Halford & Brough in the Morning - Kiefer Sherwood's San Jose Sharks Come To Town

Episode Date: January 27, 2026

In hour two, Mike & Jason preview tonight's Canucks game versus the Sharks with radio commentator Brendan Batchelor (1:14), plus the boys dive into the text message inbox and answer some listener questions about the 'Nucks (27:00). This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

Bachelor, Bachelor, Bachelor, Life from Rogers Arena, Colleenka, Knox Games. It is Brendan Bachelor, Bachelor, Bachelor. 702 on a Tuesday, happy Tuesday, everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford Brough of the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates. Do you have credit card debt? If you do, Sands and Associates could cut that debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at Sands-trustee.com for more.

We are now in hour two of the program. As the music suggests, Brendan Bachelor, play-by-play voice of the Vancouver Canucks is going to enjoy this in just a moment here to kick off hour two. Hour 2 is brought to by Jason Hamanuk at Jason. 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 them online at jason. Dot mortgage. We are coming live from the Kintech Studio, make 2026 your year to move better and step stronger with Kintech custom orthotics. It is the Kucks.

It is the Sharks. It is the Sharks. tonight's 7 o'clock from Rogers Arena. Our next guest will be on the call. Brennan Batchler joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650. What up, Batch? Good morning. How are you guys? We're good. First question, most pressing question.

Are you still buzzing from Manu's decisive victory over the weekend? Yeah, I wouldn't let Shorty and Randee hear the end of it. Good, good. Shorty is an Arsenal supporter and he texted me at 1-0 already chirping, so I let him hear

it quite a lot on Sunday afternoon when we got to the rink. So yes, yes, a stark turnaround in just a couple of weeks for Man United. Exciting time. Okay, now on to the Vancouver Canucks. Let's get that. Harry McGuire for England? Too late? Too late?

Does Thomas Tuka watch him? He was good against Arsenal. He was good against Arsenal. He was very good against Arsenal. Okay, that's enough football talk for now. We'll go to the Vancouver Canucks. If you had to guess right now, we were talking about this at the break with regards to Jonathan Lachromackie, would you think that he would be in tonight playing his first game since

December the 6th? So do you think that maybe he'll be held out for a little while longer, having only just been recalled from Abbotsford in the wake of the Brock Besser injury? Yeah, it's a good question. And ultimately, I expect that we'll find out in a couple hours from now at the morning skate. But with a guy like Brock Besser out of the lineup, and we know Besser has had his scoring woes this season, but he had, you know, been finding the back of the net with a little bit more regularity lately and was more involved offensively. Leckermackie is the kind of guy that can come in and give you some of that scoring punch that you lose with Besser being out, and I guess we'll potentially find out how long term that injury could be here as well. So,

you know, maybe they hold him out. Maybe they say we're going to slow play it, but at the same time, you lose an offensive player, you recall an offensive player. I could totally understand if they say not only are we going to put him straight into the lineup, but we're going to give him a chance up the lineup too. Do you think there's any chance they sit Evander Kane just in advance of a trade because, you know, there's always an injury risk in a season like the Canucks have had. Do you really want to risk another bad thing happening? Yeah, I guess it depends how close to a trade.

trade they are. And, you know, the lack of overall depth right now in terms of NHL bodies leads me to believe that it would have to be pretty imminent for them to consider that. That said, you know, maybe we'll find out that something like that is going to happen tonight as well. But, yeah, you know, we had this conversation with Kiefer Sherwood. Ultimately, Kiefer Sherwood did get injured and it also didn't prevent. them from trading him. They traded him while he was injured. And in fact, he could be making his San Jose Shark's debut on the other side tonight. We'll have to wait and see. But yeah, for, for Kane, you know, is that a possibility? I think it is. Is it something the organization should consider

to protect an asset that, you know, they'll want to monetize before the deadline? Yeah, absolutely. They should consider it. But generally speaking, teams don't really operate that way unless you're in like the week before the trade deadline or unless there's a trade that is you know literally about to happen and so you know for the most part unless something's going to happen today or tomorrow I would expect that cane plays tonight

it was just we're going to throw you in the middle of a conversation to rip the show apart this morning so I threw this out there that all things considered I don't think that the Evander Cain era if it was to come to an end either before the Olympic or then closer to the trade deadline in a month. It wasn't all that bad in the sense that it could have gone worse. That's where the bar is right now.

He could have bet on the Canucks to finish dead last overall, I suppose. Right. Like there's so many other things that could have gone worse. And then Brough and I, we went back and forth on it. Like, I actually got your point for what you were saying. It's that for where the organization had the... Batch, he shouted at me. And then I shouted at Jason. He shouted at me.

And then the show... Six, ten in the morning. He's shouting at me. And then the show kind of went off the rails. But we got it back together. But the point being, um, there are two ways of looking at this. Like in the scheme of where, let's be frank, Kane's career has had a lot of controversy involved with it.

So you, the expectations could be that something really bad could happen. And that hasn't. On the other side, as Jason pointed out, the way that this acquisition was trumpeted by management is this was the big move of an offseason in which they were going to, try and get back in the playoffs and try and retain Quinn Hughes. In that light, it is a disappointment. I'm curious to get your thought collectively now that we're probably coming to the end of this experiment. What have you thought of the whole thing?

Yeah, I think ultimately when you talk about it that way, I think I would describe it as an on-ice failure, but an off-ice success, if that makes sense, where on the ice, certainly, he hasn't played at the level they expected him to. he hasn't produced at the level that they expected him to. He hasn't been a difference maker at the level that they expected him to be when they traded for him. And, you know, whether that's to do with the surroundings and some of the other things that have happened on the team, whether that's to do with him individually, you know, who knows, maybe a little bit of both.

But then off the ice, you're right. Like one of the big fears around bringing in a guy like Evander Cain was the off-ice drama that has surrounded him in the past. and for the most part, that hasn't happened in Vancouver. So, you know, I think it's fair to say it could have gone a whole lot better. It probably could have gone a whole lot worse, too. And ultimately, you know, his time in Vancouver, unfortunately for Evander as a hometown guy that was probably really excited to come and play for his hometown team, you know, his era in Vancouver is going to be more defined by what return they get for him at the trade deadline

than it is, you know, for what the team did on the ice or what he did. on the ice in a Canucks uniform. And, you know, I'm sure that's disappointing for him. It's definitely disappointing for the organization that this is the situation they're in. But that's the way things have unfolded this year. And you have to be able to adapt in some of those moments. And, you know, for Avander, there is now the potential opportunity here for him to go to a contending team, right?

We've heard the likes of Dallas and Colorado linked with him. And, you know, the L.A. Kings, too, obviously not quite as, uh, uh, at the same level of a contender as those other two teams. But, you know, you're talking about arguably two of the best teams in terms of being a Stanley Cup contender in the NHL, circling around a guy like a VanderKain in spite of the fact that it hasn't been the best season for him. And, you know, because of his track record as a guy that can get it done in the playoffs.

So, you know, if they can monetize that and get, you know, a similar pick to what they gave up for him or maybe something even better, then, you know, it's good for the organization and you know ultimately his time in Vancouver won't have been very long and won't have been very memorable for both good and bad reason um okay let's change subjects um what do you think is the future for attu-ratu in Vancouver yeah that that's a really interesting one because you know I like a lot of what I've seen from him this year he's like 60% in the face soft circle. He has provided a little bit of offense. And I'm not going to pretend to be like a

coaching guru or someone that will be able to tell you the intricacies of his defensive play. But I think clearly the coaching staff doesn't think it's up to snuff compared to some of the other guys, because he's sitting out of the lineup here as a young player right now. Now, you know, that is likely going to change sooner rather than later, especially because we expect them to move 10.000. Eddie Blugher and then potentially David Camp as well. So that means there's going to be opportunity down the middle again, down the stretch. And, you know, I think it was encouraging to see the organization sit a guy like David Camp the other night, although it was Max Sassone, that got back into the lineup rather than

Atu Ratu. And you do have to wonder if Sasson's speed is something that they really like in the bottom six. And obviously he's produced more offensively. So, you know, he seems to have a leg up on Ratu right now. Now, you know, this is all part of the development of a young player, though, and I'm sure that Atu-Ratu isn't just sitting in the press box eating popcorn, right? He's doing extra work with the coaches after practices and after morning skates and trying to hone his game, and they'll be working on things with him individually. So in the short term, it doesn't worry me a whole lot that they've got a young player sitting out because right now there's a numbers game.

If it were to continue past the trade deadline later in the season, if he was missing large stretches of games, games, then I would be more concerned. And ultimately, too, something we have to talk about at this point, you know, which may be an uncomfortable truth for some people is it's this coaching staff that doesn't like him. Is this coaching staff going to be the coaching staff that's in Vancouver beyond this season and might a different coach have a different opinion of some of these young players, whereas, you know, Adam Foote who not only took over as the head coach this year, but has been in Vancouver for numerous seasons will have formed opinions on a lot of these guys already.

If the organization chooses to make a change and not saying they will or they won't, but just talking about that potential, if that does happen, then Atu Ratu could be a guy that might benefit from a fresh start, a different coach and a set of new eyes watching his game. You know, faceoffs are, it's good to be good at faceoffs, obviously, but, you know, if you ask me, would you rather be really good? at skating if you're a center and not very good at face-offs or very good at face-offs and not very good at skating, I would take the fast skating part. And I just wonder if that is ultimately

going to limit him in the NHL because I think you make a good point in that they did return Sassone to the lineup and his speed is his best asset while keeping Ratu out. Yeah, and you know, Adam Foote even alluded to the fact that I might play Ratu on the wing. so then if you play Ratu on the wing, you still have the speed down the middle with Sassone, but maybe if Ratu plays the wing on that line, then he could take the draws, right? And you get the best of both of those players and their skill sets.

But I would imagine they're telling Ratu he needs to work on his skating more in the offseason and, you know, whether he can make more marked strides in that area remains to be seen because I think he already has improved his skating quite a bit from what it was when he was a younger player. So, you know, there is still room for improvement. And that's the really, you know, exciting thing with having a lot of young players around your team.

And this is something that, you know, I can remember going back to my days covering junior, but you can also see it with the Canucks opponent tonight in the San Jose Sharks, is you could have young players come back after a strong summer and look like completely different players the following season and take really large, strides in their development in very short periods of time. And I'm sure that's part of the reason why the organization thinks that this might not have to be as long-term a rebuild as some observers might. You know, that said, Ratu's 23, so he's not like 19 or 20 anymore.

So he's getting close in the next couple of years to the point where you say, okay, this is what he's going to be at the NHL level. So he still has, you know, a summer or two here to really put in the work. can try to round out his game and prove that he's deserving of being an every night guy for this team and someone that doesn't come out of the lineup. But there is still a lot of work ahead for him, I think, to prove to the organization and to his coaches that he's a guy they can rely on night in and night out. Are you looking forward to watching Macklin Celebrini tonight?

Absolutely. Hey, it's been a great week for, you know, guys to watch coming into Rogers Arena, right? We got Alex Ovechkin's likely last game as a capital. We got Sidney the other night. We've got Macklin Celebrini tonight. He's such a dynamic player to watch already at such a young age. And also in the case of Crosby and Celebrity, they're drawing comparisons to each other right now.

They're both going to be playing for Team Canada in Italy in a few weeks. So, yeah, absolutely. It's, you know, he's a really exciting player to watch, especially in person. You know, I think oftentimes with these skilled guys, you don't really appreciate their overall. all game and less you see them in the flesh. And so for

Celebrity and the sharks coming in tonight, it'll be an exciting watch, I think. It's kind of about the opponents these days. I mean, I went to the Islanders game and I went there number one reason was to see Schaefer and I was really impressed with him. He's a terrific

young player. You know, is because, you know, the vibe at Rogers Arena has been fine. It hasn't been nasty at all. It's been supportive of the home team and I wonder if some people who don't regularly get to go to games are going to games and I wonder if people are just in some ways excited to see the opponent as well. Yeah, and, you know, I think we do sometimes have to take ourselves out of the bubble that we live in to a certain extent

in terms of analyzing this all the time on sports radio, talking about it all the time on social media and realize that, you know, if someone puts down their hard-earned money to go to the game, and watch, regardless of what they think about long-term rebuilds and, you know, philosophy of the organization. And many of the fans may not even have opinions on that sort of stuff, right? They may be more casual fans going to the game. But ultimately, when you pay to go and sit at Rogers Arena, you want to be entertained and you want to cheer on your team. And, you know, at this point in the season, you know, as much as people want the Canucks to continue losing, to maintain 32nd in the NHL.

And let's be honest, they probably are going to keep losing based on the fact that they're going to move more players off their roster before the end of the season. A wind here or there isn't going to do them any harm. They've opened up quite a big gap at the bottom of the standing. So absolutely, you go to the rink, you want to be entertained, you want to cheer on your team, you want to go home at the end of the night, happy that, you know, you had a good experience there.

So I'm not really surprised that the atmosphere has maintained been positive inside Rogers Arena. Also, because of the messaging from the organization and the things that they've done or, you know, are talking about doing to trend towards a rebuild, right? We know that this market has been clamoring for that for a long time. And I think the fact that you're not seeing booing or you're not seeing jerseys thrown on the ice

is an example of the fact that this market is ready and has been ready for a while for a rebuild. And they're excited to watch this team go through it and still cheer on the guys that step on the ice every night, especially the young players that, you know, they want so badly to see develop into difference makers for this team, like Zeve Bui and like Tom Veylander, just as a couple of examples.

Hey, speaking of the vibe in the building, and of course you being one of the most prize prospects to ever come out of Coquilum, what did you think of being usurved by 18-year-old Ben Kindle over the weekend? Yeah, that was really cool. Just to see the number of people he had there too. Like, I think it was, what, 180? something like that, like, posted 200 people that came to the rank to watch him.

And, you know, for him to have that homecoming game and deliver in such cool fashion by scoring a couple of goals and being named the first star, you know, he did Coquitlam proud. It was great. I was happy to see it for him. Batchez. This was great, buddy. Thanks. We appreciate it. Sounds good. Thanks, guys. Have a good one. Yeah, Brendan Batchelor. The Play-by-Play voice of the Vancouver Canucks here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. And Brandon joined us, courtesy, get this, the ABLE Auctions hotline.

That's right. Guests on SportsNet 650 call in on the ABLE Auctions hotline. Email sales at abelie auctions.ca to get your business assets sold and your building cleared. I love it when we have new businesses join the fold here, especially on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650. We love our partners here.

As a matter of fact, another one I love is Limitless A-V because they are the title sponsor of the One to Watch. Oh, here we go. And tonight's one to watch, Jason. Okay. And we're going to have to watch warm-ups very closely tonight. Or the morning skate. Or the morning skate.

As a matter of fact, watch it all. Everything did the lead up to this game to see if Jonathan Lechromacky can indeed be the one to watch tonight. He has not played an NHL game since December 6th, 2025. So all the way last year. I hope he gets into the lineup. I hope he's not in the press box. And he's like, did you see what William Neelander did the other day? What are you doing?

Check this out. Oh, no. Two fingers. No, I don't see any reason why he wouldn't go in. Much like I don't see any reason why he wouldn't play Atu Ratu. Sort of the same denominator there. Well, with Besser being out, there's a clear opening for a goal scoring winger. And even if Besser was in, there's probably still opening for a clear goal scoring winger.

Question, would it be double the fine if he flipped the double birds? Great question. Great question. Would it be 10 grand? If you're George Peros, you would have to. Second question, what is the logic of not playing all of your young players at this point? Another good- The dogs are lining up the good questions.

Why would you not just have all of your young players in the lineup for the rest of the year? But A-Dog, they might lose. Oh, no. And the young players also get experience. You know what? There's so many terrible things that could happen. For one of the big J-journalists covering this team, that's not me because I'm not going to do it. But someone should ask, and not in a, like, instigating.

count away with foot. It doesn't have to be adversarial. Excuse me. Adam, just genuinely ask him, why not play Ratu a bunch and see what you've got? Or have you guys already seen enough and this is what he is? I think that's a pretty straightforward question. Totally. He's been asked about Ratu before and he's kind of sloughed off. He just said, look, it's not a big deal that he's in the press box. Great. But at this point, I think you can make a legitimate

pushback to being like, well, can I ask him if you thinks it's a big deal? Yeah, I bet he cares. Well, we're not making him. available. Right. If you want them, you're going to put them on camera in the press box.

But, you know, it's an interesting thing. Total tangent here. By the way, one to watch is brought to you by Limitless A, V, Vancouver's most trusted audio visual integration experts.

Drans brought this, I saw this conversation floating around on social media yesterday, and it was about Carson Sussie, but there's a bigger picture here. And I guess Drans was trying to explain to one of his followers and they were going back and forth

about, opportunity cost. So he said like with Susie, Cole's notes version, and I apologize to Drance of him, so I'm glossing over anything important, but you pay a third round pick to get him in. And let's say you get a third round pick to ship him out. Yeah.

And everyone's like, it's a wash. Right. What Drans was trying to argue is that the time in between matters. It's the opportunity cost. That's the opportunity. That's the opportunity. Right. You paid him his salary.

That salary could have been a lot. But other people were like, it doesn't matter because he's a sixth defenseman. and he was a minimal contributor and the person that you were playing there, what is the actual opportunity cost? So take that opportunity cost idea and put it in this situation.

Like if the minutes that Ratu is playing are going to David Kempf, for example, there's an opportunity loss because Komp means nothing to this team long term. Nothing. And if he does, there's problems, right? He shouldn't be around beyond this year. He serves no purpose for a rebuild,

or a long-term thing. I suppose if he wanted to make the argument that if he signed a veteran minimum deal and he came back next year, maybe, but you don't need to play him to see that he could do that. And you know what he is. Everyone knows what he is.

Yeah. He's a 4C that can't score. And if you need a guy to go in and eat some minutes and play fairly sound defensively, he can do it, right? And playing him one or two more games isn't going to significantly up his trade value either.

Zero. Yeah. People know what these guys are. So the, Opportunity cost, I would say, is can you build a more interesting story and narrative and profile of Atu Ratu, who's less known? And maybe there's someone that's interested in his services. Or maybe he shows you something you didn't think he had. How about look at it this way? Okay. And you know me, I'm, I'm a big empath. You know, so much empathy. I don't know what it is, but you're a huge empath. How about put yourself in the shoes of Atu Ratu. You're 23 years old. You don't have a long term conscience. You don't have a long term. contract. You don't know if you've got a future with this organization, considering the fact that you're not in the lineup. How do you think you're feeling? Do you think you... Pretty bombed out? Yeah. Do you think that Atiratu Ratu is like, that's not a big deal?

You're shrugging his shoulders? Yeah. We go do a workout. I guarantee you. I guarantee you he doesn't think like it's not a big deal. I guarantee you... Sitting in the press box when you want to when you want to face off? Yeah, who brought to you. Yeah. Well, singing his own song. And, you know, I think for all these young players,

they're all in a really, some of them are an exciting position, but it's also a stressful time. Like, you're trying to make an NHL career. And in theory, you've got a great opportunity. Yeah. Because there's this really bad team

that wants to produce young players. So if you're, again, put yourself, in the shoes of Atu Ratu. You're like, this team has every reason to be playing me. I am a young player. I could potentially, you know,

they got me in a trade. And I was one of the big pieces that came over in a big trade. Like, if I'm not playing, what did they really think of me? That's fair. That's called empathy, my friend. I should learn about it. There's no bigger empath.

no bigger few things, the Jason Brough of the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 650. By the way, somebody, JD and Coquillum, of course,

asked, uh, he said every listener's mind is blown that Mike didn't pick Lekar Mackie and Kiefer Sherwood as the two ones to watch. I don't think Sherwood's playing. I think he was really pushing to try and play.

Okay. Tonight, but the last report that I got, I think it was just on NHL.com, said that, uh, he's facing an uphill battle to be ready in time to play on Tuesday. So tonight in Vancouver.

Okay. We got an open segment on the other side. So text in any questions or comments into the Dunbar Lumber text line, 650-6-50 Metro Vancouver's trusted choice for contractors and renter warriors for over 50 years. Visit them at one of their three locations to serve you or online at Dunbarlumber.com. Maybe we can go through what happened in the NHL last night. The Oilers won. But still, I'm watching this team. And I'm like, you're giving up 40 shots to the end.

Anaheim ducks at home? Yep. You're playing this running gun hockey? Is this going to get you a cup? Is this the plan? And is Tristan Jari? Like you actually played okay yesterday? Is he the guy that you're going to win a cup with?

Really curious about the Edmonton Oilers. You're listening to the Halford-Umbroft show on SportsNet 650. It's Canucks Central on Sportsnet 650. From exclusive interviews to insider scoops and post-game breakdowns, we've got it all. Tune in weekdays 4 to 6 p.m. on radio and on demand through your favorite podcast app. 34 on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday, everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford Brub of the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates.

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Visit them online at Jason.orgia. Friendly reminder, we are in an open segment of the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. If you want to weigh in on anything, we've discussed or maybe haven't discussed yet on the program, Dunbar Limer text line is 650-6-6-50. It's also a good time to remind you that in one hour, we're going to be doing what we learns on the program. Hashtag him, WWL.

Tell us what you learned over the last 24 hours in sports. Send them in again. The text line is 650, 650. It's your chance to be on the radio. Okay, so last night in the National Hockey League. And you alluded to this going to break. A quiet night, but one game that really stood out, a bit of a marquee matchup, I'd say,

between the second and third place teams in the Pacific Division. The Edmonton Oilers, a 7-4 win. over the previously streaking Anaheim ducks. Their seven-game win streak snapped. Two empty netters, by the way. And a hat trick for Matthias Eccolm? Oh, another D-Man hat trick. Two D-Man hat tricks in back-to-back games.

Evan Bouchard, of course, getting one over the weekend. Matthias Echholm yesterday. The Oilers have figured it out. We might not be great defensively. We might not have great goaltending. But if a defenseman can give us a hat trick every night, we're going to win a lot of hockey games. What do you think of the Oilers?

I'm kind of already out there. I watch them play, and obviously they're so dangerous, especially with the man advantage, and McDavid is the greatest player I've ever seen, the most talented player I've ever seen, and dry sidles not too bad either. You know, Bouchard, when you pair him up with those guys on the power play,

it's an incredible weapon, but they just, they give, up so much. I mean, they're 22nd in goals against. And like, I don't think they're as good as they were a couple of years ago. I wonder if while still an incredibly dangerous team and still an absolute nightmare in a seven-game series, because again, you have to face McDavid night after night after night after night, especially if he starts rolling and you're like, well, I don't know how to stop this. it's very fair to say, very fair to say, that you might have got the best version of the Evanton Oilers

already. The previous two runs might have been the best that you've got out of this group because that is incredibly close to winning a Stanley Cup, right? Going to game 7 and game 6 in consecutive years. Yeah. It's hard to get that close. Well, the first time, too, and they battled back from 3-0. And lost game 7-1.

I mean, it was right there. Yeah. Right there. So you're saying, short of winning the cup, how much more can you really do over a two-year period where you've played a ton of hockey?

You've been worn down by age and injury and departures. And let's be honest, I would say ineffectual GM work from Stan Bowman. I would not give Stan Bowman a super overwhelming grade for the work that he's done since coming aboard. What's his best move?

It's a great. question. Pot Colson? Was that on his watch? Did he inherit that from Holland? I don't even remember. I'd have to go back and look. It doesn't really matter. But collectively, let's say, over this run of let's go two and a half, three years, where they've been perennial Stanley Cup finalists. By the way, Pod Colson has 23 points. He's been a nice pickup.

He's been a nice pickup, but, you know, he gets to play with really good players as well. I really like Paulson. I really like Pod Colson because he's a hard worker. He sticks up for his teammates. He plays the game the right way. But he doesn't, he's not a finisher. And he's getting a great opportunity, again, with the players that he can play with in Edmonton.

I just look at their lineup and I see problem areas, like a real lack of depth, both up front and on the back end. And then I don't know how much they've really improved their goaltending. and if you had asked me like, okay, well, what's your solution then? I mean, like, I don't know. I don't know. That was a tough situation that they were in, and I think they just had to make them.

They felt at least they had to make a move because they couldn't go into another playoffs. They're like, well, we're going to try it again with Skinner and Pickard. They just couldn't do that. So they made a bet on Jari, and we'll see how it pans out. But I don't know. Is Tristan Jari the guy that's going to get it done? Tristan Jari, the guy that's that's going to, you're going to rely on?

Well, they're going to have to now. I mean, there's no two ways about it. I think I heard that Calvin Pickard was none too pleased with his current situation, by the way, given a guy that has always come in and provided the escape plan for whatever things went south. Has he tried having a better, say, percentage than 871? I think that, okay, here's the thing. I think he's developed a particular niche that would only exist on one team with, him like he's apparently

universally beloved in that room like all the guys love Pickard and when things go south and he comes in they do seem to have a weird inate ability to raise their game in front of them make the game easier on him but that's getting to the unplayable territory that you like to talk about it's too small sample size where you can get it for maybe one or two games

but eventually Calvin Pickard becomes Calvin Pickard he is what he is he's been in the league long enough we know what his ceiling is yeah so I'm not 100% sure what to expect from Edmonton this year because, let's be honest, last year in the playoffs,

especially when they were looking like they were done against the Kings, I was ready to be like, well, they had a good run. Yeah, yeah. It's over. Yeah. When you have McDavid and Drysidal, it's not that they're, two of the five best players in league they are,

but when they get on a run, there are phases of the game and stretches where they are unstoppable. You just can't do anything with them. And the rink in Edmonton gets crazy loud, and the other team gets rattled. And this is the playoffs. When these things happen in the playoffs, momentum. And again, momentum game to game, does it necessarily exist?

No, but when you get your butt-whooped on a Tuesday against McDavid and Dryside and all you have to do until Thursday is think about it. Like that's the mental game in the playoffs where it's like, how are we going to shut these guys down? How are we going to keep them off the sheet? Can these guys beat us four times out of seven? And over the last couple years in the playoffs, the answer more often than not is yes. How many teams do you think are thinking? I think we're a playoff team that

maybe has a chance to win a couple rounds, but nobody's beaten Colorado this season. Do you think anyone thinks like that? I think some teams at the lower end of the Western Conference right now, like the teams that are on the fringes, I'll be very curious to see who becomes a bar. So like right now,

the two wildcard teams are Utah and San Jose, and then right on the outside looking in are, let's call it, Nashville, Seattle and L.A. Okay? The fact that Nashville's still trying to figure out what they are is hilarious to me, because I'm like, I don't know what the last two years have proven to you, but even if you get into the playoffs,

you're not going to be that much different from that team that lost to Vancouver in the first round of the playoffs. Yeah. And you're not built to be good. I know you tried, but it's ultimately failed. I know Stamcoast is playing better now. But so that's a team where I was like, if we got in.

God, if ever there was a time to trade Stamcoe, it would probably be now. Right now. But is he going to, is he going to wave? So that sentence that you said, said about if we get in, are we just going to be fodder for the abs? If you're the natural predator's the answer, I think should be yes. If you're the cracking, I'd also be like, is this going to be worth it? Could Utah maybe pull an upset?

Utah has a pretty good team. They're 8-1-1 in their last 10. They lost last night to another team that we should probably be talking more about. How many people will bring up that the Florida Panthers upset the Boston Bruins after they went through their incredible season where it didn't look like they're, they were meetable. And I think it's valid. Totally.

Oh, it's totally valid. If the ads get knocked out in the first round, that would be insanity. I mean, that would be the best thing. That would be the best thing that could happen to the Oilers. Boy, yeah, for sure. Colorado getting knocked out of the first round of the playoffs would be the best thing that would happen to the playoffs, if we're being honest. I don't know about that.

Yeah, but I'd love to see it wide open. Oh, yeah. I would be totally quite open. I'd love it. You don't get many upsets anymore. I don't want to see that. I love watching Colorado. Oh, it's so good, man.

Watching an All-Star team. Yeah, yeah. I mean... That actually checks. I think... Who's your favorite... Who's your favorite player to watch in terms of... Evander Cain.

No way. Is it... Is it... For me, it's Nate. Like, there's a lot of guys I like... Over McKinnon? Or over McDavid, sorry? Like, we pick between one or the other?

Yeah, I mean, wow, it's a tough one. I know. That's a tough one. I know. I know what you mean. Like, when McKinnon is, like, really dry... Like, it's just insane. He's just, like a bowl in a china shop. Everything you'd want from a hockey player, right?

Yeah, he's got incredible talent. But he's also powerful and he's so, he's so intense. He's terrifying. He's terrifying out there. And, you know, it's awesome for us that we get to cheer for him at the Olympics. Well, I'll tell you, the one that has risen on my, like the nightly power rankings where you're scrolling through all the games, in part because he's a West Coast guy. and you get to see a lot of their games if you're staying up later.

It's the guy we're going to see tonight. It's Celebrini and the Sharks. If you have a moment, and don't do it when you're driving, don't text and drive. But go look at the disparity between the leading score for the Sharks, Macklin Sellebrini, and then the second leading score for the Sharks, Tyler To Foley. Maclin Sellebrini leads the San Jose Sharks with 74 points this season.

Would anyone care to guess what the second leading score? Tyler Tofoli has in terms of points to Macklin-Cellebrini 74. Is it in the 30s? 34. Yeah. He's 40 points behind the leading score on his own team. Like at this point, if I still had a vote, which I do not, they stripped it away from me. Rightly so.

If I still had a vote, if the sharks make the playoffs, Celebrini is your MVP, and I would have a hard time justifying anybody else, anybody else. And that's... McDavid has 92 points. That's McDavid. Nate. That's Nate. But they have running mates that are at least holding up their end of the bargain.

This has been those disrespect to Tyler Tofoli. He's trying his best. He's got 34 points in 50 games. That's a decent total for Tyler Tofoli. Yeah. But to be 40 points clear of the next guy on your team and to be in a playoff spot. Celebrini has the same number of points as Dry Settle. It's remarkable.

Right. Now there are good players in San Jose that he gets to play with. Will Smith's a good player. Tafoli is a good player. Wendberg, Eklund. They've got some guys. But surrounding castes, I mean, I don't even think it's like a comp. Also, Celebrini's plus 12 on a team that has a minus 18 goal differential and has several

teammates who are buried in minuses. That's pretty incredible. It's great. Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, I think that him getting selected to team Canada says a lot about where they think his game is at, not just offensively, but the collective game. He is relentless in puck pursuit.

He's so powerful. Yeah. It's like Crosby, honestly. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's too he reminds me the most of them. Down low, down low along behind the opposing goal. Yeah, yeah. But there's a relentlessness.

It is a Crosby-like relentlessness. Yeah, he just doesn't give up ever. Yeah, his motor is nonstop. And I'm sure it has to do with the fact that, I mean, if you know about his dad and their sporting legacy as a family. I mean, not unlike what we're seeing with Ben Kindle, right? Like you've got two parents that were professional athletes, very similar in the celebrating camp. But he's obviously had a. understanding of the physicality that you need to be able to execute at a high level.

Like having the skill and the ability to do these things is one, but having the strength, the endurance, the way that he takes over in third periods and overtimes is wild. Yeah. And part of it is the fact that he's young and life hasn't beaten him down yet. You just wait, Macklin. But that's kind of true, though.

It is. Life injuries, you know, that sort of thing. Yeah. Yeah. Like you're like overtime. Sweet.

The scars, mental and physical. Yeah. You get to, I mean, he looks at overtime. He's like, sweet, I get to play more hockey, right? Yeah. Not everyone looks at it like that. But he's, and so you watch him play on a nightly basis, and it's, he just takes advantage of teams as games go on.

It's a big reason why the sharks have been like a pretty decent comeback team this year. And it's a reason why they can play like, quite frankly, garbage through two periods and still manage to scrap something out in like the third or an overtime. We're in a shootout. So San Jose is going to be here. tonight, Anaheim on Thursday, and then this eight-game homestand wraps up Saturday with a visit from the Toronto Maple Leafs. And I've been reading some articles about the Leafs. And one thing that keeps coming up, and of course the William Neelander thing in the press box didn't help.

Nope. Likeability. And someone texted in and apologized. I don't have the text right in front of me. I'll Read it in what we learned, though, because it wasn't what we learned. He said something like listening to Toronto Sports Radio is a lot like listening to Vancouver Sports Radio. Everyone's just like, trade these guys. Start again, fresh start. I've got the text if you want me to. Read it. Okay.

What we learned from Chad and Kelowna. What's up, Chad? I learned... He's not the only Chad and Colona. Yo, what's up? It's Chad and Clodagh. We're not to be more specific, Chad. What a freaking boost. I learned that Toronto Sports Radio

is starting to sound a lot like Vancouver Sports Radio. Sell assets and fire the front office dominate the day. They're at a major tipping point here. It's croo. So we've long talked about the likability or lack there of what's been the big four. Tavares, Matthews, Marner, and Nielander.

Marner, I don't think we need to rehash that story and now he's gone. In the aftermath, Austin Matthews, I don't think, has gained any new fans. I don't think that what he's done, and part of it has been health-related, but he is not exactly stepped up, as you would expect a captain would in the wake of the Marner thing.

Nylander, I think people like as a sort of out there, flamboyant, kind of doesn't give an F personality. Yeah, yeah. But I'm not sure it extends beyond that. And Tavares is just sort of like, yeah, he loves playing hockey and that's great and we like having him here. He's never been a very entertaining or interesting person. I don't think he's ever...

His interviews are very monotone. I don't think he's ever been someone... I'm John Tavares. I play hockey for the Maple Leafs. Are we done here? That's the extent of the interview. I don't think that he was ever a guy that was going to be a real driving personality. There's a reason that, you know, when he handed or got stripped of the captaincy, but handed over the captaincy. No one was like all that upset about it.

Here's the captaincy. Yes, it is a C, you wear it on the front of your jersey. I am John Tavares. I think that collectively, this group didn't have a lot of likeability to begin with, and then it got compounded by the fact that they lose in the playoffs in heartbreaking fashion, time after time. Yeah, they don't come up big in pressure situation. And at a certain point, people are just like, I'm out on this group. And that's fair.

It's been a long time. It's been close to a decade. Is there also a factor that these guys, and again, I'm such a, an empath that I try and put myself in their shoes. It sometimes feels like the attention that they get is all negative. You know, it's just like something they have to deal with. Yeah. It's a hassle to them.

It's annoying. Yep. And I can imagine being in that situation where you're getting criticized constantly. You're like, yeah, this is a negative. Mm-hmm. but we still want the players to act happy and act like they're enjoying their lives and that not everything is just like a massive chore.

Smile, John. I am smiling. But that's definitely a factor with the Canucks as well. Now you understand it because they're losing. But I think when you, and here's a favorite word we use, juxtapose it with the quote unquote likable teams look at the white caps you know

sure look at their star player sure confident yeah you know laughing a lot but also serious and a hard worker when it's time to work yeah look at the Blue Jays

how many people gained a new level of respect for Vladdy Guerrero for the postseason that he had I know I did yeah yeah because I always wondered I was wondered with Vladia's like Is he, like, I know he's ultra-talented, but is he a serious ball player? Sure.

And he was incredible in the postseason, and he made a statement. And I think that Jay's team, as a group, the way they came together, the way they had so many contributors, what a likable team that was. I'll go back to the Raptors when they won the title. Very likable team. Very likable team. Ledge bucket guys. And, you know, Kauai was the face of that team. but Kyle Lowry was the heart of that team.

Yep. No, there's some validity to it. Likeability is a weird thing because it... I mean, it all starts with winning. Yeah, but it all starts with... So you're like, you talk about the... That's why I kind of broke it down in its constituent parts with the Leafs.

Like, you start with the personalities of the guys and it carries the day to a certain degree. But then it's like, well, would we have liked Martin's personality more if we'd won a little bit more in the playoffs? Probably. Of course. Would we be more in tune with Austin Matthews,

particular leadership style if he had won more? Yes. Is William Neelander going from being like, ah, he's kind of a flippant juvenile jerk to, ah, what little scamp. He's winning, yeah, yeah, he is. Little brother energy, right? Yeah, and I'm not going to try and deny that.

But I think it's important to note that all of these groups, they get the benefit of the doubt. It's a very small window. It's like a best before spoil date. But you get the benefit of the doubt when you're on the scene. fans want to like you inherently, right? Well, that's the thing. Fans want it.

Yeah. Like they want to like you. They will, they want to hate the media, hate the critics, like the players. But. And that's the way it should be. That leash is only so long, right? Fans are fickle just like everybody else. And I think understanding that probably makes the pro sports dynamic a little more easier to swallow for some of these guys.

I do think some of these guys are very naive when they arrive. on the scene. Oh, yeah. That they don't understand. I'm going to be loved here forever. Yeah. And a lot of them haven't faced a ton of adversity growing up through their, let's just stick with hockey.

Junior youth hockey career all the way through. There's probably not a lot of adversity for some of them, right? The ones that you can see that haven't really had a lot of setbacks on the way up because they've always been the best player and they've always had a pretty straight path. Not to say that they didn't work hard, not to say that they didn't earn it. But there's not a lot of huge setbacks along the way. And when you hit one, all of a sudden, it's like, Well, were you ready for that?

More often than not, guys aren't. Okay, we got to wrap up this hour of the program. We're going to do that by reminding everybody that in five minutes time, 8 a.m. on the nose, we're giving away a $50 gift card to the Clayton Public House, which you can use for the big football party. Sunday, February 8th, Sportsnet 650 is hosting. If you want to seat at the table and you want to be there and you want 50 bucks in your pocket, gift card for them, of course, be caller.

number five at 8 a.m. 604-280-0-650. That number again, 604-280-0-650. Caller number five at 8 a.m. When's a $50 gift card to the Clayton Public House, final hour of the program coming up. On the other side, we're going to Abbotsford. Brandon Astell, play-by-play voice of the Abbotsford Connects is going to join us next. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet, 650.