Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Best of Halford and Brough 7/2/26

Episode Date: July 2, 2026

Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports, plus they discuss how the Canucks did on day one of NHL Free Agency with Donnie & Dhali's Rick Dhaliwal. This podcast is produced by Andy Cole and Greg Balloch. The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. You're listening to Halford and Brough. He'll get it across, and it's Luke Shen that'll drive the net. Scores. Luke Shen. It's very familiar, and I'm really looking forward to getting a chance to come back. Here comes Alexia. Good morning, Vancouver, 601 on 8th, Thursday.

Happy Thursday, everybody. Alfred, it is brough. It is SportsNet 650. We are coming to 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 Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Their clients often say, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off me. If Dad is weighing you down, visit sands dash trustee.com today. It's like you were lifted off. We are in our... One of the program.

It's ruthless. I'm big bone and it's glandular. It is our one of the program. Our one is... Good luck with the rest of this. Hour one is fratty by North Star Metal Recycling. Do they weigh by the pound? 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 Kintech Studios. Step Strong with Orthotics and Footwear from Kintech. guests on SportsNet 650, call in on the ABLE Auctions hotline, email sales at abel actions.c.coms. To get your business assets sold and your building cleared. And if you want to text into the show today, the Dunbar Lumber text line is 650, 650, trusted by contractors and DIY champions across Metro Vancouver for generations,

find them at three convene locations, or visit Dunbar Lumber online today. So we only have three guests today as we dive into the Doick Morning Drive. that is our guest list brought to by the Duick Auto Group because we have so many things to get into from the world of Sprott's yesterday. Three very good guests, though. It begins at 630. Luke Fox, NHL reporter from Sportsnet, is going to join us.

On the first day of free agency yesterday, July 1, teams doled out 145 contracts for $911 million in committed salary. I thought you're going to bust into song there for a second. On the first day of free agency? I was not going to. No. Because the second day of free agency, that money is going to try out.

cakes were made. A lot of them. Many by San Jose. There are also a bunch of interesting trades as well. We'll break it all down with Luke as he joins the program at 630. 7 o'clock Adnan, Virk from MLB Network is going to join us. I want to ask Adnan about MLB expansion to Vancouver. Max Scher's start for the Canadians tomorrow at Nav Bailey.

Bo Bichette's returned to Toronto. And since we're talking about Bo, the Sad Sack Metz, we can also talk about, lest we forget, the annual, although it's now a little bit muted due to a variety of circumstances. Jay's trip to Seattle is this weekend. It begins on Friday. We'll talk to Adnan about that at 7. 8 o'clock Rick Dollywall is going to join the program.

Intrepid Canucks reporter for Donnie and Dolly on Czech TV. Tons of Canucks news to get into. He wants to talk about the Marcus Pedersen trade to the New York Rangers, the rest of the moves from day one and free agency. And this new look approach from our management group here in Vancouver. Could it finally be Jason? could it finally be the patience and smart savvy moves of the song of the day? We'll see.

We'll talk to Rick about that at 8 o'clock. So we're working in reverse. A rarity here. Rick at 8, Adnan at 7, Luke Fox at 630. That's what's happening on the program today. Laddie, to 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? Miss that? You missed that? What happened is, Brought to you by our good friends at ATS traffic.

Safety is not a shortcut you want to take. From design to execution, ATS traffic is your full service traffic safety provider. Visit them online at ATSTraffic.ca. Connect's general manager, Ryan Johnson, called yesterday a good day. And I can't disagree. With the additions of character veterans like Luke Shen and Jamie Alexiak, and also the acquisition of another first round pick, I'll be at one in either 2030 or 2013.

The Vancouver Canucks under Johnson and the Seneen brothers did the things yesterday that they said they'd do when they were hired earlier this offseason. Specifically, those things were start fixing the broken culture and also build patiently through the draft, however long it takes to do it the right way. The signings of Shen and Alexiak were preceded, of course, by the trade acquisition. of Brendan Gallagher. Granted, they did lose a character veteran in Marcus Pedersen, but it was a deal they couldn't pass up, given the

challenge ahead of them to restock this team with young talent. I think I might actually be happiest for Thomas Drance that the Canucks added that conditional first from the Rangers. He loves a good fade bet. It's a deep fade.

Even though he'll admit that it's pretty hard to predict what the Rangers may look like in 2030 or 2001. I read his column and he called it The Fool's errand. But right now as it stands, that pick has the potential to be a lottery pick. It could also be a late first. But the point is

the high upside of the trade. In any successful rebuild, a few things need to go your way. Maybe you win the draft lottery. Okay, maybe not the Canucks. But maybe you trade a veteran defense defenseman and strike gold in the process. Johnson said, we've solved some problems. We've made changes.

We've got some different faces without having to take on long-term commitments that might have put us a year from now rethinking things. I think this gave us a facelift a little bit. It gave us an opportunity to get new energy and new people. on the Rangers trade, he said, I've made it clear that I'm okay looking into the future on some of these returns. Way into the future.

Which makes you wonder about the potential returns for the likes of Jake DeBress, Brock Bessor, and or Elias Pedersen. All in all, it's just really refreshing to see the Canucks take advantage of other team's desperation as opposed to being the desperate ones themselves. take the rangers situation

Chris Drury, the GM there he is in for a penny and so in for a pound in New York Drury doesn't really care what happens in 2030 because if he doesn't turn this thing around soon

that's going to be someone else's problem that's desperation now in theory general managers shouldn't mortgage the future to save their job a lot of things happen in life that shouldn't happen.

And when it comes to GM's kind of going, well, I don't know. I don't even know if I'm going to be around in that year. It happens all the time. We see this all the time in pro sports. And this is what the Canucks should have

leaned into a long time ago. And by that, I mean the natural ebb and flow of the National Hockey League. There are always teams with short-term expectations. And those teams often sacrifice the future, not even irresponsibly, but they just do it out of an intense desire, an intense pressure to meet those expectations. And usually those are like, we think we've got a

chance to win a Stanley Cup or we think we've got a really good chance to make the playoffs. And that's where smart rebuilding teams come on and come in as facilitators. Now, on the character side, of course the rebuilding teams can't just be bad for the sake of being bad. They also have to develop their young players. It's an extremely tough balancing act to be both a losing team for the sake of the draft, but not a bunch of losers because the team has to be a positive environment where the young players can grow. And that's why you bring in the character vets who have done it before. and done as successfully in the league.

Look, there's no guarantee that the Canucks are going to pull this off. It will depend mostly, not entirely, but mostly on the players they just drafted and the ones they'll draft in the next few years. But in the meantime, it seems they're at least going to be more likable for the fans that pay to watch them.

Okay, I think this is a good time to throw to the audio that Luke Shen had yesterday, talking about rejoining the Canucks organization for the third time in his country. career. Shen made it very clear that this goes beyond just getting paid and extending his shelf life

as an NHLer. He very much cares about the direction of this organization. Listen to what Shen had to say. Is this from Central yesterday? If I'm not mistaken. Oh no, sorry. It was Canucks talk with Dransson Dodd. Here's Luke Shen from yesterday talking about signing on with this project that is the Vancouver Canucks.

It feels amazing. I mean, yeah, Vancouver is a place that has always felt like home in terms of, you know, where I played in the NHL and, yeah, I'm pumped when this, when this opportunity came up. And obviously, you know, I understand where the team is in terms of, you know, where they are right now and where they want to get to and the rebuild and everything. But, you know, the fact that they think that I'm a veteran guy that come in and help and help with, you know, the culture and the young guys and everything, I'm, you know, I'm honored

to be a part of that. and it's not just another organization and, you know, just trying to go and finish off another year. I actually, you know, truly care about the Canucks and the organization and the logo and everything that, what it means to be a Vancouver Canucks. So I'm, I'm pumped to get the chance to do this for the third time. I care about the Canucks. Now, I know we're a pretty sarcastic show sometimes, but statements like that, especially when I actually believe them, mean something to me.

I care about the Canucks too. And I care about all their fans because their fans are our listeners and I want good things for them. I know this, I know this isn't like a Disney movie and I know the Canucks aren't going to win a Stanley Cup just because they have good guys that care. So please, like this thing isn't going to just turn around on character and being a good guy. No. Talent is going to be a big part of it too. but you know this this management group is going to need to be smart, creative,

and maybe even ruthless at times to get to the point where they can win a Stanley Cup or compete for one. They'll need the right resources from ownership. We're going to be monitoring that. They'll, you know, to put it one way, they'll need to invest more than just their feelings. Yeah, that's a good way putting. You know what I mean? But this is all very refreshing to me.

me because I think or I hope we all understand that last season was not just a bad season, Adog, in a vacuum. It didn't come out of nowhere. There was some bad luck, sure, some injury luck, but it was mostly a culmination of years of short-term thinking, letting standard slip both on and off the ice. I think allowing a siege mentality to build in the organization where they felt like everyone was out to get them and any criticism of the organization was just the market. It's a tough market. And finally, undervaluing the importance of character.

And I think they're off to a very good start and turning all those things around. Okay, now let's hear from the guy who got them off to that good start and turning these things around. the general manager, Ryan Johnson, Laddie. Let's play that clip where RJ is talking about adding vets to this team and what it meant on the opening day of free agency. Important. They bring a sense of grit. They bring experience.

They've experienced a ton through with their careers. Obviously, with a young group around them, there's so much that they can, you know, they almost become secondary coaches in a sense of both are excited to, help with this environment that I'm trying to put some life into and energy and passion and both guys are extremely fired up, understand some of the influence that they can have on some of the players we have

here. So it's just like I said, both both those guys want to be here. They're ecstatic to be here. They want to get in this building and get going and that's important to me and the group. So the details of all of the deals just in case, we've had a couple different people text in about the sort of finite details, and we should go over them. Sure. Yeah. The Patterson trade to New York. One, it's Marcus, not either

of the Elias or Elias. So Marcus Pedersen to New York. Right now, it's a draft pick at the 2030 NHL entry draft, which many of you have pointed out is also the year that RJ Celebrini, the 14 year old younger brother of Macklin Celebrini, would theoretically be draft

eligible, which is hilarious. But they wouldn't get that with the Rangers pick, because that would be top 10 protected. Exactly. Now, if the Rangers are in the top 10, they decide that they want to keep that pick and let it slide to 2031, then it becomes an unprotected pick, right? And that's where the, I mean,

we are talking of it being five years out right now. We don't even know what the world's going to look like. The draft could be held entirely with robots running it. But there is a possibility for that thing to hit in a major way. So that's the Pedersen trade. The signings, Alexiak, two years, 10 million, so a $5 million A-A-V. Shen comes in on a one-year deal at 2.25 million.

Paul Cotter, welcome back, Cotter. If only he had signed here a couple times like Luke Shen had. One year, 2.15 million for a fourth line forward who apparently runs around, can chip in with the odd goal, can fill in its center, can win some draws, has a lot of energy. What else? I'm stealing my bit? If they are to flip him at the deadline and bring him back next free agent,

have that song ready. Two guys signed to minor league deals. Akeel Thomas and one of my favorite names, Trey Fix Wollanski. Fix Wollanski to HL deals. What's, how did he fix him? What's wrong with Wollanski?

You don't want to know. You don't even want to know. And why does Trey have to do it? Yeah, what's going on here? Anyway, so there's your day one of free agency for the Vancouver Canucks. And, you know, there's often been times where when they're not on the ice and they're off the ice and they make some moves,

we get some positive feedback into the Dunbar Lumber text message in basket, but this feels a little different. And I think in part because everyone is thoroughly pleased that a management group that delivered on what they promised. And the promise was, we're not going to rush this. Everything's going to make sense. And we're going to build towards the future. The Pedersen deal, I think, and I won't use in a vacuum, but in a nutshell, probably encapsulates exactly what they're talking about. They were willing for a larger payoff four years down the road than taking a collection of mid-picks

at next year's draft or the year following. And that to me... It's a little farther down the line. It would be nicer if it was a little closer. But that was the thing. They made the decision and they decided to go with the very high potential upside. I don't tell you what is the thing long term, eh? Yeah, that's true long term.

I don't even, I don't mind. The 2050 first overall. I don't mind that they took that approach because it could end up being a massive gambit in the end. Yeah, yeah. That's what I'm saying. Like, you can get a couple second round picks for Pedersen probably, right? Like sit in next year's draft.

Well, I tweeted yesterday. The second and the third, whatever. But the ability to have the patience. And honestly, there's some restraint involved. Like, let's book ourselves a lottery ticket for years in advance. Yeah. I mean. Maybe.

don't need that shot in the arm at that point. Ryan Johnson, the scenes might not even be around at that point. Mani Malhotra might not be around at that point. It's very real. It's a long way away. But to have the foresight to say, if you're offering it, we will take this, we will take this opportunity. That is actual long-term thinking.

Adog? I tweeted yesterday the Canucks are actually rebuilding and it's freaking me out. Like I've just never seen them act like this before. It's really strange. I want to read some texts into the Dunbar Lumber. line. This is from Fish Dancer. He's dancing around.

Fish. He says, I'm so ridiculously happy. RJ turning over the roster, bringing in character, and raking in draft capital. All of Alexiak, Shen, and Cotter will bring back draft picks at the deadline. It's a

smart, tactful rebuild. This is incredible. Joshin Mission, with Shen Gallagher and even Kayla Malhotra, They are adding people who love this franchise like we do. And it's so refreshing. And then one final one, this is unsigned. But I like this.

And this is what I connect with most. Shen reminding me that, oh yeah, the Canucks used to mean something to me too. Yeah, that's important. It's very important. And to have someone in the front office and someone of prominence to validate that for everybody? Yeah. I think there's been a lot of validating going on in the last little it's like I wasn't I wasn't wrong to not like these guys anymore. And here's the okay okay I'm glad we're going down this road because you know everything you set off the top

was like spot on and I agreed with it 100% I'm glad to you said it. Validation in our current climate takes on a lot of different forms. I think a lot of people and you see this on social media a lot, keep receipts because they just want to be right. Even not necessarily believing the thing that they're right in. They just want to be proven right. I think with being a fan and watching your team go through the sewers like the Canucks have, it goes beyond just wanting to be right. You've got a real emotional attachment to this. And when you, with all your heart and all your feels and all of it, see something going off the rails and you know why, validation becomes a lot more emotional

in that sense because you're like, I wasn't wrong. It's not about being right, but it's knowing that you weren't just being some sort of psychotic, fanatic about this. I wasn't being a nitpicker. I wasn't just being negative for the clicks or whatever. You genuinely felt a connection towards the team and you wanted them to succeed so badly

that you put time and effort into thinking about how they could do it. And then when someone comes in, it was like, yeah, I thought about those same things. It can mean a lot. The Cucs are going to lose a ton of games this year. ton. And they're probably going to finish in the bottom five of the NHL again. And they're going to

be one of the NHL's worst teams. Yeah. Luke Texan, easy to be all ooey-goory about it now, but there's a lot of pain coming. We're all prepared for it. I'm sure there will be times where the Knox will lose a game and be like, oh my God.

Is this going to work or what's going on? But I grew up my first years as a fans when I was a kid. They were horrible, but I still liked them. Yeah. And part of that for me was I was a kid, right? I didn't know anything better. But I've told this a few times. And I don't know if anyone

feels the same way, but over the last few years, the Canucks have been more of a job for me than actually me being a fan. I still loved them, I suppose, but I didn't like them. And I wondered a few times. I was like, God, like, ever going to feel about this team like I did in 2011 or 94 or when I was a kid where I was actually watching them. I was like, I want the best for you. Sure. Like these last few years, I've been like, I'm like, I want this thing to blow up because it has no chance. Get everybody out of here. The way they are operating right now, the only way this thing is going to work is through some of some sort of massive come up

where they are shocked to their very core that they completely change their philosophy. And for now, it feels like that's exactly what's happened. Well, okay, changing the philosophy. That's another really good point, too. So Grimmiss and Ladner just texted this in. You can also think of that 2030 pick as ammo, hopefully. By the time the 2030 team is coming into shape,

maybe they'll be out of the rebuild. See, that's another thing that is, such a bold, brave new world for this organization. Moves of intelligence that have layers to them, right? Because here's the thing. The closer and closer we get to 2030 or 2031, that pick really comes into clarity. The picture comes into clarity of what it's going to be.

And that lottery ticket isn't just a lottery ticket for the Canucks. It's a lottery ticket for 30 other one NHL franchises that, let's say there's a team that is bottoming out closer to that, draft class and they want to get in on the action. Suddenly, there's this thing from the Rangers, this really, and I'll be frank, I think it's a really wild bet that they made, but a wild bet that they made years ago where now it's time to pay the Piper. If you can use that as a trade asset and something you want to build your team with, that's a great option to have. That is a lottery ticket that you buy and you put under the Christmas tree for years to come and you just open that gift

when you're ready for it. But it is a very savvy move. And quite honestly, the kind that we've seen other general managers and other markets make. And we've longed for that kind of move. And I'm not just talking about just trading Pedersen. The idea of it. The idea of trying to swing big, but not do it so that it pays off in the fall. Right away. Or yeah. This needs to work right now because we're balancing on a knife's edge here. Yeah. West End Mike Texan, yes, there will be pain, but it will be for a purpose this time. time. It's going to be a really tough balancing act though. When you're losing, it's really hard on the young players.

And that's why these veteran guys that will come into the rank every day with a positive attitude and enthusiastic, that's why they made those deals. And I like that they're tougher too, because sometimes if you're not winning on the ice, you can at least win a fight, throw a big hit, and you don't feel like you got as embarrassed on the S. Yeah, like, okay, for example, I was thinking about this yesterday and a couple of people texted me and they're like, what do you think? I said, it sounds weird, but I'm probably more excited to see Shen and Alexiak and Gallagher play next year

than I was to see any of the games this year. Because at least you know that they've got that dog. in them where there's probably going to be some real scrappiness on a nightly basis. Yeah. It's not going to be pretty and they're going to lose. But I got a lot of respect for someone who's like, yeah, but we're going to lose

but we're also going to punch you a bunch of times while we're doing it. Or we're going to make your life hell while you're beating us. We're certainly not going to quit. Yeah, we're not going to play around the edges of a game. Like I'm going to Gallagher doing what Gallagher does it. How old is he? 30 anyway.

34. Gallagher down 8.0.0. I didn't hear no bell. Yeah, exactly. You know, getting up off the canvas, you know, fighting in front of the net when he's down 5'1. You just stay down. The doctor should stop this fight.

You don't look good. Getting cross-checked 19 times in front of the net on a power play when he's down 5'1 and be like, I'll get up for the 20th. There's something admirable about that, right? Shannon, at his advanced stage, still willing to drop the gloves because someone ran

Buyam or DPD into the boards. Alexiak doing the same thing. Like Alexiac can throw, right? I mean, I think it's very well established. He's a giant. He's a big dude and I remember when he was coming up in Dallas. His nickname was the big rig because he played for their HL farm team, the Texas stars back in the day and

all of it fit, right? And he would just throw these massive overhands when he was fighting. So like that stuff matters. Especially again, when the team isn't going to be very good. They're going to show some fight and some jam and show a lot of it. It'll do a big, big, big, heavy lift in winning some of the fans back. You're listening to the best of Halford

and Brough. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough. From the Donnie and Dolly Show on Check TV, Rick Dollywell, here on the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. A presentation of Bassam Motors. What up, Ricky, D? Gentlemen, how's it going? It's going pretty well, Rick. I've got to be

honest with you. We said a lot of nice things about the Canucks again, and I'm starting to get concerned because because we're actually in agreeance with a lot of the things that this new management group is doing. Because there's clarity, right? And there's a plan, and they're trying to execute it. You know, I'll get into that with the new regime and the old regime in a little bit adjacent. But I want to get through yesterday.

I thought it was an amazing day. It was a lot of fun. I want to start with Marcus Pedersen. So we all thought that Elias Pedersen was going to be the one move. And Ryan Johnson moves Marcus. So how did this come down? Well, I was told that Ryan Johnson had been communicating with Marcus's agent the past few weeks. Basically, the agent was told this.

We like Marcus a lot. But if we get a deal to knocks our socks off, we're going to come to you. So be prepared. So the other thing I want to get clear, the player did not ask for this. He did want to stay. He was committed to next year. And he was committed. There were teams that Petters.

would have said no to. The Canucks actually, if you think about it, lucked out in the sense that he thought the Rangers were an okay situation because Vancouver and the Rangers are both at the bottom of the standings, right? It's not like he went from the 32nd place team to the 10th place team. He basically moved up a couple of spots, not many. So Marcus did not ask out. The Canucks got a deal they absolutely loved.

They went to the agent. He thought about it yesterday afternoon. He was approached, and he said yes. So that's how that came down. But I can tell you, after talking to the agent last night, he did not ask out. This was a situation where the Canucks got a deal. They couldn't refuse and they went to him. So when they did the Marcus Patterson trade, then you got to, okay, so who replaces him?

Well, it was Jamie Alexiak. It's really funny because yesterday morning, I texted Alexiak. agent and I said, you know what, they can't afford your guy. And they found a way to afford them the $5 million cap hit for two years. This guy's a giant who throws big hits, can play both sides, he'll drop the gloves. Alexiak had other offers. Not sure he had the money he got from Vancouver elsewhere, but he had other offers. The market has changed in Vancouver. Most players are not coming here for money or winning. Very particular guys will come to Vancouver because obviously there's going to be a lot of losing up ahead.

But soon as they, the good thing about him is, okay, so we traded Pedersen, boom, plan B is in order, and that was Alexeac. Okay, so the big one for me yesterday was the Canucks, I don't think people know this. They went very, very hard after Ian Cole. It came down to Chicago and it came down to Vancouver. He picked the Black Rocks. Cole was the culture leadership signing. I'm telling you when I tell you this, the Canucks offer was very, very, very strong.

This was a player the Canucks had identified who would help that dressing room big time. Now, I'll still remember the quote from J.T. Miller when he said when Ian Cole talks, people listen, it is true. He should never left. When he left, the Canucks offered him a 50% pay cut to stay. He said, see you later. He went to Utah. Rick Talkett felt when the Canucks lost Col and Zadouroff, that leadership void was never filled.

He really missed those two guys. Talk it did. Cole is getting up there in years. People ask me why do you pick Chicago over Vancouver? Well, first of all, you've got to have to ask him. But playing on a rebuilding team can be tougher for older players. Chicago is going to be a team that's going to be pushing for the playoffs. Ian Cole had the third best statistical year of his career.

That's why the agent was able to get a raise from the 3 million he made in Utah, right? So you'd have to ask him why he picked Chicago or Vancouver, but it was told to me it was a very tough decision for him, really, really, really tough. Jamie Alexiak is going to meet with the media today, Halford? Is that Alexiac's got, okay. Him and Paul Cotter, I think he was going to be a video. Right. So, I mean, the question for him,

and I don't know if you've heard anything from Alexiac's agent, but why did he pick Vancouver? Yeah, you know what? A lot of these guys have, look, at the end, of the day, he got a good deal. Did he not? He got $10 million over two years. It's pretty good. Yeah. Like I said, there were other teams in on Alexiac.

I just don't know if the money was there from the other teams for Alexiac like it was in Vancouver. Look, if you're coming to Vancouver, look, Gallagher wants here. His family's here, he grew up in the city. Makes sense. Luke Shen wanted back. He loved

being a Vancouver Canock. Those are some of the reasons why people want to come to Vancouver. You're not coming to Vancouver to in. You're coming to Vancouver, okay, but maybe you come to Vancouver because they're offering more money than anyone else. I don't know. We're going to have to ask him, but I will say this to you. When I had a Lexiac on my list of potential people that Connects were going to call, I just, I didn't think they would have the money for him, but they found the money for him. And, you know, just like Gallagher, before they got Gallagher, he trades Holglander. The piece is fit. So I think,

look, at the end of the day, we'll ask him why you pick Vancouver, but I, you know, He got a damn good deal in Vancouver. That'd be funny if he was just honest, like the money. I love money. Sure, why not? Yeah. But why not? Why did Louis Erickson come here?

Six times six. Yeah. You know, like, why do people go to, like, why do people go to cities? They got 10 offers. They take the best offer on the table. Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I don't begrudge him as long as he's a high character guy and plays physical, and I think he will be both.

He is. He absolutely is. I think this is a really good pickup. up by Vancouver. So after Cole, so Cole says no, I had a good feeling the Knox knew early yesterday morning. The coal was not going to pick Vancouver. They turned their attention to Luke Shen. So this new regime, I've been telling you for weeks, is going to fix that dressing room. Gallagher and Shen, and that dressing room is going to be a whole lot better. Shen's going to guide those kids like Booium and Willander and Pedersen. Also, I would keep

Shen in the organization after he retires. I don't know how much playing time he's got. but that's the type of guy you want your organization in development, you know, just teaching the young defensemen about being a good pro. I would keep Shen around after he retires. When you add players like Gallagher and Shan who want to be here, like they do, especially to start a rebuild,

that robs off on other players, especially the young kids. Okay, so what did the Canucks not do yesterday? They didn't hand out big term, unlike last summer. You can't hand out big. big term and a rebuild. They need deals like Kiefer Sherwood. Three million over two years. You build them up. Bill gets big numbers and they trade them for two second round

picks. That's exactly what the Kinnock should be thinking. Low term deals, build up the guy's value and then you get two seconds. Keep collecting as many draft picks as you can. The Canucks need to pick top five or top ten for the next four years, really to set the foundation to get out of this. The Anaheim Ducks picked in the top 10, seven straight years. I think the Canox, they've got to keep doing this. It's a painful process. All those people,

including the media, the one of the rebuild, it's a painful process. But here we are. But you can be likable and losing at the same time. I really believe that. As long as you have high character guys on

the team and you're out there and you're fighting hard, you're not moping around and, you know, you go out there and you're part of the community. I think you can be likable as long as there is a plan and as long as the young players are improving and getting better and becoming a team. That is possible, but it is a very difficult balancing act, especially with the young players because you don't want to be a winning team. So I think this is the way I'm going to put it.

You don't want to be a winning team, but you don't want to be a bunch of losers. Yep. You remember the old movie, Bad News Bears. It's the same concept. You don't want to lose 9-1. And he said that. And the other thing is the two biggest things going forward are draft and develop, draft and develop.

So now you got these two great picks in the first round. Navatni and Mahaltra, now you've got to develop them, right? They've got to be in a good environment. They've got to be teaching. There's got to be growing. The biggest place where they should spend the most money is drafting and developing. That's going to be key from here on in. It's not even debatable.

Those are the two most important things going forward. Okay. Do you have anything to tell us about some of the other free agent signings? Yesterday was pretty well went according to the way I kind of thought it would go. I want you to go. There's a couple things I want to get into addition. I want now the Canucks have a couple of big things on their to-do list. And one of them is going to be start talking extension with Z. Booiam.

The two sides have until September 15th to do an eight-year deal. Then on September 16th, the rules change. You can only do seven-year deals. Eight years is out. This kid has got future captain written all over him. He's a huge part of that blue line with Willander. it's going to be a big number. There's going to be a sticker shock.

I've already dropped the number nine, and I'm going to stick with that. Carolina defenseman Alexander and Akishan has played one year in the NHL. That was this season. Some people think he's looking for $8, $9 million. He's 24 years old. There has been some crazy contracts in the National Hockey League the past few weeks. There are guys making $4, $5, $6, $7 million that I have to Google.

Like, I have to Google who the hell is this guy. And so there's been crazy contracts, and they're going to continue to be crazy contracts with the cap going up. So I think that getting boo-yam done this summer, if they can do it, nobody says, obviously they'll talk. Has he shown enough to you that he's like a surefire guy that you want to go long-term with? I think so. I think you wouldn't have acquired him. Let's put it this way. The Quinn Hughes trade, he's the big piece. He's young. He's got pedigree, high draft pick.

He's done nothing but win since, you know, NCAA titles, World Junior's World Championships. He's the guy. He's the main piece in the Quinn Hughes. He's got to be a hit. It can't be a world where he doesn't hit for the Kadax. I'm just telling you the way contracts are going. He's going to do really well on his next deal.

I think that I think everyone's aware of. of what young defensemen are getting these days. And I'll tell you something else. So what's the Russian signing him a year before his entry-level contract expires? Is it just you're going to get him out of better number now? You lock him up. You lock him up. And here's the other one for you, Jason.

The rules change on September 15th from eight years to seven years. You probably want to get that done. And you probably want to lock him up as long as you can. I think he's going to be a good one. I think he's shown enough in Vancouver. I really do. There's a couple of other things, Jason, I want to talk to you about. I was told some teams thought about Thatcher Demko in the last few weeks.

A couple did their due diligence on them. I'm not sure they called Vancouver, but I do know teams poked around on Demko. In the sense, they did some due diligence on them. And the Canucks should be targeting players like Kent Johnson, Shane Wright, Matthew Knives, guys under 25 who have no trade protection and that can't block a trade to Vancouver. Canucks do like Wright, but the cost acquisition is too much. I don't think Seattle wants to trade that guy in the division. Last thing you want is for Wright to figure it out,

and you've got to play him a ton of times in the regular season. The other thing I want to tell you is the Canucks have interviewed Memorial Cup winning coach from the Kitchener Rangers, UCACO, Aco, for the Abbisford job. This guy is wanted right now. he's also interviewed for the San Diego American Hockey League job. He's interviewed for the Abbotspur job. I don't know if he's going to end up in Vancouver or San Diego or anywhere else,

but I do know he interviewed in Vancouver for the Abbisper job. Have you heard anything about John Gruden, not the NFL coach, but the Marley's coach? I heard one little thing that he might be interviewing for a job in Vancouver. I don't know if it's Abbotsford or for on Mani's bench. That's possible. Because Mani has a relationship with him. Yeah. When Maddie was in Toronto,

Mandy's got a relationship with him going back to Toronto. So you know what? You might be on to something there. You know, what the hockey people do when they hire people? They go back and they associate themselves with people who they're comfortable with. And you know what? But this, I do, that's a good one, Braff. Mani's got a good relationship with him going back to the Marley's days and the Maple Leaf Days,

so he would have run into him quite a bit in Toronto. I think by the end of this week, we should find out who the Canucks new coaching staff in Abbey, and Vancouver is. But again, that Abbisford coach, for me, is going to be very important because, you know, we're going to be in Abbisford next year is going to be Braden Coots. And, you know, Coots development. I am convinced that Coots will play in the NHL. I just don't know where his ceiling is.

And I've told you guys this before. He's always the first guy at the rank, the last guy to leave. 650 had him on the other day. He's just a really mature kid. There's tons of potential. But he just, he thinks the right way, plays the right way. That's a great draft pick. Even if these guys don't like, even if Coots doesn't reach, you know,

one C or whatever. it is, or even if Caleb doesn't reach the levels that some people are hoping for, I really think it's important that as long as they're good NHL players, that those are the young players that the new kids see. Because we always talk about the importance of the veteran players,

the guys that are, you know, in their 30s and they've been in the league for a while. And I'm not discounting that. But I also think that it's, you need the young players to be high character guys too because who are the young players that are who are they going to go talk to who are they going to go associate with who are they going to hang out with is going to be their you know fellow youth right and they're going to and they're going to hang out and and if you've got a young player that acts in a certain way um good or bad you're going to take the lead from that youngster you know and and i and that's why i just like i'm really happy

that the Canucks have targeted character, not only in bringing them those veterans, but also in the guys that they've drafted, because in some ways, those guys are going to set the culture more than the vets. Because those are the guys that the young players will try and emulate, and they'll take their cues from. Yeah, big time, big time.

So that's a good parlay into the new regime. I want to say a few things. and you nailed it. They're going for character. They're going for good quality human beings in that dressing room. So I have to say this. There is a different feel about this regime. Ultimately, they will be judged on wins and losses,

but in terms of how they conduct themselves in the hockey world, night and day, better than the old regime. You guys know I talk to a ton of agents per week. Agents go out of their way. Agents go out of their way to tell me how impressed they are with Ryan Johnson and the new regime. I won't even be asking about Ryan Johnson. I'll be asking about one of their clients,

and they'll say to me, hey, I love the new guys in Vancouver. Hey, I love Ryan Johnson. Gone are the soap opera dysfunctional days of the last two years. Look at the Canucks Twitter account, wishing the lines the best on their season opener. You know, congrats to the Golden Eyes first overall pick. Great choices by the Canucks on who made their first two picks at the NHL draft.

Jen Gardner at the Canucks Development Camp, none of that happened with the previous regime. Anything the Sedeen Twins do comes with class and family first. Big change. And the hockey world is noticed. Like when Johnson talks, you get clarity. It makes sense. There's a plan.

They're sticking to it. Time will tell if this plan will work. Yep. But at least they have a plan. Do you know what the plan the last two years was in this city? Signed Quinn Hughes. By Elvina Rutherford? Sign Quinn Hughes.

That was the plan. They gave huge money to Besser Garland Dempkel to keep Hughes. How did that turn out? Now they're trying to move Besser. It was a disaster. Ryan Johnson and the Twins, and time will tell how they do with the product on the ice, but they are hitting grand slams in terms of how to run an organization with class. Just like you need good people in the dressing room, you need good people in management.

These guys are going forth. This regime is giving you more comfort that better days are ahead. Like I can't tell you how much times over the course of a week that I just get a text saying, hey, these new guys are good to deal with. Ryan Johnson's a pretty classy guy. You know, again, time will tell on how he does with his moves. But there's been a big shift, big shift in the way this franchise has been perceived in the way they conduct themselves as a team.

You mentioned better days ahead there. So let's finish with a look ahead to, I mean, it's only the second day of free agency. There's still stuff out there. What are you hearing? What do you know? What do you think the Canucks might do now that they were pretty busy on the first day of free agency? They did poke around on tough guys.

The mallet guy, where to mallet go? They poked around on him. A lot of the tough guys they poked around on. And, you know, they were in on Veal, Anaheim, but he got one hell of a deal. The Michael McCarron deal in Minnesota changed everything for tough guys. Like even Curtis Douglas, for Curtis Douglas to get 1.2. Good for him. And, you know, well, Jeff, can I talk about Curtis Douglas?

Sure. You know, anyways, for that guy to get $1.2 million in Seattle, like the Canucks weren't willing to do that. Nor should they be. They weren't willing to do. And they never made a formal offer to Curtis. They liked them. Curtis really liked Vancouver. He really did.

When I talked to his age and, you know, I think Curtis was disappointed when he found out it wasn't going to happen in Vancouver. But that market changed. A lot of tough guys got paid yesterday. A lot of tough guys got money that usually is not reserved for tough guys in the NHL. And Michael McCarran's deal in Minnesota. Do they still poke around tough guys? don't know. Are they done? I don't know, but I do know that they're going to continue to try and move Pedersen, Bessor, DeBrusc, all these guys. And, you know, all those people that ripped the

Canucks that Wednesday when there were four trades, oh, you got to make a trade because four other trades were made. They made the trades four days later. You don't have to make it for the sake of you can make deals in July and August. You don't make trades because four other teams made trades. They can work on Pedersen, Besser, and DeBrusk and all these guys. They can work. work on all these guys in July and August. They got plenty of time to get those deals done. Rick, thanks for this, buddy. Great stuff.

No, no, no. You come in late every Friday, Holford, and you guys, I want to, this is my last hit with you guys. I want to do a little spiel with you guys. Okay, let's do it. I just want,

I, you know, because I want to say some stuff. This country was built communication-wise on TV, radio, and newspapers. You know what?

Everybody out there support those things. Buy a paper. listen to 650 every morning, Monday to Friday, 6am to 9 a.m. and watch local news on TV. Look, you guys know I'm not a fan of social media. I hate all this new technology. I grew up waiting for the paper boy every day at 3.30, watching Tony Parsons 6 p.m. on BC TV and listening to Jim Robson on the radio. I miss those days. I will always miss those days. We have to keep mainstream media live so those kids who go to broadcasting school, they have jobs to go to. guys keep doing what you're doing. I'm in this. This is my 36th year in this industry. I still love it. I'm going to keep going till they kick me out. I love coming on with you guys, even though you rip the hell out of me every Friday. But have a good summer and see you in September. Keep doing what you're doing. And keep TV, radio and newspapers alive. That's very important to me. My life. Radio has been a big part of my life. And I want to keep radio and TV. It's been a big part of my

life when I want to keep doing it. Rick, love you, buddy. See you in September. See you, buddy. See you, buddy. I love you, too. The dramatic buzz. I love you too.

Would have been an appropriate response, but that's fine. He thought about it. When he started with this, this country was built on it, and it was to be like, oh, oh, what? Get the kill button ready. All right. We all have more to get into on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. A reminder.

If it was Remembrance Day, it would be really worried. Yeah. Oh, no. Where's you going with this? I'm telling you when I tell you this. You're listening to the best of Halford and Brough.