Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Best of Halford and Brough 5/20/25

Episode Date: May 20, 2025

Mike & Jason look back at a busy long weekend in sports, they talk the latest hockey news & notes with NHL insider Frank Seravalli, plus the boys ask the listeners who the Stanley Cup favourite is. 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. Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da They score! And it's Anton Lundell! And the Panthers take a 2-0 lead! Harley shot, he scores! He does it! The Stars are going back to the Western Conference Final! I walked around that practice facility, I walked around here, there's so many tools to work with. Look at all this workspace! So many robots in here, so many tools to work with. Look at all this workspace. So many robots in here. So many activities. Good morning Vancouver 601. On a Tuesday.

Happy Tuesday everybody. It is Halford and his bruv. It is Sportsnet 650 and we are coming to you live from the Kintec studios in beautiful Fairview slopes in Vancouver. Jason, good morning. Good morning. Adog, good morning to you. Good morning. Flattie, good morning to you as well. Hello, hello. Halford and bruv of the morning is brought to you by sands and associates VCS first and trusted choice for dead help with over 3,000 five-star reviews visit them online at sands dash trustee calm

We are in our one of the program our one is brought to you by North Star metal recycling Vancouver's premier metal recycler Pays the highest prices on scrap metal North Star metal recycling they recycle you get paid visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver we are coming to you live from the kintec studio not as much space in here for activities Kintec footwear and orthotics working together with you in step got a big show ahead on a Tuesday start of the week four-day week everybody. Let's get going guest list today begins at 630 Greg Wyshinski week everybody let's get going guest list today begins at 630 Greg Wyshinski ESPN NHL insider is gonna join the program live from Raleigh North Carolina for the start of the Eastern Conference final between the Florida Panthers and the hosts Carolina Hurricanes that game gets underway at 5 o'clock our time tonight

game one of the Eastern Conference final name the arena now in Carolina is it not PNC anymore? No. Oh. It's the Lenovo Center. Oh, that's right. I do love the Lenovo Center. Man, that place is going to be jumping. What do they make? Printers? Lenovo's printers? Cameras? Is it cameras?

What do they even do? What do they do, Lenovo? Someone find out. The game gets underway at 5 o'clock our time tonight. We're going to be computers. Laptops. Laptops every every seat has its own laptop does it super high-tech fun What a fun arena, but a Rogers arena cup holders. That's right. Yeah and black seats The game gets underway at five. I wanted to mention this because it's six o'clock We're gonna be joining game one of the Easter conference final in progress right here on sports net 650

So you can hear it right here on this very station. Seven o'clock, Frank Saravalli, NHL insider from Daily Face Off. So now that we've chopped the playoff field in half from eight to four, what's next for the four eliminated teams? Washington, Vegas, and then two Canadian ones, most importantly, Winnipeg and of course, Toronto. Lots of news and scuttlebutt from around the league

regarding vacant coaching and GM gigs So we'll talk to Frank about all that at seven o'clock eight o'clock Kevin Woodley our good buddy NHL calm and in goal magazine. He broke down the Eastern Western Conference a goaltending battles It's the otter Jake Ottinger versus Stuart Skinner in the West Bobrovsky versus Anderson game one in the East So we'll talk to Kevin about all that at eight o'clock. We've got a lot to get into on the program. So working in reverse real quick, Kevin Woodley at eight o'clock, Frank Zervali at seven,

Greg Wyshinski at six 30. There's a lot of hockey. There's a lot of stuff from the weekend we need 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 was. We know how busy your life can be. What happened? I missed all the action because I was... We know how busy your life can be. What happened? Missed it? You missed that? What happened? What happened?

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 bccsa.ca. I know that all this stuff happened on Sunday and Saturday and Friday as it pertains to the national hockey league and the Stanley Cup playoffs. But because we did not work yesterday, we're going to do it all in what happened.

And we're going to start with Sunday game seven, Leaves Panthers, baby. Sergey Bobrovsky 19 saves Florida scores three times in six and a half minutes in Sergei Bobrovsky 19 saves. Florida scores three times in six and a half minutes in an eventful second period. And the Panthers yet again, route the Leafs in Toronto, 6-1 game seven to advance to their third consecutive Eastern Conference final. Did we not say on our show last week that this would be

the most hilarious way for the Leafs to go out? We did. That they go into Florida and they win game six and everyone's like, maybe this team is different. And then they return home for game seven to get blown out again. And right off the bat, Florida was in control of this one. Yep.

You know, it's not like Florida piled up goals. And I actually thought I was thinking they're going, man, the Panthers better not waste this start. And Toronto had a fairly decent second half of the first period. They did. It got to the point where shot the, where the shot clock was even. And, uh, all of a sudden you were like, Oh, okay. Well, maybe the Panthers are going to make a game of it, but the second

period for the Leafs was not good and they ended up losing the game by a lot. And they were booed and jerseys were on the ice. And we had someone who texted in and said that they were listening to fan 590 because they wanted some shot in front after that game. And, and, and the, the criticism and the, and the harshness of the fan base for this team was off the charts. And I think we saw a glimpse of that after game five, where they laid an egg at home. But then they go into Florida and they play a pretty good game, really good game.

And they come away with a win, maybe a little bit lucky, like the Austin Matthews goal. I'm still not exactly sure how that went in, if that tipped off a stick or if it's just, you know, beat Bobrowski in an odd way. It was a good shot, but I don't think it was the shot that Matthews intended. At any rate, the point is, is that Matthews scored in that game.

He scored a big goal. And everyone's been saying these guys, Matthews and Marner, they can't score big goals. Well, he scores the biggest goal in game six and then they come home and it's the same thing. And this has to be it for Mitch Marner. This has to be it for Brendan Shanahan. We'll see about Tavara's.

We'll see about Tavara's. Um, and it's what I find the most remarkable is all the calls from the Leafs fans to trade Austin Matthews. Like Matthews has joined, like they cannot, this is a guy that had 69 goals last season. And, you know, I realize he's had struggles in the playoffs. The team has had struggles in the playoffs, but when he came out after the game and said, there were too many passengers. And that the Florida Panthers were hungrier. And when the camera caught Mitch Marner saying wake up or whatever to his teammates.

And I noticed that a few people were like, your hair seems to be quite dry while you're saying that. So it's not like you're working your butt off. Mitch, there is, and I'm going to bring this word up again, because we've used it to describe the Canucks at time. There is a disdain for the Leaf Stars in Toronto. Not from every, not from everyone. Don't get me wrong.

There are some fans that are, I love my team regardless, but the loudest voices and there are a lot of these voices. Like, do we hate these guys? You know what I mean? Like it's got to that point where they've just been, they've got their hopes up so many times in this one. I think the way game five went and then Game 6 was like redemption

and then Game 7 was no, not redemption. Embarrassment. Yeah. So there's a lot. And I mean a lot to unpack from this today at, I believe, 1030. I got to check if that's Eastern or Pacific, by the way. But anyway, this morning,

the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to do their end of year media availability and locker clean on. Now, that's a players. So we're not going to hear from Barubei and Shanahan and Bradtree living this morning, the Toronto Maple Leafs are going to do their end of year media availability and locker clean on. Now that's a player's. So we're not going to hear from Barubei and Shanahan and Bradtree living this morning, I don't think, but we're going to get a sense of maybe some more reflective thoughts on what went wrong and then what the future has in store for guys, especially like John Tavares and Mitch Marner.

So there's that. There's also, there's a really interesting narrative that came out in the aftermath of game seven. That's kind of what I wanted to dive into right now. And it was the collective pity party that the Florida Panthers threw for the Toronto Maple Leafs after eliminating them from the playoffs. It started with Paul Maurice and I'll paraphrase what he says cause we don't have the audio. We have better audio from Marshawn and Kachuk,

but Maurice essentially said what's good for the NHL. And he kind of suggested what's good for the NHL is the frenzied passion in which people follow the Maple Leafs is bad for the Maple Leafs. And the narrative that came from this was that the city of Toronto is too mean and there's too much pressure on these hockey players. And the ability to perform is being affected by the crushing weight of expectation and pressure from the fan base and these comments that started with Paul Maurice were then reflected by Brad Marshawn and Matthew Kachak and I do want to play them right now because I think it's important.

It does add to the narrative in a major way and it does speak to a lot of different things. Let's start with Brad Marshawn cause this is from the podium. This is about just under a minute in length and I'll let the whole thing roll. This is Brad Marshawn talking of the crushing weight of expectation and pressure in Toronto and how it affected the Leafs potentially in this seven game, second round loss to the Florida Panthers. Here's Brad Marshawn from the podium. When you win a cup and you play in some of the games that this team played in last year,

these are not high pressure games. When you're playing for an actual cup and you give up a three game lead and then you're in game seven, that's a high pressure game, right? So in game seven, second round, yeah, it's a high pressure game, but it's not compared to some other games

that guys have played. So when you actually look at that and then when you see the pressure that Toronto faces and You know everyone's talking about whatever the 20 30 year build-up I don't know what it is but you see the fans and the way they're talked like they just beat the pressure into this team and and it's it's got to be tough on those guys to walk to the rink every day and Not feel that because it's I mean you see the way the fans treat them at the end.

Like how do you not feel that every single day? Um, you know, and when you go through big games, like you realize which are actually big games and which are just, you know, big moments. I have no doubt that pressure has been a factor in Canada's Stanley Cup drought. I don't know how much. I can't say exactly, but I have no doubt that it's a factor in Canada's Stanley Cup drought. I don't know how much. I can't say exactly, but I have no doubt

that it's a factor. I think it just gets to the point where it's very difficult. And the nervousness and the anxiety of the fan base translates to the players because how could it not? I remember 2011, Roberto Luongo, you know, taking his walks around the sea wall or whatever you would do. Sure.

I mean, that's not a guy who is like, doesn't have anything on his mind is just like, yeah, whatever. It's just hockey. I'm good at hockey. Footloose and carefree. You know, um, I think we all, I think, you know, the feelings that you feel as fans and that's nervousness and anxiety, the players are naturally feel them too.

And we had this discussion last week and I feel like nobody really gave my thought a lot of, I don't know, they're just maybe tired of me. And I was like, what's the factor? I'm like, fear. Yeah. It's the fear. And I think I started talking about Rory

McElroy and you know, how he was looking for this career grand slam or he was looking, frankly, in the last decade, he was looking for any major. He's playing really good golf. He was at times the number one golfer in the world ranked, winning tournaments. But when it came to the majors and especially

the masters, it was like, oh, it kind of froze up because the expectations were so high and you just get in this feeling of like, what if? And then there's like, there's this, I don't want to say paralysis, but kind of. Like it's the fear of like, oh my god, this is happening again. And how are we going to get ourselves out of it? Okay. So let's work on that theory that there was this external pressure that maybe manifested itself into like the fear thing that you're talking about with the Leafs, right?

The notion is, is that it exists in Toronto, whereas it doesn't exist in other markets. That there is the heightened sense of expectation and pressure in Toronto. And this is what Kichuck talked about. We've got the audio here. We'll play now because Matthew Kichuck very clearly, and this is from the spit and chicklets podcast, talk very specifically about how much there is in Toronto and how much there isn't in Florida. Here's Matthew Kichuck on the pressure facing the Leafs following the game seven

victory for the Florida Panthers. Sometimes you feel bad for them because like they have some unbelievable players and a great team and I was actually saying this last night to to some of the guys like if their team wasn't not in like Toronto dealing with all like the crazy circus stuff outside of it like they'd be like an Unbelievable team and like such a hard team to play. Like they just have so much to deal with. And I feel bad.

I mean, we don't have to deal with that in Florida. I feel like that's what makes me and my team so lucky, but like you almost use that against them, you know, like the pressure that these guys have to deal with day in and day out. Okay. So into the Dunbar lumber text line, there is a lot of, okay, whatever. Uh, someone takes it in, I think all this pressure stuff is nonsense, Yankees and Dodgers do just fine.

Okay, well, when was the last time the Yankees won the World Series? Seven? 09, I think. 09? I mean, there have been a lot of- 09, they beat the Phillies. There's been a lot of, I mean, that's a long time ago.

The Dodgers, do you remember, was it David Price pitching for, who's David Price pitching for? And like he couldn't, like the post season for him was really tough. And I think he finally got over the hump. Well Kershaw did too. Keryl Clayton Kershaw.

Yeah. Yeah, so sorry, yeah, but- No, Price had issues in the playoff as well. Price head issues, sorry I'm confusing things, but like Kershaw head issues in the postseason, pressure ramps up individually on these teams. And the Dodgers spend so much money it's like, be hard not to win the World Series at times. The payrolls are, you know, it's a different sport, but pressure affects all these other teams.

People say, oh, it's nonsense. Um, Alfred and I support England. Pressure affects England. Like it really does. And it's, and it's, um, you know, we've seen, uh, we've seen quarterbacks in the NFL in the narrative, the thing is once the narrative builds against you, that makes it worse. And the narrative, for example, on Lamar Jackson has built.

So now it gets to the playoffs. It was like, all right, I better perform. Now, obviously some athletes are better at handling the pressure than others. And a lot of it comes from being prepared. A lot of it comes from being very good. Look at what Scottie Scheffler did over the weekend. He's the best golfer in the world and everyone else kind of fell by the wayside while, while he

dominated at the PGA in the final round. But like this pressure thing, it's, it's not a question of if it exists, it's a question of how much it really affects the team. Well, I think the real question here is the remarks made by the Florida Panthers in the aftermath, is it truly reflective of what's going on? Because I understand that there is an increased amount

of scrutiny playing in Toronto than there is in Florida. But I also know that there is something with this particular group of players, whether they're and you could chalk it up to pressure or whatever. But if you continuously fail in the postseason, the way that they have, I think it's naive and quite frankly, I think it's insulting to suggest that it's just they can't deal with pressure. I think that there's a lot more that goes into it. I think that there is a sense of

not truly understanding what it takes to succeed in those moments. I think it's the wrong makeup of players. And I think there's a certain stubbornness from the individual putting that group of players together. They give them a leash like the numbers are staggering. I'll go just with Marner and Matthews, because they're the ones that are in the crosshairs right now. Collectively, since those guys have come aboard,

the Maple Leafs have played in 11 playoff series. They've lost nine of them. They're two and nine in 11 playoff series. They've lost nine of them. They're two and nine in 11 playoff series. In game sevens, Marder Matthews have combined for zero goals. Zero. That's over, that's a collection of one game winner take all. Now, is it that those two guys

can't compete under pressure? Potentially. But if you're the leader of an organization that's in charge of building a cup contender. You have to recognize it. You have to recognize it. And don't be scared by all the people that say, well, don't look at all the points

he gets in the regular season. You know, Mike techs in, if anything, that's what defines the best professional athletes, ones that can face pressure and rise above it. That's part of being the absolute best. Kind of, yeah. Sure. Some players and teams crumble under pressure, but that's part and parcel as

to why they're not winners and they're not the absolute best. Exactly. Pressure is part of it. Dealing with media criticism is part of it. Like that, you know. Now what they're saying, hold on what they're saying what some people are like well like they shouldn't that's why it's unfair that's why it's the media's fault that's why it's the fans fault it's like well no because that's that's the part

of being a professional athlete is dealing with these moments but what Marshawn said was that there are going to be pressure moments and situations there are gonna unfold be pressure moments and situations that are going to unfold, I guess, as the universe wants them to. For example, going up three, nothing in a Stanley Cup final, losing three games and then having to win a game seven when you feel like you're on the verge of collapse. And I will readily admit there's a ton of pressure involved in that. Like the Florida Panthers in Game seven last year

must have felt collectively like they were having a nervous breakdown because they were on the verge of the biggest collapse in the history of professional sports, blowing a three nothing lead in a championship finale would be it. They'd be forever known as one of history's greatest collapses and chokes jobs. So there's a high amount of pressure involved with that. What March on is saying is that there's external factors. And the way that he phrased that was actually kind of clever, that there's external factors. And the way that he phrased it was actually kind of clever that there was external factors that made a second round game seven, which is old hat for him in the Florida Panthers, made it an unbearable amount of weight on the

Toronto Maple Leafs. And I thought it was a really interesting dynamic. Now you can take and the reason this conversation is compelling and also relevant is because we hear a lot about that here in Vancouver as it pertains to the Vancouver Canucks. Is that a market as frenzied and as passionate as this one and the countless throngs of media that are following the team do more harm than good when it comes to the team's on ice success. I don't subscribe to the theory, but as a naturally inquisitive person, I too am like, whiskers the cat over here.

I'm always curious about what makes people tick. I'm willing to entertain the idea of it, even if I don't necessarily believe in it. Like I feel as though the external pressure that these guys are facing is real and at times can be draining. But I also like to often look to the past and say your forefathers in the sport have dealt with this. And this is fair or not right or wrong. It is part of the package.

If you don't want any of that external stuff, you do have a couple of options. One, you can sign for the Florida Panthers, apparently. All right. And that's great. And that was I think which, by the way, I think part of this is an advertising pitch, maybe a recruiting pitch. Like, hey, all you guys that are frustrated with your Canadian residences come to Florida for who?

Marner. Yeah, I don't think so. I was going to sign for six and a half. Yeah, maybe. No, but I also think that people weigh in enough and I do think that there's something to it. But I will also always go back to time immemorial

and legions of past professional athletes on much larger stages. And let's be honest, sports that are covered much more aggressively and frenzied in their markets, they've been able to deal with it. And many of them have crumbled, though. Many of them have crumbled. Right. And that's the theater of sport in my mind. And I'm sorry that we treat them like gladiators and lions

and the Romans and all that stuff. But there is a certain element of that, right? Is that as an entertainment entity, you want to see people achieve athletic prowess at their highest level, like the greatest athletes doing the greatest things. But you always bring it up. There's stakes involved sometimes that we understand the theater and drama of it. And that's the entertainment factor for the fans.

Oh, man, I can't believe the amount of drama I was. I watched Rory the Masters just like billions of other people did and watching him walk up to that putt on 18. Everyone knew the stakes. Yeah. And everyone understood how much pressure there was in that exact moment. That's the theater. That's the theater. The pressure provides. And if you can't hack it, you'll never get to achieve the glory that comes from those pressure moments. And that's what the Leafs are dealing with right now. Second round exits at the best.

There's only one Canadian team left in the playoffs now. And that is the Edmonton Oilers. How will they handle that pressure? Well, it's gonna be, it's a factor. It really is. Especially since, you know, they came a long way last year and fell one game short. They don't want that feeling again.

But I just want to talk a little bit about the Winnipeg Jets who went out over the weekend. That was a really tough way to go out with Mark Shrifley, who just lost his dad, sitting in the penalty box watching Thomas Harley score the OT winner, really felt bad for Mark Shifely. And as much as I do cheer against the other Canadian teams, I didn't want that. And frankly, I would have enjoyed an Oilers jet series quite a lot. You know, I would have been nervous about it.

Oh my God, one of these teams is going to go to the Stanley Cup final. We're going to have to go through this again. Right now there are no Canadian teams. There's not a guarantee that there will be a Canadian team in the Stanley Cup final. The Dallas Stars, I've always loved them. Love the Dallas Stars. Haven't never called them boring and have never said, I don't care about this team. Why is it so green?

Now I'm the biggest Dallas Stars fan ever. Uh, Connor Hellebuck finished the playoffs with an 866 save percentage in 13 games. And although, speaking of pressure on the playoffs and the narrative building, narrative building. And although he seemed to write the ship as the Dallas series went on, his reputation will remain until he gets it done when the games truly matter. They won't look back and be like, oh, he played well in the last two games of the

playoffs, right? Even though he did. 866 save percentage in 13 games. This is a guy that, you know, is almost certainly going to win the Vezina. Yep. Was he a hard finalist? Yeah. Yeah.

I mean, now we'll see what happens with Ehlers this off season. He's a pending unrestricted free agent for the Jets. Lots of talk. I mean, I think every pending unrestricted free agent that's playing in the playoffs right now has been connected to the Canucks, whether it's Marner or Nick Ehlers or Sam Bennett in Florida. Um, as for the Jets, man, it's hard to see this as anything other than I would say yet another lost opportunity and maybe this is the biggest one ever.

I often talk about the time that they went to the conference final and met the expansion team, the Vegas Golden Knights and lost. Vegas went on to lose to Washington in the cup final. And everyone's like, ah, don't worry about it. They'll be back plenty of times. Well, they weren't. Vegas went on to lose to Washington in the cup final and everyone's like, ah, don't worry about they'll be back plenty of times well, they weren't and

You know that they haven't been back To the conference finals since and this is a team that just won the president's trophy Dallas is a good team obviously and the addition of ranted in has been an absolute Game-changer for them the way he's played in these. And if you're Dallas and you're looking at Edmonton and going, well, I didn't do very well against them last year. There's a reason why you're going to do better. You can say, well, we got ranted in now.

Um, so I mean, it was, uh, it was quite a weekend of hockey. What I also enjoy is how, uh, everyone loves Brad Marshawn now. I'm not sure how I feel about that, but man, everyone's just like, he's a great guy. I hear Paul Marie saying, he's a wonderful human being. He was so kind in Maple Leafs in victory. Yeah.

So kind. Honestly, if I was the leader, I was like, shut up, Brad. That was what I was thinking. You're the reason we're in this situation. I was like, if five and 0 against us in games, I was just, shut up oh, against us in game. So just shut up. Just shut up. Is this the most like devious sadistic press conference

I've ever like between Maurice and think about it. It's the head coach. It's the captain. And then it's the newly acquired villain all speaking glowingly about the team. They just be like, I don't know if this is a new sophisticated level of trolling, but it sure was something to see it unfold. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. Cerebelli. Cerebelli. Cerebelli Cerebelli

Cerebelli Frank Cerebelli Frank 703 on a Tuesday, Happy Tuesday everybody Haliford Brough, Sportsnet 650 Haliford and Br, Sportsnet 650. Haliford and Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands and 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 now in hour two of the program. Frank Sarvali from Daily Faceoff. He's going to join us in just a moment here to kick off our two hour two of this program is brought to you by Jason Hominock at Jason.m dot mortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit him online at Jason dot mortgage. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio, Kintec footwear and orthotics working together with you in step. So our next guest is a presentation of angry outer liquor and he joins us courtesy the power west industries hotline

It's Frank Sarah Valley here on the Halford and Rough show on sports net 650. Good morning, Frank. How are you? Pretty good. How you guys doing? We're good. Thanks for taking the time to do this. We appreciate it So round three the Eastern Western Conference finals of the Stanley Cup playoffs are upon us Eastern Conference final starts tonight But before we look ahead I do want to look back as we cut the playoff field from eight teams to four of the four teams that were eliminated and what comes next for all of them. I know you covered this over at daily face off, but I wanted to dive deeper into it here.

Let's start with the Toronto Maple Leafs and the most recent Exodus from the playoffs. We've talked a lot about what's already happened past tense. So let's talk about what's going to be coming next for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Everyone assumes Mitch Marner is done in Toronto. Will the Maple Leafs roster purge stop only at Mitch Marner? Yeah, I think it's a fair question to ask. Look, I mean, the first person that comes to mind next is John DeVaris. Does it make sense to resign him?

But I think the question should extend well deeper beyond that. I think this is a moment in time where everything should be on the table at least as a thought exercise to work your way through it. The next question would be about Morgan Riley. He's a guy that was victimized with his lack of foot speed in these playoffs and that deal is probably not gonna age that well when you consider the term that's remaining on it. Does it make sense for the Maple Leafs

to get ahead of that? Find some cap flexibility, find a team that could use a defenseman, is starved for a defenseman, and have him prop up their team for the next couple years? But in the meantime, definitely one to ask. And then there's the further question and people are gonna, their heads are gonna explode,

but what about Austin Matthews? I mean, Mitch Marner isn't alone in the lack of playoff success. Austin Matthews is really kind of right there with him. A guy whose goal scoring in the regular season is more or less cut in half when it comes to the postseason. He scored in 23 of the 68 postseason games that he's played. This is a 400 plus goal scorer in his career, one of the most gifted goal scorers of all

time at actually at a better pace than Alex Ovechkin was at this age and yet doesn't have any playoff success that's meaningful to speak of. It's not really just that, that I think is part of this conversation. But what about these chronic injuries? If this truly is a significant back injury, which many people have been alluding to that hampered him all season long, how many of those back injuries ever really actually get better?

And I'm not saying that the Leafs or suggesting that the Leafs will trade Austin Matthews, but I think you'd have to at least explore what that thought looks like if you're in their front office to say, do we really need sweeping changes here? Is this just about moving some of the pieces of the core around to see if we can find a better fit? I'm sure that's what the answer will be. My thing is everything should be on the table. Does that include the future of Brendan Shanahan?

Well, it does because it's also a natural inflection point, just like Mitch Marner. He doesn't have a contract for next season and beyond. I believe his four-year deal is wrapping up that made him the highest paid executive in hockey. And with that, some natural questions. There's a new ownership group, of course, with Rogers taking full control of MLSE. Keith Pelly is in his first year as CEO. Like These, with the lack of success in the postseason, some great regular seasons, Brendan Shanahan no doubt deserves credit for turning the leafs around. They were a laughing stock before he got there. He reinvigorated that franchise, but the fact that the Canucks have won more playoff rounds

in that span of time, That's kind of crazy. Uh, Tavares, his cap hit is $11 million and Mitch Marner is just below $11 million. So if they don't bring those guys back, they're going to have a ton of cap space to play with. Does it all need to get done in terms of filling that backlog this off season? Or do you think it's possible Toronto would say like, okay, it's going to be really hard to replace regular season

Mitch Marner and Tavares had a bunch of points for us too. The UFA list isn't great. And, you know, I don't know what the supply of available players is going to be this off season in trades, but is it possible that they might have to look at taking a step back next season? It doesn't have to be a massive step, but maybe a step. Maybe that's not the worst thing.

Look at the Carolina Hurricanes. Look at all the guys that they lost from last season's team. That now I think they went into this year with tons of flexibility, were able to pull off a massive trade for Miko Rantzen and that didn't work out. They end up in the end way better off than they were, I think, with Stankhoven and Hall as compared to Matius and Jury and they get additional picks and everything else that comes with it. And now they're back in the Eastern Conference final for the third time in seven years with a team that was

expected to do seven to ten points worse in this regular season and they actually look stronger now than they did when they had all of those pieces at this time last year. Hockey's funny that way sometimes. And I'm not saying that that's always going to be the norm. But I think one thing that drives me crazy listening to people talk about the sport and listening honestly more to executives and how they think about it is everyone is so concerned and so afraid about what they're giving up that they seem to lose focus on what they're getting in return.

And some of that includes opportunity, options and flexibility that you otherwise wouldn't have had to enter into conversations and thoughts that you otherwise might not have been able to. You never know what's out there in the universe for you. You know what? I think that's such a great point. And I thought more executives might take that approach after the expansion Vegas Golden Knights, which was just an exercise in opportunity for players that hadn't been given it.

I remember William Carlson being talked about in Columbus, like, ah, this guy's probably not going to make it. Then he goes and gets the opportunity in Vegas and look at what he's done with it. I often have that thought with the Canucks. You know, there's that fear of going out in the wilderness though, I know.

And it's understandable because you're like, ah, we don't want to be these guys or we don't want to be these guys. You still do need talent, but I I'm a hundred percent with you. What, what are some examples there? Can you come up with any examples? Uh, I'm sorry, I'm putting it on the spot of just

like teams that have said like, we're going to give opportunities, right? And, and like, well, and guys seize that opportunity. But it doesn't even necessarily have to be of like someone that's on another team or in your own organization to provide new ice time to or, or given them a chance. Cause some of those opportunities only come up every so often. But I think the best example is the Rantanen deal, right? Like, look at that. Like the hurricanes take a huge swing. They were crushed by fans and by media on deadline day saying,

how could you have Miko Rantzenen and trade him? And it's first off, it's a reminder that it's bigger than one player. So anyone fretting over Elias Pettersson and what happens next, whichever way they go, I mean, making the decision to get off of that contract, if that's what they end up doing this summer and potentially getting nothing in return for all the reasons that we've talked about, I don't know that that's necessarily the worst play you, you, you end up with tons of, of opportunity to do other things. There's an opportunity cost to everything.

And look like Why don't they like and this isn't to make it a cane centric thing? but how many teams actually go out there and pull the trigger and Acquire a game breaker that we've made fun of the canes for not having for so long They go out and get him he ends up not being a fit because he doesn't want to stay and they turn around and say okay That's fine. No big deal, we tried. And we're always gonna continue to try and push the envelope to make decisions

that we think makes us a better team. Even if your team is, they didn't end up having this be the case, but even if they ended up being lesser in the short haul, as a fan, if you're sitting there on your couch, isn't that exactly what you want your team to be doing? Is turning over every stone possible to try and find those guys?

Because it's almost impossible to do. I'm glad you brought this up. I'm also glad you mentioned the word stone because I did want to ask about a team that has done this in their history. Granted, it's a short history, but we alluded to them already. The Vegas Golden Knights. Jason talked about it in the opening segment, how it wasn't a super impressive performance against Edmonton. They didn't look great and it was over in five probably justifiably.

And I didn't even take it back to the series win against Minnesota. I didn't think it was a super convincing series win, even though it was in six, there was a bunch of overtime games in there as well. And I know you wrote about this for daily face off pointed out that maybe they looked old because they are just old. And if this is a team that follows in its past history of making big, bold moves, could we expect to see another one in Vegas this summer? Well, I don't think you can ever count it out. I think they're always trying to chase and find that next shiny toy,

whether it's by trade, whether it's a free agent signing, like could you really rule out the Golden Knights as being a team that could take a run at Mitch Marner? People are saying, hey, look at their cap though, where are they gonna find that space? The point is they make the space if they can get their hands on the player. So I wouldn't count them out for one second,

but I think you're right. I think they're looking for the next iteration of this team. I mean, just go through and look at their ages. So many of the guys, the real drivers, the movers on that team are on the wrong side of 30. Patranjolo 35, Braden McNabb 34, Tomas Hurdle, 31, William Carlson, 32, Mark Stone, 33. Jack Eichel turns 30 when his next deal begins. It's not to say that they can't win. And I think the Golden Knights are a better team than they showed in the postseason. They didn't have the juice and they did go out with a whimper, which was pretty surprising.

They struggled to score. They were overmatched and overrun physically, which was kind of a surprise. They looked slow, but it also doesn't mean that that's what the golden Knights are going to look like next year. Cause that's not typically how they've done things. When they have a disappointment, they come back with a vengeance. How is their reputation among like agents, players, rival executives with regards to the way they conduct their business? Because I could see on one hand people would be enamored at the fact that they're aggressive in their pursuit of championships. But other people might see that as a tad ruthless.

And we've seen countless examples of guys that have kind of been ushered out in not so ceremonious fashion. So based on your conversations from around the league, is it a desirable place to play or do people approach it with a little bit of trepidation now, given their history? No, it's still a desirable place to play. One, it's a place where you can win. Two, it's a great setup in a no tax state. It's a market that's super passionate. It's a great place to live. And I think everyone kind of goes into it now with eyes wide open, a realization that this team is ruthless, that they will launch you into the sun if you don't perform or if you feel like you're a guy that gets in their way of being successful.

And with that though, there's also an expectation that when you get there, they treat you incredibly well. So for your time that you're there, it's awesome being a golden knight. The problem is the inevitable, which is kind of what any hockey player or coach or executive goes into it with, which is I know at some point I'm leaving here. I'm either going to be traded, bought out, whatever it is. And same thing as a coach, I'm going to be fired, whatever it is. They just know that that day probably comes a little bit more swiftly in Vegas than it might elsewhere. And in the meantime, you're treated like a prince.

Frank, this question might seem like it's coming out of left field, but in looking around for players that might fit for the Canucks, it's incredible how many no move clauses out there are out there and really restrictive no trade clauses. and really restrictive no trade clauses. What is the feeling of executives in the league maybe about how many of these are there? Are they good for the league and is there anything the league can do about it? Well, the league can certainly limit them if they wanted to.

I think the league has advised teams at every turn possible to make sure that you're judicious in limiting how many you're handing out and in what form. Now some managers turn, they turn a side eye to that because they say, well, I have to do what I need to do to get the deal done. And if that's the last thing holding it up, like more or less they end up acquiescing. And their thought process is, well, I'll just find a way to work my way out of it. Hockey players are loyal and if they find out that the team doesn't want them there and that the public, the fans, the market might find out in short order after the fact that the team doesn't want them

there and you're holding them up. Look at some of the flack that Mitch Marner is getting today. I've seen it on social media in the last 24 hours. This is the guy that didn't waive his no trade to help our team. Well, it's not really Mitch, like Mitch Marner earned contractually that right to do so. So I'd never fault the player for that. You're given that right, exercise it to the best of your ability if you feel like that's what's right for you and your family.

But teams, they don't really view them as hard and fast rules. They view them as, hey, there's always a workaround here because I can just, you know, if need be, I can try and put the boots to this player and make life as difficult as possible. And more or less, they end up getting someone that in the end, 90% of the time acquiesces. Well, I also think it's an advantage for those teams like Vegas and Florida in the no state or the no tax states where how often have we seen it go down? Okay, well, I'm willing to go to there.

If it comes down to this, I'm willing to go there, but that player gets to control the process. Well, and that's huge, right? It's so it's not even necessarily about not waving. It's saying I will wave, but I will only go. How many times have we seen a player say to a team, just one? That's why I didn't really understand why the Bruins were crushed about the Brad Marshand trade. In the end, that was the only team he was willing to accept the trade to. Yeah. How much of a return are you going to get when

that team also knows this is the only team you're going to accept the trade to? You lose all your leverage. And so, yeah, it is a huge part of like, look at where Marner is right now. Will the Leafs end up trading his rights before July 1? It's only going to end up being to a team that he wants to exclusively pre-negotiate with, if that's the case. News out of Boston that just dropped, the Bruins announced today that Don Sweeney has been given a two-year contract extension through 27-28. The reaction on social media has not been 100% positive from the Bruins fan base. What does Sweeney need to do this offseason to get the Bruins pointed in a better direction?

First off, this is no surprise. I know that there was some thought process from Cam Neely or a question at their post-season news conference, hey, what is the future of Don Sweeney? And he said, I need to decide. Bruins fans are ruthless. Like they've arguably had one of the best runs of success of any team in the last 25 years. They have the most wins since 2000. They've won a Stanley cup.

They've been to a couple of Stanley cup finals. They're competitive just about every year. It's a cyclical sport to be that successful year in and year out. Are there things that you can point to or pick at and say Hey, he didn't get that right or or this was fouled up Like I don't I don't really understand that like no general manager in this league No general manager and pro sports bats a thousand. It's it's a line from Ken Holland that I think about frequently Which is you know, you're gonna make mistakes

You just hope that you're not giving up home runs and grand slams. Speaking of general, sorry go ahead. No, I just said that sticks out. Why is anyone crushing Don Sweeney? Anyone would, almost any team in the league, outside of maybe three or four, would trade their team's success

for what the Bruins have had. And first thing on Don Sweeney's list, I would imagine is to figure out the coaching job because Joe Sacco technically still has the interim tag, but I assume that they're still going to conduct interviews and maybe go in a different direction there. Before we let you go on the subject to general managers, what's next for the vacant gig with the New York Islanders? Yeah, it sounds like it's a two horse race at Belmont.

I'm always a little careful to characterize, you know, in hopes that there's a two horse race at Belmont. Always a little careful to characterize in hopes that there's not some late sir entrance. But it seems like Mark Bergeron and Matthew Darsh have both had second interviews and it sounds like both of them are of the understanding that they're finalists for the position. Is Patrick Waugh going to come back regardless of who the general manager is or are they going to be given free rein to hire their own head coach? Free rein to hire their head coach. It's interesting that both of those guys, Darsh and Bergeron, are natural French speakers.

I don't know what their relationship is like with Patrick Wa. Does that help? Do they have a friendship and understanding? Maybe there's new life for Patrick Juan on Long Island that otherwise might not have been there had someone else been hired. Not that that's necessarily a calling card, but just makes you wonder. And the other part is though, they're going to have to wrestle with a guy that's been very vocally critical of

his predecessor. Frank, this was great, man. Thanks for taking the time to do it. We appreciate it. Enjoy game one of the Easter Conference final tonight. Should be a good one. Yep, sounds good to you guys. Thank you. Later. Thanks. That's Frank. Sarah Valley from Daily Face Off here in the Helperton Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Jason Brough asked the listening audience.

Who's your Stanley Cup favorite right now? Who are you picking in the final four to hoist Lord Stanley's mug in just over what, a month, less than a month, I think it'll be handed out. I think what's the last date? June 17th. Who is the Stanley Cup favorite, Jason? A lot of people were texting in about Dallas. Sheldon from Surrey.

As a stars fan, it's crazy that the stars haven't even played their best yet and are somehow playing in the Western Conference final. Liam and Calgary. I think the favorite is Dallas. Otter is getting real hot. Rantanen is Rantanen. They are healthy.

I know Ed Edmonton is getting Ekholm back, but I still like the Dallas defense more. And the star's depth is incredible. One more here, Dean and Cloverdale. My pick for the Stanley Cup is Dallas. They're going to have a tough series against Edmonton though, but Dallas has all the bases covered, goaltending, depth scoring, coaching, elite defense and centers.

I believe Edmonton is less so on goaltending and defense. I believe Florida is fairly beat up and is getting a bit worn down. Yeah, on that Florida point, just watching Matthew Kachak, it's hard for him to get around the ice right now. He's nowhere near a hundred percent. No. They are so deep at forward though. And you know what, it's hard for him to get around the ice right now. He's nowhere near 100%. No. They are so deep at forward though.

And you know what, it's interesting about them. The others have incredible forward depth, but it's been reflected more in the scoring disparity. Not that it hasn't in Florida. Florida's had a lot of different guys step up, but the style that Florida plays, I mean, that's the quintessential definition of heavy hockey, how they play.

Mm hmm. Right. They pin you in deep. They win a lot of battles south of the goal line. They make life hard on you all the time. They're like stick on stick puck on battles like they they excel in that shoulder on shoulder. They really like I used it a couple of times. They suffocate. They smother. They do those sorts of things.

Every guy that they bring in seems to be able to adapt to that style of play, no problem. Like how is, how is Chris Tana feeling right now? He must be so beat up. Yeah. That's what they do. That's just it. It's a war of attrition, sort of.

You just keep wearing them down and wearing them down and wearing them down. And then you saw it by the time game seven came around, Toronto, I think part of it was they were out of answers. Like it takes a lot to play that style of hockey and play it successfully. You just get overwhelmed.

Yeah. You know, I could, I can make a case for every one of these teams to win the cup. I mean, Carolina, they're so good defensively. And if you're of the defense wins championship mindset, which I usually am. I know you do need offense, but you do need to have to check. I do wonder if they have just enough scoring and enough of that like,

you know, that X factor that the thing that they brought in Ranted in four. Sure. To have that game breaker. I don't know if they've got that game breaker. So I'd probably put them last to be perfectly honest with you. Fair. To have that game breaker. I don't know if they've got that game breaker. So I'd probably put them last to be perfectly honest with you. Fair. Of all the four teams.

Dallas, you know, everything those textures said is absolutely true. And for them to be fully healthy now, plus they've got Rantinen. Yeah. I mean, they were already a good team before they had Rantinen. You're listening to the best of Halford and

Bruff.