Halford & Brough in the Morning - Marner Returns To Toronto

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

In hour two, Mike & Jason discuss Mitch Marner's return to Toronto today with The Athletic Toronto's Jonas Siegel (4:37), they chat with Vancouver Giants head coach Parker Burgess (23:30), plus the boys do some Ask Us Anythings (31:04). 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.

Alfred Brough, SportsNet 650. Halford Brough of the morning is brought to by Sands and Associates. Do you have payday loan debt? If you do, Sands and Associates could cut that debt by up to 80% with no upfront fees. Visit them today at Sands dash trustee.com. For more, we are now in hour two of the program. AJ from AJ's Pizza on East Broadway is going to join us in just a moment here. Hour two of this program is brats by Jason hominock at Jason.

Dot 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 them online at Jason. Dom Mortgage. We're coming to live from the Kintech Studio, make 2026 year-year to move better and step stronger with Kintech custom orthotics. Our next guest is the owner and proprietor of AJ's pizza on East Broadway. It's AJ here on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. What up, AJ? What is going on? Fiesta Fridays. Let's go. So here's the thing. We have been doing rapid fire with AJ. But I've been asking him the questions. Today, he's got two rapid fire. Ask us anything. One for Brough. One for me. Let's start with Jason Brough. AJ, go. So do you, Ruffa, you like me, you're watching Sunday in total trepidation, right? Explain what you mean, like, in fear?

Well, meaning like, meaning like fear, anxiety, stress, right? Oh, yeah, yeah. No, no, no, for sure. I don't know why we're going to be enjoyable. It won't be an enjoyable experience. And I will watch it alone, but I can't, at the same time, I can't wait. I do the same. Yeah, no, of course, of course, but I do the same on every sport.

All right. Alford, this one's for you. After that last segment, did you just really try and make my weekend the best with Nick Shook just pumping the Broncos tires? I did not think that he was going to answer, and I'm dead serious. I didn't know where he was going to go with it.

Apparently he watched a lot of preseason football to figure out that Jared Stidham was the best player in the preseason. So it was awesome. I'm sure Teresa is very happy with that assessment as well. But is Bo Nix that good? I don't think it's that though. I think it's the Jerry,

like when we talked earlier in the week to Mike Tannier, he was like, it's not that Bo Nix was that good. It's that Jared Stidham's not even a quarterback that you would go to in desperation. He's just like a fill-in guy. Is it because of Jerry? We had to do research upon research

to find out who the guy was. But apparently Sean Payton really likes him, so who knows what's going to happen this weekend. Okay, one final thing, and we don't often do this, but we're going to tease next week's hit with AJ because we've had countless people texting in about the plans in

news for your Tawasen expansion. You're going to announce this all next week, correct? Yes, yeah, yeah. We will announce, we will announce dates. We will announce exactly where it is, and it's going to be fun. It's going to be awesome. Awesome. This was awesome, buddy.

Thanks for doing this. We appreciate it. Enjoy the games this weekend. And for Teresa, go Broncos. Yeah, go Broncos. Go see Hooks. Take care. Everybody has a great weekend.

You too, thanks. That's AJ from AJ's Pizza on. He's Broadway. If you want to go this weekend, spots are filling up on Sunday. kickoffs obviously 12 and 3.30. You can email them at AJ's dot pizza and check them out online and you can try and get a seat for this weekend's game

and of course the big football party at the Super Bowl. They're going to be doing that as well. Okay, there's a lot going on tonight. God, never mind the weekend in sports. There's some big hockey games tonight. The biggest one, of course, Canucks Devils. Everyone's thinking about that one.

Do you know the Canucks play the Penguins at the exact same time that the Seahawks have their game? It's a three o'clock game against Pittsburgh. I am. 3 o'clock. When the schedule was made, I was wondering if someone did a cursory glance of, you know, when the AFC and NFC championships would be. And if that was the day that the Kinnock should have Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh

Penguins play a matinee. Yeah. I mean, I don't think anyone expected the Seahawks to be hosting that game, but yeah. Anything going up against it, though. But anyway, that's later on. Tonight, I will acknowledge that the biggest hockey game might be of the year in terms of anticipation going into it is Mitch Martin and the Vegas Golden Knights in

Toronto, the return of Mitchie to Toronto. And joining us now to talk about it a whole lot more. Our good buddy, Jonas Siegel, from the athletic Maple Leafs reporter here on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650. Good morning, Jonas. How are you? I am cold. It's like the coldest day in Toronto. How are you guys?

I'm looking at the weather map of Canada. And I mean, I guess you're lucky you're not in Winnipeg, but that's about it. It is crazy what's coming down from the Arctic. Yeah, I'm sure Mitch Farner got here. He's like, you know what? Vegas isn't so bad. I'm good.

And I, well, I feel even worse for you because you were just in Vegas, kind of doing the precursor of the Marner story. Of course, the Leafs were in Vegas recently to take on Mitch Marner on the Golden Knights. And now the return match in Toronto tonight. First off, great piece in the athletic about Marner and the stories leading up to tonight. What were your takeaways from watching Marner? Martin, sort of in his new hometown in Vegas, still trying to get adjusted, obviously, having spent almost his entire professional career and amateur career in Ontario.

If you had one big takeaway from, you know, seeing Marner in Vegas, what was that takeaway? Yeah, so I went in December, so that's like a little bit earlier this season. I guess my one big takeaway is I probably, like I didn't go into that story expecting anything, but my one big takeaway was I think we probably underestimate how hard it is to change teams, especially when you've been in one place for so long. Like there were just so many things that looked different for him there. And like it's like off the ice stuff. Obviously you're not living in Toronto.

You're living in like this tiny little place outside Vegas called Summerlin. It's quiet. The media is less. And you're not really like in Toronto. He was like the guy. Like hockey is, I mean you guys notice to Vancouver. Hockey is like life here. And in Vegas, this is.

just like, it's just one thing to do. And so you could really feel that he was just adjusting to all that, adjusting to a new place, adjusting to a new team, new teammates. I just think the adjustment was probably bigger than I anticipated. And honestly, I think it was probably bigger than he anticipated. Did Mitch love the attention or did he hate the attention? That's a great question. I think probably both.

I don't think he loved the criticism. and I think there was probably some resentment at the way he took more criticism, I think, than the other guys. Like for their playoff, woes. He obviously underperform the playoffs, but so did their other stars. And he tended to get more of the criticism. And that dates back to his second contract and the way that all played out. But I think the adoration here is different, obviously. Like he once described how players are treated here as they're treated like gods.

And so, like, that's awesome, right? Like, it's great when everybody knows what you're doing. You have a great game. You get all this praise. There in Vegas is just different. Like, you're just not going to get the same level of praise. You're not going to get the same level of criticism. So I think it's good and bad.

It's almost like you're a little bit off the hockey map. And yet you're in a place where they've won a ton, successful organization, successful culture. So it's like, what do you want? Yeah. So, Jonas, we all like to be praise. Everyone likes to say, hey, you're doing a good job. And, you know, Halfer and I are constantly searching our names on Twitter.

And just like, I hope they say nice things. Oh, they're not saying very nice things at all. Was that, you know, so everyone likes praise and people don't like to be criticized. It hurts. Was that more extreme with Mitch on both the craving the praise and really feeling the criticism than the average NHL player? Yeah. And I think it's like, I mean, I don't know about the average edge out of jail player because like, as you guys know, when you're like the fourth liner, even in a market like this, like you're generally not going to get talked about that much. Like maybe you have a great game. Maybe you make a mistake if people talk about you. But generally you're kind of off the radar. It's really like the front line guys who get the praise and who get the criticism. And you could just tell like the contrast with him and William Neander could not like Neander could not care less. And like I don't think that that's an act. I think that's actually true. Like I just don't.

think he cares, whether he's praised, whether he's criticized. And, and Marner, it was, it was always different. And it really changed in 2019 when he pushed for the contract, six-year contract, $10.9 million cap it, which, you know, was out of line a little bit, obviously, with what some star wingers in the league had gotten. And it had come after, you know, William Nealder has the longest contract dispute in salary cap history after Austin Matthews gets a five-year contract with one of the highest capits in the leagues. There was this like this angst in Toronto about, you know, leaf players not taking less

in the name of the team. And then Marner has this contract dispute, goes into training camp, gets this player-friendly contract. And really from that point, the fan perception of him got a little more sour and he reacted to that as well. Like you could feel that he was bothered by the way he was perceived. Is it offside to ask questions about his dad and the influence? that his dad still has on his life? I mean, I have not asked those questions to him. I don't know. Like, I'm a little uncomfortable with, like, family stuff.

But, I mean, I know, I mean, we know that that is a factor. Like, I interviewed his dad. I think it was in, like, 2018. And he had some interesting things to say about, like, martyr and his place within the Leafs. Like, at that time, the Leafs didn't have a captain. And one of the things that his dad said, to me is like, why is no one talking about Mitch in the captain's conversation?

And that was like a big deal. It's like, well, so it obviously has an influence or had an influence, has an influence. I don't know. But that's like, I think you could probably go down the list of NHL players and there's going to be varying degrees of influence from family is good and bad. Of course. I mean, just to jump in on that follow-up point, like it certainly seems as though there's an inference from a lot of the reporting.

I'm not saying yours, but a lot of the reporting that's going on, that a lot of the grievances that Marner had either with the organization or with the market or with the coverage that he was getting weren't his, that they were either being pointed out to him or it was like, hey, have you thought about this? And that's a really interesting dynamic to me, because I wonder if in Vegas where he's not going to get all of that and he's not surrounded by his family and he's not going to be scrutinized

on such a regular basis, if his entire mindset about hockey changes, because all of these grievances that he once carried might have been coming from places that weren't internal. I think that's, I mean, it's hard to say what he actually thinks, but I think that that is fair. That when, I think when the people around you are telling you, you're not being respected, you're not, like, you need to be treated like Matthews. Like, you go back to the way that that contract situation, like, I hate to keep bringing it up. It was such a focal point. and like you had um his agent like on the record talking about like the team is like disrespecting him and like he needs to be paid like Matthews and like this is like on the record stuff and then like

you know the influence of his family and like whether they're telling him you know you're not being treated fairly these other guys aren't getting criticized as much as you are it can only have a negative effect and like things can like spiral here and I mean if they had one long playoff run, all this stuff probably disappears. And they just never did. And he struggled in the playoffs. So like you combine all these factors. And it was like it was bound to end this way.

And like it was not a surprise to me that he left because like for two, the last two seasons at least to me. And I wrote about it at the time. Like he looked like someone who wasn't happy playing here. Like he just didn't seem to like all of the, I don't know, like the Michigas or whatever you want to call it with playing in Toronto, the attention, the scrutiny, the criticism, the good, the bad. Like, it just looked like he wasn't having fun.

And if you talk to people who play with him or coached him, when he's having fun, like you can see it. Like, he plays with like this freedom. And he hadn't had that in a long time. And I think the resentment that boiled around him had to do or had a big part to do with that, I think for sure. So correct me if I'm wrong here, though. But he was a really well-like teammate, was he not?

Yeah, yeah. He was, he's known for, you know, his energy. He's upbeat. He's enthusiastic. He was someone who, you know, planned all the team parties. He was that kind of person in the dressing room. I think like the playoffs stuff, you know, the way it went down for the team in the playoffs, the way, you know, some of those series went.

I'm sure that there was some frustration for him, his teammates, that the way that they were, they didn't, you know, raise their game, I guess, to meet the moment. but yeah, like he was well liked here. But it had been a long time. Like it's not normal, I think generally for a player to spend that long in one place. And I think it just got kind of tiresome a little bit here for everyone. Yeah. Like, you know, like you're in one place a decade.

You've lost, you've won a lot of games in the regular season. But the same thing keeps happening in the playoffs. That's like, that's the irony of this whole thing. Like he kind of had to leave. And while they needed him and still need him, they kind of had to. they kind of had to move on. Like it's this very unusual breakup, I think. Where did Brendan Shanahan's role in?

What was Brendan Shanahan's role in all this? Because he was kind of the chief decision maker in not trading him, correct? Correct. As far as we know. I mean, he didn't speak all the time, but we know the reason it lasted as long as it did, because there were multiple, many instances where you could have looked at it and said, you know what, this isn't working. Like, these are great players.

but for whatever reason when the playoffs come around, this is not working in a way that leads to a Stanley Cup. But Shanahan always believe that, you know, this star power that they had with Neander, Matthews, Tavaris, Marner was, like, unique and really hard to find. And he just felt like if they kept taking cracks at it, eventually there would be one playoff where it all clicked.

Like, and honestly, like, it wasn't a crazy notion. Like, it makes sense. Like, they're superstar players. It just never happened. And the same thing kept happening. And yet Shanahan kept kind of believing anyway. And so like the summer of 2023, they have this opportunity to trade Marner.

Like he doesn't have a no movement clause kicking in until July 1st. They choose not to. They had fired Kyle Dubus like six weeks before, replaced him with Bradtree Living. And it was immediately clear they weren't going to move anyone. And what that did is that locked them into those guys because suddenly martyrs no movement clause kicked in. The owner's no movement clause kicked in.

and I believe Matthews did as well. So suddenly they were locked into this. And that's why when people here blame Marner, you know, for not waiving his no movement clauses at the deadline last year, like to me that's not fair. That's on management. They had opportunities to move him. They chose not to.

You know, the interesting thing with what the Shanahan dynamic you just alluded to is that, again, based on most of the reporting, most of the people that you talked to, Shanahan just believed that things were going to work out like it did for him as a player when he was in Detroit. The parallels were this talented group of guys that couldn't get over the hump, but then one day they did. And I think maybe it was the projection of his playing days,

which ultimately led to the breakup because he always believed that it was going to happen, even when sort of facts and evidence and reality suggested that it wasn't going to. And I'm always fascinated by that dynamic because that's just shanny from his playing days. Like it's going to work because it worked for me when we were in Detroit. It's 1,000% true. and like you he I don't know if he's like on the record about it like I'm pretty sure he is where it's like remember how Steve Eisenman was perceived in in Detroit for the longest time this guy can win and then I don't think he won until like he was 31 that's right and so like I think that was like

one of the examples is like you know maybe it just takes longer and and you know these are such great players such talented players like literally four of the I don't know how many best players in franchise history like legitimately great players so he figured you know it happened in Detroit. It just took a little longer. It happened in, you know, Washington. Eventually they got over the hump. It happened in St. Louis. Eventually they got over the hump. And the other thing is like, he was on record as saying, you know, in Detroit, uh, players took less in the name of the team. And so that kind of set this idea of like, oh, the leaf stars are going to take less the name of the team. And obviously that did not happen. And so like the salary cap remains flat.

Yeah. The team doesn't win. And so all these factors come together. But yeah, 100%. His playing career had a big influence on how he ran the team here. Just a couple more questions, Jonas. What do you think the response is going to be like for Mitch tonight? I mean, the thing in Vegas last week when he got booed, I mean, in his home arena, tons of Lee fans, I kind of think that's how it'll be. Maybe he gets cheered during the video where they, you know, what are the tribute videos?

Yeah, tribute video. I don't know. Like I hope he gets cheered. because it, to me, like, the whole thing is really sad. Like, it, like, even just being in Vegas and watching them there, like, I had this feeling of, like, I was thinking of, like, a band, and, like, one of the band members had just left, and he was, like, on his, he had joined a new band, and it wasn't really, like, the same, and, like, the old band kind of missed him. So, like, you could just see if he gets booed

that there's going to be, like, this long, frostiness, you know, whenever he retires between him and the organization, like, Dave Keion, they had this thing, where it took forever before he came back and I could just see the same thing happening here. That's why, like, I hope it's a nice response, but I just don't think it will be. One final question. And this has nothing to do with Mitch Marner, actually. What? I only answer Mitch Marner questions today.

I'm sorry. How screwed are the Leafs with their blue line? Not only right now with all the injuries that they've got, but just going forward. Do they have any young players coming that are qualified? young players because I'm looking at this blue line right now and this thing needs to be turned over. So they don't have a lot. You know, Ben Danford is their best young defenseman. He played for Canada at the World Juniors.

He's probably a third parent guy, like a four or five, six type. So it's just not something that they've done well. They haven't drafted really a lot of good defensemen who've, you know, gone on to long careers for the team. And they're old. Yeah, so they're not a good position. Like it's an old defense. It's an injured defense like Chris Tenev. I don't think we see him again this season.

You know, Ackman Larson's hurt. Carlos hurt. These are all like generally older players. And the problem is like they don't have a lot of trade assets to replace them. So it's not great. Like they don't have a ton of prospects to move, great prospects. And they basically don't have a first round pick to trade until 2028. So yeah, it's not.

a great spot right now for them on D. Jonas, this was great, man. Thanks for taking the time to do this. We appreciate it. Enjoy the game tonight. It should be fascinating to watch unfold. We'll catch up with you later on in the season. Sounds good, boys, thanks. Thank you. Jonas Siegel from the Athletic Toronto. Mitch Marta reporter here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sports 9-650.

What better time to do one to watch brought to you by Limitless A.V., easily the most contentious part of the Halford and Brub Show right now. It's a fight every time, but today... Just gets more and more abstract these stuff. No, today there's going to be universal harmony because everyone, everyone can agree that while there are several ones to watch tonight, let's be real.

The marquee is Mitch Marner as he makes his return to Toronto. Now is a member of the Vegas Golden Knights. So many things to watch for the one to watch. What will the reception be? Will Mitch Marner shed a tear? Will there be booze? Will there be applause?

How long will the tribute video be? If you want to do some reading, And I know for a lot of you, that's a dirty word. But if some of you want to do some reading ahead of the game tonight, I highly recommend you check out all the pieces that are guest, Jonas Siegel, written for the athletic, including one that just dropped. How should Mitch Marner be remembered as a Toronto meet? Also, the one last night that Elliot Friedman wrote,

terrific reporting for Sportsnet.com, breaking down a lot of the inside details of the Marner era in Toronto. but whatever the case, Mitch Martyr is your one to watch tonight, brought to you by Limitless AV. Vancouver's most trusted audio-visual integration experts specializing in seamless video conferencing solutions and hybrid workspaces. Book your personalized tour of their experience center today at Limitlessav.c.c.

We are now at the midway point of the show. Coming up, Vancouver Giants Head Coach Parker, Burgess is going to join the program. We've got Rick Dollywall coming up at 8. We've got Ask Us Anythings at 830, and including the winner of the $100 gift card. to AJ's pizza on East Broadway. Lots more to go.

Don't go anywhere. You're listening to the Halford-Inbub Show on SportsNet 650. Hey, it's Jamie Dodd and Thomas Grants. 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. On a Friday, happy Friday, everybody. It's a Fiesta Friday here on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. Halford and Brub the morning is brought to

by Sands and Associates. Are you getting collection calls? Sands and Associates can cut your debt by up to 80% and stop those calls. Visit them today at sands dash trustee.com for more. We're at the midway point of the show. Parker Burgess head coach of your Vancouver Giants is going to join us in just a moment here.

Hour two of this program is brought to by Jason Hamanuk at jason.morgia. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.morgage. To the phone lines we go, as mentioned our next guest is the head coach.

of your Vancouver Giants. Parker Burgess joins us now on the Halford & Breath Show on SportsNet 650. Morning, Parker. How are you? I'm good, guys. How are you?

We're good. Thanks for taking the time to do this. We appreciate it. So I'm not going to start with the Giants, although Giants kind of related. The Giants are going to be hosting the WHL Prospects game in a couple weeks.

February 18th at the LEC. Four giants have been named to the roster. Five, actually, if you include Parker Burgess, who's going to be the assistant coach for Team West at the Prospects game. So first, congrats on being named for the game. It's going to be very cool, very exciting. Tell us about the four giants that have named to the roster

and how many we can expect to be playing on February 18th. Yeah, so we have three forwards and 1D were named. We had Brett Olson, who's been with us all year, was a giant last year as a 16-year-old. He'll be in the game. Then we have Joe Ginnla and Mathis, Preston, two players we acquired at the deadline, who are also scheduled to be in the game. And then Ryan Lynn on the back end, who's obviously been a giant for over a year now,

he was named as well. So we're really honored that all four of them got recognized, very deservedly so, and hoping as many as possible can participate. Tell the listeners a little bit more about Joe McGinla. Yeah, so Joe, I mean, I'm sure people are familiar with his dad and his playing career, His older brother, Tidge, plays on Colonna, was on the Canadian World Junior team. We acquired Joe from Edmonton at the trade deadline for a really good forward in Aaron Obaifo. Joe's in his second year in the league, played last year and this year with Edmonton.

He's in his draft year as well and is kind of slotted to go in probably the top two or three rounds. This weekend will be his first time wearing a Giants jersey. he's been out the past couple weeks with an upper body injury, and we knew that going into it when we acquired them. And so we're excited to see him on the ice. We've seen him in practice here for a couple weeks, but looking forward to see him in a game. Seeing the next generation, you know, the sons of NHL stars isn't anything new,

and we see them all the time now. But I do have to ask, maybe not in comparison to the rest of the guys on the roster, but just in a vacuum, what's it like working with a player who's grown up in that environment with, with that kind of teaching and learning and understanding of having a dad that was such a decorated player at the NHL level. What are those kind of players like when you get them in the door? Yeah, that's a good question. I've been fortunate enough to coach a handful of kids who their dads have played either at a high level.

I've coached a handful of players who have dads that have coached at a high level. So whether it's a kid who's had a dad who's coached or played at a high level, I think the thing that sticks out to you is they not just the on-ice stuff, but they have a really strong understanding of the nuances of just the game itself, whether it's the locker room etiquette, the bus etiquette, how to interact with your coach. I think they just, a lot of the kids grow up in a locker room. So they, you know, the ebbs and flows of a season with a team, different teammates, things like that.

It just feels like those players have a strong. understanding of that dynamic. Whereas I think, you know, for all our players, you know, they've spent so much time in a locker room and around a team, they get the little ins and else of it. But I just feel like those players that have dads that have played or coached instead of them having to learn it as they go, they've kind of grown up in that environment.

So they have a good understanding on what it takes to be a pro, the workouts, the nutrition. And like I said, just the day-to-day interactions, which you can see with Joe. He's a hockey nut. He's around the rink all the time. I know he's chomping at the bit to finally get in the lineup, and we'll have him here tonight against Prince George.

So looking forward to it. While we're on this topic, at the major junior level, how much interaction do you have with the parents? You can be honest, not in my experience, at least not a ton. I know we have a lot of supportive parents that come out to games and you get to meet them after, or maybe they come out to a practice. but in terms of the day-to-day, maybe what you hear with youth hockey and things like that,

there's more interactions. I think it's finding that balance in junior hockey, though, too. I know it's kind of that next step before pro and, you know, all these kids nowadays, they have agents and things like that. So you're not necessarily dealing with the parents about the ice time or the kids' role on the team and things like that. But these kids are also, you know, some of them are 16, 17, 18-year-old kids. and, you know, they're billeting for the first time, they're away from home.

So you can totally respect the fact that the parents want to at least have an idea of what their sons getting up to for eight or nine months. So I know our, like, our billet coordinator does a great job communicating with them. A lot of our players' parents are in contact with their billets. But in terms of the day-to-day interaction with the coaches, it's not a ton, but it's always great to see them on the road and get to know them a little bit. And, yeah, so I'd say not a ton, but enough to get to know them. We're speaking of Parker Burgess head coach of the Vancouver Giants here on the Halford and Brough Show on SportsNet 650.

Parker, one more before we let you go. And this one's a nod to you, Greg. It's a goalie question for Parker. It's about Burke Hood. So he's a New York Islander's draft pick. Had an outstanding week last week. It was 120 saves over three appearances. So he's a busy man in goal for the Giants.

He's got good size. He's six foot four. He's obviously a pretty bright prospect. Where's his ceiling in terms of the next level? How important has he been for you guys right now, given all the injuries you're dealing with in front of him? Yeah, he's been huge. He's been, you know, anytime you're in a situation, like we don't have Ryan right now or Mathis or Adam Tittlebach. Yeah, we've been kind of depleted here over the past week or so.

So in any situation like that, you're going to, you know, you're probably going to take on a few more shots than you'd expect. And Burke's been tremendous for us. I think, you know, it took him a little while early on to find his consistency in his game. we saw flashes of it. But I think since, you know, before Christmas, he's been just really consistent and held the fort for us. Young kid who, you know, he was drafted last year. He's in his 18-year-old year.

This is his first year where he's really held the starters role. So I think he's kind of learning as he goes and, you know, it's a lot of firsts for him. But he's starting to, I just see him getting really comfortable and confident in his game. and he's a big goalie. He's analytically, you know, he understands the position. He's technically sound. And now I think he's just really embracing the workload piece where, you know,

it's week in, week out, night in, night out having to carry that load. And we're doing everything we can not to burn him out because we're going to need him here down the stretch. But he's been terrific. He's a terrific young man. And he's a very, very bright NHL prospect, I would say that. Parker, thanks for doing this today, man. We really appreciate it. Yeah, take care, guys.

Have a great weekend. Yeah, you too, thanks. Parker Burgess, head coach of the W.HL's Vancouver Giants and the assistant coach for Team West at the 2026 WHL Prospects game. A reminder if you want to go. February 18th at the Langley Events Center, go to the Vancouver Giants website

for more information and to get tickets. It's Ask Us Anything Friday here on the Halford & Bruff Show on Sportsnet 650. Laddie, I haven't asked us anything for you to kick this thing off. How much fun did you have at the Vancouver Golden Eye? game last night. A 5-0-thrashing of Toronto. That was a good crowd. The call scene was packed. I saw the picture you tweeted

out. 14,0006, so close to 14,000 and 2007. They should have just bumped it up. Yeah, they couldn't have just just put, grab somebody off the street, get in here. Kidnap them? They would have seen a great game if they got pulled into that ring, but yeah, it was 5-0, Sereners, two goals, Hamilton's finest. What else got to say? I'm kind of sad that it happened at the

expense of another Hamilton area, the goaltender for Toronto, Elaine Chuli. Kind of sad about that, but hey, it can't be upset with the vibes in that arena yesterday. So a couple of no worthy bounces here, the bumps, if you will. The trade earlier in the week obviously paid dividends because they found their offense, scored five goals and five-nothing win over Toronto. And the Halbro bump alive and well, I know that Sarah scored in her previous game. But she didn't score twice in those games. She scored twice.

Double the output. I don't want to take all the credit for last night. Now she's tied for the team leading goals, you guys. She's played three games. So pretty good start for her despite being injured. Was she a lock for Team Canada? Apparently not. I thought she was this whole time,

but I've been reading recently that apparently they saw her as a bit of a wild card going into the Olympics. I don't know how you would not want a difference maker like Sarah Nurse on your roster, but we saw it on full display yesterday. Okay, let's dip into the Dunbar-Lumber text line and do a few ask us anythings. If you want to text in, 650-6-50 Metro Vancouver's Trusted Choice for Contractors and Renno Warriors. I know you're one of those Halford. For over 50 years, visit them at one of their three locations to serve you or online at Dunbarlumber.com. This comes from Ernie the operator.

So in April, Ernie writes, we are going to Anaheim, to Carsland for my son. I think that's part of the Disney Adventure Park or whatever it's called. Coincidentally, the Canucks are in Anaheim that weekend. I have never attended a game and the tickets are dirt cheap, even converted. My wife says it's a bad idea and is refusing to go with me to the game. Do I just ditch her and take the boy and give her money to take her and my daughter to the spa and have a boy's night? curious to hear your opinion.

Ernie, I think you know the answer to this. Yes, go to the game. I was going to say something. I better not. You definitely should go. The arena is... Have you been to the arena? I've never been to the Anaheim Arena.

We were down in Orange County for spring break two years ago. Okay. So we just kind of were driving around one day. It was like our last day before we didn't have anything planned. So you guys want to go to... So we went to see where... We went to Sofi. We went to Chavez Ravine and then we were on the way back.

We just drove through Anaheim. So the Angel Stadium and the pond or whatever the heck it's called now. Yeah. Where the ducks play. The Honda Accord. Yeah. That's a car. So we went there and we just kind of tooled around.

There's nothing really remarkable about it. But getting to see your team play on the road is always a unique experience. Because you never know what you're going to get. For example, I think the last time I did is a long time ago now. We went and saw the Canucks play in Philadelphia. Right. And that was a unique experience because no one in Philadelphia cared. It meant nothing to the city of Philadelphia.

And that was interesting. That was one of the deadest atmospheres I've experienced. And that was really disappointed because I was like, Philly's going to be awesome. They're going to play Welcome to the Jungle and it's going to go crazy. Gritty's going to be there. Gritty was there. And that was the highlight. Yeah.

But it was an interesting experiment, I would say, because you kind of got to understand that when you go to Calgary or Edmonton or maybe one of the other Canadian markets and the Canucks are there, it's going to be, you know, pretty passionate. There's going to be some back and forth and some time. No one. One guy, I was wearing a Pavel Burry jersey and I was walking to get a drink. And a guy was like, cool. I've never seen one of those before. Pavil Burry was really good.

He was a Philly hockey guy. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And so we chatted about that for five minutes and he's like, all right, have a good night. And that was like, he didn't care that a Canucks fan had infiltrated their bar. No. You're a Rangers fan. To answer this question, definitely go. Plus, I imagine the tickets would be dirt cheap.

Steve from Burnaby, ask us anything. What is a bigger contract mess? The team today, or the team the current regime inherited? Well, that's a good question. And I can't say I can exactly remember the Canucks cap situation, but the big one that they had to decide was what to do with all Ekman-Larsson and ultimately they bought him out and that was looking like a good decision when the Canucks looked like they were turning the corner and now you're looking at their

cap situation and you still have an Oliver Ekman-Larsen issue because it's a $4 million cap hit this season and I believe next season and then maybe two or three years more of $2 million of the buyout and the question is like okay well to what end. So what did that get? The Connector last overall. Now, that's not going to affect them much over the next few years as they try and rebuild the team.

But I think it might be more challenging. This is tough. This is tough. It's just hard to value what they've got. If you're talking just about contract mess, like inheriting a mess, not the collective picture, not the good contracts, just the mess, right? That's the idea. I think

what this current regime inherited was more difficult to deal with because they were pressed right like the reason that they had to get rid of the Ekman-Larsen contract It was a flat cap It was preventing what they wanted to do because they were pressed right up against it

They also had to clean up the Dickinson mess if I'm not mistaken but that might I'm trying to remember it was so long ago Those issues were But to answer Stephen Burr to be his text. The bigger picture, I seem to remember

this group having to clean up more when they came aboard than what they have to quote unquote clean up now. Like, Pedersen's contract is to me it's onerous. To other people, like A-Dog, it's not. Yeah. You know? It won't be. Okay. I agree. We agree. I agree to disagree on that.

For the length of the deal, if you look at the lifetime term of the contract in it from the years 3 to 8 or whatever it is, or whatever. For those last two-thirds of the deal, it will be an average... What if he sucks? What if he sucks, man? Or what if he's like his health concerns?

Well, I'm not even talking about the player. I'm just talking about the actual contract itself. It won't seem so onerous in two or three seasons through the length of the deal compared to what other Cs will be in a game. But the contract is related to the player. I know. I'm not talking about the player, just the contract.

Also, how much do you think the cap is going up? Well, incrementally every year. It looks like it's a decent. chunk every season. I think it's still going to be able to... The PD's going to be at the league minimum in a couple years. No, but what I'm saying is it won't look as bad

for the last two-thirds of the deal as it does right now based in production. On a scale of 1 to 10, this is a question for A-Dog. How big a risk is an acquiring GM taking if he acquires Elias Petterson?

One being the lowest risk and 10 being the highest risk. Seven, maybe six? and that'll go down every year maybe an eight right now what if he acquires Elias Pedersen and Pedersen just doesn't bring the intensity and the fans are like

this guy was the guy that was supposed to help bring us so let's say he goes to Carolina I'm just trying to sell a trade here you're not making it easy right now you're trying to talk these GMs out of trade take it? No I'm just okay look at his point production even this season and no it's not worth that an $11.6 million player, obviously.

But you'll look at his point production for this season. If he duplicates his points per game every single year, as he is right now, over the length of that deals, years three to eight will seem fine. Years one to three, arguably, will be bad. But over the length of that deal, if he's at least a good two C, it won't be awful. Just look at what centers are getting paid right now. I love... You just got to make it as a comparison.

I love your enthusiasm. Take away our buying. of the player and what we think of his lack of production based on what he's getting paid and just look at it statistically and look at it comparatively to other contracts. That's all I'm saying. Wenberg's getting six. Over the length of the deal. Devorax gets five. If I tell this point one more time. Yeah. Devorax's getting six. Like we get it. Sorry, Devorax's getting 5.7. Wenberg's getting six. That's like half of Pedersons. Like they're getting paid more than they should, but it's still not to like here's the thing. Even if the cap goes up, he's still going to command 10%. of your overall cap. Yeah. The cap goes to a lot of a hundred. He's going to play an important position.

That's the thing. Is he up for the job? I think that's the, I don't know. I think the sales pitch is more. Hopefully he gets back to 100 points. I also, no, he's not doing that.

I also think, I also think the sales pitch might be, you might have to put more emphasis on the sales pitch to Petterson, as opposed to the incoming team. Like, I think there's some merit to what you're saying. Well, what's the sales pitch to the team, though. That's what I want to know. What team would take him and why would the team?

Kind of what you're saying. It's like there's a dearth of centers. You can have one. Okay. You have to also sell this to Pedersen his agent, though. It's like, hey. Well, of course. Yeah.

That's the more important part. He has the control. That's the part that I'm worried about, right? Because we're already in the, I think we're all, have reached the same conclusion that they should move on. It'd be better for the player. It'd be better for the team. It'd be better for the rebuild.

It'd be better for everybody. I'm just trying to wrap my head around why he wouldn't want to. I mean, I get there are some teams that are less attractive than other teams. But given all that's happened, Like if I'm the player and given all that's happened of the last few years, I'm like, you know what, a fresh start might not be so bad right now. There's a lot of places guys don't want to go in the NHL.

Oh, I get that. For sure. No one wants to go to Carolina. I don't know why, but no one wants to go there. Carolina sounds like awesome. Yeah, wouldn't a player like that want to be out of the spotlight? But I think that's a misunderstanding. Maybe.

I mean, he says he wants it. He doesn't always show it, though. He doesn't always show it. No, you're right. I can't believe I'm doing this one. Okay. Austin and Langley ask us anything. What is the minimum return you guys would accept for Pedersen?

Is it three pieces like equivalent to the JT trade? I feel like it would need to be better to make sense, better asset than Heedel. Yeah, my return has definitely gone up in the last little while because, number one, even if his production doesn't show it, I think Pedersen has been better this season. than he was last season. And also, it's become crystal clear that the center market just isn't there.

I mean, who's the top, who's the top center available and unrestricted free agency? Jordan Schmaltz's brother. Nick Schmaltz? Yeah. Is that his brother? Yes. Yeah. Okay.

So Nick Schmaltz is the top center available and unrestricted free agency. Yes. Right? Yes. So I, I, I, the, the, the, The one thing that I hear is that the Canucks are, they want to get a center back in that trade. And I'm like, that doesn't make sense. If a team's desperate to have a center, then why are they going to be a center back?

Well, yeah, I mean, I understand it. But, I mean, the Canucks, in terms of actual bodies, they've got two top six centers potentially in Heedel and Rossi. of these potential roadblocks are what cast doubt for me. There's so many of them. I don't like it. Okay. I want roadblock free roads. Can I, can I just, can you imagine a scenario

where the Canucks try to trade Pedersen? Yes. And it doesn't work for whatever reason. Yes. And then he's back next season on the team. Yes. Yes. How does, how how do they and what, what if he's still

kind of like, meh, Pedy? Yeah. I But that's exactly what I could see happening. That contract that they signed, and I've been saying this for months, is going to be the most onerous contract in franchise history. It's going to be more challenging, potentially, than the Longo deal.

Because remember, the one thing that saved everybody and freed Luongo was that Longo was like, move me, move me, right? And until we get there, until we get there, this,

doesn't happen. And the agent was pretty clear about that. I think you negotiate a no movement clause. Yeah. If nothing else, it gives you the power to say it. So right now, there's two pretty significant roadblocks, I would say. It's one that the connects have a certain level of return that they want to get. And then the player has to agree to go to the market that they are interacting with. But there is a momentum to trade talks. Um, that it's sometimes just, becomes, I guess, so momentous that the player has to go. Yeah. How do they balance that?

How do you balance that with the leverage the other teams? Like, we know that this guy doesn't want to leave, right? You're dealing with a tough deal here. We're not going to give you what you want to return because you're having a hard time orchestrating any deal. How many Canucks fans out there would accept nothing as a return? Just PD gone, his entire call. contract. Some would, but that's, I think that's more reactive than anything else.

I mean, I've been at that point before. We still have been at that point before. To be quite honest. Spiteful in a way. What are you talking about? I just said, you got Heidel and Rossi there and go find someone else. Who's going to be your one C? Who cares?

The team's rebuilding. The team's rebuilding. Yeah. Which brings us to another question. What are the expectations for next season? Hopefully rebuilding. I think it's very, very interesting. that Jim Rutherford always says like

this is the year to get draft picks. And they're doing it. No, no, no. Yeah, but but what, but he never says next year. Because they want to be competitive next year. And I know they want to be competitive. But I know I know I shouldn't bring this up right now because we have to go to break, but I wonder if part of that

is because Rutherford doesn't know if he's going to be here. I mean, there's so many un, there's so many unknowns right now. So many unknowns. Okay, so we're going to. I'm sure it all work out though. Yeah, everything works out great. It always does. We're going to play a full of season next year morning. We're going to take a break. When we come back, this conversation will continue with a different spin, because Rick Dollywell is going to join us with his takes from

conversation yesterday with J.P. Berry. Everything that's surrounding the Elias Pedersen trade talks and a bunch of other Canucks news and notes as well. Rick Dollywell is going to join us next on a Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet, 650.