Halford & Brough in the Morning - Do Devils Fans Have Their Eyes On Quinn Hughes?

Episode Date: August 6, 2025

In hour two, guest hosts Josh Elliott-Wolfe and Randip Janda chat with ESPN New York & New Jersey Devils television commentator Don La Greca (1:33) about the struggling Yankees as well as what to expect from the Devils this year, plus they discuss the top restricted free agents that the Canucks could target, as Sportsnet NHL writer Luke Fox (26:03) joins the show.  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.

Welcome back to Howford and Brough, no Halper, no Brough. They didn't appear in the hour since the show started. It is still Josh L.A. Wolf and Randy Chanda. It would be impressive. We tag him in, look at wrestling mat. I'd feel a little bad. You know what? be like getting pulled in the middle of an inning

as a reliever and you're like, ah, I just I wasn't prepared. Another Burrios-like outing just faded towards the end. That's on me. Could you imagine if we had Bolton days in radio? I mean, isn't that why we're here? I guess well, I guess it's not a mid-show. You guys are just the openers. Yeah. Yeah, true.

Don't worry, Devin Williams is coming into the final hour. He'll say things. To melt things down for us. Halpern & Brough is brought to you by Sandton Associates. Learn our consumer proposal could get you on the road to being debt-free in just two weeks. Visit sands-trustee.com. This hour of Halford & Brough is for jason.mortgage.

If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. That's jason.com mortgage. And we're broadcasting live from the Kintech studio, Kintech Footwear and Arthotics, working together with you in step. And we go to the hotline now, powered by Power West Industries. It is Don Legreca host on ESPN 880am in New York and New Jersey Devils. play-by-play announcer on MSG networks.

Appreciate you taking the time, Don. How are you? Always a pleasure. How are you guys doing out there in Vancouver? We are doing very, very well. And we have kept a close eye on what's going on with the Yankees as we focus a lot on the Blue Jays and obviously the Yankees. I have things, things have not been going super awesome as of late. What's the, what's the temperature like in New York at the moment?

Oh, it's a fever dream right now that they're going through in New York. I mean, everybody wants Aaron Boone fired. They wanted catchman fired like forever because the whole mission statement for years, you know, it's championship or bust. You know, second place is first loser, that whole mentality. And yeah, they did go to the World Series last year, and let's face it kind of embarrassed themselves in that series

the way that they performed defensively and it hasn't gotten any better. Fundamentals, base running mistakes, not being able to feel their position properly. Pitchers not going deep into games. Again, not being able to hit with runners in scoring position. And now it's really coming to a head because with a $300 million payroll, the feeling just seems to be that it's about the money,

the money they sunk in, the reason why they're always competitive. But when it comes time to separate yourself from the pack, are they getting the right managerial decisions made, both as the general manager of Brian constructing the roster, and then what's happening with the decisions to come on the field? So the fans are just beside themselves right now to see this team follow-up what was a disappointing series against the Dodgers to now a team that, like, I can't even believe what I'm saying it, going into the, you know,

heading into the second week of August that might not be on, may not be a playoff team. It's ridiculous. Yeah, this is like running a marathon and you're getting passed by everybody, even though you kind of help set the pace early on in the season. Where does the blame lie, though? Because you mentioned, you know, Brian Cashman, some people are directing it towards team construction. Others are saying, hey, Aaron Boone's getting the choices wrong and the decision's wrong. And the players themselves, like, where does the lion's share of this blame lie? You know, it's interesting you say of the players because it's so easy to kind of forget. The players have to take a lion's share of this by not playing to the back of their baseball card, right?

I mean, there's got a guy that just aren't having the years they're supposed to have. But that can be said about any, you know, frustrating organization about the players not performing to the level that they should. But I keep hearing the same phrase over and over again, really for the last few years is, you know, the roster construction. It doesn't seem to work. Guys playing out of position. Doing his centerfielder, he's playing left. How many weeks did we have to see Jazz Chisholm was a second baseman play third? You know, it's all about getting the bats and the lineup and the launch angle and exit Velo.

How about putting guys in the positions and they're supposed to play? And we were told that Anthony Volpe was going to be the next Derek Jeter and all the free agents they could have signed, all the short steps they could have acquired over the years. They didn't because they didn't want to landlock him. They move one of their top prospects, Lombard Jr. to third because shortstop's not available. And yet Volpe is among the league leaders in error. and has digressed over the last three years. Like, that's, that's an organizational problem.

Guys not knowing how they're on the basis, feel their positions. That's an organizational problem, all right? The way that this all is constructed with the analytics, with no ability to think outside the box. So I'm not trying to deflect attention away from Aaron Boone. But the way they put this team together, remember they fired Joe Girardi and replaced him with Aaron Boone after Gerardy went to game seven of the league championship series.

The Yankees want a manager that's going to coddle, the players, they want a manager that's not going to get frustrated and the ring his bald head like Joe Girardi did and show his frustration and hold a guy like Gary Sanchez responsible when he was making errors and not doing the job. And this is what the Yankees want. And you feel like in the ivory tower of the Bronx, they're successful. They're making money. They're a playoff team every year or in contention every year. And you just wonder if the mission statement has changed about World Series or Bust, and they just never let the fans know about it because they've chosen to run the team the way they're running it.

So if I had an issue, it's with the organization and how they think winning baseball is supposed to be played. And it's starting to show in recent years that their idea of what baseball is supposed to be isn't working. Well, I also wanted to ask you about identity, because 2009 is a long time ago. This is the last time this organization won a World Series. And, you know, George Steinbrenner, obviously his, you know, kids are running the organization now, but has the Yankee organization, has the identity changed because they're no longer the biggest spender on the block.

The Mets are there, the Dodgers are there. And it feels like, yeah, they're kind of leaning towards the binders a little bit more, which is fine. A lot of baseball is doing that. But have they kind of, what is the identity of this organization? Which direction are they moving in? Because it feels like they're not the big bullies on the block anymore. or they're actually getting bullied the last decade or so? No, there's no question.

I mean, that's the thing the fans always scream about is, you know, if George were alive, you know, clearly the way George ran things is not the way how it runs things. They're two different human beings, okay? They have not the same DNA, but they go about things differently. Because George hated to lose. George wanted to be the best. He would spend the most money.

He would run players out of town. He would fire managers. You know, there's two George Steinbrenners. The George Steinbrenner, the fans want to remember. and then there was the actual George Steinbrenner that sometimes, like, let's face it, ruined the franchise back of the late 80s and early 90s by going by his gut

and being ill-tempered. How's the opposite? He doesn't want to be that way. But you've got to find some in between, right? Because there's no accountability. You talk about, what is the identity of this team? Well, they haven't won a World Series since 2009. And over that time,

only one guy really of any kind of ilk has lost his job, that's Joe Girardi after going to game seven of the league championship series. That was just a fundamental change. Nobody, no players are benched, no discipline, no, no firings. Brian Cashman's got a job for life. Aaron Boone just got a contract extension, so he's probably not going anywhere. There doesn't seem to be any accountability for the failures of this team. So I'm led to believe that they don't think it's a failure.

How's it working out for us? Have the Mets been as consistently good as the Yankees? You look at how the Giants and Jets have embarrassed themselves in football. The Knicks haven't won a championships in 1973. The Rangers have one championship in the last 86 years. So it kind of feels like, yeah, you think we're failing, but we're sitting on a bunch of money. There's 45,000 people in the building every single day.

So the identity of the team seems to be, hey, we're doing fine. But this fan base fell in love with this team with a different mission statement than what's being put out there. So it looks like that there's a little cross-pollinization of what the fans want and what the Yankees want. And it doesn't seem like there seems to be a bit of a disconnect there. So it is a long season. I've had a lot of people say, hey, you know, there's a long set of games.

Is there a path for this team to actually get back into this and be in the driver's seat? Because you look at the Blue Jays, they're comfortable at the top of the American League right now. They're winning games. They've got the Colorado Rockies, which is, you know, a very easy matchup right now. But sitting in a very good spot for the Yankees to be relevant in this division. and actually legitimately, you know, put up a fight against some of the best teams in the American League. Like, what has to go right for this team moving forward now? Well, I guess the question is what has to go right and what can go wrong with the teams in front of them, right?

We saw Toronto's kind of weak underbelly, you know, a week ago when they started, when they lost those, what was it, four, five in a row? Like, there's no real great teams in baseball, right? I mean, it doesn't seem like everybody kind of goes through the adultery, and the Mets won seven in a row, now they lost seven of their last eight. You know, so the Phillies not long ago lose eight of nine. They look like world beaters right now, and then you go through a couple of weeks where you can't win a game. I mean, so, yeah, it's about the Yankees getting right, but do the Blue Jays have the stomach to handle this? You know, unfortunately, their history tells you that they're kind of in rarefied air.

The Red Sox, same thing, very, very streaky. So it's a combination of, listen, the Yankees have a very easy schedule at the end. They just got judge back. So, hey, we can be talking two weeks from now or even a week from now, and the Yankees could, you know, be right on the tail of the Blue Jays leaf frog over the Red So I think there's still an avenue. There's still a path if they can kind of get hot and figure things out that they, I still think they're going to make the playoffs. And they still have Max Fried, who's an ace, and they still have the Aaron Judge, and they still have Stanton who's been outstanding in the postseason. So as much as Yankee fans are in full-blown panic after what's happened after the trade deadline,

Major League Baseball is not going to let them go away because there's just no great teams, especially in the American League. So if they can kind of just hang in there and get it and get hot, it's not, as crazy as it sounds, it's not impossible to think that this team still can't do some real damage. Yeah, it's going to be interesting, especially in early September when the Blue Jays play the Yankees in New York. But, okay, we're talking about a budding rivalry of the Blue Jays and the Yankees. We saw a couple of weeks ago where the Blue Jays have that number this year.

John, Michael Kay, your guy, also gotten a little bit of a little bit of a beef with Jamie Campbell, our guy here at Sportsnet. Is that a sign of the rivalry? Are we seeing some network and cross-border rivalries here with Michael Kay? Well, why not? Let's have some fun with it. Listen, I work with Michael for 20 years, all right? And he's a dear friend of mine.

And I don't think what he said was all that wrong. I remember when I used to do NHL Live of the NHL Network, sometimes I'd host with Neil Smith, the former Ranger General Manager, and he would tell me, goal differential is the best way to tell how good a team is. because things happen, especially with a shootout and all that. And baseball's kind of become the same thing with the ghost runner and games won an extra inning. The run differential is still a really good way to indicate how good a team is.

Unfortunately, this year I don't think it really explains how good the Yankees are because it's so exaggeratedly high. But most times it's a good indicator. So I don't think Michael was wrong in what he said, but it did kind of come across as, all right, little boy, you're having a good season. pat you on the top of the head so I could understand how blue jay fans took it the wrong way but good I mean we want that right I mean that's that's kind of what's fun about sports is to have

that kind of back and forth and ultimately you know the blue jays can have the final say here and certainly the way they played each other they're getting the final say but I don't think Michael meant it overly disparagingly but good for blue jay fans taking it the wrong way it's good for sports well the blue jays are doing their part I think the Yankees have to make the playoffs so we can see a playoff series between these two teams because I'm with you I think having a little bit of beef is never a bad thing. As you know, covering New York sports for a long time, a little, I wouldn't say hate,

but a little bit of animosity is not necessarily a bad thing. And, you know, for the Blue Jays as well, they've always been kind of that little brother to a certain extent over the last decade at the very least. Yeah, once other teams and markets start paying attention to you, that means you're doing something right. Well, you guys would know better than anybody. I go back to 90, what was that, 92, 93 of the World Series

with a flag upside down and all. I mean, I think that the Blue Jays have always been in a way not just because of the Yankees, but because of, you know, now with Montreal, gone, the one team that represents Canada, and how much you guys love the game and how that sometimes Big Bad America looks down at Toronto is like, oh, they're really a threat. And it's a real opportunity to kind of show everybody how good they are. I'm kind of curious to see it myself, because as bad as the Yankees have been, if they met each other in the playoffs, I would not be surprised if,

the Yankees would end up, you know, being the favorite in a lot of people's eyes, because the Blue Jay still have to prove it on the biggest stage. But I think it's great. You know, Yankees, Red Sox here in New York, guys, at least it got a little stale for me. Because to see other teams, when the race were giving it to the Yankees, it was fun to have another team. They had the Blue Jay's back involved in this. It just kind of freshen things up a little bit instead of it always being about the Yankees

and Red Sox. And don't forget about the Red Sox, they're still kind of hanging around. but they have a Yankee Blue J rivalry kind of takes me back to the 80s and when I was a kid and that could be a lot of fun for people. Before we move on, we did want to talk about the Devils, but I did want to ask about the Yankees, and if they are to do damage in the postseason, it feels like a lot of it is going to come down to the bullpen

kind of figuring it out down the stretch, especially with some of these new additions, how much pressure is on those new additions and the bullpen as a whole to kind of get things ironed out before the postseason gets underway. Oh, it's an amazing amount of pressure. I was on the air with the deadline and then the Bednar deal and when they brought in Bird and all they, and Deval, and I said, the stats show me that they're great, but can they handle New York? We saw it ate at Witson live back of the day, Sunny Gray. You saw how it ate alive or all this Chapman. It's one thing to be able to close games in San Diego and Pittsburgh and in San Francisco, but to do it in New York, especially where Marion Rivera almost seemed like he never failed. It's really difficult.

When guys are brought over to New York, expecting to be difference makers, in the pressure-packed area of the Bronx in New York with all the attention, trying to close out games, trying to get big outs, it's eating Devin Williams alive. I mean, when he first got here, it was like, what's all this media? And that's where I criticized Brian Cashman. Does he vet these guys if they can handle New York, if they can handle the media attention? We'll ultimately see, but so far, 0 and 5 since the trade deadline tells me that, Yeah, the back of the baseball card may say they're worth it, but can they handle the scrutiny,

the media and the fan base of New York, ultimately we'll have to see. So stat-wise, looks like they're in good shape, but so far doesn't look like they're handling it very well. Yeah, we see that a lot in Canadian markets and hockey as well, which is, hey, you might be in a market where they get to one reporter after practice and maybe you don't talk to media where, you know, in Canadian markets, you've got, you know, 15, 20 reporters ready to ask you questions at any moment. New York's very similar, if not more, on the baseball side. Yeah, go ahead, Don. I went with that doing the Rangers with John Tortorella.

He loved going to Columbus and Nashville. We went to Toronto and Montreal and Vancouver, and he'd see 50 media members sitting there after the morning skate. His blood would boil. It's a different world because it's great. People care. It's amazing. But when people care, that means a lot of people are going to rip you

when you don't do well, and that's what New York's all about. Absolutely. And I think that's a great transition to your new gig, which is Play-by-Playman for MSG Networks for the New Jersey Devils. So congratulations on getting this job. And I understand you're a Devils fan growing up as well. So what does this moment mean for you? Oh, it's amazing. First of all, to be the full-time voice of a team. And I filled in for Kenny for going on 20 years. And there were some years I did more games than Kenny because, you know, Kenny Albert football and basketball and baseball. He had so many other things going on. but he was still the voice you know him and Sam were still the voice but to be a voice of a team I grew up rooting for I fell in love with hockey because of the devil, I'm a Jersey guy

to be able to walk in the same footsteps as the Gary Thorns of the world and the Mike Emmericks of the world and the John Steve Cangelosies it just yeah it just I'm on the I'm over the moon now this summer's been just amazing to get the news to get that gig

and I just can't wait to see you guys in Vancouver I get to make all the trips now. I'm over the moon, man. I can't even describe just how excited I am to get this season started. It looks like it's a fun team that's kind of trying to come together and stay healthy, so I think my timing's good there, but it's incredible news. I just can't wait for the season. Yeah, congratulations, and it should be an exciting season for the Devils, and maybe they haven't necessarily hit expectations in the past couple years, but what are

what are fair expectations, I guess, for the Devils when you look at the way the roster has kind of shaped out over the offseason? Well, if everybody's healthy with Hughes and Nico and Markstrom and Dougie Hamilton for sure, because he got hurt at the end of last year too, I think they could compete for the division. Carolina's kind of had their number.

I'm interested to see if Washington could follow up the surprise season from last year. But the Rangers are in a bit of a reimagination as they like to put it with the coaching change it looks like they're more of a slow burn. So I think getting in the top three in the metropolitan division, I think, is the goal. And competing to the division, I think, is something that's definitely on the table for them. If they can stay healthy, I don't see any reason why this team can't be certainly a top three.

And then if not, you know, competing for the top spot in this division. Well, we had Devil's Defense and Brendan Dillon on the station last week. And I joke that Canucks fans watch the Canucks, but their second most viewed team probably this coming season will be the New Jersey Devils because of Luke and Jack Hughes. And, you know, there's obviously an intrigue, and I'm sure the Devils fans are keeping an eye on Quinn Hughes as well. Is that a storyline in New Jersey, or are we just overthinking it here in Vancouver with the eventual UFA status of Quinn Hughes?

Well, listen, it just felt almost like it was, they gave kind of an idea of where it might be going here. So, yeah, the people in New Jersey are excited about that possibility. of it happening, whether it's a trade this year or just eventually free agency. It would be a great story to have all three brothers together. I mean, you can make the case to Quinn's the best of the three. I mean, just the position that he plays

and how just tremendous he's been over the last few years. So there's a level of excitement for them all getting together. But we'll see. I mean, it does feel like it's inevitable, but we'll have to wait and see whether it's going to happen. But people in New Jersey are really excited about seeing all them together. Yeah, the vibe here is that we hope the inevitable definitely does not happen. Don, we appreciate you taking the time, and best of luck moving forward.

Well, I'm looking forward to seeing you guys this year, and thanks for reaching out, man. Sounds good. There is Don the Greca joining us on the Halpert & Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Also, joining us from vacation as well. From vacation. What a gentleman. You know us a solid to talk some Yankees and devils. And talking about the inevitability. It feels, it does feel, Look, if I were on the outside looking in, if I were on the outside, if I was not in Vancouver

and I had no vested interest, I'd be like, Quinn Hughes is probably going to New Jersey at some point. That being said, I am in Vancouver and I am heavily biased. We see that Thatcher Demko and Connor Garland, who is his best friend on the team signed six years. Extended. They brought Bessor's back. And I wouldn't be surprised if Vitaly Krausov has some connection to Quinn Hughes to. It's like, who knows? This is all part of the plan to get the Hughes brothers out of the devils and come here. This is what I'm going to say.

This is what's going to happen. This is Jim Rutherford's master plan. Exactly. When we had Brendan Dillon on the show last week, I asked him, how much are they smiling over there? Are they happy? He said yes, but I'm not sure

I fully believe it. Luke doesn't have a contract right now. So he can't be smiling that much. No, yeah. They're playing hardball with him. Quinn's going to be like, I don't like that. It's disrespectful to my brother. I don't know if I want to go there.

It's all coming together. And now all of a sudden, in a few years, Jack Hughes, his contract is going to be up, coming to Vancouver. Or all three of them go somewhere else. They're all going to St. Louis for some reason. Jack went to Seattle? What?

Yeah, this sucks. Could you imagine, though, like, if it was the other way around, where Vancouver has been so, like, eager to jump on, like, even misinformation. Remember Marion Gabbard of buying a house in Vancouver way back in the day of that obviously did not happen. He just really liked Vancouver. He wanted a second home.

Maybe he's like a guy that just goes to dealerships to test drive. You know what I mean? Like, hey, I'm going to an open house just because I like architecture. Yeah, he just liked the vibe of the house, wanted to get some ideas for interior design. Maybe. Like, Vancouver would be so on this if they were on the other side. They'd be like, oh, it's confirmed. Yes.

Like, if it was, hey, the Canucks had Quinn and Luke. And we were talking about Jack having a contract that expires in a few years in New Jersey. It'd be like, ah, Jack Hughes is coming to Vancouver. Yeah. And it's obviously the same in New Jersey. Jersey. That being said, I think it's, I'm not on the train of like, it's a foregone conclusion.

That being said, a lot has to go right for the Canucks this season. It's all about how they play. Like, if the Canucks win and are good for the next two years and are more importantly playoff performers and go deep even, then the narrative changes completely. Because Quinn ultimately, I think, wants to win more

than he wants to play with his brothers. So, I mean, if he can win here, and if they show him that it's possible, then he'll probably stay. But it's up to the Canucks. And it comes back to the theme of the offseason of, well, it depends on what Elias Patterson is next season. Because if he's good and the Canucks make the playoffs, then maybe Quinn Hughes is like,

well, now I can see a future here in Vancouver and I can see a reason for me to stay. And maybe even without that, maybe he does consider staying. I do feel like sometimes we get a little ahead of ourselves here, but I do think there is a lot of it comes down to Elias Peders. You know what's a big factor in all of this is that that Quinn Hughes, doesn't speak very often in the sense that he speaks he does media availability

but he's never going to let you know what he actually thinks like he is the classic I'm going to maybe give you a little bit but I'm not going to over divulge anything so out of silence comes a lot of commentary comes a lot of speculation comes a lot of hey what do we think is going to happen

anytime I'm doing radio hits in other cities like oh what's going to happen to Hughes I wish I knew like honestly it'd be so nice we're in the locker room we talk to the players but it's not like the players are telling us what they're going to do in their next contract. Like, the world doesn't work that way, right? So Quinn Hughes, even more so than anybody else, is, he's, he's reserved.

He has his life with his family. I'm sure they talk openly about future plans and all that, but this is a guy that, to your point, Andy, wants to see what the team probably has in store first. Are you a winning culture? Are you a team that's back on track? And a big part of that is going to be Elias Pedersen, massive, massive part of that. We'll talk about one of the Hughes brothers, Luke Hughes, as he is still in RFA next on the station. Luke Fox is going to join us.

He had a recent article up on Sportsnet.com. Detailing the latest rumors and reports around nine remaining RFAs across the National Hockey League. And by the way, what we learned is early today. It's at 8 o'clock. So get those what we learned in on the 650, 650, Dumbar Lumbertast, text line, hashtag them. W. W. L. it is Halford & Brough Josh Elliott Wolf,

Randy Janda on SportsNet 650. Welcome back to Howford & Brough, Josh Elliott Wolf, Randiwraff, Josh Elliott Wolf, Randi Bjanda. I was waiting for a drop

that a beard might not come. Oh, you know it was coming. And then it came. Yeah, no-howford, no broth. It's Josh Ellie Wolf. Very Ghostbusters-esque. Yes, this one. This one is.

Whoa, what's that? Yeah. Okay. Yeah, I hear that. Our next guest is a huge hip-hop and rap fan. I don't know if you can rap to this beat, though. Yeah. I don't know if it's possible.

It would be impressive. You might be able to throw down. You can text in 650, 650, 6-50, Dunbar, Lumberstacks line. Metro Vancouver's trusted choice for contractors and rental warriors for over 50 years, visit them at one of their three locations to serve you or online at Dunbarlumber.com.

Halpert and Brough, brought to you by Sands & Associates, B.C.'s first and trusted choice for debt help. With over 3,000 5-star reviews, visit sands-dustee.com. This hour of Halpert &Bruff is for Jason. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason shop around

to find the perfect mortgage for you. That's jason. dot mortgage. We go to the hotline powered by PowerWest Industries. It is Sports Nets. Luke Fox joining us. Appreciate you taking the time. Luke, how are you? Doing pretty good. Enjoyed the electro-boogie soul sonic force-era style intro music there. It's a good description. Yeah, it's our electric Wednesdays, I believe it is. I'm just filling in. Dance Mix Wednesday. Dance Mix Wednesday. Okay, there we go. But we did want to get into. You had a recent article up on Sportsnet.com, detailing nine RFAs that are still unsigned.

And here in Vancouver, a couple of them have been of great interest in Marco Rossi and Mason McTavish, maybe not when it comes to offer sheets, but just the potential of a center being available and the Vancouver Canucks wanting a center. And maybe these are guys that fit the bill. We are a week away from when Dylan Holloway and, uh, Philip Broberg signed their offer sheets last year. Do you see any offer sheets as a possibility for any of these players you have on the list?

Slim. You know, anything's possible. And like you mentioned, the offer sheets that St. Louis sent to Edmonton's way, you know, kind of rocked the hockey world and took everyone by surprise. By surprise, no one was really calling for it. The thing with the Oilers last summer is that they were, in such a pinch with the with the salary cap and a lot of teams you know like you look at mason mctavish

the ducks aren't super pressed to the salary cap so you know an offer sheet would have to be so overwhelming that you know they would refuse to match and generally now with the cap going up a lot of teams would just match and want to keep the talent especially when we're talking about centermen centers are so hard to find So, you know, the wild and the ducks would probably match. Marco Rossi's probably a little bit more interesting because it seems that things are a little bit frosty between the player and management.

You know, Michael Russo, who knows that team better than anyone, reported last week that they haven't had any serious negotiations since June, which is crazy, right? like this is supposed to be a young improving player. His numbers are good, which is understandably why Rossi's camp is asking for probably a richer number than Bill Guerin wants to go to. But, you know, he hasn't really fit their style.

Like his minutes went right down in the playoffs. He was like pushed down to the third line. And there's frustration there on the players part. He feels like he needs to talk. six minutes and he can provide some offensive upside and the team hasn't kind of has kind of limited his opportunity so really fascinating situations next pressure point is training camp you know we saw it last fall with Jeremy Swayman do any of these players have the guts to kind of use what little leverage they have and that's withholding their services so that that

that'll be in the interesting thing next month if they linger that far yeah on that negotiation whenever it restarts. Like Bill Garan is saying all the right things, but you can tell that the action is not necessarily following the words. And even when he was used in the playoffs, what, 11 minutes per game he was playing as a guy that can put up points. But it seems like maybe the way he plays, the size, all of those things don't really match up with what the Minnesota wilder about.

They're not exactly the deepest team at the center position either. So like the way that Garan navigates, this is going to be interesting. You need to build a team that's competitive, you need to address the center spot, but it just seems like he's not necessarily the guy for that team. Yeah, you're exactly right. He doesn't fit Garen's identity of a team. You know, he wants size up the middle. So, you know, there's reports that he was asking for something along the lines of seven times seven. And it's like, do you want to commit seven years to a guy that's a little bit slight?

you know, maybe doesn't lend himself to playoff hockey as well as the way that the executives in Minnesota envision building a team. You commit that much, that term and money to a player that's like, okay, then that's a serious investment. So, you know, how this gets solved is either you make a trade, which would, I don't know, it might be like categories as, as a mini blockbuster and move a young centerman to a market that is starving for centers. Like you're for sure Vancouver, you know, the Dakota Joshua trade to Toronto is largely seen as a bit of a salary dump because they'd rather spend those dollars on a center. But Montreal is another team that would love a second line center. you look at a guy like Marty Saint-Louis, who a small guy who had playoff success,

you know, he's been invaluable for, you know, undersized guy like Cole Coughfield, would his vision align better with a Rossi? So Montreal would probably be interested too. And that's just the teams in Canada. Like you go down the list.

There could be a bidding war. So you either go to the trade route, or you probably settle on a bridge and that's usually what happens when things get this tense. The other big name, Mason McTavish, doesn't have the same concerns. He's over six feet, over 200 pounds, 22 years old, but maybe he hasn't hit the point totals that were expected when he was drafted third overall.

Personally, I still look at him and I feel like there is quite a bit of upside there that just hasn't been fully reached in Anaheim yet. what would a contract, I guess, look like for Mason McTavish? And is there a feasible world where he's available on the trade market in your eyes? Yeah, I mean, I don't want to completely rule out a trade, but it feels doubtful, just the way that Pat Verbeek has spoken about the player. And Verbeek, you know, has a track record of really pressing his RFAs. And, you know, I think that's probably the...

the right way to go because that's when the team has leverage. They still have their rights. All these guys still out there don't have arbitration rights. So they don't really have a lot of muscle when it comes to negotiation. So if you are going to put the screws to a player financially, this is the time. Because basically you say, okay, we own your rights. You either sign with us or you do something extreme like go out and find yourself an offer sheet or demand a trade and things could go sideways that way. But You know, Burbik kind of took the same approach when his last round of young players like Trevor Zegris, you know, those negotiations weren't easy.

Verbeek drove a hard bargain. Same with Troy Terry, you know, when he was in this situation. And I think that's probably the best comparable to McTavish a couple years ago is it lingered all the way into September. And then all of a sudden, boom, they ended up going for longer term. It's hard for me to envision a team like the Ducks and a player like McTavish, only 22, like he's just scratching the surface, scored I think 22 goals last season. You just think his trajectory is in line with where the team's going.

Like a young team needs young talent. We just talked about how rare, you know, good dependable centers are. I just feel like there has to be a pathway here. And this is probably just both sides trying to play a little bit of hard ball and we'll see what happens in a few weeks when the next pressure comes. Yeah, the real potential of a Leo Carlson,

Mason McTavish, one-two punch for probably a decade is, like, that's too tough to turn down if you're Pat Verbeek. I know there's going to be some potentially some crazy offers out there because McTavish is well liked, but I feel like the value on your own team is so much more than anything that you'd bring in,

especially to have that one-two punch long term. yeah for sure and you know the ducks i think are being circled by a lot of people as as a team that that's on the rise you know um i think a lot of people are high on lucas dosto another guy who was r f a but had arbrides and they locked him up they've turned the page from john gibson there's there's kind of a fresh energy in anaheim i know that they were they were trying to get in on Mitch Marner as well, who ultimately ended up in Vegas. So they've kind of turned the page from selling off assets to, you know, going out and seeking guys, identifying and locking up guys who they think are part of their core.

You know, the Ziegrest thing was not a good fit. They moved on from him. So it feels like they're taking steps. And it would shock me if McTavish isn't in the Ducks jersey when the puck drops in October. Another big name that is left unsigned as an RFA, but not offer sheet eligible, is Luke Hughes in New Jersey. What do you think the reason he isn't signed is yet? Yeah, it's a curious one. I think the reason is because the devils have done a great job of kind of building an internal cap.

And that starts with Luke's brother, Jack, who's on one of the best deals now that the can. cap is spiking, probably in the NHL in terms of value. Like young center capable of finishing top 10, top five scoring next season, as long as he's healthy. And, you know, he's at a sweetheart of a deal. And then all of a sudden, because of what defensemen are getting paid and Luke Hugh is already playing top four minutes as a young guy, he has a case that he can make more than his older brother, even though, you know, you wouldn't say he's more valuable

to the team. So I think this is a matter of Tom Fitzgerald, just trying to not let their internal payroll structure get blown out of whack and trying to get them at as reasonable a deal as possible. And Luke Hughes can say, hey, how many young, top four defensemen are out there? And I'm young and I'm going to help your team for a long time. I think there's a desire on both sides for this one not to be a bridge for it to be a long-term deal like maybe something in the seven-year range

and it's just like they need to find a number and management is trying to get it as low as possible but you know you might have to you might have to buck up a little bit for this one he's at the top of the list for a reason I think he's going to get the biggest payday of all the guys of the three names we haven't mentioned

you did have nine RFAs listed. Are there any of those situations that you find especially interesting? You know, a lot of those ones will probably be settled in bridge deals. You know, the Conner's R.A. one in Calgary is a little bit fascinating just because I think he was a guy that a lot of people envision would take a significant step this past season. And he was, he's kind of marred a little bit by consistency issue. kind of leveled off and it feels like there's more there. It certainly feels like his best season is yet to come. So that one feels like it's probably going to end up in a bridge

because the player has more to prove and I think Craig Conroy wants to see more before committing to him, but in flashes he's a really dynamic, exciting player. So I think that one is like you have a little bit more to prove here. We like you. playing for us. We're giving you lots of opportunity. You know, the flames are in the middle of a youth movement. There's certainly ice time there for anyone who wants to go out and grab it. But Conroy went on another station recently and said that talks are slower than he expected. So maybe that's just a game of chicken. But that's probably the other one I'm kind of most intrigued by.

Well, you mentioned the flames there. And I think they're in a really interesting spot this year because, yes, they are going through a youth movement and that leads me to Nazim Kodry who had a great end to the season last year. Him and Dustin Wolf were probably the two primary reasons that the flames were competitive for a large portion of the season. Now, does his future lay in Calgary?

Because you mentioned it, youth movement. He doesn't really jive with that at 34 years of age and it seems like there is some value there. Teams need second line centers and he could be a pretty good one. He'd be a fantastic one and there's proof that he can win a cup as a second line center, right, in Colorado. So he's a gamer.

I love Codry. You know, I like his approach. He's good defensively. He never shies from the spotlight. And, you know, I mean, he wouldn't come out and say it. He's, you know, I think, you know, every time he throws his jersey on, he's going to give his all. But once you've been to the top of the mountain, I'm sure deep down, part of him is feeling antsy to get another taste of the playoffs.

And, you know, you look on paper, and I think the flames probably overachieve last season and still didn't make it. I find them hard-pressed to get in to the dance in 2026. So absolutely, I'm looking at Nazim Kodry as a trade candidate. Conroy has the benefit of letting the season play out. Maybe the flame's surprise. You don't want to give up on the season too early. You know, Raspis Anderson's in the same boat.

Let's see how they do, sell some tickets. Everyone, you know, everyone starts with zero losses. But if things start to go sideways in Calgary, for sure teams are going to be calling about Codry. They're going to be calling about Anderson. And they're in a great position to sell because there are hardly any teams, like the bad teams are trying to get better now. Like we just talked about Montreal, Vancouver, you know, some people might have said

maybe they need to take a step back. that's not how they're viewing this season at all. They're trying to get right back to the playoffs after missing. So there's a ton of teams that don't want to declare themselves sellers. Pittsburgh is one that already is. But if things start to go sideways in Calgary, you can easily say, okay, we're selling and there's going to be a ton of buyers. So I think, Codry, you know, there's no pressure to do it now,

but between now and the trade deadline, for sure, he's a strong candidate. yeah on that note how advantageous is it going to be for the teams that you know maybe they're on the bubble right now maybe maybe looking at pushing for the postseason maybe fall out of it but you know the teams that get off to a slower start than they may have hoped that find themselves essentially on the outside of the playoff picture in late november early december is that going to be an advantageous spot for teams that decide they're going to be one of the sellers earlier than the others yeah i think so And especially because this upcoming draft class is a lot more enticing. You know, I'm not a draft expert, but I pay attention to what they're saying. And they're saying that the 26th draft class has greater potential for high-end impact players than the 25 class. So if you realize that this season's going off the rails and you're not going to be making a strong playoff push, why not declare yourself a seller why not try and get some great assets

and you know you might just win the draft lottery and be in the position not the Islanders were in June so I think what's death to me is the teams that are in the mushy middle and they don't

commit one way or another and the argument against that would be hey the owners don't want you to give up on the season because we still got to put butts in seats and we don't want to look like we're quitting on the season. But, you know, season after season of finishing 8th to 12th in your conference doesn't get you anywhere, you know, especially when the draft class is this enticing. So it will be interesting to see if some GMs are a little bit more decisive around that

American Thanksgiving timeline that most people use as a kind of a benchmark to see how good their team is. Hey, Luke, I appreciate you taking the time and enjoy the rest of the summer. Yeah, you guys too. Thanks for having me on. There's Luke Fox from Sportsnet joining us on the Halford & Brough Show, Josh Ellie Wolf,

and Randeep Janda. Some interesting notes on RFA's. So we are one week away, exactly one week away. August 13th of last year was when Dylan Holloway and Philip Broberg signed their offer sheets. Does it happen this year?

I don't think it does. And I'm sorry to burst your bubble here. I want chaos. I want chaos too, but the cap going up has left everybody with a little bit more money than they've had in the past. And the Oilers, to Luke's point, were in a very difficult spot. And most importantly, there are two players and their agent that helped to initiate that offer sheet. Yeah. Do you still have that in these players?

And more importantly, going back to the cap, are any of these teams up against it, really? Not really. So Anaheim has $20 million in cap space. which is obviously way more than enough to match any offer sheet for Mason McTavish and the Minnesota Wilde have around $9 million. So they've positioned themselves well to match any offer sheet for Marco Rossi. So yeah, it's a different situation. I know some people, some people do want the offer sheet.

I would love an offer sheet for just the chaos perspective. But I also don't think it would be, I don't think the Canucks should be offer sheeting either of them in particular because I do think it is very risky. to put that unprotected first on the line for any player, let alone guys that are RFA's. And I have a lot of hope in both McTavish and Rossi, but they are both bets as well.

For sure. And Mason McTavish, I have a little bit more faith in. You mentioned the size. Hey, listen, at the center position, that does matter until a player shows you that it doesn't matter. Marco Rossi has to show the league that he can consistently play at that level. 60 plus points is good,

but, you know, I think that question still has to be answered for him. Both of these players, especially with the draft class that's coming up, yeah, that's a risk. And that's a risk that I wouldn't be willing to take. Now, I think the Minnesota situation is really intriguing because Bill Garron's talking a good game, but actions speak louder than words. And the last time this team played in the playoffs, they didn't have confidence in the player. So what are you going to, what's your actual valuation of Marco Rossi, not only in terms of a contract, but a trade.

There are some teams that would say, hey, 23-year-old player, maybe we're going through a retool. Is there a deal to be made? Are a team like the New York Islanders who, yeah, they're going through a bit of a youth movement here. They traded Noah Dobson. They brought in Matthew Schaefer. They've got some other pieces.

They also have two centermen, Bo Horvatt and Matt Barzell, that are a little bit older. And if you're trying to go younger and offer a slightly bigger centerman to Minnesota, is that a deal that you could say, hey, we're trying to get younger. We have an asset here who's aging a little bit more. Would a team like the Islanders make a push for a deal like that? Because I feel like with them, they could say, hey, here's a couple of years where

Marco Rossi, we're going to allow you to grow into this role. You're going to get your ice time. You're not going to be a guy that's going to be staple to the end of the bench. I think there is a move out there. I just don't know when that's going to happen. Or it's a situation. The Islanders one is interesting where like, hey, if they're willing to move off a Barzal or Horvat, you probably get more in return for them than I think the Rossi package would

require. So maybe you look at it and you're like, hey, slight downgrade at center for a team that's kind of rebuilding, kind of not. They're in a weird spot. And then you get more assets on top of it from whoever you trade. So I could see that being interesting. But yeah, it's a weird situation in Minnesota and the latest from Michael Russo of the athletic, the most plugged in. Wild reporter. He reported last week that the two sides had not negotiated since early June, which is

that's not good. That's a long time. Yeah. So we'll see where the Wilde and Rossi shake out as the offseason goes on. Bill Garen's doing a Jerry Jones with Marco Rossi here. We talked earlier. We're not going to talk for a few months. Yeah, we'll see if

he's ready for the season. I don't know. I'm not concerned. Don't lose sleep. Before we go, the BC Lions, Saturday, August, 16th, your Lions face the alouettes for the show and shine game, featuring over 200 classic and exotic cars. Get tickets at BCLyons.com. It's what we learned on the other side. Text them in.

WWL. Please, we need more. Please do it. Text them in 650, 650. On the Dunbar Lumbert tax line, we'll hit those on the other side because at 830, we're going to talk to Jeannie Bouchard. It is Halfer and Abraf, Josh L.A. Wolf, Randy Chandan, Sportsnet, 650.