Halford & Brough in the Morning - Practice Facilities And Coaching Candidates

Episode Date: April 29, 2025

In hour two, Mike & Jason recap a very interesting NFL draft with NFL.com's Nick Shook (1:03), plus the boys go to the text message inbox to answer listener questions regarding news around the Canucks (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.

Music Music Music Music 702 on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands & Associates, BC's first and trusted choice for debt help.

With over 3,000 five-star reviews, visit them online at sands-trustee.com. We are in hour two of the program now. Nick Shook from nfl.com is going to join us in just a moment here to kick off hour two. Hour two of this program is brought to you by Jason Hominock at jason.mortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around and find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit him online at jason.mortgage. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio.

Kintec footwear and orthotics working together with you in step. To the phone lines we go. Nick Schuch, our good buddy from nfl.com joins us now on the Halford & Breff Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Nick. How are you? I'm good guys, thanks for having me on. Thanks for coming on, we appreciate you taking the time. So the reason we got you on today

is that yesterday, a very busy day, there was a lot going on on the show and we didn't get a chance to properly dive into everything that transpired at the NFL Draft. And by that we mean the Shader Sanders story. The first question I've got for you is, do you ever recall anything quite like what we saw with Shadr Sanders over the three days of this most recent NFL Draft? No, I don't think so. It's pretty unprecedented that a lot of,

and the weird part about it is that it wasn't everybody. Not everybody had it as a first round grader. In fact, a lot of and the weird part about it is that it wasn't everybody You know, it wasn't not everybody had it as a first-round grade In fact, a lot of them had him as a player that go in the top You know five to ten and then might not go in the first round at all Which I guess in hindsight we should have looked back and realized if that's the case then Maybe it is a little more unpredictable than we thought but to get to that point to have the entire league pass and you collectively four times or more Before you're finally selected, yeah, it was definitely unusual. And you know, it was a weird class in a lot of positions and especially at quarterback.

And I think that alone would have justified the fact that he wasn't picked in the first round. Uh, get ending up, you know, day three like that. I think there's a lot more to, um, this, this, you know, this, the way everything unfolded, uh, we think about slides, right? We think about Brady Quinn, we think about, um, you know, I remember other players in the past, the Aaron Rodgers even, you know, kind of sliding in the first round when he was drafted. I mean, there's, there's usually one every, you know, however many years, this

is, was much more than a slide. This was a free fall that we'll probably understand why eventually. It probably will be anytime soon. We could, and we could guess, we could definitely guess, but yeah, definitely not something I've seen in my decade doing this, decade doing this and many more years watching the football and watching the draft growing up. What about the landing spot in Cleveland? I know you've obviously got ties to the area and you're familiar with the franchise and the organization. What stood out to you about Cleveland making the decision to finally draft them?

I thought they might do it with pick 33, you know, going into day two, you know, they got the first pick in the second round and they obviously don't go in that direction. I thought they might do it 36, didn't do it there either. So there's always, we know their situation at quarterback and the way that they are now taking the apparently the shotgun approach by just spraying a bunch of pellets at the wall with quarterbacks and figuring out you know hey well if we if we do this with a number of different guys you know maybe one will pan out or we'll have a couple different options I think that the fit would have you know I'm not sure if that

I don't know exactly how the door fits into what Kevin Stapanski wants to do offensively because I don't think we really know what Kevin Stapanski wants to do offensively because I don't think we really know what Kevin Stapanski wants to do offensively because he hasn't had that opportunity in the last couple of years with Deshaun Watson and The way this quarterback room is now built Joe Flacco, Kenny Pickett, Dylan Gabriel and Chidora in there They're closer in terms of skill set and style than the Browns have been in recent years, but Ultimately, you know, we're still gonna have to see that this kind of play itself out. I mean, does Kenny Pickett get traded? Does Joe Flacco, you know, do they turn out move on from him? I don't think they do because he's the veteran back up there. And yeah, by the way, they spent a third round pick on

Dylan Gavriel, a quarterback that everybody thought would go where Shador Sanders went. And so I don't know if I said this to you guys, um, I think I have said plenty in the lead up to this draft. This would be the most unpredictable draft of the last decade. I think that, uh, that's, that's, that's hit the bell, at least when it comes to quarterback and where these guys were picked. When it came to Sanders was, was there a realization maybe that he's not as talented as some people

think and hence it's not going to be worth the circus to bring him in there? I think, um, anytime you're talking about drafts and positions, you have to think about supply versus demand. Quarterback especially because it's the most valuable position in sports and everything else. But I do think that when teams started passing on him over and over again, I always kind of was on the fence about him personally, just in terms of skill set.

There was nothing, you know, there was no one area in which he was, you know, remarkable as a player, but he did, you know, he was an entertaining player to watch at Colorado and obviously one of the faces of the programs turn around. It's just that when he watched his tape, there were times where you're like, wow, you know, that's a nice throw, but it's nothing that was consistently standing out as, oh, this guy is special in this department, this category. And in previous drafts and last year's draft class, he's not among those first four or five quarterbacks taken in that group. But you thought because this class was not as strong that he would end up being up there

and being one of those guys that would go, you know, in the first round with the quarterback meeting team if that's, you know, if they decided to move up to do that, like when the Giants traded back in to get Jackson Dart. And yet nobody did, so it maybe made me feel, it didn't make me feel better about any department at all. It was tough to see, you know, him go through that going from a draft party in night one and not even getting dressed in night two either. But it at least kind of confirmed that, okay, maybe all of the hype and everything that we hear about certain players leading into the draft can be kind of manufactured. And like I said, I think there's still a bit of mystery on what happened because when we were in Indy, it was Cam and it Cam and it was Chidor and it was kind of close and by the time we left Indy there was a

pretty big gap among those you talked to between Cam and Chidor and neither of them worked out. So, you know, they've spent most of their time doing the healthy vows and interviews. So I think that, you know, eventually we'll hear a little bit more about, you know, what might have, you know, inspired or transpired that caused a lot of these teams to pass on him, but he's employed now. And I, and as he said, you know, I guess none of it matters anymore. Now it's time to get to work for him. Is there, is there some excitement in Cleveland about him? Yeah.

Um, the funny thing is, is everybody wanted to, you know, they wanted to, you know, call up into a ball and, a ball and decide to ignore football season for the upcoming season when the Browns put the third round pick on Dylan Gabriel, which is the back end of the third round pick. But that's the way this town lives and dies with the draft. They wanted to, you know, retire from Browns fandom when they carried out a two and didn't take Travis Hunter. There was very, there were very many highs and lows with this draft and

Brown's fans experiences, but it was a fifth round pick of Chidor where they were, again, after the entire league passed them four times that they were suddenly very happy that he was selected. Which I don't know if that speaks to name brand and name recognition, the power of that during the draft versus, you know, taking stock of everything that unfolded and realizing that the guy that many guys, you know, many people here probably wanted at number two overall, or maybe, you know, somewhere in the first round ends up in the fifth round, you get into the fifth round and

they instantly look at it as, Oh, this is a great cause for celebration or it should be a cause for concern if you're looking at it that way. But I think they're just excited that they have a new reason for some hope at the position because last year and the year before, they pretty much very quickly learned that they didn't have much reason for hope despite Joe Flacco's run to the playoffs at the end of the 2023 season. So there's some excitement. When I get a FaceTime from my younger sister about it during the draft, that's when I know that he moved the needle in a different way. The litmus test, yeah, yeah.

You know, I think when the dust finally settles, and who knows how long that's gonna take, but it's gonna go down as one of the most layered, nuanced and complex things that's ever unfolded at any drafts in any of those major sports because you've got the player himself, the talent evaluation, that part. Yeah. They've got the father and the figure that he cuts, not hiding the fact that he's a hall of famer, but also his collegiate coach. And that's a wholeher layer. And then there's the one that I was really intrigued by because we've talked about it a lot, the NIL money.

And the fact that a lot of people seem to suggest that maybe just maybe the kid doesn't love football and doesn't really need to grind and go through the sort of rite of passage of most rookies in the NFL because he made close to $5 million last year at Colorado and that's a bold and brave new world for professional athletics having a collegiate player come in making that kind of money and having that kind of security already and I do wonder you

know maybe he's a unicorn in that regard because there's only gonna be one Shider Sanders but it certainly adds another layer to what's an already complex story. Yeah, you know, and that's interesting because I hadn't really quite thought about the fact that yeah, he's made that much money already because he's not the only player that's going to the NFL now that has, you know, a million or a couple million in their pocket. It's a different world. Yeah. But that is, that is a much larger total.

I also, you know, I mean, cause you think, all right, you get to the NFL, you're hungry to prove yourself. But then there's been guys in the past who were first round picks who were not hungry at all. I think about Johnny Manziel, you know, that's kind of just a coincidence when it comes to quarterbacking team. But like, that's a great example, in my opinion, of somebody who got to the NFL and didn't give a damn about, you know, working hard or learning the playbook or anything like that. So I think that it's, it is, you

know, there are multiple ways or different, I don't know, there's different ways to look at it or different influences, but yeah, this one is unique with him. I also think that there's definitely some sort of pushback from, you know, the term would be big football, a little phrase to describe it, but I think just the football world, the people that are decision makers at both the collegiate and the NFL level where it's, and that's really the NIL and it's also related to all the attention that the Sanders family gets. Then, you know, collectively passing on him, not once, not twice, not three times,

but four times in the draft is a bit of a pushback on what some would deem as a circus or some sort of common, yeah, yeah. I mean, that's the way to describe it, just the attention that they get. So yeah, you're right. One of the most layered scenarios and situations that we've seen unfold in the draft. And that's why I say we're gonna find out eventually why certain teams didn't go in certain directions. It might not be till he's done playing football. We don't know how long he's gonna play football. He could play for 15 years and

be a high-level success story with the Browns or somewhere else or he could not be in the NFL for very long at all. A lot of these things happen and with much higher profile players, at least in terms of they were drafted in the past. This one will definitely attract a lot of attention. Another quarterback that got drafted that didn't get a ton of attention outside of Seattle and

Alabama was Jalen Milrow. The Seahawks took him with the, what was it, 93rd overall third round draft pick. What can you tell us about him? Because as a Seahawks fan, I was happy to see that they actually drafted a quarterback and, and, and one with potential and, you know, I'm somewhat excited for this season, but I do want

a succession plan there for, you know, five or six years down or maybe even closer down the line. It's a relatively low cost risk in investment made on a high level athlete who was a fantastic runner at Alabama, was an inconsistent passer, got benched at one point. I don't know if they ever confirmed as a benching, but after they had lost, uh, a million season game two seasons ago at home, um, you did not play the next week. They almost lose that game to South Florida and then he ends up back in the lineup and now they only gets back on track, but it's just, uh, he's been a guy

who hasn't been a highly consistent. Passer, but has all the tools and he's got a hell of an arm first off And he's a you know when it comes to running If he don't see guys you can run quite like he can at that size in football and So that's where you get him. You know when you add them to your team That's where his strength is initially and that's why you make you know running packages for him Which I think you can expect to see what the Seahawks, um,

but he's also the type of player that you take with no pressure to play a full game because he still needs to develop as a passer, you know, uh, Lance Eerline who, uh, took some draft prep and worked for us, uh, at NFL.com. He's NFL comparison was Cordell Stewart. And I, it's first time I've seen somebody compare him to that. And they're like, Oh, you know what? That, that kind of tracks. Um, I definitely fit with that because he's an extremely explosive athlete.

I mean, he can, he'll run through your defense and when the game single handedly with his running ability, that's what he did against, uh, Tennessee, a couple of seasons ago, but he'll also face the right defense who just sits back and says, we dare you to throw, we're going to make sure we keep you from running an entire game. And Alabama ends up putting three points on the board and a 28 to three lost out Oklahoma. So those are two sides that coin, but I do love the way that it fits in with Seattle because he's not going to be asked to play immediately.

But I do think that he's going to see the field in packages that take advantage of his athleticism Which just makes them more dangerous and and if you keep will get the runway to develop as a passer as long as the same job You know experiment we can call it that You know doesn't completely blow up in their faces. So it is an interesting combination of styles because they traded Gino away to draft Sam Donald with a back to the line of scrimmage play action passer and then they went and got

kind of the opposite. So it's definitely a bit of a diverse quarterback's room now in terms of play styles for sure. How much can you work with a quarterback on passing accuracy and maybe some of its accuracy, maybe some of its decision making, but can you think

of a quarterback that came out with kind of a similar story to Milro and then got with some good coaches and got coached up and tightened up his game a little bit? I can think of one that was thrown into the fire and put into the microscope way too quickly. And I was looking at the future of his NFL career in one season

you know being on the line and that's Anthony Richardson. It's that's kind of too close you know too recent of a comparison for me to really feel that great about it but yeah I don't know if I because there's you don't find many athletes like this. I think about how they you know the whole league wanted to make Terrell Pryor into a receiver, you know, 10, 15 years ago, however long it was. And you know, playing quarterback at first at the Raiders, then ended up playing receiver at a few different stops later and was a decent receiver. It's not something that we see all that often because usually you see them change positions or they just

end up not being as good for one reason or another. So now I don't have a ton of reference points but I do think that you know watching him throw on air at the combine you know there was some inconsistencies. I think a lot of that can be fixed with time with reps and with tech work on technique because the natural arm talent is undoubtedly there. It's just something that you've got to kind of hone in on and if you don't throw them into the fire immediately then you have that time to work on that and and that's why when you spend a third round pick on them you have much higher upside because the pressure is not on

and if it all goes well you could have you know your franchise quarterback and you didn't have to spend more than a third round pick on him. Nick, this was great, buddy. As always, thanks for taking the time to do it. We really appreciate it. Enjoy some downtime after the draft and the off season. We'll check back in in a couple of months. Yep.

You got it. Thanks guys. Thank you. That's Nick shook from NFL.com here on the Haliford and Bref show on Sportsnet 650. I like just real quick on the Millrow thing, I like the, publicly, they're saying all the right things about he's a quarterback, he's gonna be in the quarterback room, we're gonna train him as a quarterback.

He's not a gadget guy, they specifically said, he's not Taysom Hill, he's gonna be a quarterback. And then as soon as the regular season starts, they're gonna have a bunch of gadget plays for him. You know it's going to happen. It's great. Well, it's not that bad an idea. It's like, what's the opposite of Sam Darnold?

I think. What about this guy? Yeah, well, I mean, here's the thing. You could just throw him in in a handful of packages and plays where it's like, go do your thing. Go run around and try and beat some defenders and go have, make it an explosive, exciting play, defeat that you said accurately, like, Donald can't do.

I think the thing is, with a lot of these other quarterbacks like Nick was alluding to, and like Terrell Pryor, I totally forgot about Terrell Pryor, is when you start getting away from being a quarterback, everyone gets intrigued by what you're doing and that's how you end from being a quarterback, everyone gets intrigued by what you're doing, and that's how you end up being a receiver. Or like in the Taysom Hill, like you're a tight end and a fullback,

and occasionally you're on the punt block team, like there's everything, right? And then they get enamored by that because you've got versatility. But if you're not working on being a quarterback, it's very difficult to become one. Because as Nick said, he's very difficult to become one because as Nick said, he's not coming in with the greatest skill package for throwing the football.

But do you think, well, I mean, yeah, I mean, he's got a great arm though. Yeah. It's so. It's the throwing, the accuracy of the throws that kills them. So I don't know how much you've read about it because I haven't had time to read much about it, but so are they bringing him in? Is this a guy who they see as maybe the future starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks or

is this now, or did they draft him for Sam Darnold's stint here? Do you know what I mean? Like to provide that, like what was the impetus for it? Was it for the gadget plays or was it future starting quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks? Mike McDonald was asked if the Seahawks or

whether the Seahawks need to use patience with Milro because he's this great athlete, but he has to grow as a passer. And McDonald said, we don't use the word patience a lot around here. There's always going gonna be an urgency in how we're developing players and how we're training them,

and Jalen is gonna be right there with everybody else. So to me, that's we're drafting him, we're gonna train him as a quarterback, we're gonna develop him as a quarterback, and the outlook is- And we're gonna use him. Right, the outlook is like he should be challenging for a job as a quarterback,

be it the number one or number two or whatever, in the not too distant future. Like I don't think there's gonna be a lot of sitting around and waiting in the Mike McDonald era. Like we saw that last year when mid-season, he reinvented that defense personnel-wise when he made trades and made cuts and brought guys in and elevated guys that weren't starting.

And I like that. I think sometimes there's a process where you bring in your guys and you give them time and you coach them up and you take the losses and everything. McDonald's seems like he wants everything done fast and right away, which I appreciate. I forgot that Drew Locke was back.

Oh yeah. Drew Locke was back. Oh yeah. Drew Locke's still there. Did you see the Argos added? Still there. Yeah, the Argos added Shider Sanders to their negotiating list, right? Such an Argos move. Why not? Like there are always the guys that are

doing this though, right? Yeah. Because they feel in Toronto, they need that. Starbuck. No, I know it was much, that had a Johnny football, but just going back to, I mean you go back all the way to Rocket Ismail, right? With the Argos and I know there's a lot of water

under the bridge. Ricky Williams. Ricky Williams, right? Doesn't it seem like Toronto sometimes looks for, like they, Toronto thinks it's an NFL town and it's big enough to be one. Yes. And I'm sure it would be, you know, I know

people look back and they're like, what about that series ahead at Skydom and no one went to it. I was like, Toronto would be an unbelievably successful. I agree. NFL town. I agree. And it feels like they think they already are.

Well, the CFL is, the CFL is kind of beneath them. So in order to appeal to that segment of fans, they need to bring in guys with name recognition. Yeah, that's a fair take on what they do historically. Um, and adding Sanders is kind of pie in the sky because I can't, I can't envision there's a scenario where he would ever end up there But here's the thing. Can you imagine the state he'd be in if he'd been run out of the NFL, right? Did you want that guy someone brought in Andre rise into the Argos as well? Yeah, good pull

That's that's what we're talking about. Exactly. I I know we're up against it for time, but the the thing I asked Nick about And so many layers to the Sanders story, but about him maybe not necessarily loving or being consumed by or desperately wanting to play football is a big element because he's made more money playing football right now than, I mean, what, like 80, 70% of all NFL players. You know, like he's made a ton of money

doing what he's done. And like, here's the- He could probably just make more money being Shadrur Sanders. Yeah, like money's never gonna be a problem for him. I mean his- Not more money than being a good NFL quarterback, but I mean like more money.

He could keep making money. Sure, I mean, and don't forget, he's coming from like now generational wealth from his father. And it is an interesting dynamic because the rite of passage in the NFL is you're a college student and you finally get your break and not only is it a chance to play football professionally

but it's also to get paid ridiculously well for it if you can stick around. That's the meat grinder of the NFL. And you know, it's on you, Rook, if you go and you work hard and you show up, you can get that big contract down the road and then you can buy your parents a car and a house and all that stuff.

Countless examples and stories of it. Doesn't apply to him. And Deon's already got a house. Many, probably. He's got a lot of cowboy house. Yeah, you know, and the kids made a lot of money already. And his life at Colorado, I mean, it wasn't that difficult. When they lost, he kind of got protected.

When he won, he got overhyped. And you know, he kind of, it's almost like he went through the having a football career, very much crafted by his dad. It's just such a unique thing that happens. He's so young too. Yep. Like these guys are so young and that's why, you

know, part of me and a big part of me was like, I love a good comeuppance, right? And I felt like he probably needed one. When you host that massive draft party and you publicize it. And then you don't even get drafted, forget the first round, but not even the next day and the second and third rounds. But also at the same time, I kind of felt for him.

Right? Like as a young kid, when I was young, I was dumb. Right? And maybe he's just gotten a little carried away with that sort of stuff. We got an open segment on the other side, uh, text in your questions or comments about anything going on in the world of sports. We talked a lot about Rick Tuckett's future

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We've had a few questions on this and I don't know if I've answered them or not or you've answered them or not. Blairski on the Big Island. What's up Blairski? Blairski. Is that in Hawaii or is that Vancouver Island? I think it's Vancouver Island, but the big island. That's a good question actually. Boys, would the P&E be a good location for the practice rink?

I imagine that the Canucks have explored that possibility and I realized that PWHL is going to be playing at the Pacific Coliseum and practicing at the Agridome and there might be a bit of work put into that. But this isn't meant as a disrespect to the PWHL, but it's very different. Like what's expected for a practice area for the PWHL versus a practice facility for the Vancouver Canucks, very different. If you look around the National Hockey League, and a friendly reminder, the only two teams without a practice facility are Vancouver and Calgary.

If you look at the majority of them, they're new builds. Yeah, they're new builds. Yeah. That's the key. Like you just end it there. Yeah. They're new builds. They're talking about making some upgrades to

the Agridome and the Coliseum and it's going to be great for that league. And I'm glad that hockey's back at the Pacific Coliseum, but look, man, I'm almost 50 now. I played minor hockey at the Agradome. Yep. I mean, also. And it's not, you know, the amount of work that

would have to go into it. I think the Canucks have come to the conclusion. I know they have because that's exactly what Jim Rutherford said is like, we're just going to have to build a new facility. We need 20,000 square feet and let's build the facility. So I don't know if we need to get like a commercial real estate broker on the show.

That'll be fun. That could find, you know, like what's it like to try and go find 20,000 square feet in an area where it's going to be accessible to the players? Do you know what I mean? And I don't know what else would be involved in that. Would it be part of a bigger development? I think what they initially wanted was it to be part of a bigger development and the other guys would develop it and the Canucks would have this practice facility and they'd probably get a sweetheart deal on it. That's the thing. They probably wanted a sweetheart deal on it. They would be the attraction. I don't know, maybe there's condos there or maybe you have some

retail there or office space and it's kind of like that's the attraction to the development. Like, oh, where do you live? Oh, it's crazy, man. I live in this condo where the Canucks practice. They're there all the time, right? It's, I don't know if that's your thing. Some of the tax-limited condos, yeah.

Or I don't know. Where do you work? Oh, I've got some office space. You know what's crazy? You should come by one day. The Canucks practice there. And you see them coming in and out. Or maybe you have some, maybe part of the deal is that you have some sports physio guys

that have an office there. Well yeah, a lot of the existing practice facilities with the American teams especially are sort of like joint medical centers. The ones that the Penguins have in Cranberry is the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. So they've got physio and rehabilitation from injury and all that kind of stuff. So there's a million different ways you can go. The P&E though, for me to answer your question, I just don't think that's an answer because

I think they need a new build there. I think that's what you need and you're going to have to find the space, but you know, this has really kicked up a notch. And it's funny, we talked about the practice facility, I want to say like three or four weeks ago, and it was just like a simple, what we learned. Sure. Because Utah was building one and we were like, this will be kind of funny.

Utah has been in the league for five minutes and they've already got a practice facility and we're still needing one here in Vancouver. And it's an issue that would come up time, like from time to time, but it wasn't on anyone's front burner really. It would come up with, if Jim Rutherford was, uh, talking to the media and was like, Hey, what's

going on with that practice? He was like, Oh, it's coming soon. Right. Yep. But now I think it's come to the forefront because Rick Tauke is apparently using it, um, in negotiations with the Canucks. And now that might sound, might sound cynical, like he's

using it in a negotiation, but I think it's a legitimate thing. It's a legit, for, especially for a coaching staff that wants to, you know, your time is so valuable as a coach. You just want to have an area where you can have all your stuff. Sure. You know?

Yeah. And you won't want to be like. Guys love storing their stuff. Well, it's just. They love staying where their stuff is. It's just easy. They don't love moving their stuff. If you have a routine, I don't know what the

Connex routine is from a coaching perspective when they go out and practice at UBC. Do they have a little area where they can get together after the practice as a coaching staff and go over video or have meetings in a comfortable setting? Do the players have an area where they can hang out after a practice at UBC? Or is it just like, all right, practice over,

see you later. Yeah. Right. It's all, it's all part about building a culture. Yes. And making it as easy as possible to get as much work done as possible. Well, to me, the most glaring, and I think we'll put a bow on the practice facility talk for the day after this, but to me, the most glaring one is when you're the only team in the NHL that doesn't have one. That's an issue. You can judge the merits of how important it truly is,

right, we talking about practice, really, practice, but when you're the only NHL, 32 NHL franchises, you're the only one that doesn't have a dedicated practice facility, because Calvary's getting one. It's an issue. You can't be the only one. You're a unicorn, you're an anomaly at that point. It's strange. It's something that stands out. It's a sore thumb. It's a disadvantage.

Yeah. Okay. It's a disadvantage. Here's another question. Okay. Oh, did you have one that you wanted to get to? Yeah. Go for it. Unsigned one, so it must be from Gary. This is a good jumping off point for a bigger conversation. Do you think that the Tampa Bay Lightning would move on from John Cooper if they lose in five or six games? That would be three straight first round exits. I should have mentioned this earlier, unsigned texture, Gary. There is another wave in the traditional NHL offseason when it comes to coaching dismissals

and that's after the first round concludes. There's always one that surprises you. The first round you got to remember is either teams that got into the playoffs and got a taste of the playoffs and they're either like, okay, this is great, we lost, but we see brighter days ahead. We're happy, we lost, but the guys are gonna learn from this and more importantly, our coaching staff is gonna learn from this. And those guys are usually safe.

And then there's the owners and general managers who are disappointed by their first round exit because they expected more. And sometimes that first round exit can fuel a surprising coaching dismissal. Doesn't happen all the time but I remember a Sage NHL insider a few many many years ago now telling me you always got to look at the eight teams that bow out in the first round because sometimes going to the playoffs and losing is actually

more damaging than not making the playoffs at all. So the Canucks are waiting on John Cooper. Attaboy Andy. Well the Axes gonna fall on Coop. No but I'm serious. So to answer the question. He's been there since 2013. If Coop was to shake loose the Cucks would be crazy not to explore bringing him here. I think. Like they obviously would. If we counterpoint. Obviously would. If we're gonna go on the theory that Mike Sullivan maybe could use a little sabbatical and some time away after spending a decade behind the bench in Pittsburgh,

I would suggest that hiring John Cooper fresh out of the Tampa gig might be fraught with some risk because if there's a guy that might need to support- I agree though, but I love Coop. I know. He's so good so he's a Prince George boy Yeah, there's a local boy home if there's a guy that might need some time to unwind He's probably want to coach at home if there's a guy that might need some time to unwind it might not be Emotionally invested in a couple weeks job. There's nothing better than hearing a dog

like find an idea and then get told I'm Immediately convince himself that the... There's like no thought. There's no thought. Helford could say, he could just be talking about all the reasons, like it might not happen. And then Adog's like, John Cooper's the next head coach. He's coming. If it's not a Sully, it's Coop.

Yeah. Because I'm sure after decades of continued playoff success and multiple Stanley Cups and a bar. In a functional organization. Right. Which has a practice facility. Yeah, a beautiful weather. A high bar for organizational standards in terms of winning.

He's gonna wanna go somewhere where the team's best player in captain might be gone in two years. But jokes aside, do you think that the Canucks might be using this kind of thing against talk? It'd be like, look, like you won all this money, but there's all these coaches that are more successful than you. Totally. That have won more than you. You've made a good point.

That we can potentially bring back. So Tauke, if you want to come back here, we'll give you a lot of money, but don't expect Cooper Sully money. Well, it's part of the reason why I wanted to ask Wish about these other candidates that are out there. David Karl, Joel Quenville, Mike Sullivan. Jay Woodcroft. Jay Woodcroft, because- He's getting the media glow up right now. Yeah, he talked to Wish for that piece.

Yeah. If you look around the coaching landscape right now, there are some candidates that are starting There are some candidates that are starting to emerge that are going to make Rick Tocket less of the bell of the ball, right? So could that be what's holding up negotiations then? In part? Well, and I also just brought up the fact

that we haven't seen these first round ousters yet. Something could happen. And Wish brought up the point that if Colorado bows out with the way that they aggressively made this team this season, also with the added Gabriel Landiscock emotional bounce and you're out, you do have to look behind the bench and say, what went wrong here?

That's not advocating for Jared Bednar's dismissal. I don't think it'll happen, but there is a question to be asked there and they're one game away from elimination. Yeah. They got one more year of Charlie Coyle down I'm not advocating for Jared Bednar's dismissal. I don't think it'll happen, but there is a question to be asked there and they're one game away from elimination. Yeah, they got one more year of Charlie Coyle down the middle, but that's it for Brock Nelson.

He's a pending UFA. And they spent big on that. Yeah. That was a big, that was a deadline rental designed to get you beyond if they do bow out six games in the first round. And then you talk about an opening and another candidate shaking loose. I mean, there's still the guys that have recently been dismissed now of the frat quote-unquote fresh firings and

Wish has a list of them There's torts There's Luke Richardson There's Peter La Villette. I am curious about current Sportsnet employee, Derek Lalonde, if he'll get it. He seems like a very bright guy. I've enjoyed his analysis.

I like his work on the panel. That's how you get back in oftentimes. I think it might be the end of the line for the, like Dan Bilesma, for example. I'm not sure he's gonna get another bite at the Apple, the coaching Apple in the NHL. I still think, like I don't know what percentage, I still think Toc's gonna be back.

I do. I don't know at this point. It's never a great thing when it gets dragged out like this. But my confidence percentage might be just above 50% at this point where- It's taking so long though. Yeah, I know. Like the longer it goes, the less convinced I am.

Yeah, well, absolutely. You know, cause it's like, what the whole- That's why my confidence meter is going down. Like the key stakeholders involved might not care. They might say between management and Taukit and Taukit's agent, this is just how the game gets played. Especially at this time of the year. We got some time.

Yeah, there's no gigantic rush. When I said maybe the old, maybe management's like, we just want to slow things down a bit and see how the first round ends up. The public. I don't think my friend management is not slowing this down. If anyone is slow playing this, it's talk it. You think?

Yes. The Canucks want talk this, it's Tauke. You think? Yes. The Canucks want Tauke and they want them signed now because they got a lot of stuff to get done this off season. And if they have to add a whole coaching search, which would probably include pretty much a whole new staff, then that is another massive thing. Yeah. They add to their play. I don't think there's any way the Canucks are slow new staff, then that is another massive thing. Yeah, and I put some money in ball for sure.

I don't think there's any way the Canucks are slow playing this. I think if anyone is, it's going to be Tauke. Because Tauke probably feels like, well, the longer I wait, maybe I can get some more out of the Canucks and if they don't meet my price, maybe they'll grant me my leave and I'll go take the filly job. Yeah, but the longer he waits, the more it could

hurt him. If more coaches become available. That's why it's a bit of a. A gamble. It's a game of chicken right now. That's the dance. Talk loves it though. He loves poker.

Yep. James from Richmond, Texas, if Talk walks, that might be the first domino to fall of many in the not so distant future. I believe that would be the last straw for Quinn. After that, everything else falls apart on its own. I get the sentiment there and it's not that I

wholly disagree with the sentiment, but you also have to allow for the fact that Quinn is under contract for the next two years. And it's possible that they bring in, let's say talk does walk away. Maybe they bring in another coach that Quinn gets along with. Yeah, you loved one coach, you'll love another.

Yeah. There are other highly qualified. John Cooper gets along with everyone. Yep. Mike Sullivan, you saw Mike Sullivan, how excited he was to coach Quinn Hughes of the Four Nations. Wait. He prematurely said that Quinn Hughes was

joining the team. He was all excited. Here's a quick question from Tyler, the Pepper guy, ask us anything. Do you think the Canucks regret buying out OEL? I also understand that sentiment and the question because OEL in Toronto is playing pretty good hockey for a cap hit of three and a half million dollars while the Canucks

dead cap money associated with OEL is gonna jump up to, or is it already there? It's like over four million. Yeah, but the question is do they regret it? I don't think so. I don't think so. I think they needed to move on. I think they needed to move on from the contract. And I think OEL probably needed a change of

scenery where the pressure wasn't on to be a player that matched his contract. Symbolically speaking, it was also undoing one of the biggest gaffes of the previous regime too. And I know that doesn't have anything to do with the player himself, but it is, symbolic gestures do matter sometimes. So it's, and I'm going to bring it back to number 40 for just a second here. I haven't done it for a while. Give me a break. Okay. It is corrosive to a team's culture when there is a player making a lot of money and not performing up to task.

Yeah, that's fair. That's fair. I think it weighed on OEL too. Yeah. You know, when he. It did, I'm sure it did. Who held these, it was Boudreaux that held these, scratched them, I wanna say.

I don't remember that at all. I'll have to double check that at the break. That's why we have computers and the internet. But the fact that that was happening to a guy making over $8 million, it just becomes, um, it was with Louis Erickson too. Yeah, but he had a shadow that you can't escape from it just, it hangs over you because everyone

talks about you within the context of your contract. Everybody does. Because, and especially at that time when the cap wasn't going up very much and everything was so tight to, you know, within the dollar and I remember, the joke I always used was like, if you wanted to trade for Robbie Fabry,

you had to launder his $2 million contract through two places first, just to get him in the lineup. Like that's the financial world that that contract was living in. So I don't think that they regret moving him. I think that what's happened here is probably how the buyout process should work.

You give the player a fresh opportunity to go ply his trade elsewhere, under a totally different financial circumstances. And you still get to kind of free yourself to a certain degree because now they get the dead cap. But I think, I don't think there's any regret there. No. I also think it allowed them to make some changes

to the team that did, you know, help produce last season and I know last season feels like a long way away, but financially for the club, it was probably a good financial decision, at least during that season where they sold a lot of, sold a lot of tickets, including some playoff tickets, probably sold some merchandise. It was financially, it probably at the very

least balanced out. Coming up on the Haliford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650, we're gonna go to Colorado. Arif Dean is gonna join us from Colorado Hockey Now. We'll talk about the Avalanche, who are now facing elimination in their first round series against the Dallas Stars. You are listening to the Halford and Brough show

on Sportsnet 650.