ca/collections/shirts/FlamesnationBARN BURNER SHORTS https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLj_bcGtvvo-cW2DHEDZ6dEO5ePDmlhZc9&si=jo8iNGxT4ImhS2Y8📲 Follow us:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fnbarnburner/X (Twitter): https://x.com/barnburnerfn?lang=en🎧 Listen on:Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/be/podcast/barn-burner-boomer-pinder-with-rhett-warrener/id1648562889Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/3Mc6Qd5U22R2zbMlQ7RxIiProducer: Jack Haverstock Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The big one, not comparable but not the same. Michael Hage returning to Michigan for Montreal was a big surprise to a lot of HBs fans. He hates Montreal. I don't think so. A lot of his family, he's got some family from Montreal, and I think they would have been very open to signing him, but Michigan was one of the teams that dominated their opponent in the Frozen Four and then ended up not advancing.

And unfinished business, they've got a huge crop of OHLers coming in. They'll get some kids out of the portal. They want to run it back and win a championship. So for Habs fans, it's weighed another year, which is surprising. There's not happening. Sorry, I was going to say, there is a lot of, just trying, it's not even clean up work, but there is a lot of, hey, there's nothing to see here.

Hage is happy with the Habs and the Habs are happy with Hage. There's nothing to see here. This is all very good to the point. It's almost like, what are you hiding? Okay. I think if you gave everyone truth serum, the Habs would love to be, him to be signed right now. I would, yes.

100%. And he wants to go with. win a national championship next year and you don't know that okay he doesn't want to win a national how do you know that i've read a bunch of articles and the thought is because of motivation it in the news no yeah i think it's unfinished business for michigan what are you talking yeah do what were the shots in that frozen for i could go to the nchel and play in montreal but i'm well i don't know taste in my mouth over the frozen floor like he could definitely make his nashel debut but he might be looking at a year in laval compare that to that

to a year in Michigan. I think that's more of the... Well, then say that, Ryan, instead of, oh, he's committed to the cause. I don't want to play in LaValle, so I'm going to go back to Michigan. And I don't know that that is the case, but that's... Oh, but you know the other one is the case.

Yeah, he said he wants to win a national championship. Like, that's why he's going back. I don't know, is he lied? I want to win the... I'm sorry for telling you what he said when he... Dean. Pike, if you're listening, can you write a story about this? I would really, like, Like someone, even if it's not me, someone in my family to win the powerball.

Yeah. I can do that. If he, if, all I'm saying, Ryan is if there was bad blood. He doesn't have to be bad blood. He might be saying, if I don't fit into your plans and you don't guarantee me a spot, I'll go back to Michigan. I'll go back in a fucking draft. He's got to wait two years.

But you know what he's saying? He's not going to say if you can't guarantee me a spot, then I'm going back to school. I'm going back to school. I want to win a champ. Yeah, we don't know what they're thinking. We know what they're saying. So I'm just telling you what I believe is happening here and that they had a wagon.

They were distraught that didn't win. He's not sure whether he's a full-time NHL or next year or not. So you think his decision came after they lost? Yeah, his quotes heading into the game when he was asked about. He's like, I'm not even thinking about that right now. So again, that's what he's saying. You're smarter than this. You're not a casual.

This is casualty. He didn't think about what he's doing next season. He didn't think about it. I'm telling you what the quote was. I can't get in between. But you just said what you believed to be like. No, no. I was saying all the,

I was laying out the scenario and then you jumped in before I could finish. No, you said, because I was very listening very closely to what you were saying. You said your belief is. Yeah, I was trying to paint the scenario. Montreal probably wanted him sign now. He is unsure of what next year would look like as a pro. He knows exactly what Michigan's going to be,

which is probably the, top team in college hockey given the recruiting class they've got. And he can be playing NHL hockey next spring. I don't know where he's at physically. I don't know if he thinks he needs to add another five pounds of muscle. I don't know. But like if anyone's worried about losing him as a free agent, that's Astonite.

He's not playing two more years of college and waiting until August 15th, 2027 to sign somewhere. That's, that's totally not happening here. This is not Adam Fox, a late bloomer. This is a first round pick who is close to ready and he's elected to go back to college. I'm sorry if you don't like that opinion.

Well, that's not an opinion. I think you've got a bad hoof and I don't think you feel like arguing. So I feel I'm arguing pretty well right now. I don't know. I don't think I think you just think you're wanting to. So there's drama here, Dean. That's what you're saying? The habs and Hage where there's law, they're at loggerheads. They're not. Okay. This is a bad relationship. I'll play out a different way for you. Sure. You're a up and coming center. Highly touted. Highly touted. Highly. skilled, going to be an NHLer. You're drafted by a team and they

come to you with contract in hand. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I haven't watched him play out on already. I thought he'd sign. He was at the world juniors. He's played college. You're your take, I'm asking you. This is you. There's an NHL contract.

You're going to get NHL money. You're going to be like, like, you're just going to walk. So here's another wrinkle that I would like to add that I was trying to add. He probably can make more NAL money than he will on the HL half of an entry. Can I say something about this

NIL money? Fire away. Absolutely awesome that guys are making it. It's a fucking pittance compared to what they're going to make playing big minutes in the NHL. We're talking about 50 to 100 million fucking dollars and we're 50 grand from Michigan. Piss

off. So what if it's a half million bucks versus 90 in the because that might be closer to the numbers. Yeah, but you're going to get that number anyway. Eventually, for sure. If he's just looking at next year only in a bubble, here's where I could be, what my team's like, here's some uncertainty about where I am.

Here's how much I'll make, here's how much I make. I have no doubt him and the agent have done the, connected all the dots and run the, but you can also go and get hit from behind and come hobbled up with a twisted up, or maybe a bad ankle like the boom and I got and be done. Totally. Hope your 500,

maybe that you're getting goes a long way. Like that's a massive set of nads to, right? Talk about millions of dollars. It's a surprising decision and I would. Which makes us, Dean and I are open. So just to go back to my original point is there's a lot of people trying to really, there's nothing to say, everything's fine. To the point it's like,

Okay, well, can't be. And I just don't buy the, I didn't think about signing until after the Frozen Four. I'm so distraught that we lost the national championship. That that is my only, that's my own, my only frame of reference, deciding my future and what I'm doing next year. I just, I don't, I don't buy it. Now, do I think he goes and plays for the Montreal Canadiens? I do. I think that he ends up, he ends up there.

But I think there's just, there's something there that he's, he's a little bit unhappy because you're right. the habs want this guy under contract. Yeah. He could be helpful. I mean, depending on Kirby Doc's health, like they could use another center. I don't know how much trust they want to put in the capitan kid. They did get to know. I'm not sure.

Like maybe that's part of it is they're seeing capitan. And like you say, right, it's not. Well, where am I playing next year? If I sign right now, am I playing in Montreal or am I playing in the A? And if they can't come to camp and we'll tell you. We'd love you to be here, but there's, we can't, there's no guarantee. Right. Yeah.

I'll go back to college. But there's no guarantee. I guess you get another year older. I'm just saying that there's also benefits. I don't know why we're beating this up so much more to pick, make fun of Pindery for being a casual. There are some real benefits to play in pro hot. Like, the difference between junior hockey and college hockey is a big step. Especially now.

Right? Yeah. So the difference between college hockey and pro hockey? Also a big step. And fine, go back and play a year at Michigan, make whatever you make in your NIL money. I don't care what he does and why he's made his decisions. But there are, there's no saying that another year, college hockey makes you ready to step in and dominate the NHL.

you're more likely to, if I'm thinking two years out, you're probably in a better spot physically and capability-wise to play a year up and down with the Habs and LaValle and then the next year you're ready to step in and dominate than you are spending another year in college. Yeah, certainly in terms of the playing against men thing, for sure. The schedule and the travels way harder, but that's getting you ready for the pros, to your point.

of it. And yeah, like I think we're trying to oversimplify things by saying it's, it's one thing we're not. No, it's clearly like a combination of a lot of different factors that have led them to this surprising decision. And I think the one of the, let's let this go to bed. It's just surprising around the league. Everyone's. Everyone thought he was signing. Yeah, 100%.