Halford & Brough in the Morning - Frank Seravalli On Canucks Trade Rumours

Episode Date: December 18, 2024

In hour two, Halford & guest host Jamie Dodd talk the latest Canucks trade rumours ahead of Thursday's roster freeze as Daily Faceoff NHL insider Frank Seravalli (1:34) joins the show, plus they chat with Utah Hockey Club television commentator Matt McConnell (25:47) ahead of tonight's Canucks matchup at Utah. 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.

Sarah Valley Frank Cervelli Frank Daily Face Off Frank 702 on a Wednesday Frank You're listening to the Halford and Brough Show with Jamie Dodd for the rest of the week here on Sportsnet 650 There's not another one

I always get confused You had the timing down on that one I was impressed Yeah I one. I always get confused. Just the guitar. You had the timing down on that one. I was impressed. Yeah. But I always forget if there's a second. Frank! There wasn't on that one.

Ah, well. Halifax and Brougham of 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. Frank Cervelli from Daily Faceoff is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off Hour 2. Hour 2 of this program is brought to you by Jason Hominuk at 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. I am being facetious. Let him do exactly that. Visit him on the internet at Jason.Mortgage. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio. Kintec, Canada's favorite orthotics provider, powered by thousands of five-star Google reviews.

Sore feet? What are you waiting for? Kintec. To the phone lines we go. Frank Cerevelli, a presentation of Angry Otter Liquor, joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Morning, Frank. How are you?

Morning, boys. I'm good. How are you guys? We're well. Thanks for taking the time to do this. Morning, Frank. How are you? Morning, boys. I'm good. How are you guys? We're well. Thanks for taking the time to do this. We appreciate it. So the Buffalo Sabres, let's start right there. It's a 6-1 loss in Montreal.

Yeah, I saw the same reaction from every guest. The day after the owner flies to Montreal to meet with the team to tell them that the answer is in this room, Buffalo goes out and says it is certainly not in this room. A 6-1 loss in Montreal. Jamie and I just had the conversation prior to having you on about how bad things might get in Buffalo and what they might be willing to entertain

in terms of trying to solve this, be it someone getting fired, or I guess more interestingly, someone getting traded. How do you see this going if it keeps going in the direction that it is in Buffalo? Yeah, I got to tell you, when I was reporting on this meeting on Monday

and team sources were relaying this information about the meeting and the tone and what was said, I was typing out the tweet and I was like, for the first time in my career, I feel like I write for the onion. What do you mean the answers are in this room? And I'm not downplaying or knocking anyone on the sabers, but 10 losses in a row in a pressure-packed season, which everyone knows needs to be different, something has to change. And I think last night was such an exclamation point on it.

It's not that you're going up against the last place team in the Eastern Conference and you're just ahead of them in 15th place. You know, to come out and lay an egg like that and to do it in the fashion that they did so decisively and so early quick in the game i mean i was floored falling from afar so um from a trade perspective i think everything has to be on the table regardless of whatever terry pagula said on monday that he told the players to not expect a big trade and i'm not saying that it's going to happen before Thursday's trade freeze kicks in, but if Kevin Adams is spending the holiday break and he's still employed, I would say the big

thing that they have to figure out is why do we continue to fall into this rut with a team that can't defend properly? And how do we make changes to this roster and get past the idea that we just love our own players? Because Terry Pagula said it. He told the players that he believes Kevin Adams has built a good team. And I think on paper, there's lots of things to point to to say why that might be the case. But the fact of the matter is the sum of the parts is just, it's just not working.

And they've got to find a way to, I guess, fall out of love with some of the guys that they have, or at least recognize the value that they might have to bring in some other players to do it differently. Who do you think would be most likely from the roster to be on the move? As you said, maybe part of the process is they need to fall out of love with some of the guys they've really committed long-term to. There's a lot of them. They also have a young player in Bowen Byram who's an RFA. After the season, is there a logical candidate that you look at and say,

okay, if they want to shake things up, if they want to change the roster, that's the guy they could explore trading? I think they have to look squarely at their back end because I look at that group and I say, again, on paper, Power, Darlene, Pamuelson, supposed to be the shutdown guy. Um, then Byram that you mentioned pending RFA, like they should have a top two or three defense core in the Eastern

conference to build around. And yet when you watch their games, it's the same mistakes over and over again for a team that looks like it's playing summer hockey. And I think you've got to find a way to take one of those four defensemen and change them out for someone else. And the Byram deal was so interesting because obviously you gave up a good piece in Casey Middlestad. It's going to have to be a trade that's a lot along those lines where you're,

you know, you're giving up something that you really like and you're getting something back that you like as well. And that's the type of deal that they're good. They're going to have to look at here. I think seeing some of those mistakes and maybe even considering one of Darlene or power as, as drastic as that might sound,

there's just, there's dots here that aren't being connected. We're speaking to Frank Cervalli from daily face off here on the Halford and breath show on sports net six 50. What is the defenseman market in terms of trade look like right now? Because Fowler has been moved. True has been moved. I mentioned like Marcus Patterson just got placed on IR,

and he was the guy who had his name out there as well. I know the trade roster freeze is happening in short order, so we might not see anything for the next little bit, but how is that trade defenseman market shaping up? Well, yeah, you just mentioned three of the eight guys that were on my trade target board. That tells you that it's it's thinning in a hurry um that said i do need to share that the canucks are one team that i have

my eye on between now and the trade freeze on thursday night at midnight eastern um i i do think that they've been pretty active here in the last few days, trying to go after a defenseman to fulfill some of the, you know, the needs that we've talked about all season long, that efficient puck mover. I haven't been able to put my finger on exactly what they're looking at or who they're talking to. You know, I know everyone wants to immediately draw the line to Buffalo and mention Boen Byram, but

when I look at the league, I think there's way more pieces on the chessboard than just Buffalo. As it pertains to the Canucks, I'm assuming that your antenna might have been raised over the weekend when Jim Rutherford went on national television and said that the team might have been a couple players away from being a true contender? No. Actually, I heard some increased chatter yesterday and Monday about the Canucks involved in conversation. Anything else?

Come on, Frank, give us something here. Anything else? I'm sharing as much as I possibly know. I'm metaphorically emptying the notebook for you. If I can pinpoint the team, I would tell you I haven't been successful in doing those thus far. So I've been working behind the scenes and I was hoping, you know, I made a couple of calls this morning. I was hoping to even get you some additional intel, but I just haven't gotten there yet. It's a process of elimination.

That's life of an insider. You throw a bunch of teams on the board that might be possibilities, and then you call and try and figure if you can narrow it down. And we appreciate the hard work on our behalf, Frank. My question, the question that came to mind for me hearing you say that is, we've heard so many different things that the Canucks might be interested in doing right anywhere from, I mean, you know, Elliot Friedman throws out the big Patterson idea right to Buffalo. But from there down to, you know, trying to find a taker for Vincent Deharnais and obviously puck moving defenseman is in the mix there. There's been reports that they're looking for maybe some wing help as well.

Do you have any sense of like the magnitude of the type of deal they might be working on this week? Is it as simple as, hey, we're trying to get Vincent Desharnais a new home and free up some cap space, or could it be something more substantial? No, I'm told it's something more substantial that they're working on, that they're looking for that top four defenseman addition that they're trying to make. I'm not saying it's going to happen by Thursday,

by any stretch of the imagination, just that talks had picked up on that front. There's some sense that they might have gotten closer. And it's, you know, all those other things things are nice sort of ancillary moves on the chessboard that are nice to have but not need to have and I think even going back to the end of training camp and the start of this season that has been by far the number one you know thing on everyone's wish list in Vancouver's front office and coaching staff has been get a top four addition if we can.

That's more efficient moving the puck. We're speaking to Frank Cervalli from Daily Faceoff here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Okay, let's look at some of these teams around the NHL that might be in the business of making a move. Majority of the ones that are struggling, of course. The New York Rangers last night lose in Nashville 2-0 to the Preds. Nothing is going right for the reigning President's Trophy winner,

I will remind you. That's where the New York Rangers were last year. They lost to the team that had the fewest points in the NHL. It's their third straight loss. There's a lot going on in New York, not a lot of it good. What do you have on the Rangers, Frank? Yeah, I think the Rangers are not all that different than the Sabres, although in a different spot in the standings in that they're willing to consider a lot of different things. And also unlike the Sabres, where I'm told a number of teams have presented formal offers

to Kevin Adams and just haven't been able to get engagement coming back the other way, that Chris Drury is way more willing to engage in conversation to, you know, to try and figure something out. And I think there will, like, they're all over the map in terms of what they're looking at um what happens next with ryan lindgren for instance and should the rangers consider although they'd be selling low what happens with k andre miller on their back end and you know go through the list of of players up front Capo Caco probably, at least with his coach, put a target on his back with his comments yesterday.

So there's a whole host of things that New York is looking at that I think the biggest question for me watching that team is, you can make moves this season, and not to suggest at all that they'd be punting on it, but how many moves can New York make that actually improve their team in the here and now? And I think that's the tougher part of the equation to put together if you're Chris Drury. Well, yeah, when they made the Trouba deal, that freed up such a big amount of cap space for them. And obviously for next year, a lot of that ends up being committed to Shusterkin in net.

But for this, it's just strange to see a team with the aspirations like the Rangers, not replace that cap hit for this season to try to be competitive. But having said that, I mean, they've continued to spiral since making that deal. So I wonder if at this point, almost,

do you want to kind of commit the assets to go out and bring in a big money player uh for this season if you're not even sure you're going to have a real shot at the playoffs right now well that's the question that they're asking themselves the problem is they have an owner in jim dolan who won't accept otherwise so i think it's very likely that um they do go out and pull the trigger at some point in time to significantly try and improve that team and change what the complexion of this season looks like. is plenty of time with a hard reset. And I think the holidays will probably come at a good time for them, given how they've been scuffling. This is a team that was 12-7-1 and firmly in a playoff spot before Chris Drury sent out that memo that now has sent them in a spiral.

So it feels like a lot of the issues that have plagued New York reside squarely between their ears. And it also coincides with a period in time in which they've gotten their worst goaltending in years, which yes, there have been egregious turnovers and mistakes made, but, and, and certainly lack of, of effort and attention to detail. But at the same time, the goaltending had previously covered up a lot of those issues and Shisterkin and Jonathan Quick have saved percentages in the 800s since Chris Drury set out the memo.

I want to turn our attention to a positive story here, one of the better stories in the National Hockey League, a very good team, the Washington Capitals, who lost the services of Alex Ovechkin, but are still playing remarkably well. They've got a 7-10 points percentage, which is one of the best in the Eastern Conference. And I know that you had a conversation with Dylan Strom the other day,

who's having a tremendous season. He's on pace for 30 goals and 100 points this season. And it's a guy that it took him a little bit longer than some of the other draft mates of his to find his footing and to become this quality of a player in the National Hockey League. What were some of your takeaways in speaking with Strom? Well, I think the most interesting part to consider with Strom is everyone is looking for some kind of secret sauce here.

Like, what's the ingredient that turned this guy into a, the last couple years at least, a consistent 65-plus point player, and then now this year, this breakout year, that has him on pace for 103 points uh i think the amazing part about it is the answer is nothing's changed he's by and large the same player that he was three years ago that has been given more opportunity and has an organization that believes in him and he's maintained confidence and, you know, self-belief that he can be that player that was picked number three overall in

2015. I mean, there's a guy that in the OHL playing for Erie outscored Connor McDavid. So obviously a really talented individual that has put it all together in one spot. And it's also a lesson, I think, for the rest of the league in that three years ago, he was a healthy scratch on opening night in Chicago and seven of the first 11 games of the season. I was at the Caps game last night in Chicago, by the way, awful blown third period lead as the Hawks scored three goals on four shots in the third.

But it's a reminder that 30 teams in this league passed on Dylan Strom. They didn't issue him a qualifying offer in Chicago. And he mentioned in the pod with me that he got one offer from one team and it was a one-year deal in Washington. So it wasn't just the Hawks and what they didn't see in his play. It was everyone else too. And sometimes, you know, even at 24 years old he's now 27 you know these things sometimes a change of scenery is needed sometimes that opportunity is needed frank one team that's interesting to me as we start to look ahead to the trade deadline is the the kraken in seattle and they get shut out at home by ottawa night. You know, they're still well outside the playoff picture in the Western Conference, below 500 points percentage.

They just can't seem to find any traction in that market. And, you know, you look at their roster, they've got a bunch of UFAs, Yanni Gord, Brandon Tanev, Will Borgen, that I think teams would be interested in. They've also got a couple of players, you know, like Bjorkstrand and and schwartz who have one additional year left that i think would be really interesting but i also know you know they spent big in the offseason they're still a new franchise they're desperate to kind of recapture the imagination of sports fans in that city what do you see them doing do you have a handle on kind of what their approach might be for the rest of the season and leading into the deadline yeah and jamie the time is of the essence, because it's only really a matter of time, I think, until the NBA comes back to Seattle.

So all of a sudden, you're going to be in a dogfight for disposable income in the winter months in what was previously an NBA market. So I think they fully recognize the timeline and need to get moving. But I think that team is stuck in no man's land. And the reason for that is they don't have any stars. That's hugely problematic in pro sports and not from a marketing perspective, but also just from a compete perspective. They've got a bunch of really good players. They're all good players, but no one truly exceptional, truly elite. And unfortunately for them, I don't see that in their draft pipeline either, their prospects. So they've got, I think, some not so difficult

decisions to make. And they've gotten a ton of calls already on Yanni Gord, Brandon Tanev. Both those guys were on my trade targets board that I think Seattle, they need a shot in the arm. Like they've got to make a big move because I think what we've seen from Ron Francis in his tenure as GM in Seattle is really not all that different than what we saw from him in Carolina, which is a competitive team,

not one of the worst teams, but nowhere near close to being in contention and scrapping and clawing just to be a playoff team. Frank, this was great as always, man. Thanks for taking the time to do it. We really appreciate it.

Enjoy all the games tonight, and we'll all be keeping a close eye on everything that happens or doesn't happen as we get closer to the roster freeze. Sounds good. Have a great Christmas, guys. You too. Thanks. That's Frank Saravalli from Daily Faceoff here on the Halford & Brough Show

featuring Jamie Dodd on Sportsnet 650, a friendly reminder to all you kids In journalism school out there When you're at the end of an interview and you don't know what else to ask Just do what I do and say, come on Give us something You got anything else for us? I'll be your friend

Give us some red meat here, Frank, come on You don't even have to try and frame a question very well Come on, you gotta have something else he's trying his best out there i and actually the process that he is undergoing uh is painstaking they do actually teach you in journalism school not for like an on-air interview but if you're you know more of an informational interview like for print or whatever to say at the end like is there anything else you want to say about this yeah just put it out there. So there you go. We opened the floor, as it was.

But yeah, it's interesting because the roster frees for the holidays. It's midnight Eastern on December 19th. I believe I've got that correct. I can double check. And then it stretches to the 27th. So if you want to get a move in, you got to do it fast. We got a lot more to get to on the program. I got to do some. I got to get to on the program i gotta do some

i gotta tend to some business here because we have like no what we learns whatsoever in the dumb bar lumber text message in basket so please not here everyone's just checked out yeah i know like step up somebody asked me if i could uh interrupt halford and monologue for three minutes you gotta argue with the texters too that. To kind of fill the void a little bit. Well, somebody come at me in the text box. I'll argue with you. You have to. One guy was like,

this is way too cordial. It's freaking me out right now. You have to intermittently interrupt me while I'm talking and then also not pay attention to me when I'm talking and have a one-on-one argument with a listener in the Dunbar Lumber text message

in basket. We have a very similar co-host is what I'm learning. That sounds like the Thomas Trance experience right there. Hold on, hold on. I'm talking to someone. It's not you. This guy just texted in this. I was like, all right, that's great.

So speaking of texting in, get your What We Learns in. What did you learn over the last 24 hours in sports? There was a lot that happened in the non-hockey division, by the way, if you missed it, and we'll get to some of these and what we learned as well. Michael Penix Jr. is now the starting quarterback of the Atlanta Falcons. The Milwaukee Bucks won the NBA Cup,

and there's a new Euro Super League called the Unify League, which is going to have 96 teams in it. Now, this is just a pitch. It's not completely set in stone yet, but there's lots going on in the world of sports. The Dunbar-Lumber text line is 650-650. The exercise, as always, tell us what you learned over the last 24 hours in sports.

Hashtag at WWL. We'll do them at 830. It's your chance to be on the radio. Before we do that, at 815, a reminder, we are giving away a pair of tickets to the PWHL Takeover Tour, which is going to be on January the 8th at Rogers Arena. Yeah, that's right. Professional women's hockey coming to Vancouver January the 8th. Rogers is a proud partner and fan of the PWHL.

If you want the tickets, be caller number 5. 1-2-3-4-5 at 815 this morning. The phone number, 604- 280-0650. That number again, 604- 28080-0650. That number again, 604-280-0650. Don't call now.

Call at 815 and be caller number five for a pair of tickets to the PWHL Takeover Tour January the 8th at Rogers Arena. Coming up on the other side of the break, we are going to preview tonight's game. Canucks, Utah Hockey Club from the Utah side of things. Matt McConnell, the play-by-play voice of said hockey club, is going to join us on the program. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show with Jamie Dodd on Sportsnet 650.

Hey, it's Jamie Dodd and Thomas Drance. Get your daily dose of Canucks talk with us weekdays from 12 to 2 on Sportsnet 650. Or catch up on demand through your favorite podcast app. 7.32 on a Wednesday. I know what you're doing. I know what you're doing. I know what you've done. What have I done? You've fused together Euro Trash Wednesdays with your love of Christmas music.

Yeah, well done. Young boys everywhere are dancing. Is this like, was it like Manheim Steamroller? Remember them? Yes. Wow, there's a shout. Wasn't this their kind of music? The directions that the morning show will take you.

You never know. There's a lot of spontaneity in this show. You never know what direction we're going to go. This is one of them. Matt McConnell is on hold, by the way. Probably not for much longer. What is happening right now? You are listening to the Halford & Brough Show, a sports talk radio show in Vancouver.

Brought to you by Vancouver Honda, Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff. They can help with anything you're looking for, sales, financing, service, or parts. This is also your home of the Vancouver Canucks. They'll be playing tonight against the Utah Hockey Club. Matt McConnell will join us in just a second here

for a preview from the Utah side of things. We are in Hour 2 of the program. Hour 2 is brought to you by Jason Hominick from 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. Visit him on the internet at Jason.Mortgage. To the phone lines we go. The play-by-play voice of the Utah Hockey Club, Matt McConnell,

joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Matt. How are you? Doing great. I love the music. You know, I can't wait until our game Monday night. I get to wear an ugly Christmas hockey sweater. So I'm really looking forward to that. But, yeah, we've got a big one here tonight too. Yeah, it is a big one.

We were talking about this from, well, both sides really, because these teams aren't that far apart in the standings. And I know Utah's got a bunch of games played on everybody so far. So through the first 30 games or so, Utah's 14, 11 and 5, fifth in the Central Division. We had Greg Wyshynski on the show yesterday, and he was doing his playoff bubble watch. And utah's played so few games because of the points that they've got they've actually got a pretty good shot of making the playoffs can you give our

listeners a snapshot a brief synopsis of how things have been inaugural season in utah through that for those first 30 games for the team yeah you know you know, well, first of all, off the ice, phenomenal ownership group, great organization. Just, I think they've done a really good job in a very short period of time. I mean, they, you know, from the time they got the team till the first preseason game against the Kings back in September, it was five months. I mean, they built a practice, basically built out a practice facility at the Olympic Oval out in Kearns. They got the team up and running and brought everybody in.

Everybody got settled. They doubled their staff, basically. They had a lot of people on the jazz side of things, but they had to build out the hockey side. So kudos on all of that. On the hockey side, I think what they're doing now is they're settling in and they're finding their rhythm. Early on, it was a little disjointed because they had a couple of defensemen that were out of a lineup. They lost Sean Dursey in the

fourth game of the season, and he's probably not going to be back until relatively late in the season, probably March sometime. They also have not had the services of John Marino since day one. He was injured in the offseason, so they've scrambled a little bit. I think one of the turning points was when they went out and they got Ole Mata because Ole is not a sexy name on the back end by any stretch of the imagination. But what he did was he really just kind of solidified and settled down the back end. And he's been playing, you know, top-pairing minutes

with Mikhail Sergeyev, who has been terrific. And I think that's allowed Michael Kessering to play in that middle pairing with Ian Cole, which has actually been very, very good. Ian's had a, you know, Vancouver fans would know Ian, obviously. He's had a real nice start to his season. He's doing what he does. He blocks a lot of shots and he gets pucks out of the zone.

So I think those were turning points of the season. And now it's just, I think it's more of the, it's twofold. It's the maturation of the young kids like Logan Cooley and Dylan Gunther and Jack McBain and Clayton Keller, who's not really a kid anymore. He's been around for a while. It's been that, and I think it's been their dedication and attention to the defensive side. They've been a much, much better defensive team in the last four or five weeks

than they were at the beginning of the season so one of the things i find fascinating about utah this season matt is they're not an expansion team of course but they it has that feel right and part of that is you know we've all watched clayton keller play and nick schmaltz and you know go down the list of guys who were there in arizona but because there was always such a distraction with the off-ice situation, we were always paying a little bit more attention to that. It felt like now we can really just focus on hockey and kind of get reacquainted with a lot of these talented players.

And just from a big-picture point of view, how would you describe Utah's identity on the ice this season? You know what, I think they're pretty relentless. I think one of the biggest improvements to this group has been their play without the puck in the neutral zone. They have been very, very good. You know, their game in San Jose Saturday night was their fifth and eighth night, and they weren't all that good.

But if you go back to their game in Denver, I thought they were locked tight. They didn't give the avalanche much. They played up the ice, right? So they didn't really give Kale McCarr and Nathan McKinnon and those guys an opportunity to kind of crank it up and use their speed and come flying into the zone on you. They defend in layers, and I think when they're able to do that, and I know that's maybe cliche, but when they defend in layers,

they just don't give the opposition a lot, especially through the neutral zone. And they're pretty good in terms of turnovers in the neutral zone and keying that into offensive opportunities. You know, the Clayton Keller line with Nick Schmaltz and Barrett Hayton has been reunited again from a couple of years back when they were really terrific. And this Logan Cooley line with Dylan Gunther on the right side has been absolutely terrific. They've just been a lot of fun to watch. They've been very, very effective.

You know, they're good in Ozone possession time. They're a top-five team in cycle chances. You know, they're pretty good around the slot in terms of setting things up. Defensively, they're third in limiting forecheck, and they're ninth limiting rebounds. So, you know, to me, those are the stories right now heading into this game tonight. You know, I'm interested to see the Canucks because of just how good they've been on the road to see how they match up here against Utah.

It is a game at altitude. That's something else. It's, I believe, the second highest altitude now in the league behind Colorado. So I think it sets up for a pretty good matchup. We're speaking to Matt McConnell, play-by-play voice of the Utah Hockey Club here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. You mentioned

Dylan Gunther there, Matt, and he leads the team in goals with 13 points with 29. We had Ray Ferraro on the show yesterday. Ray worked the opener, the first ever game in Utah, and he got to see Gunther up close and personal, scored two goals in that game, if I'm not mistaken. What have you seen from Gunther this year?

What has led to him having this breakout season offensively in which he's basically a point-of-game guy in the NHL now? Yeah, I was happy that Ray, going back to that opening night, I was happy that Ray made it because he had a doubleheader. I think he was in Seattle for the afternoon game. And I know Ray going all the way back to my Atlanta days. He used to sit behind me on the plane. He and Andrew Burnett, you know, they talked baseball nonstop.

And one time I finally turned around and said, why don't you guys just go buy a minor league team for crying out loud? You know, what are you doing? But, no, Ray's awesome, and he's dead on. Dylan Gunther is just, it's his consistency now, right? He's got points in 12 of his last 17 games, but it's his shot. I think it's his hockey IQ and his shot. He's fourth in the NHL in terms of one-timers.

David Pasternak leads the league in that category, but he's had 58 one-timers. David Pasternak leads the league in that category, but he's had 58 one-time opportunities, and a lot of those obviously are on the power play. Just a great kid, always looking to get better, very unassuming. We know what he did on the world stage. We know what he did in junior in terms of putting up points. And I think what we're seeing out of Gunther and Logan Cooley and even Clayton Keller, who's been around for a while, I just think that we're starting to see another gear with all of these guys. The first gear that Dylan Gunther was in as a rookie was pretty good,

and the same could be said with Logan Cooley. But now I think they understand how important the defensive side of the game is stripping pucks, turning, turning those chances into offensive opportunities. Um, but Dylan Gunther is just, just terrific in that regard. And, and, and he's, he's got some pretty good speed too. Like, I mean, he can scoot. So, um, but just really smart on the ice and and he's turning that I think into becoming a consistent player on the offensive side of things you mentioned the work that Ryan Smith did getting this operation up and running at a really high level off the ice and obviously there was a lot of investment on the ice in the offseason as well

and that's something that fascinates me about this team. If they can continue to be in the playoff mix, it seems like they have an owner, they have the assets and all of it to be pretty aggressive at the trade deadline. Is that your sense of it, that there's going to be a mandate from ownership to say like, hey, let's keep pushing this. Let's see if we can make the playoffs in our first season here in Utah. Well, you know, that'd be that'd be ideal, right? And, you know, Bill Armstrong, the general manager has always said, we want to play meaningful games down the stretch. And that's a bit of a carryover from Arizona, but, you know, I don't, I don't think

Bill is the type of general manager that is necessarily going to mortgage the future for the here and now, if you know what I mean. He hasn't done that in the past, but I do think they're always looking to make the team better and they're going to do what they feel makes sense, right? And that's what's going on right here now. I think the bigger question is there's no longer a question of can they do it? It's just a matter of do they

think it's the right decision to do, right? You know, the assets, the resources and all that, that's no longer an issue with this group. And, you know, I do want to get back to the, I do want to get back to the whole, you know, thought of, you know, how they've struggled in the past to, I guess, block out all the distractions that they had that this group had when they were down in Arizona. You know, a year ago in January when the memo came out or the press release came out that Utah was interested in a team, you know, this group was in Florida and

it went right through the locker room. I'm not going to, I'm not going to lie to you. And then they went on that stretch of losing, I believe 13 or 14 straight. They don't have to worry about that anymore. And, you know, like, like Bill Armstrong said about a week ago, he said, look, there, there are no more excuses. You know, the resources are there. The travel is great. They leave a day earlier than they normally did for trips to the East Coast just so their bodies can acclimate. The hotels are all state-of-the-art. You know, just the way they are treated gives them every opportunity to, you know, just concentrate on hockey. And I think we're seeing some of that. And, you know, I talked to my,

one of my broadcast partners, Dominic Moore, about this about a week ago, you know, just wondering how when we get into the second half and the off-ice distractions are no longer there, how it's going to affect this group in a positive measure as opposed to what they've, you know, had to deal with in the past. Because whether you like it or not,

I know they're athletes and, you know, you get paid to play, right. And you shouldn't have to worry about anything else, but you know, they're athletes, but they're also human beings. And I'm sure that crept in a lot. So that's gone. And I think it's going to have a positive effect on the entire group. We're speaking to Matt McConnell, the play-by-play voice of the Utah hockey club here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. A reminder, the Canucks are in Utah to take on the Hockey Club tonight. Puck drop is 7 o'clock our time, pregame, postgame, and the actual game all right here on Sportsnet 650. Matt, we have a question in from a listener.

Paul in the Okanagan, formerly of the Sunshine Coast, wants to know, what's the Delta Center like? It's unbelievable. So it's the home of the Utah Jazz, and it is one of the steepest arenas in North America, if not the steepest. Fans are right on top of you. The atmosphere there is crazy good.

There's part of the atmosphere of it all being new, right? It's a whole new thing. And there are a lot of fans here in Utah, a lot of hockey fans, because they've had a real good history at the minor league level, Central League, International Hockey League, ECHL, you name it. But there are also a lot of new fans that are enjoying it for the first time. There are a lot of obstructive view seats in the ends, but that is all going to be rectified over the next couple of summers

when they eliminate those obstructive view seats. And so that will all get taken care of over the next couple of summers. But it's just a lot of fun. It's loud. They get behind their team. Even when they're down, they, they, you know, they start let's go Utah chance and things like that. It's great. And it's in a, it's in a downtown area that has a lot of restaurants, bars, places to stay.

The whole Salt Lake setup is beautiful and they're going to revamp the entire arena district, if you will, in the next few years in kind of in preparation, I guess, leading up to a renaissance as a broadcaster being here. It's just been so much fun, so much support. And, you know, if you're a listener like skiing, downtown Salt Lake to Park City, you're looking at 35 minutes and that's it. As we jump around from the off ice to the on ice here, I did want to ask about the goaltending because there's been a shift from Connor Ingram being the number one to K I did want to ask about the goaltending because there's been a shift from Connor Ingram being the number one to Karel Vemelka

being the number one. And the second part of that question is who do you think gets to start tonight against the Canucks? I think it'll be Vemelka. I don't think there's any question about that. I think Vemelka will go tonight. I would imagine he'll go in Minnesota on Friday

and then they've got a back-to-back, and you would think that maybe Jackson Stauber will see one of those two games. Connor Ingram's still out. He was on the road with the team. Don't know when he's getting back yet, but I think maybe the silver lining of Ingram's injury is how Karel Vemelka has played,

and he has been absolutely terrific. Got the win in San Jose, got the win in Colorado. This is a team that, I don't know if you guys caught this one or not, but they've won six straight on the road, which is an expansion record. Now, granted, it's listed as an expansion team, and that's what it is, but it eclipsed the Minnesota North Stars record by one game back in 67-68. So they've been really good on the road,

and a big part of that, not only defensively in the way they played, has been the goaltending of the Melkin, and I think at this point, he's pretty much wrestled the reins away and taken over the number one responsibilities. And not to take anything away from Connor Ingram, but Jackson Stauber has been terrific in his first couple of games. He shut out Vegas down there, 6-0 win, and then he won again on the road trip.

So he's been excellent, and that's kind of a real nice little situation that's developing for this team. A guy the Canucks will undoubtedly see a lot of tonight, Mikhail Sergachev, who is playing Quinn Hughes-like minutes for this Utah team. He's 25-35 a night. I'm assuming part of that has to do with the fact they've had a couple big injuries on the blue line,

but also a very talented defenseman. First season in Utah, 30 games in. What have you thought of Sergeyev? You know, he has been terrific. And I think, you know, I wonder how much of his leadership side, because I do think he's one of the bigger leaders in that locker room. I wonder how much of that was learned from playing with a guy like Victor Hedman in Tampa Bay for all those years.

But he's had two assist games in two of his last three. He's got points in eight of his last 11. You watch tonight, and I would almost put a wager on this. When he's killing a penalty off a faceoff, I will guarantee you at least one clear off a face-off on a PK tonight. He's amazing at that, on that side, but he's also really good offensively. And I think his role without Sean Dursey and John Marino in the lineup and those minutes that you mentioned, he's just been so valuable to the back end,

you know, not only in his play, but I think his leadership and his ability. They've got him playing right now with Ole Mata, which has been a really good pairing. And prior to that, they had him with Michael Kessering for a while, too. So a good mentor on that back end and a real good minutes muncher, if you will, for the group, especially with the injuries. Matt, this was fantastic, man. Thanks for taking the time to do this. We really appreciate it. Great getting caught up on all these things

about a pretty intriguing story out of Utah. Have a good call tonight. Enjoy the game. It should be a lot of fun. All right, guys. Thanks for having me. Anytime. Thank you.

That's Matt McConnell, the play-by-play voice of the Utah Hockey Club here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. A reminder, Canucks in Utah tonight, 7 o'clock from the Delta Center. Some obstructive views, but they'll sort that out in due time. Ryan Smith put the money into that. Voice of the Hockey Club. Matt McConnell,

now, assuming Wikipedia is correct here, we can take that to the bank. I love Wikipedia research. Got his start as the first radio play-by-play announcer for the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim at the time in 1993. Was the first ever TV play-by-play guy for the Atlanta Thrashers. Then they left to Winnipeg. He went to Arizona.

Now he's the first ever guy for Utah. He's been there at the inception of three different franchises in the NHL. What an impressive resume. And now he's having a career re inception of three different franchises in the NHL. What an impressive resume. And now he's having a career renaissance. He said, I can you, can you imagine though, going from covering the most joyless,

horrible, ridiculous situation, not just in the NHL, really in sports. And there's some bad ones, the athletics and, you know, go down the list,

the jets. Yep. But to go from that to, wow, an owner who cares, who built a practice facility in five months, who's investing in the list, the Jets. Yep. But to go from that to, wow, an owner who cares, who built a practice facility in five months, who's investing in the team, a new city where everyone's excited. Five months. Yeah.

Five months is all it took. We can get one done. That's no problem. It is wild, the disparity in ownership that McConnell, I mean, and he's there firsthand because, as we mentioned, he was there in Arizona. I'll be, you know what, in the immediate future, I'll be very curious to see what this team does

going into the trade deadline because they have all the hallmarks of a team that would buy, even perhaps like aggressively and dare I say, maybe too aggressively just because they're new, they're close to the playoffs. The owner might give them that blank check, open season, get after it just because he wants to keep the momentum going. Yeah.

Because, I mean, it's all good vibes right now in Utah. They're building things. They're expanding. The team's starting to win some games. The fans are starting to understand the team a little bit more. Like momentum's a very precarious thing because if you want to talk about

the other quote-unquote expansion team more recently, Seattle was unable to build on the momentum that they had when they made the playoffs that year and defeated the Colorado Avalanche in the opening round of the playoffs. Since then,

it's been a litany of disappointments, uh, underwhelming performances from guys that they thought were going to take off. They fired a head coach. Like it's, it's not been great. So maybe if you even do it recklessly,

like spending and buying at the deadline in this particular instance, they're a team that I'll be watching. And of course be watching tonight when the Canucks take them on in Utah. Okay, we got a lot more to get to on the program. Final hour coming up. Randy Jand is going to join us on the other side of the break. We will preview tonight's game from the Canucks side of things. We're going to give away those tickets to the PWHL Takeover Tour.

And we're going to do some What We Learned. It's all coming up in the final hour of the show. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show featuring Jamie Dodd on Sportsnet 650.