Halford & Brough in the Morning - The "D" In "D Petey" Stands For "Destroyer"

Episode Date: April 11, 2025

In hour one, Mike & Jason look back at the previous day in sports (3:00), including an impressive Canucks victory over the Colorado Avalanche (6:00), plus they discuss the Habs' playoff push with Sportsnet Montreal's Eric Engels (27:14).  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.

Whoa! Wait a minute. Huh? Hold up. What? Oh, okay. Did we just lose a f***ing Canucks? Da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da- You're listening to Halford and Brough. Marcus Pedersen, heavy drive from the line, stopped by Blackwood, rebound, they score! Dakota Joshua in front! This is big for Dakota. When he plays like that, he's a different spader. Off come the gloves. Pedersen throwing hard right hands. O'Connor wasn't ready for it. Yeah, a lot of guys were pumped up, so it was fun. Well, I, well, that's ladies' weekend. The weekend.

Good morning, Vancouver! 601. on a Friday! Happy Friday, everybody! Sweet, sweet Friday. It is Halford and his brother at Sportsnet 650. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studios and beautiful Fairview slopes in Vancouver. Jason, good morning. Good morning. Adog, welcome back! Buddy, good morning to you. Good morning. And lad Jason, good morning. Good morning. Hey dog, welcome back buddy. Good morning to you.

Good morning. And laddie, good morning to you as well. Old news, hello, hello. Albert in front for the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. BC's first and trusted choice for debt help with over 3,000 five star reviews. Visit them online at sans-trustee.com.

We are in hour one of the program. Hour one is brought to you by North Star Metal Recycling. Vancouver's premier metal recycler pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle, you get paid. Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio, Kintec Footwear and Orthotics,

working together with you in step. Big show ahead on a Friday. Lot of guests on the horizon here, begins at 6.30, Eric Engels from Sportsnet in Montreal is gonna join us tonight. Couple of huge games in the National Hockey League, including Montreal, Ottawa, massive battle between the two wild card teams in the East.

Well, I wanna hear if Eric was hanging out at the airport waiting for Demidov, because it seemed like half the Habs fan base was. They're pretty fired up for Demidov. Yeah, they were tracking him. Big time, they were like total psychos. You're coming on a little strong, Montreal. Do you think he came here?

He was like, oh my God. I don't think he's gonna play tonight. It sounds like he might make his debut on Monday, but tonight it's real simple for the Montreal Canadiens. Win in regulation and you're in the playoffs. So we'll talk to Eric Engels about that at 6.30. That's a little Babcock there. Look, it's real simple.

Real simple. Real simple. You gotta get the puck in deep and you gotta win this game and then we go to the post-season tournament. Mike, not only, you have to win in regulation. You gotta win in regulation. There you go. So Eric Engels is gonna join us at 6.30

to talk about all that. Seven o'clock AJ from AJ's Pizza on East Broadway. A reminder, it is Ask Us Anything Friday, which means we're giving away a $100 gift card to AJ's Pizza. For the best, ask us anything. Dunbar Lumber Text Line is 650-650. Text in your Ask Us Anything hashtag it A-U-A

and put a pizza emoji into the text. You'll be entered into the contest to win a $100 gift card to AJ's. 705 Trevor Shackles. Rusty Shackleford. Is going to join the program. He's a writer for the Silver 7, one of the best Ottawa Senators sites out there. The Sens have already clinched. They're going to the playoffs for the first time since 2017. We'll talk to Trevor about that. It's 705. 730 the Moj is going to join us. Canucks, they beat the Avs last night 4-1 to wrap up the road portion of their season. There's three home games left, Minnesota,

San Jose and Vegas. So we'll talk to Moj about all that. That Minnesota game still could be pretty big depending on what happens between the Wild and the Flames tonight. Moj will join us at 7.30. Eight o'clock it's Dollywall as the resident Rick Dollywall handler. I think we're going to talk about Brock Besser and his comments made to iMac on this most recent road trip. Yep, for sure. We'll talk about that with him and maybe

talk it and what Hughes had to say about talk it. So a bunch of things to talk about with Rick Dollywall. And of course, as I mentioned, it's Ask Us Anything Friday. Get them in now. Hashtag them AUA. Dunbar lumber text line is 650-650. 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. What happened? I missed all the action because I'm moving. We know how messy your life can be. What happened? 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 The Vancouver Canucks got a win

in their final road game of the 2024-2025 regular season. Kiefer Sherwood and Dakota Joshua with a goal in an assist each. Kevin Lanken in 31 saves and they beat the Nathan McKinnon-less Colorado Avalanche 4-1 last night in Denver. Yeah, it was another one of those, you know, gutsy wins that the Canucks have had, a few of over the last little while. They played well. I actually watched a bit of the Jared Bednar

press conference after the game. He was not happy. He was just saying though, like, you know, our breakouts were terrible. And a lot of the time that is not just the Avs having that problem. It's the Kanucks forcing them. And the Kanucks played to

their identity and whether or not people like that identity of what Rick Docket is telling them and the way he wants them to play, which is to be really tight defensively and forecheck well and just be a hard team to play against. That's what you got last night. And I think, um, you know, I've been doing more and more obviously thinking about the off season

and, you know, they need to, they need to build a team that can play to the identity that they want to play to. So you might disagree with the identity, but I think it's easier to get everyone to, at the very least, agree that if you're going to have an identity, you got to have everyone playing the same way and everyone buying into that identity. Otherwise, the guys that don't play to that identity tend to stick out like a sore thumb. Yeah, you need pieces that fit the puzzle. Or what's the other saying we like to use?

If Tockets the chef, you gotta let him go buy some groceries or at least have the groceries that fit what he wants to make. And I think, you know, this will be an off season of what guys on the roster have it, and it being the character and profile to play, the style that the Canucks want to play, which guys can grow into it. And that's mostly the younger players who are still trying to get their footing at the NHL level. And then what guys need to go out

and what guys need to be brought in. A couple of quick notes before we talk about some of the bigger stories of yesterday. The Vancouver Canucks swept the Colorado Avalanche this year in this sort of God forsaken forget full C or sorry, forgotten season. The Vancouver Canucks posted one of the most dramatic comebacks in the entire history of the NHL against the Dallas Stars and also swept the Colorado Avalanche for the first time in eight years. It's a very strange thing, but it happened last night. So it was three games against the Avs. They swept all three. Also, what a scrap for DPT last night.

Oh yeah. I mean, it looked like it was one of his first fights. It was his first fight. It was good. You know what? Apparently it was a first ever fight. First ever fight. Anywhere. Never had one in the schoolyard or anything like that back in Sweden. Nothing. Never.

Nothing, so yeah, what I liked about it was how ready and willing he was. Like O'Connor came back at him, Logan O'Connor, not Drew O'Connor, he's on the Canucks. That would've been weird. Logan O'Connor came back at him, Logan O'Connor. Yeah. Not Drew O'Connor, he's on the Canucks. That would have been weird. Um, Logan O'Connor came back at him and, um, he was upset and you know, good for him. And, uh, and DPT was like, yeah, let's go. It's go time.

And, uh, you know, it hung on for a bit. I think he took it. He looked like he took a bit of a shot, but he got his in as well. So man, this guy, this young kid, there's a lot to like about him. People love DPD. There really is a lot to like about him.

And, uh, you know, it does make you wonder if the Canucks get aggressive for their centreman and teams are calling and going like, well, you've got three prospects that we like, Pedersen, Leckermache, and Willander. If the Canucks have to make a choice, who would they choose? And I don't think anyone in Vancouver wants any of those guys out because they all bring something that

the Canucks need. I mean, DPD, a lot of people have compared him to a young Mathias Oland. He plays the game a physical way, skates really well. He's got a lot to learn, but it looks like he's ready and willing to learn it. That's the nice thing. Leckar Mackie, why do you need him? Well, if you let Brock Besser go, you better score some goals. There's going to be some goal scoring wingers on this team.

And then Tom Willander, that's a future D partner for Quinn Hughes. Like the future ideal D partner for Quinn Hughes, right shot defenseman. Those guys don't grow on trees anymore. So, you know, back to the game last night, you know, DPD was like these last few games, the meaningless games, you know, um, what I want to see at least is effort. And, you know, like there are some teams playing out the stretch that have totally thrown in the towel, like the Islanders last night got beaten nine two at home by the Rangers.

Patrick Watt made seven different goalie changes and just kept flipping them back and forth. Yeah. I mean, that's, that's kind of an embarrassing way to go out, but I want to see effort, and I want to be entertained a little bit. And that game against Dallas, where they came back and won it with three goals in the last minute,

that's entertaining. And the Canucks are out of the playoffs, but they're staying in the fight. And as mentioned, that was it for the road games this year. So the Canucks finish the campaign at 21, 14 and six on the road. That's a pretty good road record. And as a matter of fact, it's really, really close to identical to last year's road record where they went 23, 14 and four and finished as of course, the top seed in the Pacific division and a

Playoff team this only really further illustrates how awful the Canucks were at home this year Like away from Rogers Arena. They did more than enough to be a playoff caliber team. That's a playoff caliber record 21-14 and six it's not like lights out, but you've gotten more than enough points away from home 14 and six. It's not like lights out, but you've gotten more than enough points away from home. You know, again, we're still got three home games left before we're doing the autopsy and then the off season analysis. But if you want to look at trends,

not necessarily players, individual performances, but actual trends that are inexplicable, but very much cost the Canucks this season, their inability to win at home absolutely cratered them this year. And it's bizarre. There's a million different reasons why they stunk at home, but they were a terrible home team this year.

Not bad, not below average. They were terrible at home this year. It's a very weird thing. Anyway, on the subject of the Vancouver Canucks, iMac was out there on the road during this mini road trip, got a lot of good intel and a lot of good information, including a pretty revealing quote from Brock Besser about his future with the Vancouver Canucks.

Besser said before the Dallas game on Tuesday, he does not expect to remain in Vancouver beyond this year. Now this was a quote that made the rounds throughout Sportsnet 650 yesterday. I know a lot of the shows were talking about it, but we didn't catch wind of this until we were off the air. The quote is, this is Brock Besser speaking to iMac, courtesy of Sportsnet yesterday.

Honestly, it's unlikely at this point, Besser said of his return. It sucks, it's unfortunate. I'm just trying to play good hockey, and then I'll worry about everything after that. We know it's been a roller coaster of a year. There's been a lot of different things.

So we'll obviously talk more about this with Rick Dollywall coming up in the third hour, but I doubt this is all just negotiating. It doesn't feel like posturing. No, for whatever reason, Besser has never seemed to draw the outright praise of management. It's always been, does this make sense? It's always been like a yeah, but situation where they might praise him for doing something, but then they suggest there's still more to give.

You mean like when he scored 40 and they were like, yeah, but 50. Yeah. Yeah. I thought, yeah, they honestly said that. Yeah, but I think he could have got to 50, like he let his foot off the gas. That was one of the more revealing quotes. Yeah.

Now, maybe that was negotiating too, right? Maybe Patrick Alveen is playing 4D chess and he's like, well, I don't want to, I don't praise him too much. All I know is that even if letting Besser walk is the right decision from a value perspective, right? Cause you can, you can make the argument like love Besser, don't want to pay him what he might be able to get on the open market. And maybe that's what they've decided.

They've got a number and the number is smaller than what he could probably get in the open market. We don't know what he can get in the open market, but they've said this is our number and take it or leave it if you want to stay in Vancouver. But even if they let Besser walk and it's the right decision, they're still going to have a tough time replacing them.

Like there's no doubt about it. And it's not like the Canucks are known for all their goal scorers. When it comes to value, there's some people that are just like, pay him what he's worth, boom, do it. You need goal scorers, pay him what he's worth. But let's say Brock Besser is at an $8 million cap hit versus Jake DeBrusque, what is he at? Five and a half.

Yeah, or whatever. I think there's a lot more value in DeBrusque there. Oh, a hundred percent. Right? Yeah. I mean, there are value contracts on the Vancouver Canucks right now. Pugh Suter is one of them, giving you 24 goals of offense at 1.6 million. Kiefer Sherwood is one of them,

giving you 19 goals at 1.5 million. Those are value deals. Hoeglander, prior to signing the deal he's currently on, was a massive value deal. You're paying- Well, he's actually not on his deal yet, so he's still a decent value. He's okay, yeah.

It's a fine contract right now. It's fair value right now. If it is a departure, and it certainly sounds as though it's trending that way, Besser will undoubtedly be missed for what you're talking about, his ability to find the back of the net. He's also been at Canuck for a very long time.

And I know you don't pay for nostalgia, and it's a bad business practice to pay for what's happened as opposed to what's gonna happen. But if there was a guy that you always felt good for and rooted for and wanted to see good things happen to, it was often better because of the personality, because of the way that he conducted himself. Speaking with people within that organization,

there weren't many players that were that beloved, and not just by teammates, like media members that worked with them, staffers that worked that beloved, and not just by teammates, like media members that worked with them, staffers that worked with them, genuinely nice guy, had that persona of being like quiet and kind of laid back and kind of monotone, but also not like closed off or anything like that. And you're always paying for the on ice product

when it comes to this thing, right? The end of the day, it's a business, but there is something to be said about having good people around and people that Want to be where they're at and make the workplace like a cool Fun not angst ridden place to hang out right there's value in being a good teammate there's value in getting along with people there's value in Maintaining relationships with people that are difficult to get along with. Like that's not an easy task either, right?

When two people bristle up against one another, there's negative energy that can go through a room. So a guy like Besser was always valuable in that regard. It kind of sucks that it's ending this way. I don't love that he was just sort of left to twist in the wind. I did not love how everything went down at the trade deadline.

I know Alveen probably misspoke and didn't intentionally try to make it sound like there were no good offers out there for Besser, but the way that it played out in real time kind of left, it was a sour taste for everyone involved. I don't think the agent was happy. I don't think Besser was happy. And I doubt Alveen was super happy with the

way that that went down. Like I think Besser was prepared to be traded and then he didn't get traded. And then he's like, okay, I didn't need those comments, which suggests I have like no value and nobody loves me. Right, because the way that you treat people does matter. In the NHL, it's a very close knit community

and there are certain things that can tilt the scales because it's a parody league. I mean, we talked at length last, earlier this week about like a practice facility being a big difference maker for where guys might play and where they might not. Well, the way that you treat guys and the way that guys are treated, players talk and whether

it's intentional or not, when you have enough people leaving a particular team with a bad taste in their mouth, that probably rings throughout the league, right? Um, Alvin also confirmed the obvious that their focus this off season is to see if we can improve our forward group by either trades or free agents.

And we've talked a lot about their pursuit of a centre and what's that going to take and who's it going to be and what type of player. Um, he also added, I'm pleased with our goalie situation and I'm pleased with our back end. Now, is that a confirmation that the Canucks will keep Demko? I think so. Yeah, it's hard to hear it any other way. If I'm Alvein, I'm thinking that keeping Demko might be my best shot of making the playoffs next season versus trying

to get a return for Demko in a trade. Yes. Very much yes. Unless someone really knocks your socks off with a trade offer for Thatcher Demko, which it's frankly hard to see given the injury history and the season he's coming off of, the uncertainty around whether or not he can stay healthy. Might just be the best move to just bring him back.

If you're Alvein and you're thinking like, oh, I better make the playoffs next season or if I'm going to be gone. I thought about this a little bit last night and it's really easy if you're management to talk yourself into this because the issue this year, if you're management to talk yourself into this because the issue this year, if you wanna make it as simple as possible was

Lankton didn't play too much and Demko didn't play enough. What if the scales got balanced a little bit more? How good could we have been? Cause it was pretty obvious at times that they were stretched thin and goal. Like when we would come in the morning and be like, whew, feels like a sea loves game tonight. And that was- Oh boy, Chicago's in town. There's like, feels like a sea lobs game tonight. Yeah. And I was like, Oh boy.

Chicago's in town. There's like one team that he can play against. Like that, that's not a good sign for it, for an NHL club where you've got a guy that can only play against one team. Oh, goal tending was very much a factor for the Canucks this season. Because there are also, there are also games where

Demko went in there, especially when he was coming back and he wasn't very good. Right. And he, I mean, and neither of them have been lights out over these final 15 or 20 games either. Post Four Nations break, the numbers aren't ringing, but I think that there's a multitude of reasons why. And I think just the fact that they're both there and healthy and available to play is

a good sign moving forward. But you know the problem with it is, it falls into the same trap that this club had last year. It's the, well if everything goes right. If everything goes right, if everything goes perfect, we got a good goaltending scenario. The issue is, it might not, right? They still need to go and get a third goalie that they trust. The issue is, it might not. Yeah. Right? They still need to go out and get a third goalie that they trust.

That is not necessarily number one on the priority chart, but it's high. The Canucks, by the way, overall team save percentage, this is very raw. The Canucks, 893, tied for 24th in the NHL. Tied with Boston, tied with Chicago, tied with Nashville. That's not good. Three teams that struggled a bit this season. Well, four teams if you throw the Canucks in there. The last thing I wanted to talk about from the

Alvin availability was the Canucks saying they have the quote unquote right resources to help Pedersen and that they're going to, it sounds like, strongly suggest that Pedersen stays in Vancouver to train this off season as opposed to going back to Sweden. Now this is an off season storyline now and Alvin um, Alvin told IMAC, we have the right resources here to help them. And he said he has the ability to dictate the

future and I'm sure he wants to come back to his normal form and wants to continue to grow and get better. So we have absolutely the commitment and resources here to help them do that. Alvin did note, however, that teams cannot tell players where to spend their summers. That's in the CBA.

So the decision will be Pedersen's, but it's out there now. This is kind of reminiscent of a Quinn Hughes in the Four Nations tournament. It's like, it's your decision. Yeah. But you know what we want here. And I heard that Petey has heard good things about Bali in the off season. It's a great place to visit.

He was talking to a buddy, an old buddy of his, and he was like, maybe Bali, maybe I'll go to Bali for the off season. They have stairs, you can run up them. Yeah. You can run down them. This will be interesting to monitor, especially if Pedersen goes back to Sweden. This is not the first time that Alveen has suggested that the Canucks have the quote

resources to help Pedersen. I think he even said it on our station once, back in February. He said, I believe we have all the resources on our staff to help him. And he's, and he said, and he's definitely been humble and expressed that he is willing to do it. So is he willing to do it this off season? Is he willing to take advantage of the resources that the Canucks do have? I don't know what those resources are.

Strength and fitness, I imagine is one of them. Sports psychology, I don't know if that's another one of them, but it could be, you know, maybe a question for Alveen at the end of season presser is like, what kind of resources do you guys have? Like, what are you talking about when you throw out resources? I think it's a fair question.

Because that would tell you like where they think he needs to get better. So skating coach, like get your stride back. Cause your stride is, it was never super pretty to look at, but it is not effective very much. I think you can add it to the list of many, many questions that are going to be asked at the end of your media availability, which is creeping

up because there's only three Kinect games left in the regular season and we're out of time for the first segment. We got to go to break. When we come back, we're going to talk about two Canadian teams on their way to the playoffs. It's going to be Montreal first, it's going to be Ottawa second. Eric Engels from Sportsnet in Montreal will talk to him. The Habs can clinch tonight with a win in regulation and we'll talk about Demidoff landing in Montreal. It's a great fanfare. It's

exciting times in Montreal. Eric Engels is going to talk to us about it next on the Haliford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. It's Canucks Central with Dan Riccio and Satyar Shah, your destination for everything Canucks. Exclusive interviews, inside info, and even the post game show. Listen four to six PM weekdays and on demand

through your favorite podcast app. 90 feet, Lane Oakson! 6.32 on PDS to Friday here on the Haliford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. Haliford and Brough of the morning is brough- He's first and- How are we now? We're having cord issues. Quit ragging on my cord, man. We're having microphone issues here.

The hell for the broadcast. You're partying too much for Fiesta Friday. I'm not even moving. I'm not even near the microphone. Well, thankfully you don't need the microphone to do your job. I mean, it's not that important. It's true. I do have a loud voice.

It's true. Could I just scream across the lower mainland? Yes. 633! Let's go! Did you hear something? Sans and Associates, one of the presenting sponsors of this show. VCs first and trusted choice for Dead Help.

For a 3,000 five-star Google reviews, visit them online at sans-trustee.com. Do they sell microphones? No. Damn. I'm sorry. Our amateurness is really ramped up by the Fiesta music playing while you're screwing up the music just kept going. It's like don't take it down. Don't take it down Eric angles is waiting patiently on hold. We'll get to in just one sec here We are in our one of the program our one is brought to you by North Star metal recycling Vancouver's premier metal recycler

Pays the highest prices on scrap metal. North Star Metal Recycling, they recycle, you get paid. Visit them at 1170 Powell Street in Vancouver. It's a big one tonight between the Habs and the Sens. And as I said earlier, it's real simple for the Habs. Win in regulation and they clinch a playoff spot. But that's not the first question for Eric Engels. No, I know what the first question is gonna be.

Let's introduce him now. Eric Engels joins us now on the Halford and Bref show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Eric. What? We lost him. Wow. The powerhouse segment this has been.

His mic stopped working. I thought you had a bit of a panic. Like you were like, good morning, Eric. Nope, and laddie got my ear real quick. Because I looked out of the board. And there's no Eric Engels. We're knocking it out of the park this morning. You know what, it's not that bad of a segment.

We've had worse. You're gonna ask them about Demidoff to start, are you not? You know, I had people come up to me and tell me the other day that there were too many goal calls in the first segment of the show. Really? Yeah. I liked it. I thought it was great. You were the only one. No, Laddie liked the show. Really? Yeah. I liked it.

I thought it was great. You were the only one. No, Ladi liked it too. We had fun. We had fun on our show. All right. Okay, we're gonna try this again now. Halford and Braff Sportsnet 650.

Eric Engel, Sportsnet from Montreal joins us now on the Halford and Braff show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Eric, how are you? What's up, fellas, everything good? Everything is fine. Some technical difficulties this morning, but aside from that. Where is Demidov right now? Where is he? Where is he? Are you following him? Demidov track, I haven't zoned into his tracker to his ankle bracelet. I'm not exactly sure.

I think he's in Toronto. Based on the live streams that generated over 200,000 views last night. I pretty certain he's in Toronto waiting for the Canadians to arrive there Saturday. It must be fun for you to see that the fan base is so excited. Oh yeah. I mean, they haven't seen a player with this talent level since Alex Kovalev, I would say.

And even before him, one who was like virtually productive was Matt Snazlin, there's been a gap. Well, I shouldn't say that. I mean, Jared Serjant, Vinny Donfuss had some 90 to 96 point seasons in the mid nineties. It's been a while fellas. It's been a long time. Um, so where does he fit?

Where do you put Demidov in and make sure that he's ready to contribute and make sure that he does help the Montreal Canadians in their, in their playoff appearance. I hope I'm not jinxing anything, but I think they're going to make it. Yeah, they need a regulation win today to make it. Look, there's been variants of opinion on that.

I think there's some people who think that if you put them next to Jake Evans to start, it's a good, it's a good fit in terms of what Jake does in the responsibility factor there. But if it's me and I'm making the decision and I'm putting him next to Patrick Laine and Alex Newick, because I think Demidov even as a guy who's never played in the NHL as a player who makes players around him better. And I just, I don't see a reason to be concerned about what he can bring to you from a skill perspective, but also the competitiveness of the player is very evident

if you watch him play. And I just think he's going to adapt quickly. That's kind of what separates for me that the really good players from the best ones is they adapt very fast. And we've seen other players at harder positions to transition the NHL, like specifically on defense in recent memory, whether it's Kael McCarr or Charlie McEvoy, come in at this time of year and immediately make an impact. And I think, you know, as much as the Canadians like to temper expectations with this player, I think he's of that ilk. So can't wait to see what he can bring.

Okay. For the record, this is not a concern of mine, but I've heard it from others. Is there any issue with bringing in this player that hasn't been part of the team all season? He's just 19 years old. He's going to get, he is already getting a ton of attention and then you drop them onto a team that has unexpectedly made the playoffs. Any concern whatsoever about chemistry or whatever?

I think there would be if you were talking about somebody who's got some character flaws or somebody who feels entitled to this stuff, he's still going to have to earn his way. Even though I say that you should start at the top six and put them those types of players, he still has to prove that he can remain there. And look, you know, the Canadians, the other factor would be if they had a group that didn't have the right attitude about things to begin with, they wouldn't be where they are right now. So I don't think it's a concern at all.

And look, when you get a chance to be back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021 and you don't want to just be there, you want to do some damage, you're able to add a player of that talent, the players around you get pretty excited. And look, we also have a recent history to go on here. Lane Hudson came in at the end of last year, albeit in garbage time, instead of a playoff chase. But, you know, they all knew he was going to get his chance to play a couple games. And the minute they saw him play those games, they were pretty excited about having him on the roster. So I can't imagine it being any different with Demidov. And we'll see how it

shakes out. But even a couple of weeks ago, Oliver Kappen came back here after playing the first 12 games of the season, not really looking prepared to be at this level quite yet. Had a great season in Sweden and was welcomed with open arms by the Canadians. They have that kind of room and these types of players who have good character, I think, are willingly, they're accepted in these situations. When was the last time the Bell Center hosted a playoff game with the crowd? 2017 against the Rangers. Gallagher is the only player who's experienced that.

And the guys that are there right now think they're experiencing it, but as we saw at the four nations, it hits another level when the games of significance are that much higher. It's pretty crazy. So I know the Montreal Canadiens still have some growing to do, but I mean at this point in their rebuild, you got to think that they've knocked it out of the park so far.

Yeah, I think most people outside of Montreal would look them and say they're ahead of schedule. I think most people in Montreal would say the same thing. It's not to say that they wouldn't necessarily potentially take a step sideways or backwards from here. This is, this becomes the hardest part, right?

Like can you continue to step forward? But so far, you know, it looked like they were going to take a big step back to the beginning of the season and they managed to correct that and take huge strides, both individually and collectively. Uh, it's a credit to the players for, for having committed to the program here. But I think management has done a really good job and the coaching staff has gotten everybody, uh, in the proper mindset for their rebuild so far to be linear, which is, it's rare. You know, like I don't,

I don't think we've seen any of these rebuilds over the last number of years, pick any team you want that's gone through it that has taken, has put one foot in front of the other, so to speak. So I just still think that when you get to this stage, then the next steps are the most delicate ones. So we'll see what the Canadians get done in the off season. Right now, I don't see how anybody could look at it and be like, well, they're, they're not going

where they should be. I think it's, it's been a very impressive path to this place. Uh, Halfords Mike is having a panic, sorry. Um, I want to talk about Nick Suzuki because here in Vancouver, we're talking a lot about the centre position and it was not that long ago that we had Elias Pedersen, JT Miller and Bo Horvat down the middle.

Horvat and Miller aren't here anymore and Elias Pedersen's game has not been the best for the last little while. What has Nick Suzuki's, I don't want to say his arrival because he's been a good player in this league, but he's taken his game to a new level this season. What has that meant to the team? Well, it's meant everything, right?

Especially for a team that hasn't had a center like him for how many years now? everything, right? And especially for a team that has hasn't had a center like him for how many years now? Well, let's call it three decades. Yeah. It's crazy. It's, it's, it's the biggest reason they find themselves where they are. He clearly drives his line. There's no doubt about that. But I think this, this latest bump coincides with two players. He's playing with also finding, taking their paths and their development and, and, and moving forward. Cole Caulfield has become a 200 foot player.

He came into the league as a guy who he looked at and said, one day this kid's going to score 50 goals. And they wanted to develop him into a player that would be a 40, 40 guy and be trusted to play in virtually any situation. And if he's not exactly that right now, he's well on his way to becoming that. And product production wise, that's, I don't know where he lands at the end of the season, but if it ends up being 40 goals and 37 assists, well, he's right there. Uh, it's, he puts all three of them together and where they're getting to and know that all of them are under contract for under 8 million bucks and the team's

ambition is to become a perennial Stanley cup contender and right within that salary structure and what those three players are proving, not to mention what Lane Otzen is doing as a rookie and Demidoff coming in and Kaden Gouli go through their young core. There's that opportunity that they're trying to cash in on is seems right. So Suzuki is at the center of all of that. Not just as the number one center of the team, but the captain and his leadership has been remarkable. And it's, it's been, if you go look at his hockey DB, it tells the story, right?

Like it's rare that you just look at the raw stats and know what you're getting, but just year after year, he just keeps getting better. And that's, I don't think, I don't think we've seen his very top end yet either, although I think we're rapidly approaching it. Um, what about Slawkowski? Cause I mean, there's been a lot of debate in

Montreal about Slawkowski and his development and whether or not he should have been the pick or, or whatever. What is he meant to the team? Because he's, he's come along too. Halford, stop screwing around here. Um, he, he, guys at 21 years old, he has, if not 200 games under his belt right up there and he just turned 21 and he's already put up, you know, 50 points last year and is on

his way to breaking 50 points this year. There's been plenty of ups and downs along the way, but for a player of his size and his profile, even if he was chosen number one overall, they tend to be a bit of, they tend to be projects. And, you know, there was a lot of stuff for Slavkovsky to learn coming here. He had never had to play, like you look at him, a player his size playing in Finland, you know, he could get away with playing with his head down and relying on a skill. It comes to the NHL, it's a different story. So it was an adjustment to make and you saw that in year one. I just think he's going to become exactly what they wanted him

to. The last piece is the consistency in terms of using that big body of his and optimizing it to get exactly what he wants out of it, just to put up the type of seasons that you expect to see from him moving forward. But again, to have that level of experience already at his age and what he's already done with it, you could just see where he's going in the future. Now, I think Demidov coming here, it's gonna push him to the next level. Not because he's gonna play with Demidov, but because there's a shiny new toy in town. And I think Uriah is the type of guy that he's, he spoke earlier before the Four Nations about needing to play a little angrier.

And I think when there's a little extra motivation or incentive there, he tends to pick up his game. And I think we're right at a point where we could see that even tonight in Ottawa. And we got to ask about Lane Hudson. Did anyone expect. You do? Yeah.

Yeah. Cause I remember, I remember when the Canucks were in Montreal earlier in the season, Hudson played really well. And we're all like, oh my God, who's this guy? And we called it kind of, we were jokingly calling him Quinn Hughes Light, but I don't know, he's taking his game to such a high level this season. He's going to be the rookie of the year.

Did anyone expect this from Lane Hudson? Oh yeah. Yeah, a lot of people would have predicted before the season started that he'd be on the Calder ballot and they had helped that they saw him playing the NHL two games last year against a Detroit team that was playing for its life and ended up, you know, winning those two games in overtime and the shootout

and essentially got knocked out in the tiebreaker. But Hudson, all the stuff that you saw from Hudson in college came out in those two games. But most importantly, what he showed, I think like when people look at Lane Hudson, they're like, why did he go 60 second overall? Because everybody knew that he had the potential to be a star in the NHL, but nobody knew if he could play in the NHL. Like you have to have a certain floor, you have to have a certain reliability. And what he proved in those two games against Detroit last year was that the floor was there,

that he would be able to build on that floor and access the ceiling pretty quickly. And his adaptability this year, like we were just talking about Demidov coming in, how fast Hudson has adapted to the NHL style of game, doing less one-on-one stuff and using his teammates better is amazing. His talent is undeniable. His work ethic is top 1% in the league. That's the difference maker. That's what turns Lane Hudson from, oh, he's going to be a star in this league too, he's a superstar. And I don't know.

Like, I don't, I don't see anybody watching him right now saying anything other than that, but he's, he's just every single night, every single shift wants to make the difference, has the ability to, but the desire is through the roof. It's, it's, it's very impressive and he's going to be a very good role model for any other young players that are coming through here. Um, he just, his work ethic is unmatched.

So, uh, let's count it up here. You got, uh, Nick Suzuki having an unreal year cementing himself as, as a one C, something that the Habs haven't had a legitimate one for a long, long time. You got Cole Caulfield with 37 goals already. He's your best goal scoring winger. Lane Hudson doing what he's doing on the back end.

Plus you got Matheson back there who actually plays more minutes than Lane Hudson. You got Slavkowski, formal first overall pick that's rounding into form. You got Demidov on the way, so we haven't seen him, what he's going to look like in the lineup. You got a good young goalie in Sam Montembeau, who was so promising that he was on Team Canada

at the Four Nations, albeit as the third goalie. I also want to talk about a couple of vets that you guys have got in Montreal in Brendan Gallagher and Josh Anderson. Those guys together on the third line, I don't know if I'd want to play against them. Yeah, I think the key there is that they're together. You know, them with Christian Dvorak, they just play such a direct style of game.

They compliment each other perfectly. Anderson is a punishing forechecker. Gallagher has made his entire career in front of the net, so you know when Anderson's winning those battles he's got an option there the vorac is the one that everybody underestimates because his game is so vanilla and when he's not producing it's hard to even recognize when he's playing well but there's been plenty of time where he hasn't been producing and playing good hockey and he's kind of been a whipping boy in Montreal. Uh, just you put these three guys together.

They're smart, they're effective, they're efficient. Um, they've all kind of grown under Marty St. Louis in their own ways. I think it's, it's worked really well. Their experience will come in handy, especially if the Canadians punch their ticket as early as tonight. It's, it's practically already punched, but they still got to go through what they got to go through to get it done.

And I'm sure they'd like to do it with a win. And so those guys have been huge. She mentioned all those young guys too, like there's Jayden Strobel and Kayden Gouly you could add to them. There's David Ryan back around his way and Jacob Fowler signed last week. He's, if he wasn't the best goalie outside the NHL, he's up there. So there's a lot to be excited about for Canadian fans and the Laval Rocket are also in contention to finish in the top spot in the NHL.

So there was some pain suffered for this fan base for quite some time. Now it seems to be going in the opposite direction, which is good for hockey. It's great for hockey. The playoffs in Montreal are such an experience, even if you're just watching on TV, you can get a good experience out of it. I will be cheering for the Habs if they make it.

They still gotta qualify and I don't wanna jinx them, but I will cheer for them for one round. I'd never cheer for Canadian teams, but I will cheer for them for one round and then if they get to the second round, then I'll be like, oh no, they're not allowed to win it though. So enjoy this Eric. You've put in the work in the rebuild as well. So enjoy playoff hockey at the Bell Center. It's going to be a lot of fun. Yeah. All right. I'll catch up with you guys down the line. Thanks, Eric. Thanks, Eric. Hey, my microphone works. Eric Engels from Sports Night in Montreal here

on the Halifax and Bruff Show on Sports Night 650. Well, the important thing is that we kept our composure throughout all of that. We did. It was a good interview. You did a good job. You swore at me. Yeah. Off air. Yeah. Yeah. But that's- You're going to keep. You swore at me. Yeah, it's all fair. Yeah, cause you weren't, yeah, yeah. But that's-

You're gonna keep your composure, man. That's pretty par for the course. There's cameras on us. Yeah, that's fine. Are you suggesting that that was anyway different from how we normally conduct ourselves? No, it wasn't. We're not professionals.

My microphone's back though. It's pretty good. Okay, that's good. Are you gonna cheer for the Hebs? Yeah, the one question I wanna ask- For one round though, or the whole way? Would you cheer for a Cinderella run if they won the Stanley Cup? I think we've already established it.

We have to begrudgingly accept one Canadian team winning the Stanley Cup. This is based on your logic, that the Habs would be the team because they've already won a bunch of Stanley Cups. They were the last Canadian team to win a Stanley Cup. They could be the one to break the slump fine. Yeah. Um, so I'd be more than cool with them making a

run. Cause we'd still have like Toronto and Edmonton, you know. Like dead honest. You guys haven't won for a while either. Of the playoff field, the 16 teams, who would you actually consider a Cinderella? I consider Montreal one.

Oh, for sure. Maybe Ottawa. Maybe we can ask. I mean, if they got to the Stanley Cup final, that consider a Cinderella? I consider Montreal one. Oh, for sure. Maybe Ottawa? Yeah. Maybe, we can ask. I mean, if they got to the Stanley Cup final, that's a Cinderella. We can ask our guest Trevor Shackles about that, what he thinks about that.

In today's NHL for sure. In the West, if Calgary gets in, I'd consider them a Cinderella. But they won't. But they won't. I don't really think that there's much of a Cinderella narrative between either of the wild cards

in the West, the blues aren't it. Minnesota, I don't know, doesn't really have that kind of vibe to it. Montreal would be the one. So in that regard, yeah, I could absolutely get behind it. You know, it is interesting. Someone texted in, Montreal and Vancouver have the same amount of points. Yeah. I mean, the West is significantly more difficult. This should not absolve the Canucks from a, like identifying this year as a disappointment. And also there's a reason people are so excited

about Montreal is like, you see what they are right now and you're like, they could get way better too, because they've got all these young guys with good contracts and they've got a bunch of young guys who haven't really reached their peak yet. And we're talking about quality blue chippers. And you know, there's just a different in optimism. We were feeling optimistic about the Canucks

last season, Montreal's feeling optimistic about the Habs this season. It's feeling optimistic about the Habs this season. It's interesting the way Eric put it. He said, you know, there's not many teams that rebuild in such a linear fashion. Yep. Like straight line. Montreal for the most part has done it straight line.

Now watch them fall back next year. Yeah. So next year we'll see what happens to them. But right now they are very much trending in the right direction with a good, young, talented team that also has some good veterans still on the team, guys like Brenda Gallagher, who we know so well in Vancouver.

Okay. Next segment, we're going to talk to AJ and then Trevor Shackles about the Ottawa Senators. We will take some time after we speak with Trevor to do some Ask Us Anythings. Send them in to the Dunbar Lumber Text Line at 650-650. Halfords got his mic back and you're listening to the Halford and Bruff Show on Sportsnet 650.