Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Best of Halford and Brough 5/5/26

Episode Date: May 5, 2026

Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports, they get ESPN Hockey's Greg Wyshynski's thoughts about the possibility of the Canucks naming Pierre Dorion as their next General Manager, plus they set up tonight's NHL Draft Lottery with 'Nucks radio commentator Brendan Batchelor.  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-na-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-na-da. You're listening to Halford and Brough. Of a feeling that we may win the lottery. Dora Pia! Spring, spring. Lottery is the one ray of hope in my otherwise unbearable life. Still, let's they score! I am going to win this lottery.

Homer, the odds are $380 million to one. Good morning, Vancouver 601 on a Tuesday. Happy Tuesday, everybody. It is Halford. It is Brough. It is SportsNet 650. We are coming you live

from the Kintech Studios in beautiful Mount Pleasant in Vancouver. Jason, good morning. Good morning. Adaw, good morning to you. Good morning. Laddie, good morning to you as well. Hello, hello.

Halford and Brother of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. They're open seven days a week and open late to help you get debt free. With no judgment or upfront fees, visit them today at Sands dash trustee.com. We are in our 1,000. the program. Hour 1 is brought to 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 live from the Kintech Studio. Step Strong with Orthotics and Footwear from Kintech. If you want to text into the show today, lots of things going on in the world of sports, including tonight, it's the draft lottery. The lottery.

You can text in to the Dunbar Lumber text line at 650. 650 trusted by contractors and DIY champions across Metro Vancouver for generations. Find them at three convenient locations or visit Dunbar Lumber online today. Got a lot to get into on the program. Today we'll begin with our morning guest list. It's a Duick Morning Drive brought you by the Duick Auto Group. It begins at 630. Greg Wischinski from ESPN is going to join the program.

As you mentioned, lots to get into on the NHL front. Two playoff games last night. One more tonight. All the drama out of Toronto yesterday with the John Cheyke oppressor. And I guess Matt Sundeen was there too. Good for him. Also, as mentioned, tonight is the NHL draft lottery. Greg is going to join us to talk about it all at 630.

7 o'clock, Brandon Batchelor, Play-by-Play voice of the Vancouver Canucks here on Sportsnet 650 is going to join the program. As mentioned, a potentially hugely pivotal night for the Vancouver Caducks tonight with the draft lottery. A reminder, the draft lottery goes at 4 o'clock our time. It is live from the NHL studios in Sikakis, New Jersey. you can watch it right here on SportsNet. You can also join SportsNet 650 at the Shark Club

for the ultimate draft lottery party. Canucks Central is going to be broadcasting live starting at 3 p.m. Batch is going to join us at 7 o'clock this morning. You can say the drafts just in New Jersey, by the way. No, Secaucus is a good name. It's a good place. Every time you have to say. Yeah, you do.

Live from Secaucus, New Jersey. It's a fun place. That's a good name. Have you never been? 8 o'clock Chris Peters is going to join. join the program. Content manager for flow hockey. He's also the show's resident draft and prospect expert. We'll get one final hit with Chris. He's been checking in with us regularly throughout the season doing his draft rankings and who he thinks might go first overall at the draft.

Chris Peters is going to join us at 8 a.m. That's the guest list. That's what we're doing today. 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 What happened? You missed that? Whoa. 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.ca. Tonight at 4 o'clock, Jason. And for the second straight year, the drama of the NHL draft lottery will play out in real time for us viewers as we wait and see what unfolds. Like your horse in real time.

It is. This one is in real time, though, Because for the second consecutive... Man, you love that saying. I do. Well, this one is actually true, though. Sometimes I use it incorrectly. Sometimes I just use it because I'm bored.

But today, I really mean it because for the second consecutive year, we're actually going to get to see the lottery balls get pulled, as opposed to those old loaded envelopes that Bill Daly used to trot out on stage. We're going to get to see the balls get pulled, everybody, and see where the Canucks may land in this year's draft. How are they going to rig that?

Will the Canucks get the first overall pick for the first time in franchise history? they've had the second overall pick a number of times, most recently in 1999, when they took Daniel Seneen. A good draft. Soon to be followed by Henrik Sedeen. Even better draft.

Trevor Linden was also the second overall pick. They are at least guaranteed to pick the highest they've selected since 1999. Twice since then, they've picked fifth overall, which garnered them Elias Pedersen and Ola Ulevi two building blocks and cornerstones of the Vancouver Canucks to this very day. The best player they've drafted since the Cedines was Quinn Hughes. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that.

He was taking seventh overall in 2018. And that 2018 year was probably the luckiest the Canucks have been, just because Detroit took Philip Zadena and Arizona to Barrett Hayton. and that left Quinn Hughes for the Canucks at 7th overall. That was a good draft. I had a good time that year. Everything fell into place. It was nice.

And it all worked out in the end for the Canucks with Quinn Hughes. It remains the captain to this very day. Don't look it up. Just trust us. So yesterday we talked about, we asked the listeners about their dream week for the Canucks. And most people, in fact, all. Everyone said, okay, win the first overall pick.

and then name Shane Dohn and Ryan Johnson to leadership positions, make Manny Mahotra the head coach. That's the dream week. All right. Let's do the nightmare today. So obviously it would start with the Canucks dropping to third overall. That is the lowest highest, lowest they can pick in this draft. They can only drop back two spots.

So that leaves the top two spots to be stolen. And I was thinking last night, all right, what is the worst case scenario? Ah, yes. For first overall. And one that realistically exists is Toronto picking first overall. Florida picking first overall. Wouldn't like that. Yeah, I would much rather Florida first overall than Toronto first overall.

Another one that would bother me, although I don't yet hate this team, not yet, if San Jose won first overall. I would not care for that. Imagine McKenna and Celebrini making plays together for the next decade in the Canucks division. Anything that could further keep Macklin Celebrini in San Jose? And he already seems to like it there, which I don't like. Adding a guy like McKenna could even further keep him in San Jose. So yes, that would be a bad, bad, bad result for the Vancouver Canucks. You know, McKenna is not the perfect prospect, but he does have incredible vision and passing ability.

And that's probably why Connor Bedard in Chicago is like, hey, what about us? Now Chicago is going to draft in the top four for sure. They finish through it. the second worst record overall. So they're going to get another great young player regardless. Like San Jose could drop to as far as like 11th overall, I think. They're most likely going to be 10th overall. There's a big difference in 10th and fourth overall.

So Chicago is going to get a good player regardless. Can you imagine Gavin McKenna and Connor Bernard together for a while? I will just save the time. and use my celebrini debate and argument for Bedard. Same thing. There's no reason to further keep Connor Bedard in Chicago. And that would be awful, actually, because at this point, if you look at the amount of high-end picks

that the Blackhawks have stockpiled, you almost play the odds in the waiting game here that eventually this will pan out because they've really accumulated high-end talent. For sure. Really accumulated it. Could this, could tonight be a franchise-altering moment for a team that we've constantly sit on their show?

show needs a superstar, needs a star to sell, needs something to sell. And we're talking about the Seattle Cracken. They've got a reasonable chance to win the draft lottery, 7.5% chance of picking first overall. And by the way, that's my conspiracy team. Do tell. Well, I mean, if the Cracken win it, the lottery is definitely rigged. I know a lot of people will say, it's Toronto.

I don't think so. It's too obvious. The Rangers, too obvious. The Rangers are in there too as well. Seattle would be my conspiracy pick because, you know, like the NBA is coming.

The league awarded this franchise to Seattle. And so far, you know, even though probably revenues are okay, the attendance has been okay. The league knows like, the NBA is coming. We better do something interesting for this team.

we won't admit it publicly, but maybe we're a little worried about this team. Cracken have a 7.5% chance at picking first overall and fulfilling your conspiracy theory. I have time for it. They are, if not already, fully in the territory being top five most irrelevant franchises in the National Hockey League, maybe top three. They are indistinguishable as to, like, if you were to ask what their strengths are as an organization or what the hook would be, for someone to become a cracking fan. You'd be like, they kind of got cool gear.

Yeah. They play in a nice place. Although I cannot stand their road uniforms. Yeah. I'm not even, I don't even like them that much. I don't even like the uniforms. Okay, so here are the 11 teams

with a chance, just real quick to draft first overall. Vancouver, Chicago, the Rangers, the flames, don't want to see the flames either. Toronto, Seattle, Winnipeg, Florida, San Jose, Nashville,

and St. Louis. Do you want to do a real quick? Let's do a, Let's do a practice draft here. Do we have some fun sounds we can play and lead us into it? Greg, you got anything at the ready? You got a fun, fun sound we can play. Pugh!

That wasn't even... Peeo. Like a little more... What is going on here? A little more like, you know, maybe suspenseful leading in to the draft results. No, I can't do that. Okay. Let's just fire a hockey central music.

No, no, no. Just, okay. This was a bad idea by Halford, and I wish you'd never gone down this road. I like what we did here. We're going to, we're going to simulate. the lottery. I am. We're just going to see,

we're just going to see how it goes. All right. Oh, boy. Okay. The Canucks will pick third overall. And that is, by the way,

just so, you know, if you haven't been paying attention for the last little while, the most likely position for the Canucks to pick tonight is third overall. Second overall.

That's actually what they'll play at the, Yeah, the Cedine's Shark Club tonight You see the Sidion swear for the first time ever Second overall The Rangers Didn't like that

And first overall It is the Calgary Flames Why did you do this? You suck at this Why did you do this? Listen Okay, just keep hitting it Until you get better at this

So what would Well we're practicing our reactions All right So the analysis would be like Man the Rangers had just a brutal year year, totally dysfunctional year. And then, of course, they win the draft lottery.

Not number one, but they win number two. And by the way, they've had a big draft lottery win before, right? It's not like professional sports. It's not like professional sports have ever rigged a lottery for one of the big New York teams to get the first overall pick. So this would be unique. Okay. And then the flames, the reason I would be reacting very negatively to that is the

connects are in the flame. Connects and the flames are in a rebuild race right now. and I think the flames are ahead. They've had more draft picks and they're going to have more first round draft picks at least than the Vancouver Canucks. So anyway, that was a good practice item. A bunch of other people are texting in that the nightmare

would also include hiring Pierre Dorian, which I know I was listening to the station yesterday and Drance was in a snit. apoplectic. He was apoplectic about the possibility of the Canucks hiring Pierre Dorian. And like I realized why, but I guess I have not even given much thought to the possibility of Pierre Dorian being the next general manager of the Vancouver Canucks because, like I know the Canucks make some bad decisions, but they wouldn't do that, would they? So in an art. They wouldn't, they wouldn't do that. Now, I know what Drans was saying, like, who's sitting there going like, well, they're not. And Sat told us yesterday is like, well, they're not going to, you know, fly this guy all the way out for an in-person interview if he wasn't a legit candidate. But still, I was like, no, they're not going to do that. They're not going to do that. The market would go nuts if they hired Pierre Dorian as the next general manager. So in an article that just went live on the athletic 14 minutes ago, Thomas Drans reports the following. Dorian was interviewed in person for the job, according to a report from TSN's Darren Dregor.

That's a telling indication of Dorian standing in this ongoing search and two independent sources confirmed to the athletic that Dorian's candidacy isn't just a matter of the Canucks doing due diligence. That Dorian could legitimately succeed Patrick Alvin as Vancouver's general manager is, as one league source put it to the athletic on Monday, quote unquote, a strong, possibility. If

Pierre Dorian gets hired, would it mean that it is a prerequisite to have cost your team draft picks with doing dumb stuff? That's, the Kinecks love that. And so does Toronto. Toronto. It's a big thing.

Yeah. Right? Yeah. Like, it's a big thing. It's a big thing. It's a big thing to push the boundaries, right? He fits their brain. You want a guy that thinks outside the box and likes to push the envelope. Sometimes too far. I just, I just, I just, um, associate peer Dorian with like the most dysfunctional years or some of the most dysfunctional years in Ottawa under

Eugene Melnick. Yes. And Dorian comes to Vancouver is like what's the owner like here? Dorian inherited the Brian Murray team in Ottawa that was very strong and remember they got within one goal of the Stanley Cup funnel when they lost in. I think it was double overtime or triple

overtime to the penguins on the Chris Coonitz goal. And then everything slowly started to fall apart now. In terms of interestingly enough because you made an allusion there to the comparison with him in John Chica, you could say that both of them worked for arguably the two most dysfunctional ownership groups in recent NHL history. And while they were employed, definitely the two most dysfunctional ownership groups in the Alex Merlo group in Arizona and then the Eugene Melnick group in Ottawa.

That being said, while his resume is not as spotty as Chikas, Pierre Dorian's body of work in Ottawa leaves a hell of a lot to be desired. And there are people that rue the day that he took over from Brian Murray because he inherited a very strong team with loaded with talent. And then depending on who you talk to, he either moved off or was forced to move off guys like Mark Stone, Eric Carlson, go down the list, go down the list, to the point where Ottawa went from being, again,

one goal away from being in a Stanley Cup final to being a complete afterthought. I still can't believe. He's a legitimate candidate, and I will be shocked if he's announced as the next general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. And that's with no insider. They're not going to do that. They would not do that. They would not do that? They would not going to do that.

They might do it. So that Toronto Press conference, when we last left you, we wondered if it was going to be a circus. And here's Steve Simmons. Because we wondered if anyone would ask an uncomfortable question. And Steve Simmons wrote a lot about John Chica ahead of the press conference. And he relayed those stories from Arizona, the one about the computer monitors, et cetera. And then we were talking yesterday. He was like, he's got to ask a question, right?

Like someone's got to ask about that. And while he didn't specifically mention that, he definitely. he definitely asked some stuff with John Chica, Matt Sundeen, and Keith Pelly up on the podium. And here's what that sounded like. Steve Simmons, Toronto's son for Keith, you talk about the due diligence that you did on John prior to hiring him and now hiring him. In the past, say, three to four days, I have been in contact with about 20 people who work in the National High School. Hockey League, many of whom are prominent names that we would all know. And of the 20 people I spoke to, one was supportive of John's hiring and the other 19 thought it was a sham, to be perfectly honest.

Words were used like con artist, liar, salesman. How did you come to a different conclusion that I was able to come to in a very short time? I must have talked to different people. That's it? Because I'm talking the hockey world today is astounded by this announcement. Okay. And your response to that is we've conducted due diligence and it was deep due diligence. It was a thorough process and I'm quite happy with where we've landed. So that was an interesting moment from the press conference. And it kind of stole the show from everything else that went on. Now, I want to play an interview that Elliot Friedman had with John Chicaa.

and he went one-on-one and he just talked about, he asked questions about basically like, how hard is this going to be for the Leafs with all the run-up and all the lead-in to this hiring and then the press conference, part of which we just played, is it going to be easy for John Chiquet to do his, job because you have to talk to other GMs in the league.

You have to do business with them. It's a weird kind of, it's a weird thing to say, but even though you were competing hard with the other general managers around the league, there is something to be said. And we've seen it before. If you want to call it an old boys club, you can go ahead and do that.

Or you can just say it's, you know, part of being part of the world. world. People want to do business with people that they generally like. So how hard is this going to be for John Chica if there are a bunch of executives in the NHL who are out to get this guy? We're going to play a couple of minutes from Elliot Freeman chatting with John Chichen. Then we'll get into some other stuff about the Leafs. First day on the job and already there's a tampering story.

Can you explain exactly what the league contacted the Maple Leafs about here? Yeah, it's a tough one for me to comment on. I really don't think there's any merit to any of that. And as far as I understood, it's been dismissed. And it was just an allegation of some sort. One of the things that somebody said to me was that it shows the challenge that you have. That there's not a lot of grace from the other managers here and that they're upset about your history and you resurfacing in this spot.

And it will make the challenge for you even greater. Yeah. How do you feel about that? We want to get the job done here, and we're not worried about the outside. We're going to focus on our team and what we can control. And in terms of me personally, I've always tried to act as a professional as I can, be a good communicator. I think if I can continue to do that, my history has been that I've been able to make good transactions for the team, and that's my focus. Was there any point after your name surfaced in here, and some of the stories came out, some comments were made?

Any part of you that said, this isn't for me? No. not a spec can you work with the other GMs in this league you've got to make deals you've got to go on group chats with them you've got to get things done yeah are you concerned at all you can't do that

yeah like I would just point to my history we were very successful in transacting in Arizona I think I have great relationships I really do you know there's still a lot of general managers that reached out to me after my announcement a lot of them I have interacted with and dealt with in the past it's a

pretty good overlap still in the league. And so I've sat in the chair. I've made those transactions. I have those relationships. I have zero reservation about my ability to do that part of the job. Is there an understanding on your part here that there's no margin for error?

Like people are looking for reasons to come after you. I just think there's no margin for error in this market to get the ultimate job done of winning a Stanley Cup. And so, again, I'm less focused on me as an individual and personally, really focused on the organization.

and achieving our goals. And I took this job with eyes wide open that that was a case. So apologies to Zach and Lethbridge. We're going to talk a little bit more about the Leafs here because I cannot remember a more controversial or contentious GM hiring. Stan Bowman was controversial in Edmonton for obvious reason. Yep.

I don't think we need to debate this. Which one was more controversial? Which one was worse? But that press conference yesterday was something else. and all the reporting and all the people that seem to be lined up against John Chica, you know, normally there's like, you know, some, some faction out there that will support a candidate, right? And the only candidate that, or the only faction that I'm seeing,

that is supporting the John Chica hiring in Toronto is either, like, Leaves fans who are going to cheer for the team regardless, and that's just how they fail. or people that hate the media so much that anything the media is reporting and saying and the consensus among the media, they'll go against that. They'll be like, I actually like this John Chichen guy, right?

A contingent that grows larger by the day, it feels like. Now I guess we turn our attention to Austin Matthews and whether Matthews will get on board with the plan that John Chicaa and Matt Sundin have for this team. And Chicaa said, we are incredibly fortunate to have Austin. It is our job to sell him on what we are capable of in terms of reaching the ultimate goal. Matthews is in the same spot that Quinn Hughes found himself when the speculation really kicked up around him in Vancouver.

Two years left before unrestricted free agency. Now, the only difference is that Matthews has a full no move clause and Quinn Hughes did not. Brady Kachuk, by the way, same situation as Austin Matthews. although he shot down or tried to shoot down any speculation that he wasn't happy in Ottawa. The Leafs are also going to try and address their blue line, which I guess could include moving Morgan Riley, which would be an interesting conversation. Fixing this blue line, it's going to be really, really tough.

But Chica said we're going to be aggressive there. And they are an older blue line. They're slowing down. running into injuries. Chris Tannave missed a lot of the season this year. And we've been wondering how much more TANF has in the tank for 10 years now. So I'm not going to doubt him. But, you know, look, they're old.

It's problematic. And so Chika not only has to deal with this firestorm that has been created around his hiring. He's got to get up to speed with the organization. Oh, yeah. He's got to make a decision on the coach. I bet he's just going to keep Craig Barube, by the way. Seems like the easiest thing to do. saves money, makes it easier, just say, yeah, you're still the guy.

I don't have time to interview new head coaches. And then really deal with Austin Matthews, selling him on the plan and trying to fix the blue line. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. We're speaking to Greg Wischinski, a guy who makes calls from ESPN here on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. What did you make of the Thomas Drans piece this morning suggesting? the Pierre Diorian may be more than just a token interview for the Connects General Manager position

that it could be a strong possibility that he might get the gig. First of all, I think he's going to get the gig. Based on things that I've heard, but also based on the fact that he's entering the fray so late. Hold on. Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. Record scratch for the listeners. Can you repeat everything you just said?

What? Why? Just do it. because I can't, I can't, I can't, I just do it. I will be in shock if they hire Pierre Doran as a next job. I think he's going to get the job. I mean, I've heard, I've heard it's trending that way. And he came into the fray very late.

And, and when you do that, that tells me that they've, they probably feel like he's, he's a quality candidate. It's like I said, Jason, it's like I said this morning on, on, on, on the old Twitter machine. Like, when you look, if you look back at what he's done in, what he did in Ottawa, and, and, and, And Drance, I thought, did a really good job kind of chronicling all of it. He's kind of the general manager that puts Vancouver in this spot rather than the one who sits out of it. Right? Like, trading Mark Stone, trading Eric Carl's, like doing all these things, not getting enough back, making bad draft choices, making bad decisions. Trading meek his advantage you had for a broken down Derek Borsard, on and on and on and on.

Like, it's kind of inexplicable that someone with that level of record would get another shot at this. But he might get another shot of this. Yeah. And I will say we were having a conversation yesterday. I was wondering why we hadn't heard the name Mark Bergervan more. I mean, that's beside the point. But we did bring up the factor of experience, right? And we've heard from right from the beginning that the organization or certain elements within the organization

is really going to value experience as a GM in a Canadian market, which is why I wondered right from the onset of this about Mark Bergevan. Now, again, this isn't about Bergerand, but Pierre Dorian would bring that experience of working in a Canadian market, dealing with the media. But here's the thing. Do you think he's learned anything from his experience in Ottawa? Because this was also a guy that would put his foot in his mouth all the time.

He was terrible working with the media. Awful. This is the guy who famously was asked to question about what Ottawa, you know, Ottawa's fortunes were on the ice. And he said, we're a team. And that stuck with them. That became a meme for the next, like, decade in Ottawa because of what this guy said. Look, I'm all for second chances. And I know we already talked about Toronto, but I'm actually not as completely sour on John Chaker getting a second chance as many people.

And in fact, I think the whole, like, he was suspended by the NH&S. thing. It's just like, okay, if you think there are repercussions for getting suspended by the NHL, let me introduce you to the head coach of the Anaheim Ducks. Okay, like, Gary Bettman has a way of being like, your time is served. But like, in Dorian's case, like, I don't know if there's any justification for it. It's the same thing they were kind of saying about Chega yesterday. It was like, there's no justification for giving him this kind of gig. And in actuality, there's two names that I would rather see get this gig in Toronto. First is obviously Ryan Johnson, who is getting absolutely jerked around by this team.

Like the idea that you're not allowing this guy to go an interview for other jobs, and then you're going to go hire Pierre Dorian to Bigfoot this guy in your organization. It's insane to me. And then Brett Johnson's the, I'm sorry, Brett Peterson's the other one, the assistant GM for the Florida Panthers, a really accomplished guy, brilliant guy, great behind the scenes. And oh, and by the way, has been part of an organization that just won back-to-back cups and went to the cup final three consecutive seasons.

And wouldn't you like that knowledge? and that structure and that experience behind the scenes to change the vibe of this franchise. I just want to circle back on the Pierre Dorian thing because our Dunbar-Lumber text message inbox is now exploding. It is not well. It is not well. A lot of people are asking is wish trolling. I'm like, I don't think so.

No, no, listen, I want to, I just want to calm everybody down. Listen, the NHL is an echo chamber. Okay. So when this started to kind of float around yesterday, I talked to some people, they all kind of think it's turning in that direction. It doesn't mean there's pen on paper. It doesn't mean he's getting the job. But like, that's kind of the vibe around the league right now.

And I'm as surprised as you are. Don't hit the panic button because it's not done. No. But like that's kind of the perception right now from people that are kind of finger on the pulse on this sort of thing. The notion that he joined the party late and that might somehow translate into him moving right into a leading role or candidacy for this. Is this like a WWF thing where it's like, oh my God, that's Pierre Dorian's music?

and he gets to enter like halfway through the Rumble? Like what? What is it exactly about him entering at this stage that really stands out? Have you ever gone car shopping? Yes. Do you ever buy the car that you saw first and then like four cars later you're ready to buy something? No, you've seen the candidates, you've interviewed the candidates, you've gone through the process and then someone comes in or you invite someone into the process

that you think could ultimately be the solution that you haven't found yet. So yeah, I mean, when someone comes into the fray late, that does kind of make me wonder. Granted, I don't know what the ultimate timeline is. This could be like, you know, a second interview or they could have circled back on him. I don't know. But like, we're kind of late in the day on this, boys, drop lotteries tonight. So if we're talking and we're having these sorts of discussions with a GM with previous experience and we haven't necessarily pulled the trigger on any of these AGMs yet, that kind of gives you pause.

I would like to also point out that according to reports, this was a interview conducted with Dorian in Vancouver. Yeah. And they're kind of suggesting that there was like two levels or tranches of the interview process where one was like, you're a Zoom kind of guy. We're not going to fly you in or you're not going to fly here. I think the zoos were first. Yeah.

And then there was the more like, let's go for dinner kind of interviews. So there's that to consider as well. Yeah. And that's every place. I mean, in Toronto, there were people they talked to and there were people they talk to. And then there were people they talked to in person. You know, same thing with Nashville. That's just how it is.

Yeah. So that's. And again, no, you should definitely read into that, by the way, because they're not going to, like, bring somebody to the steakhouse that they're not really considering hiring, right? So, like, you know, that's a big thing. But, again, I'm not saying that it's a done deal. I'm not, I'm not Elliott Friedman here, ladies and John.

I know, I know. But I am telling you that, but I am somebody who knows people, and I am somebody who makes calls, and I am telling you that that's where the wind is blowing right now. Fred and Bachelor, play-by-play voice of the Vancouver Canucks here on the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 615. What up, Batch? Not a whole lot. Good to be with you for our regular bi-weekly Tuesday 7 a.m. hit guys.

Just how we do it every time. Are you all? Absolutely, it is. I was. I am. We had this debate. We had this debate. It was mostly between the dogs.

They were biting at each other, grabbing at each other. But it is confirmed. I forgot to feed them. Oh, no. That's why they're like that. They're angry. Anyway, Batchett is regularly scheduled time. And there's not much going on.

for everything, Brendan. Let's start. Now, I'm going to put you on the spot because we just had Greg Wasinski on the program. And we also just posted a video of Greg Wosinski's hit on our program in which he says, from what he's been hearing, he thinks that Pierre

Dorian is most likely to get the Vancouver Canucks General Manager gig. Now, I know that you probably just found out about this, so I don't want to throw you on the spot, but maybe talk about, maybe talk about the notion of let's say hypothetically

Dorian enters the race by all accounts enters it late moves to a position of prominence what does it say about him the search the potential of getting the gig just your thoughts on this sort of breaking developing news batch yeah it's it's

really interesting it's not the direction I saw this search going but it does appear to have been pretty wide ranging when you look at the number of candidates that we heard reported that they've spoken to and the difference in experience and backgrounds of the candidates that they've spoken to as well. But Dorian is an experienced general manager, has

experience as a GM in the league. And, you know, I think we've heard going back a couple of weeks that there was a chance that that was going to be really important for them as part of this decision-making process. So, you know, that's my initial takeaway is this. This is a guy that's been a GM in the league before, albeit with mixed results. But, you know, I guess we'll have to wait and see if this is the direction it ultimately goes or whether there's still a few twists in the tail

before we get to an official announcement or anything. But, yeah, it'll be interesting if that indeed is the direction. It'll be interesting exactly what role he would be filling, whether he'd just be coming in as the GM and working under Jim Rutherford or, you know, whether there will be even an even bigger shake-up in the hockey operations department. But, you know, I guess the one thing I would say about Pierre Dorian is that you would hope that if he does end up as the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks, that he has learned and reflected and grown from some of the things that didn't go well during his tenure in Ottawa. and, you know, if the organization believes that he can chart the path forward,

then I guess he'll be the guy to do it. But ultimately we'll have to wait and see if that is where things end up at the end of the day. I do try to keep an open mind when, and this is not me coping, as the kids say. I honestly do try and keep an open mind when it comes to second chances, because I think your first experience, whether it's a head coach or, general manager can often go badly just because you are unprepared for the situation or if you you have not put yourself in a position to succeed. I think about some coaches. I think Travis Green is probably a much better coach in Ottawa than he was in Vancouver. You know, Bruce Cassidy,

I remember when he was given his second chance in Boston, people were skeptical because he was disaster like 12 years earlier with with the Washington capitals and now Bruce Cassidy although you know he still finds himself getting fired from time to time is considered one of the best coaches in the NHL and won a Stanley Cup with the Vegas Golden Knights where are you on that and if Pierre Dorian does get hired as a general manager of the Vancouver Canucks what would you like to hear from him on what he's learned Yeah, that's a really good question.

I think you're right to point out that a lot of times there's a lot of learning that goes on in these roles. And that could be the same for any of us, right? Like I would like to think I'm better at calling hockey games than I was when I called my first game in the NHL, right? And I've learned a lot about my line of work and trying to do the best job I can every day. So, you know, people do make mistakes. People do learn from them. And if Dorian ends up being the guy, I think, you know, it's probably pretty clear that he has made it clear to the Canucks decision makers that he has grown. He has improved.

And, you know, he has a strong vision for where the Canucks need to go. And that, to me, is the most important thing. So whether it's Dorian, honestly, or whoever it is, you want to hear about the vision. You want to hear about, you know, how they feel this rebuild is going to go. Because I think that will give us a better window into the thinking behind bringing a general manager in than anything else, right? Because if Dorian steps up to the podium, if he's named the general manager, it says something like, yeah, we think we can turn this around in a hurry, then, like, that's playing the greatest hits of what we've heard from general managers in the past. and that might be a troubling sign. But, you know, if he says we need to be thoughtful and patient in this rebuild

and, you know, make sure we make the right decisions and not rush to, you know, try and get this team back to where we want to get it to, then that to me is the sort of messaging that I think makes sense. That's what I would want to be hearing from a perspective general manager of the Vancouver Canucks. And, yeah, you know, obviously I would hope that he's learned from some of the mistakes he made when, you know, under his watch, they relinquished a first round pick that ultimately the organization has since been given back, albeit as the 32nd pick in this year's draft. But you would hope that going through an experience like that would teach you a lot about

the job and about, you know, the things you need to do to make sure that you're operating properly in the NHL. So, you know, obviously he needs to have learned from that. you know, he can't be causing the Canucks to lose draft picks through a rebuild if he is indeed the general manager. But, you know, I'm most interested to hear about the vision for the rebuild from whoever ends up in that chair because their opinion on what this is going to take and how it's going to look is really going to color what the next few years look like for the Canucks and ultimately how successful this rebuild is or potentially isn't. taking the Dorian news just as that news not a final decision merely a development if you're

Ryan Johnson how are you feeling right now yeah probably frustrated to a certain extent especially as someone that has been reported to be the leading candidate going into this but at the the same time you know the organizations need to do their due diligence and you know this this wasn't just a fate of complication that he was going to be promoted. Now, he has done very good work within the organization, and it wouldn't surprise me if he ends up in a general manager's chair somewhere else if he doesn't take over as the general manager of the Vancouver Canucks.

But, you know, that's the way these processes go sometimes, right? Especially when they've done such a thorough search, it seems like, right? Like, as I said, off the top, like the names we've heard them speak to have been, you know, experienced hockey guys, former general managers, but also young and up-and-coming people, you know, assistant general managers that are well thought of around the league, have been a part of this search and a part of the, you know, people that have reportedly spoken to them as well. So, you know, if they get to the end of that search and they decide that Ryan Johnson isn't the guy, then, you know, sometimes that happens in, in any, you know, line

of work, right? Like sometimes, you know, you work in an office and you think you're a tap in for the promotion and it doesn't happen. And ultimately you've just got to get on with the job at that point and try to approve the people that made that decision wrong. And, you know, from my limited dealings with Ryan Johnson, I think he's a guy that, you know, wouldn't hang his head and would just, you know, get back to work and do the best work that he can. We're speaking to Brendan Bachelor, play-by-play voice of the Vancouver Canucks here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650.

Tonight, four o'clock from the shark club, although the actual draw will be in Laddie's favorite town of Sarkas, New Jersey. How do you approach a nightlight tonight where the reality is their most likely finishing spot in the draft lottery is third, but obviously the goal and the hopes and the aspirations is to get first.

How do you balance, I guess, the realistic expectations with the desire to finally have something good happen to this franchise after a really, really disappointing season batch? Yeah, I saw a Knoch fan on Twitter yesterday saying that they were just going to assume that the Canucks got the third overall pick. And then anything above that is gravy.

And I think emotionally, that's probably the best way to deal with it because you're right. You know, the odds are against them getting that first overall pick. But it's not impossible either. So, you know, I think the big takeaway from this season and from everything that's happened is that they did secure themselves the best opportunity to get the first. overall pick, they definitely secured themselves a top three pick. And, you know, regardless of whether they win or lose the draft lottery tonight, they're going to be getting a very good player in the

door that, you know, is likely on the roster for next season. Ultimately, we'll see how things develop in that regard, too. So, you know, I would say try not to worry too much about it, which is easier said than done, because obviously the difference between winning and losing the draft lottery could mean the difference between, you know, the next 20 years of this franchise being set up pretty well with a potentially, you know, star player in a guy like Gavin McKenna. So there is a lot at stake, but at the same time, you know, they're getting a really good player even if things don't go their way. And so I would say the safe way to approach it is the emotional hedge, right, is to assume that they're going to get third and then just be happy if anything else happens. Let's say they do get first overall. How sold are you on Gavin McKenna as a franchise player?

Yeah, that's an interesting one. Obviously, because he's a winger, it's different. If, you know, he was a centerman or a number one defenseman, then you could buy into that hype a little bit more. But I think it's become pretty clear here. And, you know, not like I was out on the road scouting him all year and watching his games in detail. So I'm certainly not the best person to ask this of.

but he does seem like the consensus number one pick now. You know, he would obviously be a great, you know, young talent for them to bring into the organization and someone that they can market this rebuild around and would certainly sell tickets too. So all of those things are important for an organization. I don't know if I'm going to sit here and say, I guarantee he's going to be a generational player or anything like that, but he is an extreme talent. And anytime you're going through a rebuild, if you bring in really talented people, it's going to help you out.

And because he is the consensus number one overall pick, there is also that chance that he does turn into a tremendous player. I don't think any of us saw Macklin Celebrini being what he is this quickly when he was drafted a couple of years ago. So, you know, the sky is the limit for McKenna. And, you know, he very well could be that level of a player. But even if he's not, he's going to be a tremendous talent for whoever draft him. and hopefully that team is the Vancouver Canucks

after the draft lottery this afternoon. And finally, the most important question of them all. Will Brendan Batchelor be in attendance at the Shark Club tonight when the draft lottery gets underway at 4 p.m.? I'm not going to be at the Shark Club. I'm going to be across the street at Rogers Arena because I believe Jim Rutherford is going to speak after the draft lottery has been conducted.

So I will be within shouting distance of the Shark Club and you might see me turn up there after. words to tip a drink back either in celebration or commiseration. He also, congrats on, man, you kind of turning it around. How did,

how did they do it? Two words, Michael Carrick. Yeah. Yeah, you know, basically that, that coaching change has,

has completely changed things for them. And he has a chance to be the permanent manager. Now they better make him the permanent manager. Yeah, I was going to say, just give him the job already. Well, since they hired him, he's had a better record than both.

both Arsenal and City. They've had the best record in the Premier League since he was brought in. So I would think that that's probably enough for him to get the full-time job, but it's Manchester United, so you never know. Yeah, I know. I think it's widely expected that he'll get the gig, but I think they're sniffing around Ariola as well. Anyway, we got a lot.

Sniffing around what? You know what? I'm going to leave it. I'm going to leave it. It's too much to explain. Bad, thanks for this, buddy. Thanks, boys. Have a good one. Talk to you in two weeks at 7 o'clock.

7 a.m. sharp like we do every second week. Thanks, Batchez. I'm a Bachelor, play-by-play voice of the Vancouver Canucks here on the Halfford and Brough show on SportsNet 650. On Ryan Johnson. Yep. Are the Preds waiting for him? Could be. They never got a chance to interview him, you know?

Right. Because the Canucks now. There's been conflicting reports on that. What's going on in Nashville? Are they still looking for a GM? Are they just like Barry Barry wants to do it again? Like, it's Maybe this was the end game. Maybe. We'll wait and see what happens in Vancouver with Ryan Johnson because he's our guy.

What if they just leaked Dorian's name because they wanted to get fan reaction to see if this would be a good idea or not? Possible. And they're just like, whoa, I'm glad we leaked this first before we hired the guy. I mean. I don't think that's... How many times have the Canucks done something that we've been like, I can't believe they did that, but they did it, right? Many, many times? You know?

Interesting dynamic, though, A dog. with the John Chaka hire in Toronto. Are we going Chaka or Chica? I'm going to go Chaka. Chondin. Chondin is good too. Big Chungis.

I heard Keper say Chica. Yeah. Okay. Whatever. Yeah. Okay. Okay. Okay.

To your point. One of the things that was brought up in the week leading up to the Chaka hire was that and a couple people put this out there. prominent Trouto media folk, you knew you weren't in the Shanahan era anymore

because of the number of leaks that were coming out from various levels of the executive in front office. They said one of the hallmarks of the Shanahan era was you never found out about anything until the press release was dropped. They did a very good job. Now, this isn't to say that the leaks sprung on this current group. Some suggested that the leaks were intentional

that they floated a trial balloon out there well ahead of time to say, let's see what the public response would be if we were to hire John Chaka and Matt Sundin. Now, the problem is, is they floated the trial balloon. Everyone said, this balloon sucks. Don't fly it.

And they went ahead and made the hires anyway. So to your point, let's say, purely for the hypothetical of it, the caducs have put this out there like, yeah, Pierre Doriam, we're thinking about making them the guy. What would they expect, though? Just let me work through the exercise here.

What would they expect? Great. That's what I'm saying. With regards to this Toronto search, my first question would be like, why would you put this out there for public consumption ahead of time? You almost certainly know that this is going to be skewered because, you know, nobody liked John Chaka. Now, I would say a certain element exists with that with Dorian and that a lot of people that are texting him right now do not care for his body of work. I wonder to take it in an even slightly different direction if leaking it out ahead of time is to soften the blow when it inevitably happens.

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