Halford & Brough in the Morning - Bet On Quinn Hughes

Episode Date: October 8, 2025

In hour two, Mike & Jason chat with Victory+ NHL insider Frank Seravalli (1:20) about the latest hockey news of the day, Frank explains why he has the Canucks making the playoffs this season, plus they speak with 'Nucks radio analyst Randip Janda (24:41) about the latest around the club ahead of tomorrow night's season opener. This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Frank. Sarah Valley. Sierra Valley. Syravelli. Frank. Syriveli. Frank. Sirrevelly.

Frank. Frank. 7.4 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Halford, Press, Sportsnet. 50. Free. Halford and Brub in the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates.

Score a debt freedom hat trick. One, no more interest. Two much lower payments in three. Financial peace of mind. Visit them today at Sands dash trustee.com. We are now an hour two of the program, as the music suggests. Frank Sarvalley is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off hour two. Hour two of this program is brought to by Jason Homonock at Jason Dow Mortgage.

If you love paying the banks more your money, then don't let Jason shop around. find the perfect mortgage for you visit them online at jason down mortgage we are coming to live from the kintech studio kintech footwear and orthotics working together with you and step our next guest is our regular n-h-l insider and the host of frankly hockey on victory plus he's also a presentation of angry outer liquor frank sir valley joins us now on the halford and breath show on sports net 650 morning frank how are you pretty good how are you guys we're good first uh congrats on the new platform and new gig. Very cool, very exciting. And we start with this

new platform and new gig with a bunch of new deals this week. I thought we'd be talking about the Connor McDavid extension right away, but then the Winnipeg Jets and Kyle Connor swooped in to steal the news. Walk us through this deal, Frank, the most lucrative one in Jets franchise history and one that maybe

kind of came out of nowhere, because I seem to recall us talking about this last week, and there wasn't much of an update on talks between Connor and the Jets. Yeah, I wouldn't say it came out of nowhere. I think the Jets have been extremely hungry to get this deal done. It's in their fresh recent past that they kind of got slow played by Nikolai Eelers thinking that they'd be able to get a deal done to keep him.

And all of a sudden he walks and goes to Carolina. So before the season starts, try and get any of that last minute business done so that everyone can focus on hockey. And that's why you see so many players sign. in the days before it's a deadline teams agents players need deadlines in order to make stuff happen that's why the trade deadline is so exciting in hockey there seems to be very little that gets accomplished without those and so you know you see Kyle Connor massive deal and there were lots of rumblings I have to be honest to you know Michigan kid maybe he's the next

guy that goes from Winnipeg to Detroit like a like an Andrew cop kid one of his teammates who knows how that plays out if he makes it to market he would have gotten much, much more than that had he decided to wait until July 1st but the Jets are able to keep it under $100 million. It's still the biggest

deal in franchise history by nearly $37 million and I put some added context in my tweet this morning to say to think about how big of a deal this is for the Winnipeg Jets franchise the entire franchise was purchased in Atlanta 14 years ago

for a total of $110 million. So Kyle Connor signs for 96, 14 years later. It's a sizable transaction and for them a key cornerstone piece for the Jets to remain as competitive as possible. Well, there's another signing to add to it, and this one was hinted at by a number of insiders. the Edmonton Oilers announced this morning that they've signed defenseman Matthias Ekholm to a three-year contract extension.

Cap hit $4 million for the 35-year-old. Maybe just your thoughts on or what you're hearing about the Oilers in the wake of Connor McDavid's very unusual to your extension. Well, I can tell you that after McDavid signed, any player that was eligible for an extension in Edmonton, his agent was calling Stan Bowman to try and get a deal done. Because any time you've got the best player in the world locked up, even for a short period of time for these next three years,

those players want to be part of it because they know they have an authentic chance to win. And with Matthias Eccolm, he's playing out his 35-year-old season this year. And he's in the sixes. it's six and a quarter million dollars a year with some money that's being withheld from Nashville. And so it seems like a really reasonable number, right? Four million a year as the cap continues to increase a negligible hit. And yes, Echholm has slowed down a little bit as

expected with age. And yes, his playoff run and end of last season was riddled with injury. But that remains one of the best deals of Ken Holland's tenure in Edmonton was that trade deadline swing for Matthias Echholm because it totally changed the complexion of their blue line. And now with Jake Wallman there, Echholm, Darnell Nurse,

you go through the group and this is the best defense corps that the Edmonton Oilers have had in the McDavid era and that's one reason why, as they've continued to add depth around them, that I think the Oilers are right there in the mix to go and chase a third straight

Stanley Cup final appearance and this time try and get over the hump. The goaltending situation, it's still Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard. I know they did pick up Connor Ingram in a trade and I know they did change goalie coaches for whatever that's worth. But how do you think the Oilers are going to approach that position? Is there anyone that you could think of that might become available for a trade or Or are they just going to roll with these goalies again? I think the results will dictate how they manage and approach that.

Because, look, I'm part of the camp that says that Stuart Skinner leaves a lot to be desired with his inconsistent play. But then you go back and you look at it and say, okay, that might be true, but they've still gone to the cup final two years in a row. And the other part of it is that this year and the couple previous, they've got real cap restrictions, right? So even if they wanted to go spend on a goalie, they haven't been able to unless they really rejigged and were to take out a few pieces from their lineup.

So I think the door is open in the sense that now when you look at McDavid's, signed with the rising cap, they've got like 20 some million dollars in cap space next summer. Stuart Skinner also needs a new deal. This is a moment in time where Skinner has a chance to play his way into an extension or play his way out of town. And in the meantime, to answer your question about the trade acquisitions, I don't necessarily see too many guys becoming available. But what I will say is the Oilers are going to be one.

one of those teams keeping a very close eye on their goaltending play and whether or not it makes sense to try and coax someone like Mark Andre Flurry out of retirement in January or February before the trade deadline if they feel like that trio, and I'm going to include Ingram in there because I do think that his ceiling is higher than Cal Pickard that they aren't getting enough from their goaltending group. We're speaking to Victory Plus NHL insider Frank Sera Valley here on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. I was parsing through your timeline there, Frank,

and one of the bits that you did on yesterday's show was about how you've got the Vancouver Canucks in the playoff mix. For those that haven't seen the segment yet, not to spoil everything that's going on online, can you tell our listeners why you've got the Canucks back in the playoffs this season? Because I think there's been so much time spent focusing on what the Canucks don't have, a number two center, where are the goals going to come from,

oh my God, our hair's on fire, that there hasn't been enough attention paid to and love given to the status of how this team is built from the back end out. As I said in yesterday's show, I'm going to bet on Quinn Hughes and this defense corps. I'm going to bet on a healthy faster Demko and this being the best tandem in the league and I think that baseline for success it's a very high threshold and bar

they've got the ability even on nights that they're not scoring to be incredibly competitive and then if you can find a way for Pedersen to get back to the level he was at a couple years ago for Brock Bessor to be a 35 goal scorer, for Jake DeBrusk to provide that key important scoring,

that they're going to find a way. I think after you get past the first six teams in the West, again, the door's wide open for them to be a playoff team. 90 points last year in a year in which there was drama. Everything that could go wrong did. Demko missed the first part of the season. Hughes had a heart trophy level. level start and then he's hurt.

I mean, it couldn't really have gone worse. No, it couldn't have. And yet there's six points away, eight points away from being a playoff team. You mean to tell me that that group with everyone healthy can't find a way with Pedersen finding confidence, new coaching staff to be four wins better than last year? Yeah, and they lost a bunch of games in overtime too. And, you know, maybe they've got a better plan for that as well. Yeah, I don't think anyone here in Vancouver is.

is dismissing the idea that they've got the talent to make the playoffs. But if they're going to... But the rest of the league seems to be sleeping on them. Like, I don't hear anyone pounding the pavement from a national perspective saying the Vancouver Canucks are a playoff team. No. I really don't. Well, Greg Wysinski came on our show yesterday and said,

I think the Canucks are going to make the playoffs, but he might have just been sucking up to us. okay well I mean it was funny because I always you know I see the timeline and people are like wait is Frank saying something nice about Vancouver I was the first guy two years ago to say this team is going to be a playoff team nationally who do you think falls out willing to put a stake in the ground okay you've you've planted your steak now put your stake through the team that's going to fall out of the playoffs the LA Kings did not look particularly good last night against Colorado but that's a very good good Colorado team. Candidates include the L.A. Kings, the Minnesota Wild, the St. Louis Blues. I know some people have been picking on Winnipeg, but that would be a big fall to fall all the way out of the playoffs for Winnipeg. Yeah, I don't see that.

I think, again, think about the way I framed at minimum threshold. Like, what is your B game? If on nights that you don't have it, the Jets have a really strong foundation. and I think at the minimum you're looking at like 98 points for that team. It's not going to be as easy as it was last year because everything went right. And I view Washington in a very same or similar threshold or level. So many good things happen for them. The team I have out is the Kings.

And I said it also on yesterday's show well before their first game, which obviously has no bearing, but I don't know what. the kings are. I don't know what their identity is. It felt like they went out this summer under a new general manager and Ken Holland and tried to put a big band-aid on this. Let's bring in a couple older defensemen to support and supplant a team that can't get over the hump in the first round of the playoffs. Losing in the first round, however many years in a row, eight years of Rob Blake as general manager and not one series win, I don't

I just don't, I don't know what the kings are and where they're going from here and that part. Do they have talent? Yes. Do they have support down the middle? Absolutely. But I don't know that I've seen enough from their young players that were supposed to take

big steps to say with any confidence that they're going to be able to carry the baton once guys like Kopitar and Dowdy end up moving on. in bringing back Jim Hiller as the head coach after how badly last season ended. Mind-blowing.

Right? Not only was it bringing him back. It's not even just the structure, the structure with which they played, but then also the way that it went and the time out and all of it. And I was- Challenge, excuse me?

No, I know. And I was thinking like, as a new general manager, you come in, one of the first things you do is bring your own coach. And now maybe, maybe Holland is keeping that card in his pocket

that if the season really starts sideways and they get off to a slow one, then he can then pull the head coaching change. But, I mean, my first thought was- If you're going into the season with the thought process of, if we don't get off to a good start, then I'll pull the trigger. Haven't you already made the decision in your head

that this guy might not be the right guy? That's a very good point. Totally. Yeah. And if you want, I don't even know, I mean, I know it's one game into the season, so it might be early to start talking about coaching candidates that are available.

My first time was like, oh, they would go out and hire Woodcroft, but Woodcroft's an assistant in a hand. right well that that also underlines the point for me which is there are nine new head coaches this year more than a quarter of the league a third of the league changed over why wasn't last summer the time to go out and get a prime candidate and and put this team on solid footing to start the year and if you were going to make the change give them a full training camp to get used to it as opposed to try and do it on the fly I know it's only one game, but the Rangers could not have come out of the gates worse, I don't think. Getting shut out on home ice by Arter C-Lovs and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The most exciting moment, I think, at MSG was when everyone was watching on their phones and Aaron Judge went yard at Yankee Stadium. What did you think of their performance last night?

Sidney Crosby was watching, too. Yeah, he was into it. from the bench I agree with you the Rangers did not look good they looked sloppy disorganized at times even disinterested

but what that looked and felt like to me was a team trying to figure out how to play under a new coach and new system so again I know for a team that struggled last year and wants to make a statement as a bounce back

team that you hit the ground running but I'm willing to give them a couple weeks to figure this out Frank this was great buddy thanks for taking the time to do this today we really appreciate it enjoy the second night of the new season very excited for the game tonight we'll do this again next week sounds good only 193 more to go let's go frank sarvalley from uh victory plus here on the halford and bruff show on sports net 650 he is a presentation of angry otter liquor plus program members save for game days at Angry Outer Licker

stock up on Canadian-made favorites ready to enjoy before puck drop visit them online at angry otterlicker.cr-S. I am actually curious to see what the Kings look like this season in the last year of Copatar's deal

because replacing Anze Coppatar when he leaves and he's already announced that this is going to be his final season in the NHL it would be a huge challenge and I remember pre-McDavid

signing with the Oilers we kicked around the idea of maybe another Edmonton all-time player is going to go to the Los Angeles Kings and leave Edmonton you know crying in the wake

but with McDavid signing although it's just a short extension you know like the Kings need to find another plan and I've seen conversations on the TV about the Leafs after McDavid decided to sign because we talked about that as well

like the Leafs should probably keep their powder dry just in case McDavid wants to come home and maybe he does in three years now but in the meantime when we talked about the Kings what about the Leafs? I know they're kind of getting overshadowed right now

by the Blue Jays in Toronto but you know that losing Marner as much as he was criticized is massive. I mean if we talk in Vancouver

about like how do the Canucks replace J.T. Miller's scoring and I think it's perfectly fair to ask that question. How do the Leafs replace Mitch Marner's scoring? I wonder, and I don't have a lot of faith in this, but I wonder

if they're going to try and say that this might be an addition by subtraction thing. Not in the regular season, not the regular season because Marner in the regular season was a huge contributor and a big, big, underlying three times big reason why they had the regular season success that they did. But it was obvious by the end of his tenure in Toronto that there was a divide between regular season Marner and playoff Marner

and there was a vibe check that needed to be addressed between the fans and Marner at the end. And that mattered. It mattered. You could tell, you could tell that it was weighing on a lot of different people in that organization. Everyone was done with each other. Right? Yeah.

Everyone's been there. Everyone's been in a relationship where you just know that it's over and you're playing out the string. I'm doing it right now. Yeah, but my point is the Canucks had to do this with J.T. Miller, too, right? I mean, they got to the point where they wanted to trade him and actually more to the point J.T. Miller himself wanted to be traded. That's how it went down. But you still got to replace the points. And you're still, and the Leafs.

But I don't know if you do need to necessarily replace all the points. And that's what they're saying in Toronto. It's become more of a, the style's going to change. So we don't need to score as much without Martin. Here's where I don't buy in. I'm not sure I necessarily believe that. I think that they might be talking. Instead of having major surgery, you have cosmetic surgery.

You know, like instead of addressing the actual problem, you just touch up something. Because. A lipstick on a pig? Like I'm, yeah, kind of reading this preview and they're like. Well, it's like the conox. We activate the defense now. Which might work, I don't know. Maybe.

But like you need something, I think every team needs something to latch on to. And we're going to play some Patrick Galvin audio later in the show where he talks about the style and the aggressiveness that Adam Foote has brought to the Canucks. Because, you know, as much as some people thought when they replaced Talkett with Foot, that it was just going to be, well, I mean, he was Talkett's guy, so we're probably going to see more Talkett hockey. Well, Timu Tocket. Team of Tocket. Yeah. This is, you know, Adam Foote is smart enough to know that first of all, things needed to change because the Canucks weren't scoring. And second of all, like, you need to have something that your players can get excited about.

Sure. And you need to forge an identity. Tocket did have an identity. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Adam Foote, the identity seems to be more aggression, more hunting down Pucks. less, I don't want to say no structure, but less rigid structure.

Right. You know what I mean? Like that, like, and more getting, I mean, guys, Derek Foreboard was up in the rush. Yeah. In the preseason. Didn't he score short-handed? Short-handed.

Like Derek Foreboard scored short-handed. A shot too. And he made a nice player, right? But I think that tells you a lot about how the Canucks want to play. And they do have better personnel this year. to get up into the play because they've got some young defensemen

and, you know, D.P.D. can get up in the rush and obviously, Hughes and Hironi. Tyler Myers can get up in the rush. And if they bring in a guy like Mancini, he can't too. But, you know, back to the Leafs, are they going to, is their identity now Craig Barubei? Because I got Austin Matthews there, right? Okay.

Before we go to break, I got a couple things we need to do. One, I need to tell you about tonight's one to watch, brought to you by Limitless A.V., Vancouver's most trusted audio-visual integration experts. Tonight's one to watch, Louis Varlane, LV, as he gets to start tonight in the bullpen game for the Blue Jays. Following Toronto's game three lost to the New York Yankees.

Varland, you might remember, pitched last night. In fact, he threw 20 pitches. One of them was a massive three-run show. shot allowed to Aaron Judge, which everyone said was a very good pitch, including Varland himself. Another one of his pitches also left the yard from the bat of Jazz Chisholm. We're not even thinking about that one. That was way past the fact.

He gave up two homers yesterday. So the hard throwing Louis Varland is going to get the start in a bullpen game for the Js. And he's the one to watch, but we'll see how long we actually watch him for because there figures to be a lot of pitching changes tonight for the Jays. He's the one to watch. Oh, he's out for an inning. One to watch is, again, brought to you by. Limitless A.V. Specializing in seamless video conferencing solutions and hybrid workspaces,

book your personalized tour of their experience center today at Limitlessavv.C.A.V. Finally, before we go to break, I need to tell you about the BC Lions. It's another season of hard hits, heated rivalries, and nonstop entertainment. For tickets, visit BCLions.com and get ready to roar as one. Randi B. Jan is coming up next. You're listening to the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet, 650. Hey, it's Jamie Dodd and Thomas Strance. Get your daily dose of Canucks Talk with us weekdays from 12 to 2 on Sportsnet 650. Or catch up on demand through your favorite podcast app.

It's Randipe, Randipe Janda time. It's Randipe Janda. It is Randipe, Randi Janda. It is Randipe. Talking hockey now Oh 734 on a Wednesday Happy Wednesday everybody

Halford-Bruff SportsNet 650 Halford and Brough is brought to by Sands and Associates Only a license insolvency trustee can cut your debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees To learn how, visit sands-trustee.com We are in our two of the program

We're at the midway point of the show as the music suggests, Randi Bjanda, a presentation of bells and whistles, is going to join us in just a moment here, the midway point of the show. Hour two of this program is bred to by Jason Homonock

at Jason.orgage. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at Jason, down mortgage. To the phone lines we go, Randip Janda, joins us now on the Halford & Brough show

on Sports 9-650. Morning, Randip, how are you? Good morning, boys. I'm doing well. We're 24 hours, just over 24 hours away from the start of the season. So it's that special time of the year where everybody's, you know, across the league is optimistic and including Vancouver. Vancouver, I think there's intrigue this year.

So looking forward to it, boys. Hey, Randy, before we get to the Canucks, are you a Yankees fan? You might have seen me on Twitter. Yes, I am a Yankees fan. It's known by a few people around these parts. So how are you feeling as a Yankees fan? right now. Okay, this is

let me take you through the roller coaster that was yesterday. When it was 6'1, I was ready to throw my hat across the bar at bells and whistles, and it was getting pretty rough. And then Aaron Judge hit that home run. I was feeling good. I might have been slamming on the bar there at the place,

but it was, I'm feeling better about the Yankees and yesterday with a bullpen day coming up for the Jays. It was on a lot work to do for the Yankees still, but a lot better than it fell yesterday. Optimism everywhere. You got it for the Yankees.

You've got it for the Canucks. You've actually got a busy day ahead, not counting this game four between the Yankees and the Blue Jays. You got Canucks practice at 10.30 this morning at Rogers Arena. That's going to be followed by media availability. And you have to watch tonight's game, of course, because you've got the flames who are in action

of the first of a back-to-back. They're going to take on the Oilers tonight. Then they've got the Canucks at Rogers Arena tomorrow. I know we're focused on the Canucks here, but I got to say, Randy, this is a pretty tough start to the season for the Calgary Flames. Yeah, and I was kind of low on them last year, and they proved me wrong. I think Ryan Huska and the way he got that team to work last year was very, very impressive. They punched above their weight, even though they couldn't get any goals.

You know, Dustin Wolfe, Nazan Khadry, really did a good job. Matt Coronado, I want to throw him in there, too, with 27 goals. But it's easier, I think that first year, when you've got a low floor and you're proven the haters wrong. How do you back that up when you don't make any significant additions? It's going to be tough for Ryan Huska to do that. And, you know, we'll see. Obviously, the game has to be played on the ice. You've got 82 games, but I just think this is going to be, from my opinion, I think this is going to be a tough

season for the Calgary Flames, just because you look at that roster, you look at that board group and they're trying to spread out the offense a little bit. They're not trying to load up. They don't have much to spread out, right? With Hubertoe being injured as well, the goals are even dry, up, you know, to kick off the season. So we'll see what happens in the Pacific, but I'm low on Calgary this year.

Do you think the connects are going to get a backup Flames goalie? Ooh. Would Dustin Wolf go two in a row to start the season? I don't think you can do that early, that early. But, you know, I think it's very, very likely that they get Devin Cooley. Yeah, it's, and based on the way the Flames goaltending looked in the preseason, I'm very surprised that as of right now they haven't picked anybody up

that could change right like when waivers and all that go through later today maybe there's something to be said there but I think it's very likely that the Vancouver Canucks get the backup because if you're Edmonton excuse me if you're Calgary and you play like you did in the preseason

you're not putting a backup goalie against the Edmonton Oilers so you've got to lead with your top guy What is the Canucks's identity going to be this season? Yeah I think it's going to be puck pursuit and a goal aggressive. And this is very, very different from what I thought it would have been, if you had asked me at the beginning of September or even, you know, halfway through August or at the, when Adam Foote was hired, this is a team that, as we've seen in the preseason, they are head up, make the play, be aggressive, win pucks, be aggressive in winning pucks. So, you know, this is not a sit back into your structure type of team. It's actually play on the front foot rather than,

you know, play on your heels and then kind of look to pick your spot to say every shift may have an opportunity. It might be a little bit more run and gun against the rush teams, which, you know, is going to create the cause the heartbeat to maybe go up a little bit defensively against some of the good teams like Edmonton or Colorado or, you know, teams like Dallas who can play faster. But I think this is going to be a team that at every opportunity, whether it's a defensive defenseman like a Derek Forbert, a Marcus Pedersen or your offensive juggernaut like Quinn Hughes. They're going to activate and they're going to activate often. So I think this is a team that's going to really push the pace. They're going to play a lot faster. And every single player out there will have the green light.

You just got to make sure you're able to maintain that. And, you know, at the same time, be responsible defensively, guys. It's easier said than done. When you've got the green light, you know, somebody's got to have the red light too out there. You can't have five guys with a green light. I'm so curious to know how much of. of this aggressive mindset and getting the defenseman up and play and, you know, pressuring pox more came from the players.

Like I want to know what kind of conversations that the leadership group had with Adam Foote over the season because they had to talk about something, right? You heard a lot of talk about, you know, all their conversations over the offseason. The style of play must come up. And Adam Foote must have been looking for feedback on how they want to play and how they want to play probably differs from in some way or maybe in a major way from how they were playing under Rick Tocket. Yeah, I think there was such a focus on structure.

And listen, it was a buzzword in Vancouver for over two seasons, right? Like they were so loose defensively at the end of the Bruce Boudreau era that the pendulum swung the other way. and it was maybe a little too centered on that. And listen, you almost get to the Western Conference final. You take Edmonton to the game seven. It almost pays dividends. But it felt like last year there was a real lack of creativity

other than Quinn Hughes on this team. And other players are capable of it. But when you're maybe in a lot of ways overthinking and there's a certain style of play. And guys, we used to talk about it as well, right? The low to hide, it was predictable. And Rick Tockeet, and this is not to, you know,

point the finger at anybody, but he wanted, you know, quality over quantity when it comes to shots. And I think this is a team that is saying, hey,

we need to get, we need to get shot through. We can't be so selective. We can't, you know, overthink or outthink ourselves. And whether it was a power play last year, whether it was,

you know, the way that they attacked, it did feel like a team that was so focused on the process that they, you know, were kind of giving up what was in front of them.

Yeah. So many down low plays last year that it did you, that it just felt low to high, low to high, was killing any attack. So I think there was maybe a lack of creativity in the players, of course, right? If Quinn Hughes is the only guy that's attacking, you know, there's other players in the lineup probably that are capable of doing that and being a little bit more, I think, assertive to say, hey, I can do more.

But I also wonder if the captain was saying, hey, guys, like, we need more of this rather than less of this. I need, you know, those historic numbers that we talked about Quinn Hughes when he's on the ice. The Vancouver Conucks are so good. And when he's not on the ice, they're not anywhere near a playoff team. You can bet the team was looking at those and saying we have to change this because that's not sustainable. They didn't make the playoffs last year. And it's not a good sign when your team is really that bad offensively without your star player on the ice.

Is it a risk to play that way? Of course it is. And, you know, I think we saw elements of that in that final preseason game against Edmonton, where you have to know your opponent, you cannot maybe commit as often against certain teams. And, you know, there's going to be moments where you look back and say, okay, in this moment, you know, was it right to activate? Was it in this moment, was it right to spring that path?

There's going to be certain teams that have your number in that regard because there are some really good rush teams. Now, I think the Canucks are going to have to understand who their opposition is. just because you have a green light against, you know, the Chicago Blackhawks, you have to approach a game against the Colorado Avalent slightly different, right? Like, you can't maybe be as, you know, committed to that style of play. So I think you have to adjust those styles make fights. And I think one of the things that Adam put did mention early on was,

hey, we're going to have to be, you know, a little different in the way we play. It's going to be opponent dependent as well. I think that's going to be really something to watch. year because that final preseason game, as good as it was, as great of a story it was, there were still a fair number of odd man rushes, a little bit more, you know, end-to-end rushes on both sides where you're looking at, okay, how is, you know, how is the style going to adapt to another skilled team? The other thing I would say is, guys, there was maybe in that Edmonton game, when Edmonton up the pressure on the forecheck and brought it maybe in that

second period, you could see Vancouver when they had less time in face, they weren't able to make that player skate the puck out of their own zone. So, you know, once teams with heavy forechecks kind of bring it, especially once the season starts going a little bit, how do your defensemen react? How are they in a position to make plays? In the preseason, it's easier. You just have to make sure that you're able to continue that. And, you know, if you hang on to the puck, there's also high-risk elements there where you

might cough it up a little bit more, too. So, of course, there's risks to the style of play, but there also is a reward and increased offense. I think there's a reward and entertainment value, too. Oh, yeah. Like, I don't, like, the Oilers Kinnock's final preseason game wasn't a classic by any means, but normally when I'm watching preseason

hockey, I'm like, kind of watching, but not really. I was really into that game, and I felt like the players were, too. Yeah, no, they're engaged in it, and I think as a player, to play a style that is, you know, you can take chances. It's always a lot more entertaining. It's always

a lot more enjoyable. And listen, we're talking about players that we had really, you know, Derek Forberts never been known as the second coming to Ray Bork, right? Like, you know, this is not a player that we expected to score short-handed goals in the preseason or just kind of jump up into the rough. So there is more offense there, Jason. So, like, you know, I think there's a, you can see that the players are excited to play the style too.

Now it's just a matter of, you know, how do you limit the, one's going back your way. And what I like about Adam puts approach, and this is going to be the question for me is how long can you sustain it? Can you sustain it over 82? There's going to be peaks and valleys, but this is an intense style of play when you're pressuring the puck, when you're, you know, there's a lot of, you know, just speed and aggression required.

There's got to, you've got to process the game so quickly. There are going to be lulls in a season. How do you limit those when you're playing such an intensive style? The Florida Panthers and the style they play with the heavy four check and just their foot always on the gas pedal. It's different from Vancouver, but it's still kind of the same mentality of, hey, always going, right? You've always got your foot on the gas pedal. You're always looking to attack. That is not an easy style to play.

So how do you manage that over 82 is going to be the big question. Well, I think it's also worth remembering now, Randeep, that Adam Foote said that the connects are going to be adaptable. So maybe their style changes depending on the opponent or depending on how they're playing or how they're feeling if they're injured or not. Maybe it won't be the same every night. But that's also going to depend on the hockey IQ of the players and how adaptable they are. Moving past the style of play in Adam Foot, I do want to get your thoughts on how the top line looked in the preseason. because we can get excited about the new style and we can get excited about young players like Coots

and Leckermackie and DPD and the goaltending is going to look solid but your best players still need to be your best players and I thought personally at five on five the line of Pedersen, DeBrusk and Besser looked pretty meh. Yeah, it was, you know, I think there were maybe a couple of moments here and there

if you're really seeking, excuse me, seeking them out. They still have a lot to prove And, you know, one of the things we've been talking about, I know on this show, what I've been doing hits is it comes down to October 9th, right? So that whole preseason, yes, I think you're fair to say five and five, it was average at best, maybe slightly below average. Defensively, I like Pedersen's game, but you're getting paid to score points. You're the top line. You've got to win those matchups and you got to put up points. So I agree with you there.

The one question I have about this line, and I think, you know, if Petter's, you know, if Petter's, his individual play speaks for itself in the sense that if you get a much better Elias Pedersen, that line will be better for it. But the one question I have for that Debrusk Pedersen line with Besser is do they have enough speed?

And the way that they played last year, I don't think they got home enough in terms of there was not really anybody that was getting in on a forecheck the way that they were playing last year. Now, this year, they do want to change that style as we talked about. And one thing that I've

notice from Debrosec is that he's playing with a lot more speed carrying the puck. It's something that he talked about that was a priority for him heading into this year. He didn't feel like he did that. Scoring off the rush was non-existence for him. So I think that's a player that's shown that he wants to play differently. He wants to be more of a puck carrier. When needed, he can drop deep and carry the puck himself. So I think there's been some tweaks to his game.

But as a three-man unit, they still have to answer the big question of, can they do the heavy lifting? Can they win the matchups? And most importantly, can they score goals? So I think with your assessment, I don't disagree with it. I think they were a lot of great stories to focus on in three season with Brayden Coutts. Jonathan Lekker-Macky, you can go up and down the defense as well. But with Elias Pedersen, Brock Bessor, and Jake DeBrus, yeah, it's kind of left you wanting more for sure.

But now it gets real tomorrow, right? If you have a good game, then all of a sudden the stories are going to be changing. you have a bad game. It's going to go back the other way. This is going to be the kind of the 82 game season in Vancouver for that line. But I do think they have to certainly up their game in terms of, you know, getting ready for game one and setting the tone early because you don't want this to be a talking point, you know, a week, two weeks into the season. You want to make sure that you are a more aggressive and add more than defensive prowess, right? I think with Pedersen, that's great that he has that 200-foot game, but you need to see that shot. You

You just see what you see in the man advantage, 5-15. Yeah, at the end of the day, like, it's all about breaking down the other team's structure, right? And a lot of the times, a lot of the times, as simplistic as this sounds, it's about one individual making a play. And as, you know, I was encouraged by PD's power play goal. I liked how that looked. I liked the confidence of his shooting. But there was one other play, and I think it was in the Edmonton game. where he cut to the middle of the ice

and kind of saucer past it to himself and then took a shot that went high over the net, but he got some pretty good mustard on it. That to me might have been more encouraging than the power play goal because it was him trying to beat a guy one-on-one. Yeah. And like, you know when you get to three-on-three

and the whole idea is, okay, one guy has got to beat one guy on the, And then you've got numbers. Then you've got, it's the same at five on five. It's just more difficult to do. And I think maybe one of the concerns that you're sharing with me is that like who's going to be the individual that makes a play and suddenly opportunities present themselves?

You know, suddenly passing lanes open up, suddenly shooting lanes open up. Suddenly the structure of the other team is like, we're out of our structure and we're running around a little bit. And I guess I just didn't see enough of that although there were some encouraging plays here and there. Does that make sense?

Yeah, it absolutely does and I think with Tederson, like I mentioned, there were flashes where you said, okay, he cut to the middle against Seattle. He, you know, three players were attracted to his side, threeed up, I believe it was Elias Pettersen for a shot that didn't turn into a goal, but you need to see that

at the highest level and you need to see that consistently enough because on his day, when we've seen him at his best, he does that at will, but we just haven't seen that very often. So really, more than anything, it's going out and making those plays, having the puck on your stick and being comfortable with it, which he wasn't last year,

you hope that he is this year. The other thing is, I would say with Jake DeBrest, one area that I liked this game, and I talked about him attacking off the rush. There were a few moments in preseason where he was attacking off the wing, and he was kind of opening up or looking for those trailers,

whether they're a defenseman or the opposite winger. That, to me, is also that player in that line making that play where they're better off the rush. So I know there's going to be a lot of focus on Pedersen, but I think with DeBrusk and his ability to score off the rush, we're going to see a better version of him as well. So it's not solely on Pedersen, which, hey, if you're the center, you're the number one center, you're making that money. It should be you.

Don't get me wrong. But every, you know, top line center needs some help. and I think Debrusk is better suited this year. So it's going to be a shared responsibility. Of course, the responsibility will be heavily towards Alias Pedersen, but I think there is certainly a path to make those plays that you're talking about. But it's going to be something that, you know,

we didn't see from Jake Debrose last year, especially off the rush, but he is capable of that. Randy, before we let you go, tell us what's going on at Bells and Whistles. Well, okay, it's a place to watch live sports. We know that it's one of the best in the city. A great day to watch, will be playoffs as well, including four

games today. Games start at noon, so check out their lunch specials or drop by and watch the Jay's Yankees game. I was the only Yankees fan in the place last night. People weren't very happy with me. I was there, but it was an awesome time, and trust me, I was there for a Jay's win, too. It's an awesome

time either way. So check it out. 3296 Fraser Street, right in the Fraser Hood, bells and whistles. Randeep, thanks, buddy. Enjoy tonight and today and enjoy the game tomorrow as well. We'll do this again next week. All right, guys. Take care. You too, thanks.

That's Randy Janda, Canucks, color analyst on the radio here on the Halford and Breff Show on Sportsnet 650. Quick reminder, the schedule today, all four major league baseball series are going. The Mariners and the Tigers at 1208 our time. Mariners have a chance to close that one out and advance to their first ALCS in 24 years. Then a series we have talked absolutely zero about the Brewers and the Cubs. The Brewers are looking for the sweep. That one's going to go at 208, our time.

Then at 408, it's the big one. It's the Blue Jays and it's the Yankees. Bullpen game for the Jays against Cam Schlittler and the Yankees tonight. Toronto's still up 2-1 in that series. And then the nightcap and another series we haven't really talked a lot about, but it has gone badly for the Phillies down 02 to the Dodgers. Dodgers looked to close that one out in L.A. 608 tonight. I haven't had enough bandwidth for that one, but I was kind of disappointed.

It's been brutal. Like whenever I switch, you know, games in Philly are pretty awesome. Not this time. Yeah, the Dodgers went in there and kind of shut down the excitement. Get you what we learns into the Dunbar-Lumber text line, 650, 650. We are sometimes guilty of not reading enough listener, what we learns. But we've got an entire hour of what we learns coming up next on the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650.