Halford & Brough in the Morning - The Canucks' Opening Night Roster Could Surprise You

Episode Date: October 1, 2025

In hour one, Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports, they preview tonight's Canucks preseason matchup in Calgary and what the roster might look like on opening night (3:00), plus the boys look back at an awesome night of Wild Card MLB action (27:00). 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.

Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-na. You're listening to Halford and Brough. Swing and a line drive, ripped right field, back, go! Lead-off Homer, Shoh-Hoh-Ha-Otani! Swung on and miss, he got him. It should be. Pork on sale today. That was an awesome tooth seamer. We just weren't able to pressure him enough and create enough traffic against them to put him in real trouble.

Look, he's really good. Good morning, Vancouver, 601 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody. It is Halford. It is Brough. It is SportsNet 650. We are coming to you live from the Kintech Studios and beautiful Fairview Slopes in Vancouver. Jason, good morning. Good morning. Good morning.

Laddie, good morning to you as well. Hello, hello. Halford and Brough of the morning is brought to you by Sands and Assumption. Associates, score a debt freedom hat trick. One, no more interest, two, much lower payments in three, financial piece of mind. Visit them online at sands dash trustee.com. We are an hour one of the program. Hour one is brought to by North Star Metal Recycling.

Vancouver's premier metal recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle. You get paid. Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. We are coming to you live from the Kintech Studio, Kintech Footwear and Orthotics, working together with you and step. Happy October, everybody. It is October 1st.

That means 31 days of spooky season for Andy Cole. Happy spooky season, everybody. We got a big show ahead on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Guest list today begins at 7 o'clock. Frank Sarvalley is going to join the program, our NHL Insider. We're going to go around some of the big stories as we inch. And let me stress inch closer and closer to the start of the regular season. We will get reactions to the massive Carillo Caprizov Con.

contract in Minnesota. What are the Florida Panthers going to do in the wake of the Alexander Barkoff injury? Frank has some ideas. Also, Connor McDavid's contract situation with the Oilers. As we inch closer and closer

to the start of the regular season, we get closer to the reality of Connor McDavid going into the final year of his contract without having signed an extension. So exciting. That's at 7 o'clock with Frank Star Valley. 7.30, Axel Schuster's going to join the program.

He, of course, the sporting director of the Vancouver Whitecaps Tonight, 7 p.m. at BC Place, the White Caps will look to win a fourth straight Canadian championship. In the first ever 604 Darby, Jason, that's what they're calling it now, against Vancouver FC. White Caps big news yesterday, Ryan Gould, ready to return lineup after nearly seven months on the sideline. We can also discuss some interesting comments made by Thomas Mueller yesterday about the Vancouver sports landscape and how maybe we as Vancouverites accept not winning. I guess he wasn't here for the riots. No.

But those were the anarchists. Hold on. You called everyone a bunch of losers? Not losers. Just not winners. Oh, okay. He said, let me reiterate, you are all losers. Again, not losers.

We love them. Just not winners. He's honest with us. Just not winners. That's all. It sounds like it is. So Axel Schuster's going to join us at 7.30 to talk about all that. 8 o'clock.

Randy Jand is going to join the program. Canucks color analyst. Canucks play their penultimate exhibition game. tonight, 6 o'clock from the Saddle Dome in Calgary, I guess the Flames. It's probably going to be a pretty important audition for some of the bubble boys. Tonight, as the Canucks look to lock in, their opening night roster. It's also expected to be a veteran-laden lineup tonight after more of the experience players sat out the Sunday game in Edmonton. So working in reverse on that guest list, 8 o'clock, Randy, Jan, to 730, Axel Schuster, 7 o'clock Frank Sarah Valley.

That's what's happening on the program today. Laddie, let's tell everybody what happened. Hey, did you guys see the game last night? No. No. What happened? I missed all the action because I was... We know how busy your life can be.

What happened? Missed it? You missed that? What happened? What happened is brought to you by the BC Construction Safety Alliance. Making safety simpler by giving construction companies, the resources, resources, and safety training. Visit them online at BCCSA.com.C.A.

With all due respect to the quadruple header of baseball games last night, which we will get into, we are going to start with a vacation. Vancouver Connects yesterday, prepping for tonight's game in Calgary at practice. One of the big notes yesterday, Thatcher Demko was given Tuesday off to attend to a personal matter. The club insists, I repeat insist, it is not an injury, not injury related whatsoever, but no word on how long he'll be away from the team. I suspect you won't play tonight in Calgary. We will believe them when they say it's not an injury,

and I hope that everything that's going on with Thatcher Demko is okay. At practice yesterday, Lecker-Macky remained on. a line with Coots and Cain, and we'll see if that line plays tonight in Calgary, while Baines was up with Heedel and Garland, possibly in a spot that could have been occupied by a healthy Nils Hoaglander. Of course, Nils Hoaglander is out for a couple months now after having surgery. We are getting down to the final cuts here with the Vancouver Canucks. And yesterday at the request of a few, I made some predictions on how I think that the Canucks could start the season. And it was based on what was happening at practice yesterday and also the waivers situation that I took into account.

and here is my prediction for the opening night. I think they're going to start with 14 forwards. Of course, you've got the obvious ones, Debrusk, Peti, Besser, Heidel, Garland, Cain, Drew O'Connor, Blugher, Sherwood, and then four of the guys that were on the bubble. Okay, up front. I think Coots is going to start the season with the Canucks.

I don't know if he's going to finish the season, but cross that bridge when we get to it. I think Lecker-O-Macky's going to be on the team. And here are two, that might surprise people. And this could still change. I think Carlson and Baines are going to make this team.

Okay. Now Baines has a huge opportunity and he really needs to show something in my mind tonight, at the very least to get in the lineup at some point in Vancouver. And if he has a really bad performance, my prediction could change.

But he's being given an opportunity. We'll play some audio from Baines himself later on in the show if we have time and also maybe some audio from Brett McLean who was filling in for Adam Foote doing the media stuff yesterday as well on Baines and the PK so 14 forwards I have them starting with just seven defensemen Quinn Hughes, Horonick

Marcus Pedersen Tyler Myers Derek Forebort D.P.D. And P.O. Joseph. That tracks. no Mancini, no Willander, and A-Dog, this is for you. A-Dod question. I don't see, no, no, this is a statement for A-Dog. I really don't want him, stand-down.

I don't want him all that involved. I don't see Mancini in the opening night lineup, so I see them sending him down to Abbotsford to play games. He's waivers-exempt. And P.O. Joseph is, I wish his first name was P.B. Joseph, because I think he's me spending a lot of time in the press box. Oh, clever. I thought he wanted his initials to be PBJ. That would

also be awesome. Two reasons why. That would also be awesome. Yep. He's the type of guy that you put in the press box. Yeah, that's what he's there for. And I don't see, here's the thing. If Mancini's in the opening night, maybe this is a question for A dog, if Mancini gets in the opening

night lineup, who comes out? Foreboard. God, you never But he's a penalty killer He's a penalty killer Take your worst defenseman out Put your best defenseman in Maybe Mancini could be good on the penalty kill

We don't know Yeah And they haven't even looked Yeah they should try You need So you need four Penalickilling defense No I know

As much as it aims me to say I understand your logic And I more less agree with it It's just what what happens You need four defensemen that kill penalties. Yes. Okay, so Herona kills, Marcus Pedersen kills, Tyler Myers, and then you're not going to have Quinn Hughes,

and D.P.D., who I think they really want in the lineup, didn't do much penalty killing last year. Maybe he can do some going forward, but then that leaves forward to kill penalties and Hughes and D.P. Yeah, so you need four of them, and then for the most part, with forwards, you need three, sets of three pairs of forwards. And we still don't really know who's going to be the main penalty killers.

Souter, of course, was a big penalty killer. Dakota Joshua killed penalties. J.T. Miller killed penalties. Like, that whole thing is going to be interesting to watch if you like the PK. Yeah. And Brett McLean was actually talking about that yesterday. Let's actually play some Brett McClain. in audio. I think we've got the stuff

that he said, he talked about Baines killing penalties in practice and whether that's an area where he could distinguish himself but also just the penalty kill in general because for me this is quietly a bit of a concern.

I don't think it's, I don't think it should even be quietly. They're missing a big component of last years and we just don't have the answers. Yeah. Up front. Yeah. Right. And that's due to a myriad of factors. Like we haven't seen real game yet. Guys, it's been patchwork lineups the entire time. I think tonight in Calgary is probably the closest you're going to get

to address rehearsal, so maybe we'll get more insight tonight. Don't get me wrong. I'm not as worried about the PK as I was a couple of years ago when the PK actually did end up. I mean, it cost Travis Green his job. Yes. Him and Pedersen struggle early in the season cost Travis Green his job, I think, essentially.

And if you looked at that situation, it was obvious that the personnel wasn't there to kill penalty. I think there's more, especially goal-tending and defensive-wise, but I'm curious to see which forwards, and I'm curious to see how much Pedersen kills, because I think he's got the right instincts to kill penalties, just whether or not you want to have him in that role.

Anyway, here is assistant coach, Brett McLean, talking about Baines killing penalties and also the penalty kill in general. He's killed, he penalty killed in the Abbasfer game, I believe, and did a real good job in Abbott's for last year on the PK, all reports say. So he's one of those guys that obviously we know he's scored at every single level, and he's got those offensive skills.

But to be an everyday NHL guy, you've got to bring different things. So it's good to try him on the PK at this level and see whether he can contribute there too. So it's just he's another one of those guys that's been really good, and we'll continue to see where he's at here this next week. How important is the penalty kill in? some of those decisions you're making, you know, quote, unquote, at the bottom of your lineup in terms of, you know,

you're not just going to be a guy that plays a shift on the fourth line. As you said, you have to bring more to your game, and the penalty kill certainly is an area where you lost a couple guys for last year, and there's some response open there. Yeah, certainly a factor is making sure we've got enough good bodies for the P.K., but it's more the guys that are maybe down the lineup. You've got to bring something, right? You've got to bring an element to the team,

whether it's PK, physicality, speed, scoring, whatever. it may be so that's why we continue to try different guys in all different roles so that when we're making those decisions on those depth players that that that we're sure what they're bringing to our team. So I want to talk a little bit more about Baines because for me he's going to be one of the main guys to watch tonight. Sure. He needs to show up if he's being given a chance with Heidel and Garland. That is that is a clear test for him. And of course, you know, if he does kill Pulley's, he's going to have to do a good job.

And he's a guy that has, you know, throughout his career, overachieved in the spots that he's been given. But he hasn't in the NHL yet. He's done it. He's done it. He did in the Dube. He did in the H.L. But he hasn't done in the, in the NHL. And I think at times he's come up to the NHL and been too deferential, although,

although, you know, that was kind of the motto of the team. Defer, defer to Quinn Hughes. Yeah. And he's only played 21 NHL games. Yeah. It's a small sample size. Right. Very small.

But I know it's only the preseason tonight, but, you know, you're looking at a Connux Forward group that could have Baines in the middle six, Coots in the middle six, and Lecker-Mackie. in the middle six. This is what happens when you have a thin group and then one injury hits it. All of a sudden things open up, right? And it was, so again,

not to belabor the Baines point too much. I get what you're saying. And I do think that the bigger picture here is there are certain signs during a preseason where you just know that something suddenly matters a little bit. To him at me, matters a lot.

But the stakes are incredibly low in the preseason. But every now and again, you'll get a pretty obvious sign that, hey, this is your moment to show us something. because the lineups that we've seen through the first handful of games through the preseason have been mismatched and there's been a lot of guys going in and out. But when you play on what is ostensibly the second line

with your 2C in Heedel and a top six guy, at least in terms of minutes last year in Garland, you know it's an audition to try and say, hey, I can play this spot with some regularity or at the very least to start the season. Now, whether it can last the whole year remains to be seen. Like I said, Baines has only played 21 games at the NHL level and the production has been next to nothing.

He's got one goal on that time. But this is the clear spot where Hoaglander would be in. Right, and that's where we go back to when a team is thin up front and one injury hits, all of a sudden, opportunities get extended to guys that otherwise wouldn't probably even be in the NHL. Never mind that high in the lineup. Can we play some Baines audio here? Here's Baines talking about the competition at camp, the opportunity,

and there might be some more stuff. We'll see. Oh, there might be something on the waivers situation as well. Here's Baines. The organization is doing its part to try to build the best depth possible. How would you characterize the nature of competition at this camp maybe compared to the last couple of he's in? Yeah, I think this has been the most competitive one yet. There's a lot of good players.

Guys you don't expect, like, who's coming in is a super young kid. He just got drafted, and he's pushing for a spot as well. And there's, you know, guys like me and Carly who have been here for a while. pushing for spots so it's a good competitive nature and we kind of knew that coming in here that it's going to be competitive and that's what makes everybody better at the end of the day. Oh yeah. Does waivers change the dynamic for you at all? Like does that cross your mind in any way that things are different now because you require waivers? Yeah that might play an aspect. I never really haven't yet to thought about it but you know that's always a possibility that

you know other teams out there looking into guys seeing what other guys can do and I'm sure we're doing the same thing, looking around to see other guys. So it is an aspect of the game, and, you know, you kind of, you don't really want to be in that spot, but things happen. You know, it's, it is interesting because when we talk about the preseason, which, again, I don't mean to be labor this point, but it's going on way too long. But when they, when you talk about this, it's a big deal for the individual players on the bubble. It may not be for the team, but for the individual players on the bubble. I'm glad you're playing baines to me, though. What does he do exactly?

Well, they're going to find out tonight. He's got one point in 21 games. Like, I don't hate the player. and he obviously has energy and I like that aspect of his game but I don't understand what his purpose is like what does he do out there? His purpose is that is that

I think he's trustworthy and who else who else they got man it's a thin group it's a thin group guys like everyone's focused on the top six and for for good reasons

right for absolutely good reasons because we want to see what Pedersen looks like this season and we want to look and see what Hedel's like and Van der Kaine is new. So, I mean, it makes sense to focus on the top six. We've gotten comfortable with an okay bottom six for the last couple of years in Vancouver. I'm worried about it right now.

I'm worried about this group because, I mean, if you've got, again, like think of the young or maybe in Adox case, like unimpressive players that they've got playing in the lineup or could play. Coots Leckermacky Like these guys are not Proven at the NHL level Baines who A-Dog is right to point out Like what do you do

What do you do? What do you do well? You can't just tread water Out in the NHL Are you going to go make some plays? Are you going to be a good penalty killer? You know I think about a guy like Yannick Hansen

And how he Basically battled his way Into the Canucks situation He was a guy a little bit like Baines I mean he was drafted but in like the ninth round which doesn't even exist anymore

and he just carved his rollout you know and he did kill penalties he was a fourth liner with speed that got in on the forecheck turned over some pucks and then eventually

he found himself you know trusted by the coaching staff and he even got you know chances with the Sistine with the Siddines like that's what the coach coaching staff is looking for here.

What would you say you do here? It's a great question to ask Adog because he's got to go out and, you know, do something. So let's get the listeners weighing in right now. Dunbar-Lumber text message in basket is $6.50, $6.50. What do you think about Jason Broves' predictions for the opening night roster? Who do you think should be on the 23 man

when the Canucks open again in about 10 days' time or whatever feels like 10 days' time? I think it's only 8 right now. way in right now. Dunbar-Lumber Tech sign is 6-50, 6-50. What are you expecting from tonight's pre-season game in Calgary, 6 o'clock at the Saddle Dome against the Flames? You know, the reason that I was bringing up my sort of disdain for the pre-season

and how much of a dresser rehearsal it truly is, is like we oftentimes, I don't want to say talk out of both sides of our mouth, but on one side we're saying, you know, this is an important audition, and this is a chance for guys to show what they can do. And then I look at the Mancini situation. I'm like, but here's a guy who is showing pretty much everything he can do and has impressed. And at the end of the day, it's probably, and I don't even want to say probably, it's not going to get him an opening night roster spot because whatever he does, he just doesn't fit. Like playing your way into the lineup, here's the funny thing.

If forward is a hell of a lot easier because competition is so much less. It's a hell of a lot easier. You got forward showing up that haven't really done much of anything competing for spots. Whereas on the blue line, you've got A-Dog's favorite, Victor, M. Mancini, putting forth, what, the second best camp of any Canuck, maybe, not named Braden Coots, I'd say he's probably been the most effective player, most engaged, right, has shown the coaching staff something to the point where they're name checking him and a bunch of their answers, but he's probably going to be on the outside looking in. And if he gets into the lineup,

and you ask that earlier, who would you take out? I don't think, I mean, it's not going to be forebort. I think he would probably end up playing in a third pair with forbort if they needed to give themselves a different look on a given night. Well, he's probably going to end up being the guy that comes in when a defenseman gets injured. No, that's probably going to play like 50 games. But that's going to be Joseph. That's what Joseph's there for. They signed Joseph to sit in the press box.

Maybe, yeah, maybe. I have not been in. I don't get that. But that's the thing is like you need Mancini to play games. You can't have him sit there for 25 games and then jump in. You want him to play a million games in Abbotsford still because he's young and he's learning still. Can you not go up and down?

He can, but you also have a guy that's sort of built for that role. Yeah, but so he, Mancini plays, say, the first 25 games in Abbey, someone gets injured, he comes up here, plays 20 games, goes back down, the important thing about that is you can't just paper guys up and down anymore. The new rules say you can't just say, well, he's in Abbotsford, and he's not, he stayed with the team. He had to go down and play a game. No, I know.

But he could, though. Abbotsford's just right there. Yeah, but you're not listening to what I'm saying. It makes it harder to play games. Sometimes he doesn't do that, Elford. If you have two games in one night, let's say, for example, it makes it very hard for Victor Mancini to play him both. Were you a very difficult child when you were told, like, were you a big, like, I want this dad?

And there's like, no, you can't have that. But why? But why? So when they play. So when they signed Joseph, you're still a difficult child. It was to be a seventh defenseman. I know. Yeah.

What I'm saying, though, is Mancini could play the first 20 games in Abby, come up and play the next 20 here and go back down, play another 10. Come up here, play another 10, based on the injury cycle, whatever happened. What I think it'll end up happening is that he'll play situationally. Like if they are struggling on the back end and a guy needs to come out or they want to give themselves a different look because he does bring him way more offense on the blue line than some of his other counterparts, that's where I think he could plug in.

But my bigger point was that within training camp, if you were just to say on merit, does he deserve to be on the opening night roster? Answers yes. He's gone out and played exceptionally well every night and showcased everything that he's about as a player. Could he be a fourth line forward? Yeah, no kidding.

Someone texted, Jeremy and Langley texts in, put Mancini up front on the fourth line, Brent Byrne style. See? Let's go. When you said, what do you do? Don't start doing that. When you said about Baines, you're like, what is it that you do around here?

You don't ask that question of Mancini when he plays. You know what's that. Joe Joseph's another one. Like, he's not awful. He's fine, but he doesn't really. He hasn't been, I haven't seen him be that fineish out there. But my point is he doesn't really do anything. Either, Mancini you at least notice him, right?

Mancini makes noise out there. Yeah, but Adag, you want your guys to make noise out there. I know, but you've also, you've also, I am too, in theory, but you also have to take care of the fundamentals, right? Like, you need to have guys that. He's not bad with that. Adel got the right answer with the wrong equation. You've seen him killing penalties?

Oh, not the penalty. I just meant, well, do you. But that's huge. Is that the fight? Every player has to be able to do that? The third pair guy, probably. Four defensemen need to be able to do that. Four defensemen.

Are you listening? Yes, they have four D-Men that could do that. Now, if Mancini's in the lineup, name them. You didn't even know the four guys that kill penalties. Horonich. Horonick and... Well, Hugh should be killing penalties. Pedersen?

Oh, yeah, Marcus Pedersen, yeah, there we go. There's four. I'm a big advocate of putting your best guys from the team. Maybe. That's probably the one. I mean, that would be the one. I'd have time for that. I would have time for that, but I think this organization...

But I like TV as well. Oh, okay. Well, yeah, that's a tough one. So you would like to have your cake. It's a bit of a conundrum. And eat it too. Well, yeah. Why would you have cake and not eat it?

Now, this is where we go back to the foreboard conversation, which while I'm like, I get it on the surface. I want to imagine these are the conversations they're having in like the dressing room. All right. We got a lot more to get to on the Halperd & Brough show on SportsNet 650. We will continue the Canucks conversation throughout the show. But on the other side, we're going to get into the baseball story. And what a great opening. day we had of the

wild card round and the Major League Baseball playoffs. Outside of the Reds and Dodgers which went exactly how I thought it was going to go. The other games were very compelling and very tight and that Boston, New York series, which could be over today, very intriguing

storylines from game one. So we'll get into all that on the other side. Also some NHL stories from around the league that we can get into before we talk to Frank Sarah Valley at 7 o'clock. We got a lot to get into. Keep texting in. Your Dunbar Lumber text message in basket is 650. 650. You're listening to the Halford and Breff Show on Sportsnet, 650.

It's Canucks Central with Dan Richo and Saty R Shaw, your destination for everything Canucks. Exclusive interviews, inside info, and even the postgame show. Listen 4 to 6 p.m. weekdays and on demand through your favorite podcast app. 631 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Happy October, everybody. You're listening to the Halford & Brough show on SportsNet 650. Good dance track here.

For those watching on SportsNet Plus, our live stream. Always some chair dancing when this happens. But the chair squeaks when you dance. So it sounds like. your body is squeaking while you're dancing. Just a husky boy doing a dance. A little bit of both. Squeaky, squeakies, squeakies, squeak.

Chair's like, please stop. That's A dog's impression of... I was not built for this. Eighthaw's impression of the chair right there. Squeakie, squeaky, squeaky. You are listening to the Halford & Brough show on Sportsnet 6F. They're all making fun of me. Halford and Brub in the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates.

Only a license insolvency trustee can get your debt. Buy up to 80% with no upfront fees. To learn more, visit them online at Sands-Trustee. We are still an hour one of the program. All Halbro this hour. Remember when you broke your chair of shocks and they couldn't stay up and you just kept going lower and lower?

I forgot about that. I refused to admit defeat. I'm like, I'm going to just sit in this chair forever. And then it sunk. It was great. Hour one of this program is brought to by North Star Metal Recycling. Vancouver's Premier Metal Recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal recycling, they recycle.

You get paid. Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. So Todd has bad takes texted into the Dunbar Lumber text line and said, Mike being actively ignored while he is talking is giving me marriage flashbacks we were listening bud and then you replied it's fine

and then he said don't shut down man gotta keep your heart open we're here for you did you have something that you wanted to I just felt like you were complaining about how long the preseason was I think I also thought everyone was listening to me I was listening to you I was trying to ignore A dog but I was listening to you perhaps Todd got the wrong impression of who we were trying to

ignore there. That's why I responded with the classic marriage response. It's fine. Hey, here's a question. I'll throw out for you. When we just went through all the forward lines and said like, it's looking a little thin up there. Yep. Didn't they pluck someone off the waivers? Do you think there's a trade coming? Do you think there's a transaction coming? I've been watching the old wire. You happen? Yep. I watched it yesterday. I'm like, ooh, Tyson Jost. Bring him home. Bring him home. There's a center. He certainly is a center. I have been watching it. The guys that have come through so far, it's just, it wouldn't solve any of the problems that they have.

Yeah. It would be more of the same. There's just not a caliber of guy. Again, maybe they, maybe there's someone that they like. I mean, I bring up Tyson Jose because he was a former high first round pick. Yeah, yeah. He's played a bunch of games in the NHL. He did have a couple of good stints.

He's front. He played in Quitlin, if I'm not mistaken. Anyway. So there's a guy. But I have to believe that given the history, of this executive group since they've arrived in Vancouver and their early season wheelings and dealings that there will be some type of transaction.

I don't know how big a game the hunting will be. Yeah. But I feel like they know that they need to add to this group in some meaningful way because Hoaglander's out and he's not coming back till December. I know, look, I've read the tea leaves enough and I've listened to the tone of voice when these guys are speaking.

I know that they don't necessarily think it's great for Coots to be up all year. Like the way that they talk about it is with guarded optimism but also like a large slice of the reality pie. Like he's 18. But also maybe like they're trying to convince themselves? No, I don't get that. I don't get that sense, honestly.

I really don't. I get the sense that they know that you might be getting a young kid who is a good hockey player but is playing with tons of energy and tons of juice as Thomas Drand. likes to say at a time where energy and juice really carry the day in the preseason. But they're also talking about his hockey IQ. 100%.

And how good that is. And that seems to have, that in theory would have more last, it would last more. You know what? I feel like, hockey IQ doesn't get tired. I feel like he would be better suited on a team where you could insulate him more. That's a good point. You know what I mean? Like you could put better players on his line.

He's, he's playing with, I'm not saying this is the way it's going to start the season, but, I mean, it could. He's in line with Lecker or Mackey. Right. Like, that could get caved in against a veteran-experienced heavy team. Now, if he was on a team where you're like, this has found money for us, either, you know, we're really bad and we're going to send him down after nine games, which I don't think the Canucks are going to be.

I don't think they're going to be really bad. Or we've got a bunch of veterans around him that we can really insulate him in the lineup. I think that's a better fit. Here, like, you're talking about who's doing heavy lifting for a team that's in a referendum season. Yeah. Like, there's a lot at stake here. So if it goes badly for him

It doesn't just You know I don't think it'll just be about the personal struggles It'd also be like hey kids, sorry We need wins Like we need to win hockey games And also what if things don't go well for the team Then you've got them in this environment Which could get a little volatile again

That's what I'm talking about With like the outlook of a brother He's like it's pretty crazy here in the NHL Super intense Everyone's in a bad mood all the time Right and he's 18 years old If Hoaglander was in the line I'm going to say put him with Cain and Hokelander.

You could, that you could, right? Yeah, yeah. There's ways that you could insulate them, but at the end of the day, like, that would probably be a second-line center role. Yeah. No, no, no, no. Well, maybe. Maybe.

Maybe. Yeah, like, who else would it be? Cooz could, I could see Coots being an effect of third line C for a little while while he's getting his feet under him. Yeah, I think the problem with Cooch is like, I think. We're talking ourselves into a lot of things with the foreign group. I think it was made the good point the other day. I'm complimenting you now.

is that the question is, like, can he withstand the rigors of an 82-game season? Like, yeah, sure, you might look great for 10, 20 games, even 30, but as an 18-year-old kid, your body might start to break down as the season progresses, right? It's really, really long. I think they will end up making a move. They've got a surplus on the blue line just in terms of talent. They do. Yeah.

Now, I know centers are the main issue, and they should be still, but the wing group isn't exactly loaded either. When I looked at the daily waiver chart of who was available, I looked at every forward position. It wasn't just centers. Like there was a couple centers, obviously, that stuck out. But again, it's a thin group up front. And I know we've mentioned this and be mowness over the first two days of the week.

But you should be able to withstand the loss. This is no disrespect to a good, hardworking, bona fide NHL forward. But you should be able to almost easily withstand the loss of Nils Hoaglander if you're a good team. Are we going to see the top line tonight in Calgary? I think they should. It sounds like they're going to take, they're going to have pretty full groups for each of the remaining games. Generally speaking, the second or penultimate game of the preseason is the one that they take the most seriously. It's not only the old NFL, remember?

The week three of a four week preseason, you play most of your guys. But it's also on the road. I don't even know if that matters anymore. Well, I think it does. I think for the most part, you want to play your stars at home. home. That's usually how it plays up. Maybe, maybe I mean, I personally think they should take relatively full groups to Calgary and dress a relatively full group Friday against Edmonton because they've got things to work on. They're playing a different style. They're trying to get

used to new linemates guys, you know, like I think I think Pedersen could use three preseason games. Why not? Well, I don't want anyone getting hurt. Now, I don't know if you saw what happened between Montreal and Ottawa last night. Maybe they'll have a brawl. in Calgary tonight. Okay, let's discuss this very quickly because it was one of the bigger stories from the preseason which we don't often get last night.

In a game where the stakes were like incredibly low, things went absolutely ballistic between the Habs and the Sends last night. They played in Quebec City. So the Habs beat up on the scoreboard on the Sands 5-0. In a game where you had a bunch of guys

destined for the American League or maybe guys are going to be released from their PTOs or whatever, 152 penalty minutes in a game that featured I'd say at least six or seven pre-ugly moments and we're not talking about secondary guys

like Demidoff got this really nasty slash to the wrist from Nick Cousins and had to exit the game. The Jack Eye brothers Not Nick Cousins. I know, right? That's what I'm saying. He's such a good guy. You put these guys out there in the preseason

and Marty St. Louis said it afterwards. He's like, it's a dirty play. We don't need it in the game, especially in the preseason when we're just trying to get through this thing healthy. And I do think sometimes that when we see these really flat performances from guys in the preseason, it's with a mind to that.

It's like, what am I going to do? Like, am I going to really like break my own balls out here to go 100 miles an hour to get hurt? Demodov was playing well, wasn't he? Yeah. He was, I didn't watch it, but I was following it on social media and they were saying like he was all over the ice. Yeah, and then he left and didn't return.

Now, I don't know if it was just precautionary, but that stinks. Right. The Jack Guy brothers were running around fighting everyone former Canucks Zach McEwen was in on the action. The Jack guys are from where, Laddie? Where are the Arbor and Florian? No comment. No comment. Okay. Hamilton. There you go.

But anyway, I bring this up more as an ill... Figures. When I threw that out on the group chat, I legitimately didn't know. It wasn't a shot at you. Oh, really? I didn't know. Where are they from? I was like, where are those guys from?

I honestly, like, is Jack Eye a common last name in Hamilton? I think they're Albanian, I want to say. But their ethnicity, the last name. If you don't know how it's spelled, I can't help you. Starts with an X. Yeah. Ends with a J. Yeah.

And then there's a couple H's and an E and A in there. Anyway. But it's Jack Eye. So I know we don't, we shouldn't really even spend a lot of time talking about the Jack Eye brothers, but they, they're nuts, right? Yeah, I mean, you're pretty entertaining. They're crazy what they're like the real life Bash Brothers for Muntuck. It is.

They brought out, they brought out Arbor and we all know his exploits, right? Wi-Fi and he's become sort of a cult hero in Montreal. And then I think the family was like, we got another one. Like, do you want him? He's just as nuts. Yeah, he's in the garage right now. He's Hugo. He's been feeding him fish heads for like months just waiting for this.

He's all riled up, chameleon eyes. He carefully. He likes to play with the nail gun out there. Yeah, seriously. And then he gets out there and he's crazier than his brother. Like, and they were like, they have no regard for human safety or health when they play. Like they're just trying to fight everyone. They fight.

I guess just be honest. They fight dirty, right? they throw guys to the ice they punch guys when they're on the ice they take advantage of guys in prone position they're nasty pieces of business when you live in Hamilton right they're nasty pieces of business to play against

this is the town that gave us who Zach Rinaldo if I'm not mistaken that's right another guy that habitual line stepper Zach Rinaldo Who's the Hamilton sporting hero Pac Quinn is pretty big like Pac Quinn Arena is what I played

and Drichick Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah There's a couple And then Zach Rinaldo The Big Three Yeah the Big Three The Big Three and now the big three Anyway, back to our original point.

And then Paul Osbaldiston. Back to our original point about the Canucks and the preseason is if you aren't, I guess, aligned with what the other team is doing, you'll get this game where it's like, well, we've sent our veteran-laden lineup and they're sending out a bunch of A.HL guys or vice versa. Remember that game? Was it the start of the 2003-24 season, the very first preseason game with the Canucks lost 10-1? Remember that one against Calgary? and they sent out it was just like there wasn't a single NHL around the team

and Calgary was like came like ready to roll and just beat up on them right so I and this is what I'm talking about the preseason and I don't mean sometimes I always have to have the caveat in there like I don't mean to belittle how important it is for these guys and their auditions in the preseason

all I'm saying is that it's too long there's too many meaningless games and there's too many contests where you can tell that everyone just wants to get through it. Okay, let's talk about games that do matter then. Sure. Let's talk about the baseball

games last night and we can focus on, I think, Yankees Red Sox. Without question, right? Like I put any, like sort of anecdotal notes about the other three series, even though I watch them all. So, well, the Cubs, the Cubs Bojury's game was cool for the back-to-back home runs.

For sure, and very entertaining. And so too was the Guardians' games. The Reds and Dodgers was not good, but the Sox Yankees game and the series could be over today. Because that's what happens in these best of three series. Garrett Crochet, unbelievable outing for the Sox starter. 17 consecutive batters at one point retired. But we got to go to the bottom of the 9th.

Our oldest Chapman is started in the 8th, comes on in the 9th for the save opportunity. And then if I'm not mistaken, three straight singles. I want to say it was Bellinger, Goldschminton, Judge. I don't think it was in that order. So bases are loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the 9th and the Yankees trailing 3-1. Chapman then goes strikeout, pop out to Chisham, and then he's got Trent Grishman at the plate. And here we've got the call, the final call from an unbelievable save opportunity from Eraldus Chapman. The former Yankee as the Red Sox win game one, three one.

Here's what it sounded like. He got him and the Red Sox rally from behind and take game one of this wild card, three to one. How about a worldist Chapman? bases loaded no outs strike out weak fly ball to right and strike out again and then the patented pose to put the red sox up one game to nothing that would have been cool if he meant to do that he's like yeah i loaded him up just to get myself a challenge just a little theater so the yankees with that became the first team in the entire history of major league baseball postseason play to have the bases loaded with nobody out in the bottom of the ninth and not score a run and lose the game That's never happened before.

When I watched it happen, I was like, oh my God, Chapman is melting down because it was three straight singles and like well-hit singles too. They weren't cheapies by any stretch. Did you watch this game start to finish? Start to finish. Okay. What was the reaction when they pulled Max Fried? What do you think it was, Jason? Because the Yankees pen has been brutal.

So, Freed did what he was supposed to do. He got it into the seventh. He was on 99 pitches before they got a double. playground it to so I think he was a 102 and he was rolling he what he at that point runs four hits at that point

you could say that him and crochet had gone head to head in terms of how good their performances were right actually crochet gave up the one home run right but crochet then went like 17 straight batters though point being point being both guys were locked into a pitcher's battle and then Boone

decides to lift freed and people went nuts because what the great thing about the postseason now is that one of the things that analytics has done has even further polarized and amplified managerial decisions like this

because the numbers over the course of the year bear out that he probably made the right call based on larger sample size right he could see that Freed was getting tired his individual at bat pitch counts were getting higher and he was like typically doesn't he doesn't you know it's a hundred pitches

that's a typical start for him but he also makes 240 million dollars. He's a former World Series winner. He has postseason experience. He's your best pitcher. And Jack Morris once threw 400 pitches. And then followed it up with like a cigarette and a beer and was like, let's go again. I'll throw 100 tomorrow night if you want me to. Like, let's do it. Right?

They made baseball players back then. So of course, they lived freed. The pen, I mean, I wouldn't call it an implosion, but they give up three runs. And this is a bullpen, which wasn't good all season long. It was 23rd among 30 teams in ERA. It was inconsistent all year. to the point where if you're going to lift freed, you're not doing it with a ton of confidence

because while it's been able to get the job done sometimes, that Penn hasn't done it with consistency. Again, I understand the metrics and the analytics behind it, but at a certain point, in a best of three series, where losing the first game, what were the numbers on that, Laddie, when you lose the first game? 90% of the time, when you lose that first game, you go on to lose the series.

Do you not say, I'm going to go with my gut, and I'm going to let our best players try and win the game for us, as simple as it gets, right? He didn't start Chisholm or Ben Rice in that game because they were going up against the lefty, and they don't particularly hit lefties well. The thing was, is that combined, those guys had nearly 60 home runs this year,

and they had one run against Crochet yesterday, and they went 17 consecutive ad bats without getting anybody out. So I got to ask you, like, lefty, right, regardless, do you not want the guys, Chisham hit 30 home runs in the regular season, Rice was almost there as well. Do you not want to at least give them the opportunity in a very short series to try and make a difference like they did all year?

It could have very easily been a moot point if the Yankees just got the job done in the ninth. For sure. I'll throw some more analytics at you. The average runs scored when you have the bases loaded nobody out is 2.3. So to get zero in that scenario is just

that's a complete failure in the offense. It was an anomaly. It never happened. It never happened before. Can you imagine the subway on the ride coming back from Yankee Stadium and some of the loud opinions that you would have heard

on the subway coming back. A lot of boon love, I'm sure. From that. And I wonder too if there's any carryover from the way the Yankee season ended last year as well, right? Like, is there still some hard feelings

about this team? I mean, they got to the World Series. Yeah. You can't be too angry, right? I know sports fans. and I know Yankees fans, right? And the expectations are high. And when you go to the world, I mean, do we talk about, you know,

the Canucks going to the Stanley Cup finals and be like, well, it was just great to be there. No, it's like how it went wrong. How it went wrong. And that, it went badly wrong for the Yankees, the way they ended, and now against the Red Sox at home, you know the pulling of freed even if you agree with it

it didn't go well but even if you agree with it it didn't go well and the bullpen didn't do its job and then that situation in the ninth where they kind of choked base is loaded none out get nobody home the romantic part of baseball is that the red socks let crochet go he got up to what his pitch count

I think son just next 117 118 it was almost like Cora was like, oh, Booney lifted his guy. Like, I know this isn't how the manager thought, but it's how it felt. He's like, I'm going to let my guy go. I'm going to let my guy go as deep as he can into this game before his arm's basically blown out. And we're going to win this game. This guy is crocheting his butt off.

Right. And you know who's loving that, though? Even if the Red Sox wins, the Blue Jays. Well, it's great, right? Because great crochet just threw 117 pitches. Yeah. It's a highly taxing game for him. You know, and I understand that you're trying, like, it's a long grind in the postseason.

You're trying to save your aces. And by the way, It was funny that outside of the Dodgers and Reds game yesterday, and an astute observation from Jason Brough on our text thread, all the games were super tight and low scoring. Except for the Dodgers Reds. Right, yeah. But because everyone rolled out their ace.

Yeah. Now we get to see. It's a low bar for an astute comment, eh? Now we get to see some bums pitch. So let's get going with the run. Take the overs. Yeah, seriously. So the other games yesterday, you want to talk about an ace performance,

Tark Scoobel for Detroit was unbelievable. He tied the Detroit Tigers, speaking of Jack Morris, former Detroit Tiger. The Detroit Tigers postseason record, 14 strikeouts. So the Tigers beat the Guardians. Again, low-scoring game. 2-1. That was game one of the day. That was the 10 o'clock star at our time.

That was pretty cool. God, I love post-season baseball with the second guessing. Gary Sheffield, Jr., with a tweet yesterday. Props to Aaron Boone, not overworking Max Fried, to prepare him for his big start in March. Yeah, right. Like, that's the thing. Yeah.

If you're leaving stuff on the table for the next round, and the next round is Sheffield says, this isn't going to be until 2026. Like, what are we doing here? I do want to mention, Cubs beat the Padres, 3-1, another really low-scoring game. Sia Suzuki and Carson Kelly went back-to-back

in the fifth in that one, and that was the difference in terms of run differential. Can we play the Shohei bomb? Shohei went yard twice yesterday. Teoska Hernandez went yard twice yesterday. Blake Snell, again, you want to talk about stud pitchers going out in game one. Nine strikeouts over seven innings. And the Dodgers, although it got a little interesting late

because the Reds did manage to cut it to 10-5, this was really a massacre by the Dodgers and their bats. First of two, Shohei was home runs. To give you an idea, this was the lead-off at-bat for the Dodgers in the bottom of the first, and it really set the tone for what they were going to do at the plate. Shohei goes yard for the first of two, Dodgers win 10-5. Swing and a line drive Ripped right field

Back on Lead off Homer Shohei Otani a low lighter over the right field Fins Fun little number for you stat nerds out there

That was a 100.4 mile an hour pitch from Hunter Green The Reds ace by the way Who got roughed up Real bad in that He's from L.A. too Yeah

What was the number on it? 100.4 The fastest pitch, Otanias Homerdon in his major league career. I think he's at 104. No, 100.4. I know. I thought it would have been, I mean, this is how spoiled we are as baseball fans. Like, only 100.

Mason Miller threw 104 yesterday. You can kick it up a notch a little bit? Yeah, but the fastest pitch, Otania's homeradown in his major league career. Right there, yeah. Okay. Can you imagine throwing that pitch it and then just like, oh, he hit that so hard. As soon as it leaves your hand, it like, it feels so good. And then as soon as you turn around, it's like, it's gone very, very bad.

Yeah, green guy. roughed up yesterday. That was a tough outing for him. And that's the Reds ace. And they only got one of them. They don't have a lot of other ones. Okay. We're up against it for time. Our one is in the book. The hockey talk is going to continue in hour two. Frank Sarah Valley

is going to join us. Our NHL Insider. Lots of stories to get to with Frank. 730. We're going to preview tonight's Canadian championship soccer style. Vancouver Whitecaves, Vancouver FC from BC play 7 o'clock kickoff. Axel Schuster. The sporting director of the Whitecaps is going to join us at 730.

It is a big final hour coming up on the Halford & Brough show. Hold on. There you go, buddy. Talking to the mic. Well done. I lost my read. We'll do it at the break. Halford & Brough Sports Night 6.50.

A dog's impression of the chair right there. Twiky, twiky, twiky.