Barn Burner: Boomer & Pinder with Rhett Warrener - Mike Commodore On NHL Holdouts & The Power Shift Toward Players | BB Clips

Episode Date: October 16, 2026

Mike Commodore joins the boys to talk Dylan Larkin, Connor Hellebuyck and how much the NHL has changed. With Larkin back in Detroit and Hellebuyck still holding out, Pinder asks Commie about players taking control and where loyalty to an organization fits into today’s game. The guys get into both situations, how differently things work now compared to Commodore’s playing days, and who’s really calling the shots in today’s NHL. Video Link: https://youtu.be/8kGENR5bcV0#nhl #nhlshorts #nhlplayoffs #nhlpredictions #nhlhockey #nhlpicks #stanleycup #stanleycupfinal #winnipegjets #redwings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How do you view this sort of, I guess, I don't know if it's a changing around the guard or a shift in the way the NHL operates, but you've seen Larkin, you know, I guess swallow his tongue a bit, return to the team, and you've seen Connor Hallibuck take the opposite approach. This is a very different day and age than the one that you played in. Brady Kishuck got himself out of Ottawa right quick. Yeah. How do you feel about all this?

Because players have power, which is great of your player. But then also there's like, are we missing some? loyalty now? Like, how do you feel about all this? Yeah, I would say I'm torn. Like, I think it's, at the end of the day, you know, I like seeing the players, you know, have a little power and then be able to do kind of, you know, have, be able to dictate a little bit. But I also see the other side of it where it's like, hey, you know, you did sign a

contract and, you know, you should live up to that contract. So I see both sides of it. I think it kind of, for me, kind of boils down to, you know, what the situation is. I mean, the Larkin one's a little, Larkin needs to, and I don't know, know the guy at all, you know, but I follow a little bit with the wings and a couple of buddies of mine that work there. And this isn't coming from them, but for me, like, hey, look, like, you didn't like how things were going a little earlier. Things have changed up top there. You know, it's already public that you want to trade. You're going to have to take it here.

I think it's good that he's playing. His body language could be a little bit better. But at the end of the day, it's like, dude, be a pro. Just own it. I feel like it would go a little better for him. First off, he has to play well, and it would help if they started winning some games, but the body language could use a little work. The Hellebuck one, I mean, I would imagine Hellebuck was sitting there hoping the Jets tank, unfortunately, for him, they've been on fire. But, yeah, yeah, I guess I don't really have a good, like, I think it's great that, I like how the Sends handled it, to be honest. I'm never going to be running an NHL team. I mean, I couldn't even run a fantasy team, I'm sure. But I would like to think. But I would like to

think that if I was ever running a team, like, I think I would have handled it more like, hey, look, like, I'll just use the Ottawa senators for an example. Hey, it should be a privilege to be here in Ottawa. If you don't want to be here, we don't want you here and get rid of them. Now, obviously, you know, you got to do as best you can and you got to try and hopefully it's not public that he wants out because then you're going to get taken advantage of a little bit. But I think that's how I would try and handle these things, because he's long drawn out things at the end of the day. I don't think it's good for anyone, but be interesting to see what happens in Detroit. If I had to guess, Dylan Larkin,

he's going to need to open up his, I don't know, what's he got, three teams on his list or something? It's not super public, but I think it's, the top of his list has been Minnesota for a while. And Stevie Y was like, great. I'm not doing that. But now it's Sean Horcoff. And I'm kind of with you. Like, the best way for Dylan Larkin to get out of Dodge is to play well. Yes, it is. And, If I had to guess, here's how Sean Horkoff, I think, is going to handle this. The end of the day, he's in, and I don't, he didn't tell me this. This is me guessing.

Yes, he's the interim GM, and I think he's going to stick with his guns and how he thinks this should go. And if it doesn't work out, at least he went down swinging, and he's not going to get bullied around and pushed around into a deal that makes no sense. I think in his mind, no deal is better than a bad deal. So, A, Larkin's got to play well, but I think. just as important or maybe more important, if he wants to get out of there, he's going to have to open that list up. If it's like three teams,

we're going to have to, you're going to have to open her up if you want out of here. If it's three teams, they've approached those three teams and it doesn't work. Yeah. 100%, yeah. Yeah, like it's, you're right.

I don't think it's public, but it's like, well, what they say Minnesota, Florida and was it Vegas or something like that? Oh, okay. I mean, the only one that's a little odd there is Minnesota.

but, you know, his buddy Hughes and Bill Garrett and all that stuff. That's the team where you're like, he can be the one C there. The other teams, no. Yeah, yeah. So we'll see. It's interesting. It gives us a little something to talk about anyway. I think it,

I give them credit for at least going. I don't like the hell of a thing. Sure. I don't like any of it because I don't think it looks good on the players. And it is a, it's an absolute far as far as using that no trade clause. Totally. Yes.

I don't agree with it. And I know that PA's, standing up, we should be backing the players as alumni, but I don't agree with it. If you have a no trade, that means they can't come to you and move your ass. I'm okay with that part. The moment you say, I want a trade, it's carte blanche. They should be able to put you anywhere. I agree.

I agree with that, too. I think Craig Button, I heard you guys say this before, and I think Craig Button said it as well. I think that's, hey, look, if you got a no trade or you got 3T, whatever, and that's okay. But the moment, I agree with that. Like I think that's pretty fair. If I'm unhappy sitting here playing for the Vancouver Canucks and I got a no trade and I go in and I tell Ryan Johnson, I'm like, hey, you know, I want out of here. Well, okay, you want out of here. I don't know how you're going to have to maybe put it in writing or something like that.

So there's some kind of record. Well, now I can trade you wherever I want. Yeah, it's not a trade me here list. That was never put in the CBA. Yeah. But that's how they're being used. Yeah. What the senators and the wings and the Jets promised these players was we won't trade you.

you have control over leaving here in the sense of... You can build a casino. Yes, you can build a casino, you can sell in, you get that dog run done, you can buy a secondary property, we will not move you. But the moment you ask, that's not what these were built for. This isn't, I want to be the GM and trade myself out of here, Clause, no. Yeah.

You know what? I totally agree. I will say, you know, and we don't need to go down this line at all with the hell of buck situation. I agree with Red, like, hey, would have been nice to show up. Like, give Larkin credit for that. I'm sure everybody saw that video. I mean, what were they?

When he's hurt the first game and let's put him on the big screen. Who? I don't know whose idea who that was. Maybe that was, I mean, it's just. Smile and laugh about it, though. He should have done a big bow and been like, ah. That's the body language you're talking about. He knows this is easier.

Beat dog, yeah. The hell of buck thing, I do. there's a little bit of the angle there as well. And we don't need, I don't want to go down this line at all. Like with what happened last year and with what, you know, with the Olympics and kind of the whole thing that turned into.

Yeah, off the ice. Like that was, that was completely out of control. So I kind of feel for him a little bit in his, but anyways, moving along. We don't need that one to put down.

It's over. Like I saw it. You're not getting booed because of the U.S. Olympic team this year. That's a, that's not reason. Like, come,

no, that can be fine for your reason to why. to leave it's just that you have to handle it. You coming out before camp, what was it, 10 days and writing a letter? Like, shut up. Shut up. No one gives a shit about your letter.

Like, show up and they'll trade you when they can. What are you doing? Yeah, I agree. I don't disagree. I don't disagree at all. I hear you.