Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Best Of Halford And Brough 7/3/24

Episode Date: July 3, 2024

Mike and guest host Jamie Dodd look back at the previous day in sports, they discuss the newly-released 2024-25 Canucks schedule, the boys debate if they'd trade Petey for Crosby 1-for-1, plus they're joined by newly-acquired Nucks' d-man Vincent Desharnais. 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. Springer gets into it. And it is gone. What's Demko going to look like when he comes back? What's Petey going to look like next year? Those are your real question marks. I like the way Vancouver looks right now in the division.

I did not like it last year. It is a failure. We do not want to see Canada getting out of the group in a Copa America tournament. You lose! Good morning, Vancouver. 601 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody.

It is Halford. It is Brough with Jamie Dodd. We are coming to you live from the Kintex Studios, the beautiful Fairview Slopes in Vancouver. Jamie Dodd, good morning to you. Good morning, man. What's going on? Not much.

Andy Cole, good morning to you. Good morning. And Greg Ballack, good morning to you as well. Hello, hello. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Vancouver Honda. Vancouver Honda is Vancouver's premier destination for Honda customers. They have a friendly, knowledgeable staff that can help with anything you're looking

for, be it sales, financing, service, or parts. We are in Hour 1 of this program. Hour 1 is brought to you by Northstar Metal Recycling. Vancouver's premier metal recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. Northstar Metal Recycling, they recycle, you get paid. Visit them at 1170 powell street in vancouver and of course we are coming to you live from the kintec studio kintec canada's favorite orthotics provider powered by thousands

of five-star google reviews sore feet what are you waiting for kintec that's what you're waiting for so jamie's here for the vacationing jasonough, who texted me upon arrival in Iceland yesterday. Yeah. International man of mystery, Jason Brough. He's going to get Gunnar Stahl's autograph. I think that's the plan. And then he's just going to come straight back and do the show on Friday.

Job done. Yeah. So we got a lot to get into on the show today. Jamie will be with us for the remainder of the week. Guest list today begins at 6.30. Eric Engels from Sportsnet in Montreal is going to join us after a busy weekend at the NHL draft for the Montreal Canadiens and then a very important contract extension

for their young star, Uri Slavkovski. Eric will be joining us at 6.30 to talk about that. We'll talk about Alex Burrows as well, leaving his bench role with the Montreal Canadiens to take a different role within the organization. 7 o'clock, Eric Erlandson, Tampa Bay Lightning insider. Maybe the most profound changes of any team this offseason occurred in Tampa Bay, where they say goodbye to Stephen Stamkos

and Mikhail Sergachev, say hello to Jake Gensel. So we'll talk to Eric Erlandson about that at 7 o'clock. 7.30, one of the newly minted Vancouver Canucks, Vincent Desharnais, is going to join the program. New Canucks D-man. I believe he's actually doing his media availability today as well. So we'll get him on the heels of that, talk about his new contract in Vancouver, why he decided to come to Vancouver.

We can also talk about what a whirlwind month or last few weeks it's been for him. Yeah. So only a couple weeks ago, he was involved in the Stanley Cup final, then had to go through the rigmarole of a short offseason before signing in Vancouver. So Vincent Desjardins at 7.30, 8 o'clock, Louis DeBrusque. Hey, Jake's dad's going to join the program.

He's excited. His son comes West playing in Canada, playing in Western Canada even more so. So we'll talk to Sportsnet Edmonton analyst Louis DeBrusque about that. You can also ask him about the Oilers, I guess. If we have to. If we have to.

So that's the show today. Working in reverse on that guest list, as mentioned. 8 o'clock, Louis DeBrusque. 7.30, Vincent Desjardins. 7 o'clock, Eric Erlandson. 6.30, Eric Engels. We were going to try and book all Erics. We were going to have an all-Eric Wednesday,

but we decided not to. We're working on Ted Thursday. If you have any Teds that you'd like us to interview tomorrow, let us know. I think the easiest one to accomplish would be Mike Monday. Mike Monday is easy. Because when I was a producer, I have I'm not joking, like 30 dudes

named Mike in my phone. Because it's just so incredibly common for people working in sports media to be named Mike. I really like that. A summer theme where every day, every single day of the week is a different name person theme. But we don't tell the guests. I really like that. A summer theme where every single day of the week is a different name person theme. But we don't tell the guests. I'm just saying, start with Mike. That's the low-hanging fruit.

That would be actually really fun. Even if we have nothing to talk to them about. Just bring them on like, well, we brought you here today because your name is Mike and you agreed to do this. How do you feel about your name? It's Mike Day, obviously. Gary Fridays we can have. No one is's the middle of August. It's Mike Day, obviously. Gary Fridays we can have. Yeah. No one is under the age of 56.

Okay. We got a lot to get into on the program. Without further ado, Laddie, let's tell everybody what's happening. Hey, did you guys see the game last night? No. No. What happened? I missed all the action because I was busy.

We know how busy your life can be. What happened? You missed that? You missed that? What happened? What Happened is brought to you by the BC Construction Safety Alliance. Making safety simpler by giving construction companies the best in tools, resources,

and safety training. Visit them online at bccsa.ca. So the big news yesterday for your Vancouver Canucks, along with the 31 other National Hockey League teams, the complete 2024-2025 regular season schedule was announced the Canucks will open against their hated rivals from Alberta no not those notes no the other ones the Calgary

Flames Wednesday October 9th at Rogers Arena as mentioned so after the opener Jamie the Canucks then head out on the road well actually they host Philadelphia the rare two games at home to start the season for the Canucks before then doing what is kind of now becoming an early season tradition where they go to Florida and Philadelphia and then Chicago as well on a four-game road trip right after. Right, so they will play Chicago, and then they'll return home to take on Sidney Crosby and the Pittsburgh Penguins closer to the end of October.

So it's actually a pretty cool start to the regular season. In that first month alone, the Canucks fans are going to get to see Conor Bedard, of course, the Canucks will take on Chicago. Sidney Crosby, they'll also get to see the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers early in the year. And the Philadelphia Flyers twice,

for some reason or another. That seems to happen with regularity now. Some key games on the docket. Connor McDavid and the Oilers make their first trip to Rogers Arena since that unfortunate Game 7 in the second round of the playoffs. That's early in the season. That's on November 9th.

As mentioned, the Canucks will go to Florida early in the year. The defending Stanley Cup champions will make their trip to Rogers Arena in December, mid-December game, December 12th. If you're wondering about that game that Conor Bedard will finally get to play in Vancouver, big asterisk, barring injury, that will be on November 16th.

The Leafs and Habs games, going to have to wait until much later in the year. They are in February and March, respectively. And then, of course, the Canucks will wrap up their season at home against the Vegas Golden Knights it's a three-game homestand to close out the year so I wanted to ask you although I'm stealing the question that you put out there that's all right so much I'm stealing from Jamie Dodd already it's 607 that's what I'm here for um is hashtag the start done as a talking point

do we have any lingering concerns about the team potentially faltering early? Like they have in so many seasons past. Well, because I was thinking about when the schedule got released last year. Right. And because there was already, even at this point of the calendar, so much emphasis on the start. Right. And we knew it was going to be so there was so much hype around it. Could this team finally deliver?

Could they avoid stumbling right out of the gate? And as a result, I mean, I'm sure you guys are doing this as well. so much hype around it. Could this team finally deliver? Could they avoid stumbling right out of the gate? And as a result, I mean, I'm sure you guys are doing this as well, and you remember people are like going over the first, you know, eight to ten games of the schedule in as much exhaustive detail as possible, right, trying to analyze it from every angle. Okay, like this is favorable for them, but then they're on a back-to-back here. But, oh, actually, well, this team's playing three and four, so maybe that's not so bad, right?

You're trying to like do everything you possibly can to figure out, is this hard? How are they going to stumble? How are they going to not get it done? Or are they going to get it done? And then, of course, they did. They had a fantastic start and it carried on throughout the entire season. They end up finally going back to the playoffs. I'm curious, and I'll throw this out to the fans, to the dogs, to you, Mike, as well,

how much, as you said, kind of lingering concern there is about the issue of the start and I'll say I don't really have a lot of concern I think the team it's not just that they made the playoffs last year right they cleared that bar so easily they won a playoff round they took Edmonton to seven games I think they've earned the benefit of the doubt enough that even if it's a little underwhelming out of the gate next year, I don't think it's time to panic. I don't think it's like, I don't think we'll be able to justifiably say,

Oh, here are the old Canucks. Right. If they have a slow start out of the gate, I think a huge part of that is Rick talk it. I think the teams are in the benefit of the doubt, but I also think more than anything, Rick talk.

It has that even if they're, you know, four and five in their first nine, and five in october right i think there's going to be a level of trust or there should be a level of trust that talk it's going to do whatever it takes to get them back on track in a very weird way um there might end up being pressure because of how well they played to the start of last season i know how media works i know how i'm going to work when it comes to the fall. Everyone's going to look back to last November 15th, so a good chunk into the start of last year's regular season.

The Canucks were 12-3-1 after 16 games. That's a pretty good record. And that's not necessarily the bar, but there was, there's very valid reasons to suggest that part of the reason that they were in the playoffs and in the playoffs comfortable last year is they built up such a bank of points through October, November, and then into December,

the 12, three and one start at that point, you're a week out of American Thanksgiving, which is always a pivotal part on the schedule that connects with the top team in the Western conference and the second best team in the national hockey league by November or by November 15thth they only trailed the Bruins by one point the reason I'm bringing all of this up is because if that's going to be very difficult to replicate yep some would say almost impossible you have to be one of the best two teams in the

NHL through um you know the quarter poll almost to achieve last year's goals. There's where I could see the narrative being, uh-oh, it's not as good as last year. Are they going to have to fight and claw for what they got last year, which was 100-plus point season, 50 wins, et cetera, et cetera. But 12-3-1 can't be the bar. That's unreasonable. Why do you have such low expectations, Jamie? That's true.

It should be 16-0-0. Typical soft Vancouver media. Why did you drop a single game? What are you guys doing? What's wrong with you? Yeah, I don't think it's going to be pressure in that regard, but we are inevitably going to do it. We're going to look at last season and be like,

remember how great that start was? It's just the way that the media was. But I think one of the reasons the start was such a big deal is there was a lack of confidence that this team could, as you said, scrap and claw for a playoff spot, right? Unless they were always on the front foot, unless things were always going well. But I think we should have that confidence in them,

at least to a degree, right? Like, I think it's a weird conversation, because in some ways, obviously, the bar has been raised significantly for them, right? And now I'm sitting here and saying, ah, don't get off to a good start. It's not that big a deal. But we see really talented teams, you know, have at least slightly uninspiring starts all the time and then figure things out and then get rolling.

Right. And I think there should be every expectation that the Canucks can do that. The Canucks can be that type of team where it doesn't have to be a dream season right from opening night for them to have success. They can find their way as the season goes, and it won't be worth panicking about if it takes a little bit. So a couple of things that might help hashtag the start for the second consecutive season, the Canucks only play six times in the first 17 nights of the schedule.

So between opening at home, getting a break, going on that Eastern swing, coming back, it's relatively light to start. Also a fairly heavy home schedule, as you pointed out, through December. So 20 of their first 35 games are home. So there's some stuff baked in to the schedule here that will be advantageous for another good start. One of the things that I thought about as soon as the schedule came out was workload, particularly as it pertained to Thatcher Demko.

So if you want to look and say, where is it going to get grindy for the Canucks? March is tough. They're going to play 15 games in 30 nights, and the last six of those are on an Eastern road swing. That's going to be a time where you're getting right near and in and around the trade deadline. That's also going to be a time where you might have to start scrapping

and fighting and clawing for points if you need them. There's going to be stretches in this schedule, and that's one of them where I'm going to start thinking about Thatcher Demko's workload and how the Canucks are going to deploy him. Because I would suggest, I would suggest that one of the things going into this season that they'll have a conversation about is how do we one keep him fresh and to have him avoid the injuries that have plagued his last couple of regular seasons that's going to be a huge part of this season and I think again that's that ties into the expectations have raised but there isn't the

same sense of urgency to scrap and claw for every point right in October right they should be able to take the longer view of, hey, we're a good enough team. We don't need to play Thatcher Demko 60 games in the regular season to make the playoffs. They should feel like they have that buffer built in where they can be a little bit more relaxed with his workload with an eye to having him at his best when the playoffs roll around.

And we should also note, of course, there's almost a two-week break in the schedule in February for the Four Nations tournament. So they play the Leafs on the 8th. Then they don't play again until two weeks later, Vegas, on the 22nd. So, I mean, that'll be interesting. Demko probably is going to be on Team USA. How much will he play in that tournament, though?

We'll see. So it's going to be kind of interesting, you know, rest for the players who aren't in that tournament versus the activity for the players who do take part in it. Because there were absolutely times last year where they were rolling out Demko, despite the fact that they had a lot of things, I don't want to say in the bag, but they were comfortable. They were comfortable in terms of their playoff position.

And I do think that last year there was so much of a – it wasn't that necessarily quiet, but lurking in the background was we still need to prove ourselves. We still need to tell the league that we're for real. We still need to continue to set the bar. We still need to grind out victories and get wins and not necessarily throw them away. And then, of course, the sort of infamous Casey to Smith game

where they gave up 10 goals against Minnesota. I think that shook their confidence a little bit and then all of a sudden you started to see Demko get overextended I just think that you know they learned a lot in the playoffs this past year and one of them was it's going to be that what if the what if what if we had all our guys ready what if we had our business caliber goalie available and I do think that they're going to make some alterations and adjustments. Now, I'll turn the attention to Laddie. If you had

to guess right now, I'm putting you on the spot. It's a Patera-Silovs question. Who do you think of those two would start more games at the NHL level next season? Well, I think Patera's only got six under his belt.

He's been around the American League and National at the NHL level next season. Well, I think Patera's only got six under his belt. He's been around the American League and National Hockey, but I mean around it like he's just been there. But if you look at his games played totals, it's not high. Yeah, I think they're on kind of the same plane, the same level, but I think he's a guy that they're excited to work with. And I think, like I said yesterday, he was more of a victim of a numbers game in Vegas rather than playing poorly and being forced out.

It was more of a, hey, we have so much goaltending here, we've got to let one of you go. And the Canucks were more than willing to scoop him up. So that's the kind of guy you got with Patera, which is intriguing. It's not the veteran that they've been bringing in the last few years, but hey, I'm all for it. It's a guy I like to see. I think more younger goalies like that should be given opportunities like this.

Did we talk about Casey DeSmith getting the bag in Dallas? Three years. Yeah, three years, but only one million per year, which is a little low, but I guess he wanted the turn. But it's three million dollars. No matter how you slice it up, he's got he doesn't have to move for a little while. Yeah, he's got three million bucks. Not a bad gig

too. I can see why the Canucks went off of that one because they probably saw the number and were like, okay, have fun in Dallas. There were a few deals with the guys that departed where I was like, okay, I can understand why the Canucks didn't come near that number. Like Cole's money in Utah was one where I was like, wow, good on him. That's fantastic. Guys that were on waivers last year were getting money. Sam Lafferty got a two-year, $2 million deal for Sam Lafferty.

Yeah, that one. We were joking. We were like, how do you trade for Sam Lafferty's negotiating rights and not get the deal? And then also Buffalo buying out Jeff Skinner and then being like, Sam Lafferty, come on down. They fumbled the bag. Yeah, you want some of that sweet Jeff Skinner money, Sam Lafferty?

Because you can have it. Okay. Key dates from the National Hockey League schedule, the league in general. So Jamie alluded to this already. There will be a 12 day break during the regular season, February 10th to 21st as the league hosts its first

ever Four Nations faceoff. So what's going to happen actually is they're going to play a couple games on Super Bowl Sunday, including the last one is going to be Tampa Bay, Montreal. Then they're going to shut the league down and then they're going to open back up on the 22nd they always have games on Super Bowl Sunday

they always play them early it's the 9am Pacific start it's great for everyone except Thomas Drance who wants to you can always do like Super Bowl props that relate to the NHL games so you know

whatever like Nikita Kucherov shots on goal versus Patrick Mahomes touchdowns in the Superbowl or whatever. Yeah. And it's always the Washington capitals are always involved for some reason or another. Anyway. So that happens in February. Uh,

the two outdoor games this year, in case you missed it. Uh, the Blackhawks are going to host the blues at Wrigley field on new year's Eve. And then the red wings are going to go. I forgot about this one. We're going to go to Columbus to play at Ohio State in the Horseshoe in March.

The Panthers and the Edmonton Oilers are going to play twice, December 16th and February 27th in a rematch of the Stanley Cup Final. Of the sort of revenge games that are going to be out there, and we'll talk to Eric Erlandson about this coming up a little bit later in the show, Stamkos and the Nashville Predators, which sounds weird. I can't even imagine what it's going to look like. They get to go back to Tampa Bay early. They go on October 28th.

So that's going to be super interesting. Because they're obviously going to be an emotional love-in from the fans. But Stamkos isn't even going to have that much time to get over how jilted he is and how upset he's going to be. That's quick. Yeah, that's going to be really interesting uh lindy ruff uh so he gets to face his old team with his new team the buffalo sabers taking on the new jersey devils in prague so that'll be interesting as well and i do want to mention because we're going to have a chat here

about what the st louis blues are doing the st louis blues uh will welcome back their cup champion coach craig br, who's with the Toronto Maple Leafs on November 2nd as he goes back to St. Louis. Speaking of St. Louis, probably the most active team, I would say, on day two of the agency. In large part because I think Doug Armstrong slept through day one.

He forgot to set his alarm. He's like, ah, crap! And all he did was sign Kasperi Kapanen. So yesterday, big money extension to Pavel Buchnevich, a six-year deal with $8 million AAV. So big money for him. They acquire Radek Foxa and Matthew Joseph for nothing. And I literally mean nothing.

It was just future considerations. They got a pick for Matthew Joseph. Yeah, they just brought him on board. And they're like, you know what? And now we roll. I have no idea. No idea what this team is exactly doing. I think that they believe that the turnaround they had under Bannister last year

was enough of proof of concept that they feel like they can be right back in the playoff mix. I can't see them as a legit contender, but they seem to believe that they're going to do the old retool on the fly, which is we're going to try and get a little bit younger and also get incrementally better where we can still compete for a playoff spot. So the old trying to serve all masters type thing. And I'm not sure it's going to work. It's their roster.

And you just look at Cap Friendly, which is still up and running, by the way. I don't know when the shutdown date is coming. Two more days. Shout out to Cap Friendly. We've got two more days, buddy. Shout out to Cap Friendly. All right. Well, I'm going to use it as much as I can before then.

But, you know, you've still got Braden Shen there, right? Hold over from the Stanley Cup team. Colton Pareko there. Hold over from the Stanley Cup team. But then you've just kind of got a lot of parts that don't necessarily seem to fit together after that. And Bucinevich was a player that there was talk he might be a trade target, certainly at the trade deadline this offseason as well. Now they lock him up. And I really like the player. But with the guys they have on the blue line, you know, they're already committed big money to Jordan Cairo and Robert Thomas. I don't know how much upside there is with whatever plan this is. Like, I don't know. I don't know how they take that next step to being more than a kind of fringe. Like, oh, hey, if they get hot, they can make the playoffs team. So the funny part about Bucinavich is the agent Todd Diamond uh came out yesterday and said like you know we had an understanding that he didn't want to play

for a rebuilding team he wanted to compete for a cup and he didn't want to go through a retool I'm like so why did you why did you sign in St. Louis do you think you're competing for a cup here do you get access to cat friendly Todd Diamond you should take a look at it I don't know where that team is going and he did add, that Doug Armstrong also told the agent and the player that he's not interested in a lengthy retool either. I do wonder if they've got something else up their sleeve or if there's another deal to be made because going into the season, what they've got, they're not a hell of a lot different than last year.

They did trade Kevin Hayes to Pittsburgh in a deal that kind of got lost in the shuffle overdraft weekend um this is an interesting question though on the heels of talking about what direction the st louis blues are going in jamie which team's direction confuses you the most right now so there's a bunch of good candidates i think i look at washington the pierre luke dubois trade the chikorin trade. You know what? What's the plan here? Not to interrupt. I kind of like that Washington is like, look, we got to keep playing hockey at a certain level so Ovechkin can get the record.

Let's just throw some stuff on the- Let's just see what happens. And see what sticks, right? Like there's a Dubois, there's a Chikorin. Let's see what happens. Yeah. We'll just try anything here. Who cares?

Let's see what happens. I think the lack of activity anything here. Who cares? Let's see what happens. I think the lack of activity from Buffalo and L.A. stands out to me. But the team I find most baffling, it's the Detroit Red Wings. And, you know, I know the Iser plan. People are so excited there in Detroit for what he was going to do for this really patient rebuild. He's flailing, man. Like, the Iser plan is on tough, tough

times. It's on life support, I think in Detroit. After attaching that second round pick to move Jake Wallman, who's a perfectly fine player. I cannot see how you had to attach a second round pick in order to move that contract. They followed up by basically doing nothing.

Basically nothing to improve their team. I was shocked because they re-signed kane on the eve of free agency yep so i was thinking okay this is sort of the first domino to fall on what's going to be um the eiser plan which traditionally has actually been fun to watch i remember he had a move one year we were on a plane going back and forth uh from the draft at the end of the stanley cup final and it he was moving around, and it involved Sam Gagne's contract. He was moving it to Arizona and then moving part of it elsewhere. And you could see everything unfolding.

And I'm like, oh, he seems like a really savvy general manager. So every time he makes a move, my mind automatically goes to, well, let's just wait, sit back and eat popcorn, because there's going to be two or three more. And it's not really happening. This was like the first domino, but then it wasn't close enough to the other dominoes to knock them over. It's just one sad domino falling and then no

follow up whatsoever. They only have nine forwards under contract right now. Now they got a couple of RFAs that they can get done, but that still only brings you up to 11. That's not a full complement of NHL forwards, and there's not that many interesting names left out there. So the team that is baffling me the most right now is the Los Angeles Kings.

I think I know what they're doing, and that actually is what makes it baffling. They're going to lean more. Apparently. They're going to lean further into being this heavy, gritty, grinding team, even though at the end of last season, a bunch of their players went to the podium and were like, we don't like this. We don't like what we're doing.

We play a 1-3-1. It's super boring. We don't create enough offense. And for a defensively stout team, we just got the doors blown off us by the Edmonton Oilers in the first round of the playoffs. So they've gone out and acquired Warren Fogle and Joel Edmondson and Tanner Jeannot. When you sign those three guys, you are putting up a big sign to the rest of the league that, you know, we want to be big bodied.

You know, we want to hit guys. We want to be aggressive. We want to ground. We want to out physical people. And I'm thinking about a team where, like, Kevin Fiella literally said at the end of the season, I would like to try something different in terms of style of play, right? They don't score enough. And in a league where offense is exploding like we haven't seen since the 90s,

it does seem like an interesting tack to take. Now, I know that you need to play good defensive hockey to be a successful playoff team, but I'm not even sure that they're that good at it. I think they're a fine regular season team, and I think the reason that that system works during the regular season is because it's a different look every night

for the opponent, right? You've got a different opponent every night. You don't have a guy sitting there systematically picking it apart over a seven-game series. And they didn't have the horses to go with Edmonton. And it was alarmingly apparent that in the subsequent rounds,

teams did have the horses to push Edmonton more. Because thely apparent that in the subsequent rounds teams did have the horses to push Edmonton more because the Kings got the doors blown off them in the first round it was not a close series it may have been a sweep for as close as the Kings made it so I'll be very curious to see how that plays out in Los Angeles you're listening to the best of

Halford and Brough you're listening to the best of Halford and Brough you want to get nuts you want to fire up you Brough. You want to get nuts? You want to fire up? You want to fire up? Hell yeah, let's go. You want to get crazy? In a hypothetical, purely hypothetical world, I'm just saying because Brough and I have talked about it

on the air, off the air, in a very hypothetical way, but also kind of real. Would you trade Elias Pettersson for Sidney Crosby? In a hypothetical world, I understand that Crosby's going into the last year of a deal with a no-movement clause, and he's going to need a new contract. And I understand that the parameters

of actually physically trading Elias Pettersson are very narrow because his no-movement clause will kick in relatively soon. But... Could we punt for one more year nope it has to be right now like let's say that this and it's like all the intangibles were in play like you'd have to figure out an extension for crosby you'd have to just in terms of trading the young cost control because you know what you're getting you're getting petterson and the

bow on top is the contract's done. You don't have to worry about it. As opposed to a 36-year-old all-time legend who is still playing incredibly good hockey but does not have nearly as long of a shelf life. He's not going to play hockey, barring some sort of crazy injury to Pedersen. He's not going to play hockey.

It's tough because if Petey bounces back and has an amazing year, I'd probably say no just because of Crosby's age, but if he has a really bad year... But you've got to make the decision before you know that. I know. That's why it's tough, though. Wow, this is a real stumper. It's like if Petey's cooked, then it's like, well, yeah, do it. But I don't know. Petey's not

cooked. That's what I'm saying, though. That's not even the question about... I know, but I need more information before I can answer that question. I don't do it. I don't think I would either. Let's say Pedersen continues. Just because he's 36 is the only reason. Calm down. I am calm.

Just relax. I'm very calm. This is really flummoxed. I'm going to put the parameters... I don't like this question. I'm going to put the parameters on it. Pedersen remains a 90 to 100 point guy. Then I wouldn't do it, no. Only because of Crosby's aim. Okay, now Laddie. I would do it in a heartbeat.

I think, well, I would look at it, you know, is this a good move for the team 10 years down the road? No, obviously not because Crosby's not going to be there. But is this good for the team in this window that they're in right now? Absolutely, you get Crosby. I think the big intangible is the impact and legacy they did have on the remainder of the guys there. This is not meant as

a slight against Petey, but there's a chance you'll play with another Elias Pettersson at some point during your career. I don't know if there's a chance for those guys that you'll play with Sidney Crosby. I'll also say this. If it were this hypothetical crazy scenario were to occur, which is awesome, I wouldn't be upset by it because it is Sidney Crosby.

You know what I'm saying? And I do agree with Laddie because yeah, they're in their window and yeah, it could potentially make them way better and get them to a cup. So, I mean, it's not like I'm going to be like totally upset by the thing, but it's just, oh man. It would be like the wildest trade or not the wildest. One of the wildest trades we've seen in the NHL in a long time.

The wildest trade is obviously Wayne Gretzky. So I don't want to put that right up there. But number two, it could be right there. So, I mean, from a broadcasting perspective, like that would be amazing. Can you imagine doing the shows the day after that deal went down? Oh, my God. That would be fantastic. We have content for another six months.

But I just don't think it moves. Because really the question is, how much do you increase your chances of winning the cup next season making that deal? Because you're giving up chances later on down the road. So how much do you increase it by next season? I don't think it's enough to justify the deal. It might not be enough. But I think it also might be. Jamie Dodd.

Crosby. Again, though, it all depends. It's just not enough. Sidney Crosby, overrated. That's what I'm saying, though. It depends on how Petey performs, right? I think he would be so jacked at the prospect of being like

the road in the west for him it's like you got the new bucks it's McKinnon and it's McDavid who you'd have to theoretically go through to win it and he'd be like alright bring it I'm still Sidney Crowe I think that would be amazing the other part of this conceptually speaking

it does make sense from a Pittsburgh perspective. Of course it does. It does. It makes way more sense for them than the Canucks. The Canucks would be harder to press to the same level. But at the same time, there would be riots in the street in Pittsburgh if they did that. Oh, big time.

Absolutely. They were like, who? What? We don't care about this guy. We want Crosby. I would also say, as a devotee of the YOLO philosophy, like, I mean,

as an agent of chaos, I just feel like if that deal was on the table and you're Jim Rutherford, you're sitting in your office and you're talking to Patrick Alvin about it. Like almost you, I would just be like, we just kind of have to do it. Cause it's awesome. You know what I mean?

Like just for the, the experience of doing it, we have to do it. I'm glad you brought that up because the other part of all of this is, I don't think there are two hockey individuals that love and respect and admire Sidney Crosby

more than Jim Rutherford and Rick Talkett. Like, if you listen to Rutherford talk about Crosby, that is the guy that they want all of their players

to emulate, right? He is the gold standard of how to work. When they talk about the Pittsburgh way and the way we did things in Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh organization, the way we did things in Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh organization, it all pretty much starts with whatever Sid did, right?

Organizing the summer skates, being the leader, setting the tone, setting the identity, the way that he carried himself. Like, that's the Pittsburgh Penguins identity is Crosby. Never pouting, his motor's always at 100. And you've got all these executives that came from Pittsburgh, right? Yeah. I mean, I've thought about this probably more than any 45-year-old man should with regularity, with a variety of other things going on.

But every time I think about it, I'm like, you know, I know it doesn't make sense, but it does make sense. And I know it won't happen, but what if it did happen? And it's great sports talk fodder for July 3rd. Surely Niels Hoaglander or Atu Ratu in a second will get it done, though, right? Why are we overbidding for Sidney Crosby? Newly minted defenseman for your Vancouver Canucks, Vincent Desjardins, here on the Halford & Bruss Show featuring Jamie Dodd on Sportsnet 650.

Good morning, Vincent. How are you? I'm great. How are you doing? We're good. Thanks for taking the time to do this. So first things first, congrats on the deal. I'm great. How are you guys doing? Not too long ago, then comes the offseason, then comes free agency. So walk us through how you came to a decision to sign with the Vancouver Canucks. Yes, obviously the last few months, last few days have been very busy.

During playoffs, you try not to think about that too much, about contracts and all that. But the second season ended, it know, it's a hard break and loss. We lose game six of the Stanley Cup Finals, one shot away from going to overtime. And it's over. You're sad. It stings. And next thing you know, an agent is calling.

He's like, hey, this is what's happening here and there. And then, yeah, during free agency, we did a little bit. And then once my agent called, I think an hour and ten minutes after he called me for the first time, I was signed. It happened pretty quickly. I had a few offers, and

obviously played in Vancouver a few times this year. Seven games in playoffs. I knew they were well coached. I knew they had a very good structure, good team, great fan base. For me, it felt like it was a good fit

and I'm very excited to get going in September. You saw the Canucks a lot over the last couple years, obviously playing in Edmonton and then, of course, the playoff series. What stood out to you about playing against lot over the last couple of years, obviously playing in Edmonton and then, of course, the playoff series. What stood out to you about playing against Vancouver over the last couple of years? I'm not going to lie, it sucks. Good answer, good answer. Just the way, just how hard the team works.

All four lines, they're in your face. They finish it. They force it hard. And as a D-man, it just sucks. You know, it's not a team that's fun to play against. You know it's going to be a long night retrieving pucks. And obviously their decor last year was that they had some big guys and they gave our best players in Edmonton a little bit of struggle

to get to the net, to get in the O-zone, to create offense. So that's something that is kind of part of my identity of being hard to play against in the D zone. I thought that the coaching staff in Vancouver is doing a great job at being hard to

play against. So that's something that I was really looking forward to. I'm a defense first kind of D man. So I'm very defense-first kind of D-man, so I'm very excited to get going and to start working with Adam Foote. I've heard nothing but good things about him, and I'm sure he's going to help my game get better. Yeah, you mentioned the size on the blue line here in Vancouver.

Of course, you're 6'7". Now, Tyler Myers is listed at 6'8". Can you remember the last time you weren't the tallest player on your team, Vincent? No, I don't, actually. It's been probably 10 years since I've been the tallest player on my team every year, but I'll make sure that I go next time

to make sure he's 6'8". I will make sure that he's 6'8". Make sure he's 6'8". I will make sure that he's 6'8". Make sure he's not cheating. And, you know, was that attractive to you, right? Because as you said, you saw up close and personal just how hard that Canucks blue line was able to make things on, you know, not just the Oilers, but teams they played throughout the season. Did it feel to you like, okay, they have an identity

that really fits what I'm able to bring on the ice as well yeah for sure I mean I'm not a crafty player I'm not a skilled guy so obviously when you can join a team that's kind of north south that works

really hard that you know every player especially playing down the playoffs, you know, every player, they just put their heads down, whether it's the first line, the fourth line, the first D to 60. Everyone put their heads down, and they just worked for a full 60 minutes, and that's something that's very attractive. It's a hard-working team, and it kind of matches the type of player that I am.

And, yeah, it's going to be a great season. I know it already. I know it's a great group of guys. Yeah, I've heard really good things about Vancouver, about the city, about the fans. And everyone that's been reaching out so far since I've signed, they've said nothing but good things about the team. So, yeah, it's a lot to take in in just a few days. But every day I'm just more and more excited and I'm sure that in two months once I get to Vancouver

it's going to be an even better feeling. We're speaking to new Canucks defenseman Vincent Desjardins here on the Health and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Vincent, your road to the NHL went through Bakersfield, Wichita, Providence College, Chilliwack, of course, so you're familiar

with the area back when you played in the bchl um you said on a few occasions like it took 10 years to get your shot in the national hockey league how did that forge your identity and the style that you like to play knowing that it took an awfully long time to get to this point to get rewarded with a contract like you just got on july 1 um i mean i've kind of mentioned it already, but my biggest strength is my work ethic. You know, I've been through adversities throughout the last 10 years of my career, and a lot of people told me I wasn't good enough and I wouldn't make it and, you know, a bunch of negative stuff.

And for me, just's just believing in myself and just keeping my head down and working. You know, my mantra is just to focus on what's in my power and work ethic is, and that's what I've been doing the last 10 years, and I think that's what I've been doing the last 10 years and I think that's what I've been doing. I have a great support group and they've been there along the ride with me. They've been great to me but I think my biggest asset is my work ethic and

it's going to be exciting. It's going to be very exciting to improve and I know I've mentioned it before but I'm very excited about the coaching staff and I know how much they do video and how much they care about details and I think that's the difference between a good player and a great player you know it's just small details and I'm a detailed, oriented guy. Yeah, there's no really other word than excited and grateful for a great contract. And I'm proud that I got this contract, but I want more. I want to win. Yeah, and you've earned this thing 100% because we talk about you coming full circle. You're back in British Columbia

now having been here. I mentioned with Chilliwack way back when. It was over a decade ago. So go back to you're playing with the Chilliwack Chiefs. You're playing in the BCHL. You're younger than you are now. What is Vincent Desjardins thinking about where his hockey career is going to go

at that time? At that time, I was still figuring out life quite a bit. I knew where I was going. I think my biggest focus at that point was just to go play college. And I remember that year, I was, you know, it was a slow, slow start of the season. I started as a 17-man, and the coach wasn't sure if he was going to send me down to junior B

because he wasn't sure if I could play in the B-shaped shell. So it was definitely a slow start in the season. But as the season went on, it got better and better. And, you know, my dream, one of my dreams was to play college hockey. It doesn't happen for many Quebec-born hockey players. So it was a dream of mine. And after the season, I was able to get a commit in Providence. So the whole season, I would say,

was just to try to play the best I can just to get some looks from colleges. I love my time in Chilliwack. I'm still in touch with my Bill's family, which I can tell you when I text them to tell them I was signing with Vancouver, they were going nuts. They were very happy for me, and they were happy that I was going back to playing D.C. But, yeah, I really love Chilliwack and everything there was awesome,

the fans, and, yeah, I'm pretty excited to go back to D.C BC and I've had quite a bit of people from Chilliwack reach me already and tell them how happy they were. Vincent, you've mentioned a couple of times how excited you are to work with the coaching staff here and especially Adam Foote and we've heard from players this past season how much Adam Foote has helped them on the blue line and helped develop their game. What specifically are you kind of hoping to grow and develop in your game with the chance to work with Adam Foote has helped them on the blue line and helped develop their game. What specifically are you kind of hoping to grow and develop in your game with the chance to work with Adam Foote? I've kind of touched base a little bit on it.

He's very detailed. I think we've talked a little bit before I signed. I talked to Adam. I talked to Rick, too. The biggest thing were details. You know, and I think that's what makes

the difference, you know, small little details, and I know that Adam is really good at that, finding the small details that can make your game just a little bit better. But when you get all the small details together, it makes a pretty big difference.

And, yeah, I know he's been working with a lot of great players before. And, you know, just seeing how he's been working with Tyler Myers, I think he's been doing a great job with him. And, you know, we're kind of the same physique, same size. And we will have kind of the same issues with, like, the long sticks, the big boots. So, yes, I'm very excited to work with him. We've talked about, you know, D-Zone positioning

and where the stick is and having good gaps and not lunging too much to get out of balance. Those are all small little things that a lot of people won't see. But a guy like Adam Foote will definitely mention it and work on it and make sure that I get better at it. Well, Vincent, we're excited for you. It's a great thing that you got to land this contract. Excited to see you in Vancouver this year. Thank you very much for doing this today. We really appreciate it.

Once again, congrats on the new deal. Awesome. Thank you so much, guys. I can't wait to meet you and can't wait to get started. Thanks, buddy. We're looking forward to meeting you as well. That's Vincent Desjardins here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. We're now buddies.

I just cemented that. Boom. You guys can't wait to meet. You didn't use his nickname, though. Your buddy's buddy. It's not his nickname. I don't know. You coined it yesterday.

You really got to lean into it, I think. I didn't coin it yesterday. You did. Stop backtracking. Stop backtracking. You're already in the hole. You might as well keep digging up. There's no hole. There's no hole. Big Thumper's a sick nickname, I think. I didn't coin it yesterday. You did. Stop backtracking. Stop backtracking. You're already in the hole. You might as well keep digging up. There's no hole.

There's no hole. Big Thumper's a sick nickname, first off. I know. What we were talking about yesterday was, I said, the Canucks somehow managed to get bigger and taller despite losing Zdorov and Cole. And then I said, now they've got all these big thumpers on defense. And Brough was like, ha ha, thumpers. And then one of you is like yeah

vincent de harney the big thumper i'm like not his nickname it's like cal rally big dumper this is our version of that is big thumper but it's not but it is but it's also not because no one's calling him the big thumper i just love that keep it going man tyler myers not only signing the new contract here but like magnetizing other giant defensemen to vancouver vincent iron explicitly like i saw what happened for tyler myers with adam foot and i said i want that who would have believed that years ago that people will be looking at the tyler myers experience in vancouver and be like that sounds awesome sign me up that's perfect i want to play like him yeah i think um i think it's going to be really interesting to see a team that's got this much size, size on the blue line.

They have to be collectively the tallest group in the national hockey league. Right? So you've got Myers. Technically Myers is six, eight, although Danny was willing to skeptical more than willing to challenge. He slipped into the end.

He was like, we're the same size. I was like, Oh, are you though? Hold on. Uh, so you got Myers at six,

eight day, her name at six, seven Susie at six, five5 I mean that right there is like a skyscraper-esque and Derek Forbert comes aboard at a mere six foot four there can't be a group in the National Hockey League that's that tall there just can't no and it's very interesting because what we brought up yesterday was does it come at the expense of puck movement, which is obviously a huge thing in a

league that has such good transition play across the board. Does puck movement matter, though, if you just thump everyone into oblivion? You can't thump everything, Andy. They don't call them the big puck mover. Yeah, if you just knock everyone over, then eventually you'll have the puck anyway, so what does it matter? It's an old hockey adage. Even the biggest thumper needs to be able to move the puck puck mover. Yeah. If you just knock everyone over, then eventually you'll have the puck anyway.

So what does it matter? It's an old hockey adage. Even the biggest thumper needs to be able to move the puck from time to time. Classic saying. So, you know, it'd be curious to see what direction they go in here because I think the dogs were saying yesterday, I think Andy in particular, you'd like to see a guy brought into the top four.

Yeah, I'm not comfortable with the defense as it is at the moment. I don't know between available guys and price point and acquisition cost if that's going to be feasible. We were talking about, do they add a guy like a Boquist who would come here on the cheap

and also sort of be a plug-and-play guy? Like, if you needed a puck-moving influence in your group, you could spot him in. We actually kind of said maybe what Broberg did for Edmonton in the playoffs was like, okay, instead of going with size tonight, and it's a very sort of rudimentary way to change your look.

Do the Canucks have a bona fide 3-4, though? They have a 1 and a 2, and then they have a bunch of 5s and 6s which it isn't like awful but three and four right three and four right now is suzy yeah i know but that's what i'm saying you're first pairing 28 minutes a night and you're carson suzy and myers are not three four carson suzy if he was your number four and you had a good number three that's fine yeah right you live with that so he could be a number four and you could probably say that about most of the guys it's just they're really missing that number three defenseman that's what they need more than anything is a clear cut number three you feel really good about this guy in the top four

and then i think if you had that everyone else slides really comfortably into whatever role is left for them agreed yeah i mean i just i don't know if it's there what you're suggesting is available no no it would have to be by trade, probably, and that's tough because who do you move? Right. Like Holander, and that's like your only movable asset. Well, even then, I don't know. Maybe go younger?

No, the X factor in all this is if you keep the group as currently constructed and you split up the Hughes-H heronic pairing and give them their own well if that works that's amazing then you become a very different looking blue line but what if that doesn't work that's well and i do wonder also who's the right shot guy that goes with quinn hughes in that scenario right because i like is there's a lot of appetite to try charlotte meyers there i don't know we've seen that over the years maybe not with this coaching staff so maybe you can give that a shot and then vincent deharney i'm excited to see what he brings here but i don't know that you're plugging him next to quinn hughes either so it would be a tall ask yeah i don't think it's out of the realm to try it

i think you i think one of the the things that we thought was going to happen last year was that they were going to do more platooning but then when they got again and last year was a different animal and beast and scenario because the team was all about proving itself and showing that the early start wasn't a fluke and that getting off to uh a 12-3-1 you know trend to start the season wasn't just dumb luck or them riding a wave it always felt like there was a moment so keeping hughes and haronic together made that happen, right? They were the best defensive pairing in the first half of the season by, I would say a good margin at times. And that was a big reason why the Canucks got off to the start.

They did. You allow yourself a little bit of leeway and luxury here to try some things and play with your lineup, play with your parents, play with your, you know, your forward groups, not at the expense of, well, we're going to cost ourselves a playoff spot,

but you're not, you're not going to be in prove it mode every single night anymore. Now, that being said, teams aren't going to take you as lightly as they took you last year in the first part of the season, right? They are going to say,

this is a 100 point team from a year ago. This is a team that won a playoff round and took the Western Conference champions to seven games within one shot of sending that seven game to overtime, like DeJarne said there. So there's an entirely different dynamic, but I think it presents a great opportunity for this coaching staff to try some things, to get creative with how they're going to do their deployments.

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