Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Best of Halford and Brough 1/23/26

Episode Date: January 23, 2026

Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports, they discuss if Elias Pettersson would welcome a trade out of Vancouver, plus they get a Canucks update from Donnie & Dhali's Rick Dhaliwal. 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.

You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to Halford and Brough. The weekend. Good morning, Vancouver 601 on a Friday, sweet, sweet Friday. Happy Friday, everybody. It's Halford. It is Brough. It is Sportsnet 650.

We are coming you live from the Kintech Studios and beautiful Fairview Slopes in Vancouver. Jason, good morning. Good morning. Adaw, good morning to you. Good morning. And Lattie, good morning to you as well. Hello, hello. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates.

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Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. We are coming to live from the Kintech Studio. Make 2026 your year to move better and step stronger with Kintech custom orthotics. Big guest list on a Friday. It is the Duick Morning Drive brought to you by the Duik Auto Group. It begins at 630. Nick Shook from NFL.com is going to join the program. This Sunday, the Super Bowl matchup will be set.

AFC championship, Patriots, Broncos, NFC Championship Rams and your Seattle Seahawks. Nick's going to break it all down for us. at 6.30. 7 o'clock, AJ from AJ's pizza is going to join the program. A reminder, it is Ask Us Anything Friday on the program. Dunbar number text line is 650, 650, hashtag your Ask Us Anything's AUA. Put a pizza emoji into your text. You'll be entered into the grand prize contest to win a $100 gift card to AJ's pizza on East Broadway. After AJ, Jonas Siegel is going to join the program. Maple Leafs reporter for The Athletic. He wrote a big Mitch Martiner profile last week when the Leafs were in Vegas

and now the return. Marner and the Vegas Golden Knights take on the Leafs in Toronto tonight. We'll talk to Jonas about Mitchie's big return at 705. 730 Parker Burgess is going to join the show. Head coach of the Vancouver Giants Giants away in Prince George this weekend

for a two-game set. Parker recently named an assistant coach for Team West at the 26 WHL Prospects game. Why do I mention that? They're playing at the Langley Events Center on February 18. Lots to get into with Parker Burgess at 7.30. 8 o'clock Rick Dollywall is going to join the program.

Intrepid Canucks reporter for Donnie and Dolly on Czech TV. For this, as always, we turn things over to our resident Dollywall nursemaid, Jason Brough. Well, we're going to start with J.P. Barry's comments on his show yesterday and what that could mean for the Elias Pedersen off season. Let's call it that. A reminder that Elias Pedersen and the Canucks are in action tonight. 7 o'clock from Rogers Arena against.

It's Jack Hughes and the New Jersey Devils. It's a big show. We have a lot of guests and we have a lot to get into. So without further ado, Laddie, let's tell everybody what happened. Hey, did you guys see the game last night? No. What happened? I missed all the action because I'm losing.

We know how busy your life can be. What happened? Missed it? You missed that? What happened is brought to you by the BC Construction Safety Alliance. Making safety simpler by giving construction companies, the best in tools, resources, and safety training. Visit them online at B, C, S, S.

dot CA. Although the Vancouver Canucks only had an optional practice yesterday ahead of tonight's game against the New Jersey Devils, there was no shortage of storylines from your Vancouver Canucks yesterday, many of them pertaining to number 40, Elias Pedersen, but very quickly, before we get into all that, as mentioned, was an optional practice yesterday. One of the participants in the practice,

again, Philip Heedle, who could very well make his long-awaited return from injury tonight when the Canucks think on the Devils 7 o'clock at Roger's Arena. Yeah, Teddy Blugher's back, and now it's Philip Heedel's turn. As you said, he could make his return to the lineup tonight against New Jersey. I have no idea where Heedel fits in the Canucks future. I obviously wonder if he can stay healthy. And even if he can stay healthy, I wonder if he should be a center or a winger.

I heard a few guys on the station kicking that around. And obviously, it's going to depend on needs. If they trade Elias Pedersen, which we'll get into later, do they get a center back? And if so, is that center better or lower in the lineup than Philippiol? Who knows at this point? Marco Rossi is also on the team. There's Atu Ratu. I honestly don't know really what the future holds for him, too.

So I just want to start. Let's just start our Philippeal watching with him staying healthy and not taking any massive hits. Fortunately, the Washington Capitals, we're no longer going to see the Washington Capitals. The Canucks went 2 and O against the Caps, but Wilson really delivered a big blow to not only Heedle, but to the Canucks in like Game 7 or something like that when he put Heedle out with that hit. And I don't know if Heedle's going to be able to just change the way he plays. He's a straight ahead guy, but you know, you got to keep your head up. You got to be aware when you're carrying the puck through the middle of the ice and also right after you pass the puck through the middle of

the ice that you might get lit up and that's something that hockey players have been taught since you know they started playing hockey with body checking and you know guys like tom wilson they are rare but they do exist and philippeitel we're all we're all praying that if he does get a hit like that that he's not automatically out with a concussion because i don't think you can play hockey that way. I don't think that it's that it's that it's possible to go out there and go, I'll be okay as long as I don't get hit hard. Sure. And it goes beyond like players of Tom Wilson's ilk as well. We should make this abundantly clear like yes, Wilson was the latest of the individuals to hit Heidel, but he's been shelved with concussions from a variety of different hits from a

variety of different players, some that don't make their bread and butter by headhunting or targeting guys. Like it's just the way that he plays. Now Heedles in a very interesting. interesting position in terms of career. I'll call it trajectory because next year, he's in the last of a four-year deal that pays $4.4 million annually. And not only does he need to prove that he can play and stay in the lineup with regularity and not, I would imagine not suffer another concussion,

that's going to go a long way to deciding what his future is going to look like in terms of employment and getting a contract. Will it be in Vancouver? Will it be elsewhere? You had to imagine what I like Keitel as a player. If he's healthy, I think he brings a lot to any lineup in the NHL. Yeah, it was just, it was a, it was damning.

It was an indictment almost to his style of play that going into the year, the only question, only question everybody had was, was he going to be able to stay healthy? And it just, it didn't happen. And it didn't happen early, right? And you do wonder about the player's long-term health. Now, Heedl had some media availability the other day, meeting with Kinex reporters. And he said he's got his family's, full blessing to try this again and to go out and play hockey.

And he did acknowledge that there needs to be some more awareness shown by him when he's on the ice. But there didn't seem to be a long conversation about fundamentally altering his game. And I don't know two things. One, if he's capable of even doing it. And two, if he'd want to, and I know that sounds weird because of his injury concerns, but it's also the thing that allowed him to be a first round pick to, to me. make the NHL. And when he's healthy, be an effective NHLer.

Like, less we forget, when he's out there playing, he can be very effective doing what he does. So we'll see what happens with Philippe Heel potentially tonight. So with Bluger and Heedel now returning, assuming Heedle plays tonight, it obviously makes you wonder when the Canucks are going to start thinning out this roster with some trades. Who comes out of the lineup to make way for Heedle? Because Atu-Ratu didn't play against Washington the other day.

because Teddy Blugher was playing. And that's not ideal for Atu-Ratu, and I know Adam Futt had some comments on that yesterday, and he said, you know, he'll be fine. Maybe he's going to play the wing a little bit, but he's a pro and, you know, basically saying nothing to see here. Now, look, it isn't the end of the world that Atu-Ratu isn't playing every game. But it's not ideal either. No.

You know, don't get me wrong. It's not ideal having Atu-Ratu sitting in the press box when you've said, Yeah, we're rebuilding. Like, who comes out of the lineup tonight? Is it going to be, I mean, Max Sasson was the low ice time guy against the Washington Capitals. I guess you could, you know, Nils Hoaglender again, they take him out. Yeah. But, you know, again, you don't want either of those guys out of the lineup.

Nils Hoaglander has to play his way back into being a good hockey player again. Yeah, or a trade candidate. That's what I'm talking. about. And Max Sasson, I mean, I think Sasson's had a terrific year, but now all of a sudden is he getting squeezed out? The thing with Ratu is, and I was wondering this the other day, do you think they've maybe partially made their mind up about what he is, what he's going to be and where he's going to fit in this big rebuild? Maybe. They don't seem overly concerned about stunting his development or growth. They've put him in the press box on

I mean, I've lost count of the number of occasions. And when pressed about the deployment and being in the lineup, foot just kind of gave it a shrug. He didn't seem to think it was a big deal. And this is not the first time that he's done it. I think his skating is, I know he's worked on it and it's maybe improved a little bit, but his skating isn't great. Okay, let's get into this Elias Pedersen stuff because J.P. Berry was on what

Donnie and Dolly yesterday. and I listened to some of the comments that he made when it was about Elias Pedersen and the possibility that Elias Pedersen could be traded. And J.P. Barry, now look, he's a different personality than Alan Walsh, who is Philip Hironix agent, but it was just very different to how Heronix agent addressed the trade speculation.

And in case you miss that, Alan Walsh took to social media and said, this is just wasted air. Great players are in demand everywhere, but the NHL is not fantasy hockey. Why bring up players that are not available for trade? Vancouver management and coaches are happy with Phil, and Phil has no interest in going anywhere else. We're going to play the JP Barry audio now. You tell me if you sense a little bit of a different

attitude. Well, I mean, I take it with a grain of salt because, I mean, when a team isn't doing well, then everybody's going to be discussed. And we've talked about it in the past. It's always hard for us when it's a player who has a no move, but that's the reality of, you know, where things are when things don't go well.

So, you know, for us, we know it's not real unless, you know, the GM is calling us and saying that there's an actual team or a deal and would you consider it. So, you know, nine out of ten, ten, 10 times, it's just a rumor. Is he happy? I mean, he says he is. Is he happy on and off the ice in Vancouver, JP?

Yeah, I think he's happy. I mean, no one's happy when they're losing. So, I mean, he committed, you know, to be there and try to make the best of it, and he's going to do that. And I'm sure there's going to be all kinds of discussions at the end of this year about every player on that team. So we can't avoid that. JP, if they do come to you and say, hey, will you waive,

that's a decision you and Nellis are going to have. to at that time, I guess, start thinking about something. Yeah, where it gets problematic is when things get public in that area, like people, you know, think that the player should automatically waive to whoever they want to waive to. And the reality is that when you have the leverage to have a no move, like, you're giving up a lot, you know, there's, there's an, you're basically purchasing that for sometimes a million dollars or more.

Okay. So the player, you know, retains the right to. go to a spot that he wants to go to and it'll open up that kind of dialogue but that hasn't happened yet but yeah I mean obviously it has to be a location that works for both sides

obviously it has to be a location that works for both sides that is in my opinion pretty different to how Philip Horonix agent addressed the trade speculation and I thought it was telling that J.P. Barry didn't outright reject the idea of opening up a dialogue

with the Canucks about a change of scenery for PD that almost sounded like an invitation to suggest some potential locations. So we do have some more audio to play and this is Elliot Friedman from the latest 32 thoughts

podcast which just got released. I haven't heard this clip. So here's Elliot on the Elias Pedersen situation. J.P. Barry was on with Dallowall on

Thursday. That's what that said to me. Give us a reason. Why would we agree? So that's for all to talk about who's interested or where he could be going, you've got to show me that there's something he's going to want

to say yes to. That's not nothing that he said that. Yeah, but I think I think that's, well, he didn't really even go that far. That's the way I read it. I see. But that's the way I always see these things. People say, oh, he's going to know trade clause.

Yeah, he's going to know trade clause, so he has the power. But sometimes you reach a point where you say, all right, there's diminishing returns here, or how much do I want to listen to myself being trade rumors here or enough's enough here? it happens to everybody, right? It happened to Marner at the top of the show we talked about here. But to me, you've got to give them a reason to say yes. Now, my, so we're now going to go from J.P. Barry's remarks to Frege's analysis of J.P. Barrier's remarks to our analysis, the Freedges analysis of J.P. Barrier's remarks. I think that if this ultimately comes down to the Pedersen Camp saying, we'd be open to hearing conversations about

potentially waiving the no trade clause and the no movement clause. But it, as Barry said, it has to be like mutually beneficial. I wonder what it's going to take, where it's going to happen, and what that list looks like. Because. But don't you think this is an invitation to that process? I think it's an invitation to open. Yeah. I think that's it though.

Okay. I ultimately think there's a long way to go for sure. There's a long way to go. Yeah. Yeah, yeah. Now, my takeaway from the entire thing is, is this whole thing being positioned for the inevitable, well, we would like to move the player and we have options on the table, but the player is unwilling to move. Like, is that what is, is that the ultimate end game here? I kind of feel like it might be.

Well, maybe it won't. That would get really ugly. Yeah. Real ugly. Now, remember, there has been messaging from this organization that the contract they originally signed Elias Pedersen to. with the no movement clause, wouldn't necessarily be that big of a deal because if things went pear-shaped in Vancouver,

the organization was under the belief that the player would welcome a move as much as the organization would welcome trying to move him. That if it went that badly, EP40 might be more than willing to entertain a move elsewhere. Right?

I mean, that was kind of the basic contract 101 language and interpretation of what was going on there. Now that we've, to a certain degree, reach that point. I mean, let's not forget, when Elias Pedersen signed his monster 11.6 million a year contract, I can't even begin to tell you how dramatically different things were for this organization, its trajectory, who his teammates were at the time, right? He's the Will Smith meme from the Fresh Prince, just looking around the room. Like, oh, guys, they used to be here.

The old leadership group, it's gone. So it's fundamentally different. Was Will Smith going, was that my fault? Was it me? Was it me? Did I do something? Or everyone else just leave? So when you look at it in that regard, you could say, well, yeah, things have definitely changed for the player.

And that one year window where the Canucks had to move him without the no movement clause is gone. But it's okay because the organization has kind of said through back channels that, yeah, if things go bad, don't. stress about the no movement clause because the player would be open to a move. Well, that remains to be seen. Sometimes players aren't as open or receptive to leaving as you think. There's a comfort factor. As Greg Wyshinsky often points out, guys love being where their stuff is, right? They got a nest, they're settled, and they're just going to go out and play hockey.

Now, I'm not saying... Sounds like you don't think he's going to get traded. because I think it's trending towards him getting traded. I'm not guaranteeing it because I think, as we've already discussed, that it's complicated and you've got to find everything. You've got to find not only a team that wants them, but a team that's willing to give a return that you think is acceptable and then make sure that that team, Pedersen, is willing to go to that team.

That's a lot of things to... Let me say what I'm thinking as clear as possible. I think there's going to be efforts made to move him. I bet because it's something that I think is beneficial and want to happen, it won't happen. It's almost like the rainy cloud thing. So you don't think it's going to happen. What happens if they find a deal that works? Yep.

And Pete, he doesn't wave? Yeah, and it somehow gets out. Would the connects do that to him? Would the connects do that to themselves? You know, like, also, why wouldn't he want to change his scenery? Like, that's what I don't get. Like, after all he's been through over the line. last few years here and all like the drama surrounding the player.

Well, Adog, who says he doesn't? I'm not saying maybe he does. I'm saying counter to what Halford's saying. Like, I'm just shocked that I'm, you know, I don't know if he does or not, but I'm just, I would be shocked that he wouldn't even entertain the idea of a change of scenery and a fresh start given what's gone on over the last few seasons. Maybe this is what's happening. Maybe this is what's happening. Maybe this is JP Barry going, send us some options here.

But don't forget, we have to approve those options. What I'm discussing is what happens if the Canucks find a potential option? And then PD says, no, I don't want to go there. And then it somehow gets out that he won't waive his no move clause. Because just to move on, because we can get back to the Pedersen stuff. There's a, the Mitch Marner situation in Toronto wasn't exactly identical. but there were some similarities there. Some parallels for sure.

And if you haven't read Frija's article on Mitch Marner, go to sportsnet.ca and read it. The people that follow the Leafs on a daily basis probably are like, yeah, I kind of figured most of that stuff. But if you don't, man, it's pretty detailed. And there's two things that really stood out for me. The first thing is that Mitch Marner, apparently, or Mitch Marner's camp, held a grudge about Marner not receiving full entry-level contract bonuses for as long he was a leaf.

Until a day he left. That was a grudge. Also a grudge that he didn't get to play in the NHL as an 18-year-old. Just to give him an idea of petty grievances that run this league. And that was in comparison to Austin Matthews, that. got the bonuses and was playing in the NHL. The stuff that was more interesting to me was, and I'll just read this,

Marner became even more hypersensitive to what was being said about him after getting that new contract. He read too much social media. He'd check replies to his post, search out reaction to his play. Players and staff worked with him to ease up or delete apps from his phone. There was also the problem,

him that as a Torontoian, he was surrounded by family and friends who would text him or tell him what was said about him. So obviously that doesn't apply to Elias Pedersen. He's not a Vancouver kid playing for the Vancouver Canucks, but we all know that there has been some sort of issue with social media and Elias Pedersen and maybe a sensitivity to criticism or a sensitivity to what's said about him in general. Yeah. Someone, Austin and Langley just texted in and asking about this notion of what happens if they ask a player to wave and he shuts it down. He says it's very ironic with Dougie Hamilton and the New Jersey Devils in town because that's exactly what's going on with Dougie Hamilton right now. It's very well known that New Jersey Devils

want to move on from Hamilton and his contract so that they can do other things like, I mean, we one day potentially try and acquire Quinn Hughes. Hamilton has the right to do what he's doing. He signed a contract and as JP Barry pointed out in that clip with Donnie and Dolly, sometimes in the fine art of negotiation, getting that no movement clause can equate to what, a million bucks in terms of salary. Like we'll take some salary off the top,

we'll knock down your A.A.V. But we will give you a certain level of security and the ability to say no to a move. And when that happens, you kind of got to understand how it works. No longer are you working of a field of 31 other potential landing spots

for your client. In the case of Petters, you've got to go from 31 down to how many are actually willing and able to make a move. Of that group, how many are able to give the connection. And this is important, the return that they want. Yeah.

Because they're clearly not giving them away for free. No. So the pool gets whittled down even further. Then after that, you've got to say, of this now whittled down pool, which one of these is Pedersen willing to waive his no movement clause for? And suddenly,

you don't have a ton of suitors. This is where I'm coming at this thing from is I think it's going to be difficult already to move him. Never mind the fact that he's got to fully agree to go somewhere. And I mean, I think that was the one big takeaway from Barry yesterday. It was like, we're open to any kind of conversation,

but you've got to show us something first. But with the value that centers have right now and the rarity of even half decent centers, but the return not be just insane, like much higher than it should be, considering how few there are available. Insane is pushing in a little bit. Well, insane relative to the players.

They're going to be assuming a lot of risk in that contract. Yeah. Well, they, though, in a couple years, it won't seem so bad. The cap's going up a lot every year. Yeah, because he's on a great trajectory right now. Well, but that's what you're selling. You're selling the reclamation project. Yeah, but you're selling a very skilled player.

That's a large contract to try and reclaim, you know, like it's... Well, it is right now, but I'm saying in a couple years, not so much. Because the cap, it won't look so bad in a couple years is what I'm saying, just comparatively to other... Well, there's a good sales pitch. It looks horrible now, but if you buy it, it won't look so bad. Well, yeah, compared to what other centers will be getting paid, though, at that time, you know, over the length of the deal. But all you're selling is that the contract won't look as bad.

Well, what you're selling is also the talent of the player, of course. And you're saying, like, maybe he turns it around. Right. So you're selling the hope that it's an $80 million bet that you're making, man. That's a lot of money. But there's not a lot of centers out there that are even half decent. And they're getting really overpaid right now, even the not very good ones. That's why I think there's going to be a team or two that's willing to take that,

bet, but is that going to match up with a team that Pedersen wants to play for? Bingo. And that's going to be the ultimate on this entire thing. I don't doubt that they'll be able to find a handful of teams that be like, we're ready to do this. That'd be funny if the Canucks went. If you don't wave, I will make this place so toxic. And then Pedersen's like, yeah, it already is. It's kind of getting there if it's not there already.

No, like we're actually going to release toxic gas. For those of you that think that we might be. belaboring this subject, I will remind you that if the entire organizational ethos now is about the future and about rebuilding, then this contract and this player are the, I would say, the most fundamentally important parts of the entire thing. Because if he's here for it and he's going to stay throughout the duration of this rebuild, Pederson I'm talking about, he becomes de facto a thing that he hasn't been over the last few years, which is, is one of the most important players on the team and whether he likes or not,

part of the leadership group, because he's a vested veteran, he's the highest paid player on the team, and he's going to be counted upon to be an important center. So in terms of the rebuild, he is a fundamentally important part of this thing. And if he decides to go elsewhere, the assets that get back in return

are a fundamentally important part of where the rebuild goes. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. Our next guest is a presentation of Basant Motors. Rick Dollywald joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650. What up, Ricky D? Bassat Motors quickly, the update, Sasan.

That's grown. And Rossi got cars this week. Oh. So the Basant family is growing. And growing. And growing. And growing. Yeah.

What is the family at right now? Can you name all the players? O'Connor. Okay. Le Caramackie. Okay. Wellander, so that's three. I added two, that's five, right?

So who am I missing? There's one guy, oh, Mancini. Okay. So that's six. All right. That's six. A couple guys making the drive-in from Abbotsford. Putting a lot of miles in those basaunt cars.

That's good. It's very good. And those Abbey guys, when they drive their basant cars, they're going to be wearing their championship rings. I saw those guys. Oh, yeah, they found they got their rings. Yeah, good. How'd that go?

they got it done the rings are nice have you guys seen them I did I saw Linus Carlson posted I guess maybe it was his girlfriend or something there was a picture floating around on Instagram of the ring

while boxed still so it must have been just after he got it in the boxes were nice yeah yeah and okay there's got to be a better way to say that a private event yesterday Clipping that Private event yesterday I guess it was yeah it was

yeah so and I saw pictures floating around. And the video, the promo video that they put out as well, the Abbotsford connects. Also had to... But the actual, the actual ring is nice. Like when you look at it, I thought they did a good job. Very much. I mean, it took forever to get here, but hey, it's done. Yeah. Good craft. Okay. It takes time, Ray. Dolly, I want to talk about J.P. Barry's interview on your show with Donnie yesterday. And the takeaway we had from that, and maybe you'll agree or disagree, but our take away was that J.P. Barry didn't shoot down any trade speculation, and I don't want to say,

like, he invited the Canucks to propose some different destinations for Elias Pedersen, but it seemed like he was kind of open to having a dialogue. I've known JP for over 30 years. He's very calculated in every movie makes. He's very good at protecting his players. He takes all these Pedersen trade rumors with a grain of salt. He really does. He doesn't like them. He just signed, was it a year and a half ago

for eight years? So, okay, why did you commit for eight years? Because you want to play here for eight years. And ever since he's on that contract, his name pops up in trade rumors. I don't think J.P. likes that, but it is what it is. It only gets serious, this whole Patterson thing. If these guys pick up the phone and call JP and say, we've got a team,

then JP and Pedersen got a decision to make. But that's, from what I'm told, not close to happening today or tomorrow. That hasn't taken place yet. And he said, don't automatically assume he's going to waive. And he reminded us that he took less money in the last negotiation for Patterson to get that no move. You've got to realize agents take less money to get the no move. And that's a big thing for them. He did say the only way of Patterson trade works is if both sides, you know,

it would have to be a location that works for both sides, not one side. As I said earlier this week, teams are calling Vancouver thinking a change of scenery would benefit Pedersen, and they're looking into it. But they do wonder about the price. This is a player who's underachieve for two years. It's got a massive cap hit. This is anything but an easy trade. There's a risk for both teams.

Knoch's are super weak at center, and you want to trade your best center? So what's the team looking like after that? The team taking him on is taken on massive money and term for a guy who now is essentially a 50 to 70 point player. Some teams don't think he'll waive is no move. Teams will want Vancouver to retain. I talked to one team who is not in the running for Pedersen, but they told me that if they were, they would ask for up to $3 million a year in retention. Pedersen at 8.6 is way more attractive,

way more attractive than 11.6. But is this owner really going to okay, $3 million a year to Pedersen for six years? I find that very hard to believe just on principle alone. Thank you. He's paying OEL, this owner, $4.5 million this year. OEL right now has got more points than any player in Vancouver.

That stings. That hurts. And you know what? Anybody out there that owns a business, business and has got a payroll. Imagine giving somebody 80, 90 grand to not work for you, but you got to pay it. It's not fun. It's just absolutely the owners hate it. Look, is there a team out there willing to take the entire $11.6 million cap hit?

I'm not sure about that. If there was, they better have a ton of cap space. You know, they better have a ton of cap space. But it's just, I don't get the sense this is happening today or tomorrow, but you will get the sense is heating up the day they call JP and say

hey we got a team but I don't think they're there yet Is it is it is it is it a risk Maybe there's a better way to put this but like what happens if There's momentum towards a trade And then they can't get one over the finish line And then he's still on the team next season

Is it is that awkward? Is that, does that create, awkward, yeah. Does that create problems going forward, even more problems? Like, is there a risk in even starting this process? But the key here is it's not the Canucks pushing this out. It's teams calling.

There's a big difference. If it was the Canucks saying, hey, Patterson's available. I'm not hearing that. It's teams that are sitting there going, can he regain his magic in our city, in our team, with our players? Can he get back to 100 points, 90 points? Do they have a theory on, like, do they have a theory on what's happening?

Or do they just see the guy and be like, hey, he used to be good. Maybe he'll be good again. Yeah. But you said something earlier this week that makes a lot of sense, too. A lot of teams are weak at center. And, you know, a lot of teams are weak at center. And the center-rights position, if you got a centerman, you're holding on to them. And look at last year, at July 1st, how many centermen were –

look at Duchayne and Dallas, Canucks loved them. They resigned them, right? a ton of centermen resigned before July 1st. July 1st isn't going to solve your center-ice positions this summer either, right? There's not much there up the middle of the ice on July 1st. But you make a good point. So many teams are desperate for centers right now, and they're thinking can this guy regain his form?

But last two years he's a 50 to 70-point guy. And, you know, will he ever hit 90 or 80 or 100 again? but teams are willing to think outside the box. But I just, I don't get, like, I know what you guys took away from J.P.'s interview. I didn't get, the takeaway from me was not that we want out. You know, and where is the perfect spot for Elyish? As J.P. said, it's got to be a perfect spot for both sides. So where's the perfect spot for him?

He signed here for eight years, guys, because he believed in the city and the team. But I think his approach was very different than, say, erronex agent, Alan Walsh, who's got a different style, but he essentially said, all this talk is a waste of time. Phil is not going anywhere. JP didn't take that approach. Yeah, but JP also didn't say, hey, you know, my guy wants out. He could have.

He could have easily come out and said, you know what? Teams are calling. And if Vancouver wants, you know, we'll listen. And if they got a place. But he also didn't say PD's going nowhere. and that's what Ellen Walsh said. Yes. You make a good point.

But when these rumors started surfacing about Patterson, he wasn't happy about those rumors. You signed for eight years because you expect to be there for eight years and you get a no move. Like ever since he signed, there's been rumors about him moving, right? Well, yeah, because his play dipped dramatically after he signed it. If it hadn't dipped in a bizarre,

weird fashion, then we wouldn't have these conversations. Absolutely. But when you sign for eight years, both sides want you there for eight years, Jason. Not a million rumors a year, a year and a half later. I understand the dynamics. I understand what's going on here. But I also understand they're one of the weakest teams in the NHL at center. You know, that's why they drafted Coots. You know, and that's why they got their eye on some centers for this year's draft, too. You know, they have got, there's nothing in Abbisford. I'm sorry, guys. Like, there's no savior in Abbisford that's coming up the middle of the ice.

They're going to have to build their center ice position through the draft again. And hope Coots is there in two or three years. I'll jump in here. Take the focus off, Pedersen, the player, and the decision maker here. I mean, how much heat should the duo of Rutherford and Alvin be facing in the aftermath? 100%. To me, it's like you're going to back the player into a corner and say, you know, we're trying to move you. They were the same ones that gave the largest contract.

in Vancouver Canucks franchise history to a guy, and now you're talking about it. And leaned on him to get it signed. And had an opportunity to deal him before his no move kicked in. Like, to me, there's got to be more blame put towards the executive on this front for putting this organization in this position than you put on Alias Pedersen. They got here. Hold on a second. When they got here, they had Horvatt, Miller, Patterson up the middle of the ice.

Then they had Lindholm. Okay, Lindholm left. they didn't have the cat, I get that. But how the center-a-eat's position has been decimated since look at the centers they had when they got here and look at the centers today. And now they're trying to get rid of Pedersen. Well, who would be your number one center if you did get rid of them?

And next year, right, there's no savior coming up the middle of the ice unless you guys know one. There's no one in Abbisford. There's no draft pick ready to come in and make a difference. You know, can they get a centerman back from Pedersen? Obviously they would ask for one. But you're bang on, Mike. how they decimated the center-righted position in four years

and went from one of the biggest strengths of the team to the weakest strength of the team is it should be investigated. You're paying on it. If you end up retaining on Patterson, I think your first move as an owner should be like, who signed this deal, who negotiated it,

and why are we cleaning up our own mess, and we're going to be on the hook for, what would it be, six years? Six years. Six years of paying a guy, let's say they have to retain. $2 million. That's $12 million for a guy to go out and compete against you on a regular basis. That's crazy. Okay, let's move on because...

Okay, hold it, hold it. One more J.P. Barry client. Tyler Myers, JP said when they did this deal with Tyler, they did it with the intention that he would finish his career in, which makes it more delicate for them. But I just wanted to get that in. That's another guy that left money on the table for the no-moor. move. Do recognize this. Tyler would have got more money on July 1st. He took less money in Vancouver because two reasons for the no move and he wanted to finish his career in Vancouver. So I want

to get that in. Is there any, I mean, what Tyler Myers is so different because I think, I think a lot of fans would be happy to have Tyler Myers for a few years of the rebuild. I think everyone recognizes that, you know, he's not perfect on the ice, but he seems like he's a good human being, a high character guy. Really? And a guy that will help out some of the younger defensemen. Tyler Myers have been through a lot in the NHL ups and he was a rookie of the year and then struggled.

So I think he's a guy that has some experience. But it's more like, hey, Tyler, do you want to go chase a cup? Because you've never won a Stanley Cup in your life. Have you heard anything about what, like, is there any inkling that he wants to go do that? Was he just happy to finish in Vancouver? You know what? I don't get the sense. Teams are calling on him.

I think a couple of weeks ago, the Canucks were telling teams that we're going to move him for the reason you talked about, look at the right side. Willander. Well, Andrew went out of his way to mention Myers last week,

a couple weeks ago about how he's been great to him. You know, Mancini is another right-shot defense. Connucks have a lot of young D. And, you know, guys like Meyer helps those kids. You know, and I was going to tell you, one of the things I was going to ask you, Jason asked me about was lack of leadership. I was told this week that the young guys in Vancouver really going to miss Kiefer Sherwood. They really looked up to him.

You remember Braden Kutz went out of his way to tell everyone that Sherwood really helped him a camp? You know, the word culture came up again this week in this city. I understand the reason Sherwood was traded, but man, that guy was a good culture guy, plus a good player. in the last two and a half years the Kinex have traded two captains J.T. Miller, who wore a letter, Tanner Pearson, Luke Shen, well-respected in the dressing room, that's a lot

of leadership that has walked out the door and not necessarily replaced. That leaves a lot of voids, large voids. And with the team going into a rebuild, those young kids need good veteran leaders. Before he left, Rick Tuckett had leadership

on his list to acquire on July 1st. Tuckett really missed the door off and Cole. He said it really affected the dressing room. He really thought there was a leadership problem before Tocke left. I would imagine that's going to be high on the list as well. If you're going to go young and they knew a rebuild, you better get veterans.

It's like those 20-year-olds in the dub and junior. You can't have 20-year-olds drinking, you know, taking out the 16-year-olds. They've got to be good people on and off the ice. It's the same thing. You're going young now. You've got to make sure your veterans are going to, to be good people, good players, good leaders.

Okay, well, let's stay on the right shot defenseman because, you know, we've made the point on our show that even though the connects are last overall, and we all hope they pick first or second overall, what's most likely according to the odds, and it's like a 56% chance, is that they pick third overall and they won't have a shot at McKenna, they won't have a shot at Stenberg. and this is why, and you're going to tell us about this now, they met with Keaton Verhoff, the right-shot defenseman that we all watch play for Canada at the World Juniors.

And watched in Victoria last year with the Royals. The Canucks did meet with North Dakota defensemen, Keaton Verhoff this week. Verhoff is expected to go second or third overall in the NHL draft this summer. He's a big kid. I mean, there's a lot to like about this kid. You know, somebody in the dub told me

that this kid's going to be another Shea Weber-type guy. guy, right? He's going to be a Shea Weber type guy. But I'll tell you this, they did meet with Verhof. Verhoff and McKenna going to the NCAA in their draft NCAA in their draft year has had mixed reviews. I have to tell you, Jason.

I had one agent of a top player for the 2027 draft. Tell me he's keeping an eye on McKenna and Verhof. This is what he said. Development? Yes. The NCAA is fine. You got charter flights. You got full-time nutritionists. You got full-time strength and conditioning

coaches, your game practice ratio is a whole lot better in junior. But you're 17 years old, you're playing 22, 23, 24-year-olds. That's not necessarily great for climate draft rankings because your numbers won't be as good as if, like McKenna and Medicine had this year, can you imagine the numbers he would have? Like, they would be stupid. Look what he posted as a 15-year-old. Now, if you're undersized, it's worse, but Verhoff's got a big advantage. He's 6-4. He's a 200-pounder. helps. Now, the Canucks really like this centerman,

Tine and Lawrence, but a couple of weeks ago he left the USHL for Boston University. He's got no points in five games. That move could end up hurting him. Connucks are watching him closely to see if he can be a difference maker in Boston. Canucks are watching them. Junior and NCAA is

such a huge step. It's hard. These kids are finding that out the hard way. But, you know, it's shifting. The landscape is shifting in junior hockey. And, you know, people ask me, why did Verhoff leave Victoria? Well, I gave you some, you know, your charter flights, you got a nutritionist, all that stuff.

Every single road trip for Verhof, Victoria started and ended with a ferry. Like, that's the one team, travel-wise, you know, and you feel for Victoria. I mean, travel-wise, they get it the worst more than anyone else because it's true. Yeah, huge bus trip. and then you're like, okay, one last, one last ferry trip. Yeah, that's a long time. It's, it is, and they don't have another team on the island, which makes it worse. I mean, like, I know, you know, if they can get a team in Nanaimo someday,

I think that would work, but they talked about that, the dub, but there's no team in Animo yet. But I do understand, you know, the shifting and the thinking into these kids. You know, they do it in coordination. with their agents and all that stuff. But certainly something to keep an eye on is these NCAA kids and where they fall in the draft this year is going to be very interesting. Okay, one last topic.

Lecker-O-Mackie, we get a lot of texts in. What's going on with Lecker-O-Macky in Abbotsford? I know he's been injured. I know he's, I think he was sick. He had a bit of an illness that kept him out of the lineup. And the Kinnacks, frankly, I mean, they've got too many bodies right now. need to trade some of these guys out of here. You know, there's going to be another one that maybe Max Sasson's going to be sitting

tonight, maybe Holander sitting again if Philippeel is back because I think Blugherpush Ratu out of the lineup. So eventually they're going to need to make some trades. It's not the end of the world, but it's not ideal right now. So what's going on with Lecharmackie? He is scoring some real nice goals. You saw the one in overtime the other night. He's got nine goals in 14 games, 29 goals and 56 games in Abbisper, but only four goals in

NHL, 32 games. He hasn't translated his American League success to the NHL. So the other night when he scored that overtime goal, a pro scout was there. He told me this about the Karamaki. His numbers are good, but his play is not standing out overall. He needs to

stay healthy and consistent. His production is there, but still the physicality part that lacks for this kid. I'm not writing him off. He turns 22 this summer, but my feeling is this. If you can't make the Canucks when they're 32nd. When are you going to make them? Like there has to be.

The opportunity is there. The Carlson took advantage of it, right? Sasan took advantage of it, right? There are guys who took advantage of the Canucks having a weak team this year and become regulars with the Canucks. So that's what he said. There's work to do on his overall game. It's not just about scoring goals for these teams, right? And the next time the Canucks bring them up, they want to make sure it's the last time to bring them up, right? They don't want to bring them up. And you know what happens. They play him in the top six for a game.

Then he drops to the bottom six and then he's at nine minutes and back to Abby. You don't want that. So just keep him down there until his overall game is good. And you just brought up some roster changes coming. And they are. When Rossi comes back, maybe they bring them up. I don't know. But there's work to do there.

There's work to do there. But at some point, you've got to play the kid. Like you've got to get them up when you think his game is ready and then play the heck out. If you can't play him when you're in 30-second place, Jason, when are you going to play him? Yeah. No, he's got to be up. He's got a 33rd place?

Is that possible? Is that a thing yet? Not quite yet. Rick, thanks for doing this today, bud. Appreciate it. No, no, no. Hold it. Hold it.

Hold it. Hold on it. I was going to call in sick today. I'm fighting a lot of stuff going on here. Okay. Henderson gave me some ginger immunity shots. I don't know what this little bottle here tastes awful. So I'm sucking it up.

I'm doing this for you guys. A lot going on there. Okay. I appreciate that. Oh, that's what you. wanted, that's all you wanted to say. No, ginger I'm not talking about ginger, the female dummy, I'm talking about these organic

ginger defense immunity shots. Nice. You haven't heard of them? Is this you a sponsor or something? Henderson's giving you shots. We didn't think you were talking about ginger from Giligan's Island. Hey, hold in a second. Hold a second. One of my best shows, Ginger or Marianne. And I felt the

Marianne never got the credit she deserved back in the 80s. I'll tell you, if I had to redo Ginger or Marianne, and I was small when I watched Gilligan's Island so even miss how long good to me Hey, are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Brough!

Every day, 3.30, Gilling's Island in the 80s. Are you kidding me? I'm not kidding you at all. I remember the show. Yeah. They never got off that damn island. No, never made it. They never got off the island.

The skipper or Gilligan were always screwed up in the last five minutes. What happened to them eventually? Cannibalism in the series finale. It was really shocking. Did they all just die? I think Dollywall. No, they didn't die.

I think they came back, they came back for one show a few years later. But I just want to say everyone talks about Ginger and Marianne. I thought Marianne was very underrated. I don't think she got the credit she deserved. It was another whirlwind hit, Rick. Thank you very. Feel better. Okay, buddy.

Update, Gilligan's Island ended his run in 1967 with the castaways still stranded. They never got off the island, you guys. There you go, Rick. We all learned something. The Skipper screwed it up every time. And they blamed Gilligan, which is wrong. It is wrong. History will remember him.

It eventually turned into apocalypse now. Okay, Rick, feel bad, everybody. Okay, see you, bye. Thank God that's over. Rick Gawleywell. From Bassan Motors. That one just all over the place. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough.