Halford & Brough in the Morning - Can The Canucks Afford To Keep Zadorov?

Episode Date: June 6, 2024

In hour two, Mike & guest host Jamie Dodd talked the latest baseball and movie news, as MLB Network & The Cinephile Podcast's Adnan Virk joins the show (3:00), they chat Canada Soccer with OneSoccer's Alexandre Gangue-Ruzic (27:00), plus the boys look at the Canucks blueline and wonder if the team can afford to re-sign Zadorov. (27:00) 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.

🎵 701 on a Thursday. Halford Brough featuring Jamie Dodd here on the Halford and Brough Show on Quartz and 650. Okay, so the game that we're playing here, dear listeners, A-Dog said that this song reminded him of a classic old school video game. Yeah, video game music. Old school NES game. Now what was the hint? NES.

That was it. The original NES. Original Nintendo Entertainment System. Game came out in the 80s. Very hard. They made a million of them after the first one. Battletoads? No, but that's very close.

Arcanoid? Not at all. At least he didn't say Pitfall. Contra? No, but you're close. Double Dragon? No, but it's the same genre. More sci-fi.

I can't do... Right on. It's a fairly large franchise. I think I'm out then. Mega Man. Yeah, it does have Mega Man vibes. It does, actually.

Mega Man. Yeah. Overworld vibes. Well, I'm glad we got to the bottom of that. Yeah, it does have Mega Man vibes. It does, actually. Very much Mega Man, overworld vibes. Well, I'm glad we got to the bottom of that. Yeah. We do have a guest, I guess I should mention. Poor Adman. He hung up. He was right to. You guys just siphoned me for Mega Man talk.

Why are you just naming video games from 40 years ago? I still have to do the ad reads. We are in hour two of the program. Hour two is brought to you by Primetime Craft Beer. Meticulously brewed for quality and taste. Primetime is full flavor without compromise. You can get some, get some at a liquor store near you, or you can visit the brewery to see how it's made.

Do Kintec real quick, and then I'll come back with some Honda talk. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio. Kintec, Canada's favorite orthotics provider, powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews. Soar feet, what are you waiting for? Kintec, that's what you're waiting for. Finally, all Mega Man talk and Adnan Virk brought to you by Pacific Honda.

Pacific Honda is North Vancouver's premier destination for Honda vehicle sales and service. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for. Sales, financing service, or parts. To the phone lines we go. Weekly guests here on the Halford & Brough Show, MLB Network's Adnan Virk here on Sportsnet 650.

Good morning, Adnan. How are you? Good morning, Mike, J-Dot. I was terrified you were going to ask me, and I said, I have no idea. Like, I mean, there's certain areas I think we have expertise in, video games of the 80s,. I got no shot on this. So thank God J-Dub revealed the answer before you put me on the spot. I was going to say, we can't do this. This is not fair to Adnan.

Hey, what video game does this remind you of? We'll just start with something that you're more familiar with, the Toronto Blue Jays. So we talked about the walk-off win yesterday against the Orioles. We have two resident Blue Jays. You know, so we talked about the walk-off win yesterday against the Orioles. We have two resident Blue Jays fans in studio, Jamie Dodd, and then Greg Ballack, AKA Laddie.

And both of them had a collective shrug about the win last night. They're like, whatever. I feel like, Adnan, I feel like the fan base may have already had poison pill by these guys. And no matter what they do, unless it's a really dramatic turnaround,

the people can just see the flaws of this Blue Jays team. And even last night's victory against the Orioles isn't going to turn things around. No, I think it's fair to say that the malaise has already set in and normally that would come in like August or something if the team was still around 500, but you know, baseball fans and sports

fans are smarter than sometimes people give them credit for it. I think that you look at this team and you say alright, as you said, the key word was dramatic. Something dramatic has to change. Do you really deep in your heart watch this Blue Jays team and go, you know what, they are capable of ripping off eight straight wins. The Yankees have just won seven straight games. And they might beat the Twins again.

It's either that they're just completely bamboozled. And you've got Yankees-Dodgers this weekend. The Orioles, you look at it and you go, yeah, they can rip off seven or eight straight wins. They're a great team. The Jays, you just don't have that sense. And you can already Yankees, Dodgers this weekend. The Orioles, you look at it and you go, yeah, they can rip off seven or eight straight wins. They're a great team. The Jays, you just don't have that sense. And you can already feel like, yeah, they're going to be a win-two, lose-two kind of team. They're going to hover around 500.

And because of the way the wildcard system is, you can say, well, the Jays are only four games until the final wildcard spot is July 30th. And somebody will be saying, okay, go bye-bye-bye. Maybe you can just get into the playoffs and make something happen. But I think the smart, educated fan goes, you know what? They sacrificed offense for defense and run prevention, and they don't have enough offense now. And their

offensive stars haven't carried the mail the way they should have. And their starting pitching, which was incredible a year ago, is still good, but not as great. You know, Barrios was excellent last night. He's obviously been a stud for them. So has Yusei Kikuchi. But Gossman hasn't been the same guy. Manoa had a couple good starts, and he got hurt. Bassett's been up and down.

So it's frustrating. I can totally relate to those guys feeling like, yeah, okay, we won. Great. I'm not going to lose my mind over Isaac kind of falafel, walking it off in the ninth. Yeah, and to your point, Adnan, you know, with the wild card system, I think it holds even less weight for the Blue Jays because they've made the playoffs.

They just haven't won a single game there, right? And the playoff appearances have all felt so anticlimactic and so frustrating that even if you can kind of squint and see them sneaking into a wildcard spot, the gap between them and the true top teams, right, the gap between them and the Yankees, especially in their division, is so massive that even if by some fluke they were able to make the wild card, I think even then fans would shrug a little bit because, okay, we've seen this before. You sneak in and then you don't do anything once you're there.

Yeah, I'm with you, Jamie. That would be the greatest frustration overall. I mean, I think about Blue Jays fandom and all the ups and downs. If you tell me that they missed the playoffs this year, which certainly seems to be the case, and then next year whatever ends up happening, during the Vlad and Bo era, they don't get one playoff series win? That's crazy.

As you said, even a playoff victory. I'm saying playoff series win. You would have thought, hey, they would be in an ALCS. We have a situation like a 2014 or 2015. How about just a victory? You're not even going to have that? That's a really tough pill to swallow. And yet I would say that is

a much greater likelihood than them actually going to the playoffs and winning a game and winning a series like this year. It ain't going to happen, right? Again, to use the word that Mike used, dramatic. Once something dramatic happens, some change that I do not foresee happening, and all of a sudden this offense comes

to life, it ain't going to happen. They make the playoffs this year. They're not going to make some major move to deadline, go get Pete Alonso. That's not happening. So then this offseason, they're either going to say to themselves, all right, are we going to run it back one more year and risk losing Vlad and Bo, or are we going to re-sign these guys?

Are we going to re-sign one of these guys? Or do we trade one of them and just accept this is the fate that we've had? And I think, you know, unless that return on it would be great, it would ultimately feel like a real disappointment if you're a Blue Jays fan saying, like, you were licking your chops back in 2020. You know, 2019, they went 67-95. They were a horrible team. That was the first year of ball and flag.

All right, don't worry. The joy is coming. The ecstasy is coming. How many World Series are they going to win? And it says it's not going to be one playoff victory. Like, it's pretty painful to look at. And yet, it's're going to win. And it says not only one playoff victory. It's pretty painful to look at. And yet, it's pretty easy to understand. When you look at their offense, if you actually just look at

their lineup, don't even look at the stats. When you see like Dalton Varsha sitting 8th, Justin Turner sitting 7th, Alejandro Kirk's up there, I thought he was. You replace Chapman with IKF. Kevin Biggio's not an everyday player. Vlad's hitting high for average, no slug. Boba Shett's still around 250.

Springer's been good the last eight games, still hitting like 210 this year. It's an anemic offense. You can literally go piece by piece. I don't understand how these guys are three games under 500, quite frankly. Yeah, and Dalton Varshow is one of the big offensive success stories for the team this year because he's rediscovered some of his power, and still his on-base percentage is below 300. So even the guy who's like hey he's having a good year is still pretty mediocre at the plate all things considered and you know your point about is this

kind of the end of the vlad and beau era an era that you know never really got got going like the jays and the jays fans wanted it for and the the fascinating thing about it is it feels like there's no good decision. There's no good outcome, right? As you said, if you trade them, that's going to feel like a big disappointment, but do you really want to lock in long-term to either of these players given how their careers have gone to this point? Yeah, and I think that's a good question, David, because I know Ross Atkins, I recently saw he spoke in the OB Network Radiance,

and there's no imminent changes coming. You know, John, our manager is someone that feels the kiss of death, right, when the guy says, no, nothing's happening. Yeah. But he said, like, we want to keep Bo and Brian. Like, we want to keep these guys. I'm with you. I think if you start to ask Blue Jays fans, you're going to pull.

It's all right. Here's your options. We're going to re-sign both guys. We're going to re-sign one guy. We're going to trade bothsign both guys. We're going to re-sign one guy. We're going to trade both guys or just let them go. Like, if you literally just give Jays fans the option. I'm with you.

I think the least likely option would be sign both guys. Don't do that. It has not worked out. Don't give each of these guys $250 million. And you're going to get a half a billion dollars going to Vlad and Bo, which I don't know if that's going to be the price tag, but I'm sure that's what those guys want, right?

I'm sure you're looking at eight years, 220, 240, something like that. I would think those guys in their mid-20s feel like the best baseball is still ahead of them. And Bo would say this year's been an anomaly. I've let the league in hits. I'm top five in batting average. I'm going to play shortstop in a premium position. Vlad would argue I want a gold glove back in 2022.

Look at my 2021 numbers. I'm still a young guy. I'm going to hit 40 home runs. Yeah, I want at least $30 million a year, minimum $25 million. So, again, $200 million plus for both those guys. You told the fans, hey, you've got $500 million to spend. Would you sign both these guys? No.

Would you sign one guy? Maybe. I think most fans would probably lean towards Bo. They feel like his career will hold up better and his body will hold up. Okay. But the rest of that money, Jimmy, I would spend it elsewhere. If I said, okay, go get another arm or go get a bullpen piece or go get this guy.

Once you start looking around, you say, okay, well, I could spend this money in other ways. So I'm with you. I don't think it's a fait accompli that if things don't work out this year, which I don't believe they will, that next year they just run it back. I think the savvy baseball fan would be like, no, trade one guy, and it's probably Vlad Jr.

And for one year of Vlad, you can get a pretty good haul. You'll get a couple of great young prospects. Just because he's been frustrated, I think, for Jays fans, I don't think that's the opinion of people elsewhere. I think people in the game, but I don't know, this is a really good young player. This could be a cornerstone guy for us, and maybe he just needs to change the scenery, blah, blah, blah. So, yeah, I don't think it's a certainty.

I would argue it's a less than 50% chance you're going to have both these guys for the duration of their contract this year and next year. And, okay, so the trade deadline is July 30th in Major League Baseball, and these feel like off-season moves, right, if we're talking about trading Bowe and trading Vlade, not trade deadline moves. But I know there's been some, as you said, from Ross Atkins, right, like, hey, there's time to turn this around. We'll see where it goes between now and the trade deadline moves. But, you know, I know there's been some, as you said, from Ross Atkins, right? Like, hey, there's time to turn this around. We'll see where it goes between now and the trade deadline. It feels a little bit like just kicking the can down the road. We all know

they're going to be sellers. I mean, how aggressive can they be? Should they be about kind of punting on the rest of this season, selling off pieces and trying to restock the farm system a little bit ahead of the trade deadline. Well, I always think the worst thing you can do is to be in the middle. You know, I love playing tennis. I'm watching Swiatek and Coco Gauffer at the French Open. My style of tennis is very intermediate. I don't hang on the baseline. I don't go right to the next.

I'm not good at either one. So what I do is I kind of hang in the middle, and then I just kind of run around and hope I get the ball. That's the worst approach you can have if you're running a baseball team. Like, you never want to be in the middle. You know, like, we're going for it. And we're all in, like the New York Yankees. And they got Juan Soto.

They got Marcus Stroman. And those guys have been studs. And the Weaver helped up their bullpen. Like, they're going for it, baby. Like, whatever happens at this trade deadline, Ryan Cash will be adding pieces. They're trying to win their first World Series in 15 years. The Orioles, they didn't learn their lesson from a year ago.

They could have went out and got Verlander. Instead, they fell for Flaherty. It was a mistake. And this offseason, you know what? We're going for it. We're getting Corbin Burns, top 10 pitcher in baseball, and they're going to make trades at the deadline to beef up their bullpen. Obviously, Kimball gave it up yesterday against the Jays. For Toronto, you're right. You have to say to yourself, are you a buyer or are

you a seller? You're clearly not a buyer. You're 29-32 right now. Let's suppose six weeks from now this team is better. What does better mean? They're going to be three games over 500, five games over, three games into the wildcard spot. I don't think it's enough to be like, yeah, let's go get some big pieces.

Let's sacrifice our future to try to get the third wildcard spot and try to beat the Yankees or Orioles or whichever team is in their path. The Guardians are really good this year. I don't think the Jays are going to beat those teams in a playoff series. I know you can always say playoffs or crapshoot. I don't see it happening. So that means either the Jays stand pat or they're sellers.

And maybe some fans would be upset going, all right, seriously, you're punting on the season July 25th? But again, I think the smart thing goes, now if you're not good enough, then yeah, trade some of those assets. I believe Kikuchi's a pending free agent. He's pitched well this year. There's other guys that could be in the mix that could get some stuff. And by the way, you can punt on a season and not be punting on your franchise.

You can just wake up, as you said, on July 30th and go, hey, this isn't our year, but let's get some assets and let's make a really strong push next year. And maybe our final year of Vlad and Bo together will yield to fruition. Best case scenario, the Jays punt on this year, get back some assets. They keep Vlad and Bo. As you said, you kick the tires in the offseason. They don't get a deal to the liking. They go, all right, boys, one more time.

Run it back. This is it. Last hurrah. And somehow and probably they win 90, 95 games next year. They make a push to playoffs. And also those guys are so happy. They re-sign both Bo and Vlad. Never lives happily ever after.

It's not likely. But at least for this year, I'm with you. Don't play it in the playoffs. And also, those guys are so happy. They re-signed both ball and block. Never looks happily ever after. It's not likely, but at least for this year, I'm with you. Don't play it in the middle. Either you're a buyer or a seller, and you're probably a seller. All right. On happier baseball news, or at least a happier baseball story for just fans of the sport, Paul Skeans, Phenom rookie pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, strikes out Shohei Ohtani in incredibly impressive fashion last night. Just throwing heat past him.

I mean, how much are you enjoying the Paul Skeens show right now? So this is what makes baseball special, Mike, is that it's a team sport, but then it's individualistic. It's man versus man. And you can't rely on anybody else to bail you out. You know, in basketball, if the guy turns a corner on you, you've got to help defense. That can help you out.

Same thing in hockey. Defense can cover your backside, et cetera. Goalie can bail you out. In baseball, it's one-on-one. So, you know, Otani is facing 100 after 100 after 100. And I wouldn't quite say flailing away, but he looked overmatched. For one of the best players, then you have a two-to-many-three. You go, oh, my God, this is incredible.

Skeen's going toe-to-toe, and he got him. But then for Otani to come back and then hit the home run, to me, it was even more impressive because it's like you realize the hitter in every situation is the underdog, right? The best hitters only hit three out of ten times. So Otani is the underdog, as improbably as that sounds. But you're facing Paul Skeen at 100 miles an hour. He's at a disadvantage.

For him to make the adjustment and then to go deep, I'm like, that's awesome. That, again, proves how great Otani is, that he can look that bad and one at that, make the necessary adjustments. And it wasn't like, again, Skeens threw a mistake pitch, right? It was like a changeup or something. No, no, he threw 100. Otani just finally caught it. He's like, I got you.

I'll make the adjustment. It was awesome to see head-to-head, and it was a really fun game to watch. And I tell you, Pittsburgh is not a major market. We all know that. They've had lean times for a while, despite the playoff appearances in 2015, 2016. But with schemes and Jared Jones, those are two absolute studs.

And Mitch Kellett's opening day start is pretty good, too. So, you know, in baseball, if you can have some pitching, you're in it. So they're going to have a top-three staff, at least for a few years. And schemes specifically is must-see TV. I mean, God, every time. If I tell you a guy throws 100 miles an hour, I immediately have your attention. It doesn't matter if it's Stephen

Strasburg, if it's Matt Harvey, if it's Jacob DeGrom. People like speed. People like velo. People love that if you're a baseball fan, and he's got such great moxie and composure. I've actually interviewed him twice. I interviewed him on MLB Network the day before his first start, and he was great. And I interviewed him again the next week.

Literally, it was a week, and I said, it feels like the world has changed in the last week. He started laughing. Yeah, no kidding. I said, like, everything has changed. I went from Paul Skeens, what do you expect to a decent first start? And ever since then, he's been electric. But the first start, it was like, ah, okay, got into the fifth, gave a couple runs, bullpen, didn't help it out.

Okay, that was a wake-up call. Now it's going to be at least five or six innings. Yesterday, eight strikeouts, three runs against the Dodgers. Like that formidable lineup, and he was completely undeterred. Every start of his now is must-see TV. I can't wait. And he's a good dude. He's generally down to earth.

I said to him, he looked a little like Miles Teller, especially with that mustache. I told him about another Top Gun reboot, so he laughed because that's actually not the first time I've heard that. Big fan of his is straight to the fact he's a Phillies fan. Miles Teller is especially with that mustache. I showed him another Top Gun reboot, so he laughed because that's actually not the first time I've heard that. Big fan of his, despite the fact he's a Phillies fan. Miles Teller posted it. Miles Teller gave it a retweet. He laughed about it. I know Miles a little bit having interviewed him a couple times. Whiplash and stuff came out. And he's getting Libby done.

So if you need more reason to admire this guy, he's got a beautiful girl on his arm. He's must-see TV, like it's every now and then. I love schemes. I'm going to try and not jam in a Baby Gronk reference here, and I'm just going to move along. We're speaking to Adnan Virg here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Adnan, of course, from MLB Network,

but also, as he just alluded to, the Cinephile podcast. So there's real Barbie Oppenheimer vibes from your most latest episode of the Cinephile podcast where you reviewed garfield and mad max furiosa i'm like those two have nothing in common aside from the fact that they're films someone actually texted in uh wanted to get your thoughts on furiosa the mad max i believe that's the fifth installment of the mad max franchise and then of course garfield because i like garfield hate mond, but love lasagna. So take it away, Adnan. Let us know

about both. I appreciate it, Mike. So I'm a huge Garfield guy. Going back when I was a kid, I just loved Garfield. I collect all the books. I just loved the idea of a fat cat who loves lasagna. Loved John Arbuckle. Because of him, I liked Sadie Arbuckle. I had to look him up as a comedian. And I just loved the idea of Garfield.

Garfield, New Jersey is where I wanted to live. I love the name Garfield. You know, John Garfield. I'm all in on it. So whatever it is. You know, I only disappointed in the movie is that Odie doesn't talk. Odie is a very underrated dog, but of course he doesn't talk in the movie. But I enjoyed it.

Great voice cast. Chris Pratt is the voice of Garfield. Sam Jackson plays his dad. You got Bing Raines in the movie as well. I thought I got savaged by critics. It's at 36% of Rotten Tomatoes. I got to be honest, for three of my boys, 3D glasses. We even went, guys, we went all out to AMC.

I got the Garfield bucket. I bought a little plush doll at the theater. I mean, it was amazing. So we really enjoyed it. I think if you have young kids, and again, maybe just the nostalgia of being a Garfield guy myself, I really enjoyed it. While fully conceding it is not Citizen Kane. Now, as for Furiosa,

I had incredibly high expectations going in because I adore Mad Max Fury Road. And you guys know I'm an Oscar snob, right? These are not the movies I normally love, but I adore Mad Max Fury Road. I think it's the best action movie of this century, quite frankly. The last 24 years,

that's how good Mad Max Fury Road is. It won five or six Oscars, if I'm not mistaken, $380 million at the box office. I remember seeing it in the theater wanting to go for Fury Road is. It won five or six Oscars, if I'm not mistaken. $380 million at the box office. I remember seeing it in the theater. I wanted to go for a run afterwards. I'm like, oh my God, I have so much adrenaline. I've seen it twice since then.

So I'm going into Furiosa expecting, here we go, Fury Road. And here's the problem. It's not Fury Road. This is the weight of expectations that you deal with. It's a good movie. It's got an incredible landscape of cinematography. George Miller's a visionary director. But the first 40 minutes, it's all backstory, right? It's a good movie. It's got an incredible landscape of cinematography. George Miller's a visionary director.

But the first 40 minutes, it's all backstory, right? It's prequel to Furiosa. And you're right. It's the fifth installment, but it's previewing what happened with Fury Road. And I need to tell you, I don't know her work. I know she's obviously a Queens game, but I didn't watch it. She's good, but she's not Charlize Theron. I mean, she was one of the incredible

in Furiosa and Mad Max Fury Road. So the entire way I could sum up that movie experience is that you should see it, you should enjoy it because it's unique and it's different. But once it was over,

I immediately wanted to watch Fury Road. And without giving anything away, the end credits show clips of Fury Road. They go, that's the movie

I want to see. And what a huge mistake AMC did not have Fury Road playing next door. Like, I'm going to just walk there and I'll give you $50 to go watch Fury Road

right now at a movie theater and sit down and watch it at home on HBO Max. It's still a rewarding experience. But see it, but just know it's no Fury Road. Adnan, you're the best, buddy. Thank you, as always, for doing this. We really appreciate it. Enjoy the rest of the week.

We'll do this again next Thursday. All right, Mike. I appreciate it, boys. Take care. Yep, you too. Thanks. That's Adnan Virk from MLB Network and the Cinephile Podcast. You can find it on Apple Podcasts.

This week's episode includes a review, again, of Garfield, Furiosa, and the Naked Gun. Running the guy. I don't know why they did the Naked Gun. I don't. Bruff and his love of 80s movies would be like, damn, I missed Naked Gun. But anyway. Rave review for Garfield from Adnan. Big Garfield guy.

I love Garfield. We have a lot in common. I feel like you would have a lot in common with Garfield as well. Who, me? Yeah. Oh, yeah. He's my spirit animal. You like Nand?

That or a sloth, I mean. Yeah. So there was Odie. Yeah, the dog, yeah. Nermal. Yeah, I remember the smaller cat. Is there another character that I miss? And I know John, but.

John, there's the vet lady. I forget her name. Yeah, right. But that's it. It's a small cat. Is there another character that I'm missing? I know John. John, there's the vet lady. I forget her name. Yeah, right. But that's it. It's a small cat. I prefer Garfield with Garfield erased. That's my favorite version of Garfield. If you look it up, there's actually... I've seen it. Someone has photoshopped Garfield out of the Garfield cartoon. Oh, yeah. And it just seems like John

is going mad. John being miserable and depressed. He's seeing things. Crazy guy talking to himself. There's also Cigar Garfield where he's smoking a cigar in a variety of situations. That's a good one. I looked up Garfield characters. Binky the Clown.

Does that ring any bells? No. I like the Garfield cartoon. Oh, Binky! There was a Garfield cartoon when I was a kid which was voiced by a guy that sounds a lot like Bill Murray

but it wasn't Bill Murray. But then in the Garfield movie that followed, Bill Murray voiced Garfield, and I remember being very confused as a child. All right. We should focus on some sports for a couple minutes here. I wanted to pass this along earlier

when we were talking about the Canucks and the news that Yogi Svejkovski Did I do it? That sounds about right. Has been elevated to assistant coach, and Daniel and Henrik Sedin are going to take on elevated coaching roles as well. Small tidbit of news from Canucks land, courtesy of Rick Dollywell yesterday. Sounds as though Ian Cole will be headed to free agency on July 1.

So in what's been a bit of a theme for him, it could be another one-year stop in a career, which I believe over the last eight years has now it's eight NHL teams because he had that one year where he went from Pittsburgh to Columbus I want to say so you know if it is indeed the end for Ian Cole in Vancouver I will tip my cap to a guy that was a good loyal foot soldier I appreciate the hits that he did on the show obviously didn't end well for him I think the playoff run was largely marked by his errors and gaffes and mistakes more than anything else. But for what he was signed to do and what he's kind of been cast as in the NHL as a one-year comes aboard, provides veteran leadership, can be a bottom pair guy.

He ticked a lot of boxes for the Canucks, but it doesn't sound as though he's going to be back. He did a great job for them, honestly. And part of Rick's reporting was also that he was dealing with a nasty cut on his ankle, had a ton of stitches on it during the playoffs. So he was playing through a pretty gnarly injury, a lot of pain. Again, is that an excuse? We don't need to get into all that debate, but that's certainly context for his performance in the playoffs. And I think it would be a mistake for Canucks fans to remember Ian Cole as the guy who a bunch of pucks bounced off of and went into the Canucks net against the Oilers.

He was much, much better than that. He played a huge role on the blue line on the penalty kill as well. And, you know, he was obviously like you guys talk to him. He's just a phenomenal interview. Great guy to talk to. Yeah. And obviously had a ton of weight in the room as well. Okay.

So coming up on the Halford and Brough show featuring Jamie Dodd, who apparently sounds just like me. We're going to talk to Alex Gungay-Ruzik from one soccer ahead of today's match from, I believe it's in Rotterdam. I'll double check that at the break, but from the Netherlands, it's Canada. It's Holland.

I prefer Netherlands. You can use Holland though. Interchangeably. It is going to be one of the bigger tests that Canada has had in an international friendly in a long time. Seventh-ranked team in the world, and it is also the debut for the new gaffer Jesse Marsh as he takes Canada into the

first of three matches against the Netherlands, then France, then Lionel Messi, assuming he shows up, and Argentina to open Copa America. So some soccer talk coming up. That's for you, Andrew and Victoria. That's all coming up next on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Canucks talk with Jamie Dodd and Thomas Drance.

We'll dive deep into all that's happening with the Vancouver Canucks. Listen 12 to 2 p.m. on Sportsnet 650 or wherever you get your podcasts. 731 on a Thursday. Happy Thursday, everybody. Halford Brough featuring Jamie Dodd here on Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough Dodd. I'm workshopping that name. I don't think it's the best. Halford and Brough Dodd in the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda,

Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking for. Sales, financing, service, or parts. We are in Hour 2 of the program. Alexander Gange-Ruzik from One Soccer is going to join us in just a moment here. Talk a little footy ahead of Canada's match against the Netherlands later this morning. Hour 2 of this program is brought to you by Primetime Craft Beer. Meticulously brewed for quality and taste.

Primetime's full flavor without compromise. You can get some, get some at a liquor store near you, or you can visit the brewery to see how it's made. There's a lot going on in the world of international football right now. We're getting live breaking news of England's squad ahead of the Euro Championships later this month. No Jack Grealish for England. No Harry Maguire either.

I'm sure dozens of you were moved by that. But there are some other matches that we need to pay attention to. Canada is going to embark today on a run of three matches against the quality of competition the national team has never seen in this shortest span.

It's going to be the Netherlands. It's going to be France. And then later this month, it's going to be the Netherlands. It's going to be France. And then later this month, it's going to be Argentina in Atlanta to kick off the Copa America. But to preview today's match, which is also the first for the new gaffer, Jesse March, we bring along Alexander Gange-Ruzik from One Soccer here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.

Good morning, Alex. How are you? I'm doing great. Great to be on, Mike and Jamie. Good morning, Alex. How are you? I'm doing great. Great to be on, Mike and Jamie. Good morning here. Yeah, definitely a big set of games to hear you lay it out like that. It's just so surreal to actually see happen after hearing of this window for a while now. It is pretty unprecedented times for the national team. I know getting to the World Cup for the first time in 36 years was a big step forward,

but this stretch of matches against high-profile, high-quality opponents combined with a fairly high-profile new coach coming in the door, it's reason to pay attention to these matches. So big question right off the hop.

What are you expecting and what are the biggest challenges for Jesse Marsh heading into his first match on the job and also a first match on the job as the Canadian gaffer going up against the opponent as talented as the Netherlands? Yes, it's a great question, right? Like the fact that you kind of get a trial by fire as a new coach. You can either see it as a positive or a negative um i think for for jesse marsh coming in as a new head coach i think i can be certainly a positive just with how he wants to

play he said it since the start he wants to play you know a bit more direct a bit more transitional um use canada's speed i think these are the sorts of games where that sort of style of play could be useful. Of course, the fact that any potential struggles with onboarding, struggles to embed the system, you're going up against world-class players who can expose you. But, no, it'll be something where I think the Netherlands is a great test. It's a team that wants to hold possession.

They're talented on the ball. You're maybe not getting some of the same offensive names that a France and an Argentina have. Just, you know, Mbappe, Messi, that sort of level. Of course, the Netherlands can still hurt you with guys like Memphis Depay. It's still going to be a very dangerous offensive team. So I just want to see, you know, see Canada come in,

be organized, show. I think as long as Marsh comes in and doesn't, you know, see Canada come in and be organized, show, I think as long as Marsh comes in and doesn't, you know, act too much of his team, I think he's kind of admitted that, yeah, at this point you don't want to act too much. You want to kind of keep it simple to start. You don't want to reinvent the wheel and then kind of grow from there.

So I think this is, I just want to see little growing signs and yeah, Canada has the players to go out and make a game of it. So go out and make a game of it. So go out and make a game of it. What is the plan for the role and deployment of Alphonso Davies? From what it looks like, it appears he's going to be further up the pitch. Of course, that's not nothing new for Canada. But it sounds like it's going to be a bit different from what you've seen

maybe lately under John Herdman when he's playing higher up the pitch. Sometimes it's more of a free roll. You know, seeing the number 10. Of course, Davey spoke in the press conference yesterday. He's asked a lot about, you know, what's it been like working with Marsh? What are some things that he's been asked of him? Davey's had some interesting answers. He said, look, like Jesse said, use your speed, of course.

That's a well-known asset, but, you know, yeah, keep things simple. You know, especially when you're cutting inside in the field, keep things simple. Don't get too complicated. Sometimes Davey's playing up front. That's been the big issue, right? You know that he can use his speed and take guys wide, but when he cuts inside, takes

extra touches, draws in bodies, you know sometimes those double and triple teams have got him i think marcia said look like we want you high up the pitch you saw the goal he scored last month against real madrid i'm sure marcia's saying just like do that all games cut in shoot keep it simple and yeah i think from there i think that's the sort of difference maker you're going to want offensively it leaves some questions of who plays at the back but i think it makes sense to want offensively. It leaves some questions of who plays at the back, but I think it makes sense to want to play Davies high up the pitch,

but the caveat being, can he do that sort of play that you saw against Real Madrid that you've seen in the past when he was at the Whitecaps, but that you haven't always seen from Canada, where it sometimes can get a bit complicated. A brief aside before we dive back into the national team stuff. If you were a betting man, Alex, where would you wager that Alphonso Davies is going to be playing club football next season? Oof.

That's, you know, I'd say about a month ago I'd stay pretty confident with Real Madrid. Now all of a sudden I'd sway towards Bayern Munich. I'll say Real Madrid for now just because I think with the one-year contract situation, it just feels like it's likely with how Real Madrid for now just because I think with the one year contract situation it just feels like it's likely with how Real Madrid's operating that they'll find a way to strike out a fee and move but yeah I definitely think the odds are a little

more even than they were a month ago it seemed like he was very sure to go to Real Madrid although the goals the performances at the end helped and yeah not really suggesting it feels like the negotiations could go either way with it being reported that all of a sudden,

Bayern doesn't look as dead of an option as it did a month ago with them re-entering contract talks. We're speaking to Alexander Gange-Ruzic from One Soccer here on the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650. For the listeners that might not know how exactly this is going to work, the next two matches

that Canada is going to play are friendlies. It's essentially international exhibitions where they go to the Netherlands today and then to France on Sunday before the big match, which everyone is looking forward to, especially those that didn't get to see Messi come to BC Place. It's going to be Canada against Argentina

to kick off the Copa America. Alex, for those that might not be familiar with this tournament, its importance, and the fact that Canada's never been in it before, can you lay out how the tournament is set up, and then what are realistic expectations for Canada going into a tournament against some of the best South American countries currently playing football right now? Yeah, no, it's a massive tournament.

I think genuinely, of course, the World Cup, if you're going to name that, the Holy Grail, the be-all, end-all. Copa America isn't far behind. It's pretty much, in terms of continental competitions, it's that and the Euros. Of course, many would be familiar with the Euros. Both just start this summer, Copa America.

You know, it's The 10 South American teams typically, they like to run a field of 12, so they'll invite a couple of guest nations. Australia has been there the past few years, Qatar, but they've also done a few with North America, which I think this is something we'll probably see a bit more in the

future. They've talked a lot about strategic partnerships. This year, they've invited six North American teams to qualify. Canada, of course, earned that privilege in March against Trinidad and Tobago. Now, the 16-team tournament, so 10 of the best from South America, six

from North America. Essentially, the way I see this, it's kind of like a World Cup dress rehearsal, right? It's not quite the 32-team World Cups we've seen or the 48-team World Cup we're about to see in 2026, but it's like a mini dress rehearsal. There's, you know, about five or six teams you'll be used to seeing

at World Cups, like your Argentinas, your Brazils, your Colombias, you know, Ecuador made some noise last time around, you know, I've seen Paraguay in the past, et cetera. Of course, teams like course teams like US and Mexico that Canada are familiar with so it's really I see it as valuable World Cup prep especially a team like Argentina the defending World Cup and

Copa America champions in terms of the format very similar to a World Cup at least the old format maybe not so much the new 48 team format it's groups of four the top two teams advance Canada with Peru and Chile along with Argentina they have to just find a way to finish the new 48 team format it's groups of four the top two teams advance to canada with peru and chile along with argentina they have to just find a way to finish at least a second and then they'll go straight to the quarterfinals with the top two teams advancing right uh and then from there of

course knockout i think a realistic expectation could be the quarterfinal i think that's probably about i say that's a good even between, okay, best case scenario, of course, maybe go on a run. Worst case scenario, you don't win a game. Because Argentina is going to be a tough game. I think that one, you're hoping for survival. You're hoping that you keep a respect

while Argentina is a different beast in this competition. But Chile and Peru are really the tough ones because Chile and Peru over the last decade have been very good in Copa America. They're going to be up for Copa America. They have veteran players who love this tournament, will die for this tournament. Genuinely, it's that sort of emotion you get in this sort of tournament.

But at the same time, which is something that we have to get used to, Canada is going to go into those games and probably have the best two, if not three players on the pitch. When you have that sort of qualitative advantage, you're expected to go out and at least get results, if not three players on the pitch. When you have that sort of qualitative advantage, you're expected to go out and at least get results, if not win a game. So I think it's realistic to say on paper, Canada can go out and finish second behind Argentina and get results against Peru and Chile.

The only thing is we haven't seen them get results against that caliber of team. So that's kind of balancing the expectation where I say a quarterfinal is fair, but also based on the history of going to World Cup, never winning a game, just go out and win a game and go from there. It's a pretty good spot to start, I'd say. Canada's journey at the Copa America gets underway two weeks from

today, June 20th, on a Thursday, kickoff against Argentina at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. But before that, you've got a match today, 11.45 kickoff, our time against the Netherlands. And then on Sunday noon against France. Alex, thank you very much for doing this today. We really appreciate it.

Enjoy all the matches coming up. Let's do this again while we're in the middle of Copa. Oh, no worries. My pleasure. Yeah, we'll chat soon. Busy month ahead. Thanks, Alex. Appreciate it.

That's Alex Gungay-Ruzic from One Soccer here on the Halford & Brough Show featuring Jamie Dodd who's learning about soccer here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650 so that match against Argentina and I know that Lionel Messi has become a hot button issue here locally removing that part of the conversation

for a moment, that is when Alex said it's going to be a World Cup tune-up, that is exactly what it is and that's the Alex said it's going to be a World Cup tune-up. That is exactly what it is. And that's the closest that you're going to get to a replica of the fever and intensity. And here's the important thing. Crowd size of a World Cup match

because Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta for football, soccer, to you folks, it holds 71,000. And I'm going to venture to suggest that Argentina and its national team, featuring Lionel Messi for the opener, is probably going to fill Mercedes-Benz Stadium to the 71,000.

So for that Canadian team to face that quality of an opponent in front of that large of a crowd, which again, i'm going to go out on a limb and suggest maybe pro argentina i don't know how much of a canadian contingent there's going to be among the 71 000 that's going to be a huge test and the experiences gained from that are invaluable well and it's not just the crowd size it's the stakes too right like this is an actual tournament with huge prestige certainly for the south american teams especially but also for the north american teams and you know it's one thing to play a

friendly against france right but it is still ultimately a friendly it's a tune-up for them they're going to be trying different things out they don't need to win that game this is a real game in a major major tournament and i think that experience is so valuable for a team that got to the world cup but didn't have the most successful showing once they were there. Okay, let's dive back into some hockey talk, okay? I appreciate everyone for following along and for being nice to Alex. Not a single, single derogatory text came into the Dunbar Lumber text message in basket at 6.50, 6.50.

We eased into the soccer talk. We did NBA finals, then we did baseball. Okay, we're getting more and more away from what people want to talk about. You know what? I'll ask you right now. So your show is branded out as Canucks Talk, right? Yes, correct. And I don't know if everyone's aware of the programming on Sportsnet 650, but a lot of

our shows are Canucks-centric, including Canucks Central. Halford and Brough, historically, and I'm probably guilty of going too far afield, but I find like we're we're here in the morning uh there should be an entertainment element to it let's also try and run the gamut of sports i also know that you have to pick your spots i'm aware of this and for this week like all due respect to the people that when is the hockey talk coming back on there has been nothing of consequence over the last four days and even though there hasn't been we spent 25 minutes this morning talking about the skills coach getting elevated to an assistant coach role like we've done our part i have done my part i don't mind diving back

in now though because again it's a give and take we have allowed for some footy talk and now we go back to a couple different things um one, I brought up the Ian Cole thing, and then in case you missed it, Rick Dollywall, Donnie and Dolly, check TV, threw it out there yesterday that it sounds as though that Ian Cole is on his way to market on July 1. So it further puts the defense under the microscope because now we kind of have an idea that I think everyone, I mean, did you think that Cole was a sort of one-year,

he's going to be here for a good time, not a long time, and then he gets to go somewhere else? It wouldn't have shocked me if he signed another one-year deal, right? And it sounds like on the reporting from Dollywell that they were really trying to grind him down to a much lower number. I think he was on a $3 million AAV this year. So he probably wanted at least the same or something pretty close to it to come back. So it wouldn't have shocked me if it had been like a one-year, $2.5 million deal or something for Ian Cole. He has been subsisting on one-year, $3 million a year deals

for the last three years. I think it's just the Ian Cole. He just hands it to you. He's like, this is what my contract looks like. Just sign it. That's how much it costs. Yeah. So I get that.

Here's the thing, and I don't mean to be dismissive of the player, but you can find other Ian Cole. And I think that's the's the thing, and I don't mean to be dismissive of the player, but you can find other Ian Cole. And I think that's the Canucks position, right? And the Canucks, look, they know they have so much work to do on the blue line up front as well. They've got a ton of other much more high profile free agents that they might want to keep. They want to be able to explore free agency. So I think from their point of view, it's probably a case of, as you said, look, we really like Ian Cole, but can we afford to spend $3 million on a third pairing defense've made the decision that we're going to try to fill that spot on the cheap and save that money.

You know, even if it's only a million dollars, you save a couple million dollars for a more big ticket item, higher up the lineup. Probably bodes well for Noah Juleson and his going into the final year of that deal. Yeah. I mean,

I think he's going to, you look at how things are shaking out. Right. And just, I mean, right now he's the only right shot defenseman under contract. It feels like Tyler Myers is going to be back, probably Philip Roenick as well.

But I think right now you're probably looking at it and saying Noah Juleson has the inside track to be in the starting lineup on opening night. He's a guy that, and we joked about this in the Nashville series before he drew in, that the thing that I love about his game is also the thing that probably keeps him out of a lot of games and that's the inherent recklessness yeah i'm like he chases

big hits and from an entertainment standpoint like it's great like noah juleson's out there you know things are gonna happen right he's gonna make things happen unfortunately in the nhl when you're a third pair defenseman your goal is largely to make sure nothing happens you know you do the Aaron Rome nothing of consequence happens when you're on the ice unless you're in the Stanley Cup final but nothing of consequence happens when you're out there right you just leave the table set so the other guys can eat and that's

kind of what a third pair guy should be that being said like I enjoyed the things that he brought to the table it felt like he was a luxury you could have in the regular season like if he's going gonna change some things it's like it's okay because the stakes aren't as high like he has a bad read against Columbus on a Tuesday night it's fine you can play him again on a Thursday night in Anaheim or whatever but in the playoffs it's a risky prop well and you saw that I mean Noah Julson only got in when someone was either injured or

suspended right and as rough as Ian Cole's series against the Oilers was, I don't think Ian Cole was close to coming out of the lineup, right? They still wanted him in there over Noah Juleson, I think for a lot of the reasons you're talking about, just that inherent kind of unpredictability. And look, there's something to be said for a guy who wants to go out and throw the body, right? And then lay that big hit. It's awesome.

You just really, really have to pick your spots a little bit more. If you had to wager right now, this is the second wagering-related query in this segment. Is Zdorov a member of the Vancouver Canucks next season? No. No. I'm with you. I just think it's a luxury that they can't afford, right?

It's a nice luxury. It is, but I mean, I think Murph said on your show, right, is he going to play more minutes than Carson Soucy next year? And can you pay a guy, you know, five plus million to not play more than Carson Soucy? And I think that's a very fair question. That kind of sums it up, right? If, you know, Elliott Friedman I know is reported,

Dahlia is reported. There's a very clear ask from Nikita Zdorov's camp. And I just think it's going to be too much, more than the Canucks can afford, given all of the other needs they have on the roster we do have to acknowledge that Nikita Zdorov's growth into the role that he had in Vancouver did come at the expense of Carson Susie who's hurt and I mean you look at the numbers his first year in Vancouver and he's gonna say I really wish I played more games he finished

40 of 82 so less than 50% of the games played, and then almost every playoff game, except for the one he got suspended for. So if you're looking at the story of Soucy's first year in Vancouver, it was a series of starts and stops and fits. So isn't that a reason to sign Zdorov then, since Soucy's probably going to be injured for half of next season? I don't know what the...

If he's just that guy that's always injured kind of thing, right? I mean, he played 78 games the year prior for Seattle. He was pretty durable. And then prior to that, it's hard to get a read on what his durability was like because he was up and down between Minnesota and Iowa. It took him a while to become a full-fledged NHLer. I'm not ready to write him as being injury-worthy. No.

Now, that being said, we're doing that for Demko. But Demko has two years of where it's been like the body appears to be breaking down a little bit. And there's the nature of the goalie position. I mean, Greg can speak to this better than anyone. It's just a wear-down effect after a while. I can't walk properly anymore. I'm so sorry. I'm serious.

But you're still giving her. I'm still giving her. A guy like Zdorov would be nice to have, though, based on the fact that guys will get injured. And maybe he will end up playing more minutes in season. Sure, but can you pay five plus million for that? If he was making two million, it's like, that's amazing. That's awesome.

Obviously, it's unlikely they'll be able to afford what he's asking. No one's arguing that he can help the team, obviously. We all saw it. It's just you've got to make those tough decisions. I really like Zdorov. I just think ultimately it's going to be out of their price range. Everyone likes Zdorov. Have you heard our Superdude analogy?

Not Evander Kane. No, Evander Kane. Have you heard our Superdude analogy? No. Superdude was the classroom gerbil from The Simpsons, right? And the understanding is that you don't get too attached to the classroom pet because it doesn't usually last all that long, right? Like you come back from Christmas break and Superdude's no longer there.

He's been crushed by his water bottle. You got to enjoy Zadora for however long you have him because the reality is he's not going to last long. Eventually you'll have to huck him off the roof of Springfield Elementary. That's the toughest part of the job. yeah he's just like a shooting star right passing through the sky and then he's on to to somewhere else to to win hearts over there now there is a world where the negotiation goes brilliantly for the canucks and he doesn't get the kind of money or offer or situation from another nhl market and the canucks are able to get them at the price point that makes them comfortable I just find a hard time I just find it hard to imagine that that's going to

happen because remember the key thing about negotiations is it only takes one you don't need multiple suitors to throw everything into arrears you need one team that's willing to come out of its boots to give term or money and if that ends up being your ultimate endgame, and for a lot of players it is, it's the security, it's the comfort, it's the knowledge that you're going to make your money and you're going to be in one place for a while. If they're willing to throw in a no movement, like is the cherry on top, all of a sudden you're talking about, well, the negotiation's over

because we just can't match. Well, we don't know. What's the cap going to buy? Super dude. What's the cap going to buy? We don't know that yet, right? When are they going to announce that? Four million, know that yet, right? When do they announce that? Four million, I think, is the speculation.

Do they announce it the day of the draft or July 1st? I always forget. It's usually around that. I hope they announce it before July 1st. Usually it comes out. It's the first day of the draft, right? It's like right as free agency opens. And by the way, here's how much cap you have.

Usually it's like the draft. Yeah, I want to say it's the day. Yeah. So with the fact that the cap's going up and they don't have to worry about any because obviously lindholm isn't coming back i guess they could punt on horonok for another year so like zadorov's their only guy they really have to like worry worry about i mean joshua would be the well i guess yeah joshua they could i don't know yeah joshua i don't know i do wonder if like if the only path for zadorov coming back would be not that like

they're obviously completely disconnected in some ways because they're different positions and all that, but if they can't get it done with Joshua, do they look at it and say, do we want to lose both of our kind of physical tone setters like that? Okay, now do we have to match Zdorov's price? But I think it's much more likely Joshua comes back than Zdorov. But maybe Joshua asks for more than they think he's

worth if they think that season was just a flash in the pan, right? Like, will he be able to reproduce what he did the previous year? My one takeaway on Joshua, and I know it could be – Don't be wrong. I would like to have him back. I like Joshua. It could have just been a line.

It could have been a flippant throwaway thing. But when Alvin said we need to find the next Dakota Joshua, I just wonder if that's their mentality or their – Because he'll ask for more than what they think he's worth at this point. But it is part of the process is that in a hard cap world, you lock into your key core guys, and then you have to make tough decisions on periphery guys who might have been great foot soldiers for you,

but you can't pay them based on what they've done. And you know what I mean? In order to be successful like they were this year, you need to find 40 goals of offense from guys that are making like less than a million and a half which was Hoaglander and which was Joshua and that's tough to do because you need to unearth diamonds in the rough a lot or you need guys to do it on their ELC and the second part of that equation I don't see it happening because they don't have anyone that's going to come up from Abbotsford and is going to immediately pop 20 goals.

Now, I could be wrong on that. You could have another breakout guy because nobody saw Joshua performing at the offensive level that he did this year. But it's tough. You need to replicate offensive production, and you need to be able to do it on the cheap. Laddie's giving me the break signal. That means we've got to go to break.

A big 8 o'clock hour on the Halford & Br's giving me the break signal. That means we gotta go to break. A big 8 o'clock hour on the Halford & Brough Show with Jamie Dodd. We're gonna talk to Thomas Drance from the Athletic and Canucks Talk. We're gonna talk to talk. Rick Talkett is gonna join the program at 8.30. Head coach of your Vancouver Canucks and the reigning

Jack Adams winner as the NHL's Coach of the Year. Continue to get your What We Learns in. Hashtag them WWL. Dunbar Lumber text line is 650-650. The best what we learned that has a ticket emoji in it will win a pair of tickets to see Snoop June 25th at Rogers Arena. The best what we learned gets tickets to see Snoop. Don't forget to put the ticket emoji into the text.

Dunbar Lumber text line is 650-650. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.