Halford & Brough in the Morning - Waiting For The First Domino To Fall

Episode Date: June 25, 2025

In hour two, Mike & Jason discuss the latest trade rumours with Sportsnet NHL insider Nick Kypreos (1:30), plus they look ahead to Friday's NHL Entry Draft with Sportsnet's David Amber (24:13). 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.

Music 7.04 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough for the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates, BC's first 50. Albert and Brev for the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates, BC's first and trusted choice for debt help with over 3000 five-star reviews. Visit them online at sans-trustee.com. I'm just staring at me. I'm chair dancing. Yeah, just do your job. All right. I'm going to do mine. We are coming to you live from the Kintec studio.

Kintec footwear and orthotics working together with you in step. We are in hour two of the program. Hour two is Brad to make Jason Hominick a Jason dot mortgage. If you love giving the banks more of your money, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at Jason dot mortgage. To the phone lines we go, the Power West Industries hotline, Nick Caprios joins us now in the Halford and Brough show on sports.

We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports.

We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to be doing a lot of sports. We're going to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at jason.mortgage. To the phone lines we go. The Power West Industries hotline. Nick Caprios joins us now in the Halford and Bref show on Sportsnet 650. Morning Nick, how are you? Good morning guys. We're good. Rejuvenating our batteries for what the draft is in July first. And then can we relax a little bit? Is that OK?

I don't know when everyone's gonna start to relax It feels like they're relaxing right now We just spent the last half hour talking about how there's been a real dearth of activity now look we should point up GMS let's go we have had a Chris Crider trade We have had a Trevor Zeager straight a couple teams have been busy with multiple deals like Chicago's been busy Seattle's been busy, but in large part it's been very, very quiet. Everyone's just sort of tapping their foot, waiting for things to happen. When do you think things are going to really start kicking off here, Nick?

Yeah, you know, I do expect, uh, pre-draft movement. So I believe, I think we're going to see options as early as Wednesday and Thursday here. One last grasp at repositioning either in the draft order or making some significant moves to reshape a little bit of their team. But I get that we're not seeing anything of significance just yet, but it doesn't mean that they're not trying. They're making constant calls.

Some GMs are a little gun shy too, let's face it. You can go to the beach and flex your muscle all you want, but are you really gonna get into a fight? We'll see where it goes in the next little while, but I think there's a few teams trying to get real aggressive here, including Vegas. Well, let's start with Vegas. What do you think's going to happen there?

Are they the leading contender for Marner? Yeah, everybody seems to be thinking that's the case. We do know that they've made previous attempts to talk to either Toronto through either directly or indirectly with a third party. They've never been shy in terms of making bold moves. I think if we look over the course of you know since their existence in expansion they're aggressive man they are the most aggressive team by far on a constant basis so I have them at the top there's going to be some juggling going on Petrangelo is not expected back right now he's out indefinitely and whether that means season or perhaps even, you know, his, his thoughts of, of risk versus reward playing again,

remains to be seen, but that's certainly out there that would alleviate over $8 million. And then there's the thought of, of making room for Marner upfront, which could mean looking at ways to move either Carlson or Hurdle. Thomas Hurdle, there was some reports or there's some speculation that he might have been traded to Carolina. I guess some cold water was thrown on those reports afterwards, but what is the market? Are you hearing anything about hurdle possible? Or did you hear about that?

Were there talks between Carolina and Vegas? I believe that there has been, but you know, I mean, people can deny or redirect stories all day long, but you know, he's attractive and he's not making $9 million. He's just under $7 million, which today is a pretty good deal for what people may perceive as a strong second-line center man who could fill voids in a top three position. So it's an option for them. Uh, we know Jack Ikels pretty much locked in there. Uh, and if they are going to take a real serious run at Mitch Marner, they're

still going to have to be very creative, uh, moving forward here. So I think one of the challenges with this market is that there's a lot of teams that want to be aggressive. In other words, there's a lot of buyers, but there aren't many sellers, either forced sellers because of the salary cap, because a lot more people have cap space now, or just teams that are going to head into a rebuild.

The one that pops to mind, the only one that really pops to mind is, is Pittsburgh. What that pops to mind, the only one that really pops to mind is Pittsburgh. What are you hearing about what the penguins are trying to do? Well, we've got to also factor in that there's a lot of things going on behind the scenes there, including a potential ownership change here. And I think it's just just the time has come now where Kyle Dubas is gonna feel

a little bit of pressure moving forward whatever arrangement he had with the Fenway group could be jeopardized with the sale meaning that you know he may be feeling a little bit more pressure to show an advancement in this organization. Challenging times with selling tickets, public interest. So I think it's just come down to finally pushing maybe a few of the big boys to feeling uncomfortable. And I don't know what that means. We believe that Carlson's out there and can he be someone else's Seth Jones next season? That's a distinct possibility.

And then you've got some pieces outside of Crosby, Malkin and Latang that are still very attractive with Rust and Rutel. But you know, Shade's gonna stick around. He's not gonna wanna see these guys go. So it's a real commendium right now for Kyle Beavis in what direction he wants to go. But I think he may be getting sick and tired of being sick and tired there. And he may have to start leaning on some guys

to think about moving on. sick and tired of being sick and tired of doing, you may have to start leaning on some guys to, uh, to think about moving on. We're speaking to Nick Kiprios here on the Halford and Bref show on Sportsnet 650. Okay, Kipra, let's go into Tradeboard 2.0, which is up on Sportsnet.ca right now and go through some of these names. We've already parsed through a couple. Let's get to Jason Robertson out of Dallas. What's the likelihood of him being dealt? Who are the interested suitors? Do you think he'll be a Dallas star

when next season rolls around? Yeah, if they don't get an offer, they can't refuse. I think there's not the pressure to move off of them. And I think Dallas would be interested in this murder. And I don't see a world where that works at all, unless you just made the decision that you're going to move off of Jason Roberson and take his potential. Well, you're taking almost $8 million off this coming season, and you're also potentially taking off 11 or 12 million where Jason Robinson

would like to go on a new extension here. So I don't think there's huge pressure to move them but if they get on the offer and they want to feel like they can get a deal done with Mitch Marner I think it's a very good possibility you know that they'll be aggressive in that manner but This kind of goes back to what you guys just said moments ago. That's you know, how many good players are out there and how many Can move You know Jason Robinson to me and there's a few others and you guys might have one of that Cooper where you're not sure on and you guys might have one at Vancouver where you're not sure on where certain players are. We've just watched Florida Panthers win a Stanley Cup and now he's divided two categories when we

see a player and that is one that can help you get into the playoffs and two the guy that can help you win in the playoffs. And I think after watching Jason Robinson this summer, I think Dallas and Jim Miller got it. That when you look at Jason Robinson and say what category is he in? Do we believe that this is a guy that can play in scoring and playoff situations when they go and get tossed or is he more of a guy that can help score 40 goals, get you in the playoffs, and then you, you need to build an army around him. So, um, like the key decisions going on right now in Dallas.

You mentioned the Vancouver Canucks and obviously Elias Pedersen is one of the names on that trade board. And it's interesting because locally, we've actually spoken less and less about a Pedersen trade because quite frankly, we just don't see it or hear enough things to think that it might come to fruition. But a lot of the facts still remain, and it's that they're now six days away from his no trade clause kicking in on July 1. And that is still one of those deadlines that's out there based on what you've heard or what you know.

Has anything changed on the Pedersen front or is it all still pretty much the same with regards to EP 40? Yeah, I do believe it, it remains status quo there. And, uh, you know, Jim Redishford, we know is not a guy that, uh, you know, looks, you know, two to four years down the road. Um, you know, he, he likes the option now. And the only way Patterson gets moved is if he gets an offer, he absolutely can't refuse, but there's nothing to suggest that it's out there and that it just, this is what I will tell, you know, Vancouver Canuck fans

that, you know, at least from what I've experienced, which very closely over many years, don't be so scared of the no move clause. It doesn't mean that he still cannot be traded, once July 1st comes and passes. I think if it's done properly, if it's handled well in a professional manner, I think it may take time, but players need to realize that regardless of a clause that they have in their contract, careers are very short.

You don't need to spend them in places that you don't feel comfortable in or quite frankly that you're not wanted. So, you know, if it comes and goes, so be it. In both parties, either Patterson or Vancouver Canucks will react accordingly. If it doesn't work, if it's still feeling like it's not working by Christmas or February or March, you know, there's 32 teams in the league guys. Can't tell me one player because he has a no move is going to be so bullheaded. But there's only one place, you know, in North America that he's willing to play. So.

Kipper, the only, the only thing. There's no rush. There's no rush. There's no rush. I just want to push back a little bit on this because I've heard this from the Canucks as well. Right? Like don't be, don't be so worried about that no move clause, but let's play out the

scenario where the Canucks would want to trade Pedersen, right? Let's say it's next season and he comes back and his off season of training doesn't bear fruit and it still looks like he's a guy that's struggling out there, but he's got that big contract. Is there any interest in acquiring him at that

point? It's a valid point, but so is a valid point that this guy could blow out his knee and his career could be over or he could be needing hip surgery in a year or two and it's diminished his career by 30 or 40%. So I get it. I get it. There's always risks and rewards, but it wasn't too long ago you gave him this huge contract because you thought he was one of the best players in the world. So, we can sit there and debate that, you know, players have lost it, they've lost their confidence,

they're playing hurt, there are some things going on that is diminishing the player that we thought we signed that we had. But, you know, if you believed in this guy to sign them to this contract and all of a sudden you're worried about, you know, his value diminishing so quickly, then you, you get aware of that as well as an ownership and the management. But I still believe he's a, he's a heck of a hockey player. And if there's, if it doesn't come to fruition in Vancouver, then, then somebody else will see something in him.

And it, I'll go back to the Seth Jones guys, right? He was no good in Chicago. Everybody said, what happened to this guys? Um, he can't play anymore. He's lost. He doesn't, he doesn't know where to stand in his own zone. But you know what? He could still skate. He didn't get shorter. His arms didn't all of a sudden shrink to his elbows. He still could skate, move the puck, and possess the

talent that he had all along. And now you put him in an environment where it's nurturing around him, and the guy looked like an all star again. So, you know, there's someone out there that will say, if it's not going for Petey in Vancouver, it'll get going for me. And there will be value.

There will be good value, if not great value for Pedersen if and when Vancouver puts them up and starts aggressively shopping them before or after July 1st. Kipper, this was great, man. Thanks for taking the time to do it. As always, we really appreciate it. Enjoy the draft and the start of free agency. It should be a lot of fun over these next six or seven days. Always a pleasure, guys. Thanks. Thank you. That's Nick Kiprio, Sportsnet's very own from Real Kipper and born on fan 590 here on the Halford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650.

I did want to play some other audio from another NHL insider that I procured yesterday out of Edmonton. Did you know that there's consternation in the market about Evan Bouchard potentially signing an offer sheet? Oh, that's the courtesy of the mighty Chud. It was mightier than ever yesterday. market about Evan Bouchard potentially signing an offer sheet. What? Courtesy of the mighty Chud, it was mightier than ever yesterday.

Bob Stauffer, Oilers now head on Brian Lawton, former NHL general manager, now working for NHL Network. I didn't even know this was a thing until yesterday. I guess maybe Edmonton has this residual fear of offer sheets after what happened last year with Broberg and Holloway. And by the way, Bob said that he was talking about Broberg signing an offer sheet all the way back in 2023. He said he saw it on the horizon. But that's because he was upset about his role with the Oilers.

No, no, no. Broberg. I know, but I'm saying Bob saw it happening two years before it happened. He's a soothsayer. He can see things in the future. Okay. So anyway, yesterday, Bob and Brian Lawton are talking about the possibility of Evan Bouchard signing an offer sheet.

I'm like, what, I gotta hear this. Here's the audio. It's about a minute and 15 seconds. We'll let it roll. Here's, let it roll. Here's Brian Lawton on Evan Bouchard's science, potentially, potentially signing an offer sheet. If he's not signed and it drags on,

you have to remember when the timing was last year for Holloway. Yep. You know, and Broberg second week of August summer. Yep. Exactly. So in Evan's case, it's going to go much quicker because I don't think if clubs are going to offer sheet him,'s gonna happen fast and furious before July 5th. Edmonton has the opportunity on July 5th to step in and file for arbitration and protect him for another year. Clubs are very well versed on this as of course are the Edmonton Oilers so there'll be a

resolution on that if it were me I would want to sign that. But, but really it just comes down to what I said. Does he like playing with Conor McDavid, Leon Dreissel? Does he want to be an Edmonton Oil? Some players come out and they're mercenaries. They just want to make the most money. We'll see some of those guys this year at the UFA period. Evan Bouchard doesn't have that luxury as a UFA, but he may get that luxury as a restricted free agent

with an offer sheet. So that one will be a lot of fireworks. So my opinion would be best to clean that up as quick as possible. I'm not gonna lie. The only reason I'm bringing this up is I want an annual summer tradition now for someone to sign a predatory offer sheet

of an Edmonton Euler every summer. They just lose another player to an offer sheet. I think it'd be great. I think it'd be fantastic for the team. I think it'd be great for the league as one of the chief rivals here in Vancouver. I think it'd be fun to watch them get picked off summer after summer. Do you think it's going to happen? I don't know. I didn't think last summer was going to happen. Dare to dream, bro. Broker and Holloway are completely different situations.

They both played for the Edmonton Oilers. Okay, Mike, you're being disingenuous now. Those guys were willing to sign that offer sheet and go to another club because they were not happy with their situation in Edmonton. They wanted a bigger role, especially Broberg. Evan Bouchard, if he does that as a core player, that's a slap in the face to management.

When you go and force management's hand like that, especially a team like Edmonton, that is already going to have to deal with the McDavid contract and try and get better. This is what never gets discussed enough when it comes to offer sheets. You are doing something that your team doesn't want you to do and you are risking going to another team. And that says a lot about you as a teammate. It's not just negotiating. It's not just how the game is playing. When Shea Weber signed the offer sheet, it completely changed, completely

changed the relationship between him and the Nashville Predators to the point that he was just traded eventually. Remember? Like, so if Evan Bouchard does that, if I'm the Oilers, I'm like, really, man? Really? Fine, go somewhere else and go see what it's like if you don't get to skate around and pass the puck

to McDavid and Dry Settle. See how you do. Now the point I think the insider was trying to make was like, some guys are mercenaries and some guys, this is what they do. But it is very awkward at times to sign an offer sheet and come back to the team if that team offers a matches it.

Because you basically said like, all right, I don't care about the plan for the team. I care about me and I'm going to get my dollars. And I just find it hard to believe. I'd be very surprised if Evan Bouchard signs an offer sheet. Yeah, I know. It'd be great though. I'd really be looking forward to it.

I want to see disruption league wide for sure. I do wonder how any of this would impact, I mean, that's the big takeaway from all of this too, is it's like, well, how does it impact Connor McDavid? It's like the Van Korken Ox, where every move is related to Will It Appease Quinn Hughes. I think in Edmonton, everything moving forward now was, well, how does it affect Connor McDavid hanging around?

Will Connor McDavid stay? Connor McDavid addressed publicly that the future in Edmonton, it's not as crystal clear as I think people would like it to be. And I don't think it's as crystal clear as McDavid would like it to be. I mean, there's some really hard truths there about that roster. One, it old. It's an old roster. It's one of the oldest in the National Hockey League. And like a lot of teams that have contended year after year, they've sold off a lot of futures and assets and picks.

So the cupboards are a little bear. I like the narrative of people just going after them and like doing predatory stuff. And I know it's like tongue in cheek and everything that all the teams are lined up every summer to pluck another guy or try and get them to sign an offer sheet. But I do think that it's funny that in the aftermath, and part of the other interview that he had yesterday with Lawton, they still in Edmonton spend a lot of time talking about what they missed with Broberg and with Holloway as it relates to this year's cup team.

As it relates to falling short against the Florida Panthers. Could they have used what Holloway brought to the table? The answer in short is obviously yes, he had a fantastic year in St. Louis. Could they have used what Broberg had? Yeah, both of them. I mean, that's how fine the margins are in Edmonton right now is they've gone to back to back Stanley Cup finals and there's a lot, a lot hanging in the balance for the future of that team. Okay.

Before we go to break, I need to tell you a Jan pro from showrooms to stock rooms and everything in between Jan pro keeps workplaces tidy, clean and disinfected. For a free quote, visit them online at JanPro.ca. You're listening to the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Hey, it's Mick Nazar. Have your say and join me on The People's Show with big takes and even bigger bets,

weekdays three to four on Sportsnet 650 or wherever you get your podcasts. ["Hotline Baby"] It is time for David Amber, he is on the Hotline Baby. It is time for David Amber, he will talk some hockey maybe. It is time for David Amber, he is on the Hotline Baby. It is time for David Amber, he will talk some hockey maybe I'm on the hotline baby I like the mushrooms talking

I remember what I was doing at 23 pooping in my pants There's a massive butt coming here guys No one's fighting rig talking No one wants to fight rig talking I'm on the hotline baby It is, it's David It is, it's David Amber

It is, it's David, Amber. It is, it's David. He's on the hotline. 733 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday everybody. Halford Brough, Sportsnet 650. Halford and Brough in the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Learn how a consumer proposal reduces your debt by up to 80% with no more interest. Visit them online at sands-trustee.com. We are in our two of the program. David Amber, Hockey Night Canada Sports and NHL host is going to enjoy this in

just a moment here for our two, the midway point of the show. Our two is brought to you by Jason Hominuk and Jason Dow Mortgage. If you love paying too much for your mortgage, then don't let Jason shop around to find the perfect mortgage for you. Visit them online at Jason.mortgage. To the phone lines we go, the Power West Industries Hotline. David Amber joins us now on the Halford and Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, David. How are you?

Good. How are you? We're good. We're having a little bit of a connection problem here. Uh, can you just, uh, give us a little test to check one two one two to make sure that everything's okay here? Check one, two, one, two. You got me now? I'm on the hotline, baby. Ah, there we go. Excellent. Where in the world is David Emmer and have you already landed in Los Angeles for the draft? Yeah, I'm here in Los Angeles, so early morning for me, just like you guys. And it's cool.

I flew in yesterday and there were some of the prospects who are on the flight and, um, it's going to be a very Canadian heavy draft. And by Canadian heavy, I mean the lot of players from the W H L a lot of players in the OHL, uh, which is really cool to see. And, um, and a lot of eyes on Matthew Schaefer, who looks like he's pretty much a lock to go number one overall and a super, super charismatic and interesting kid who's gone through some incredible adversity. There's a feature you can find on YouTube, just type in Matthew Schafer, it's a 36 minute feature which sounds

long but it's incredible storytelling by a producer at Sportsnet named Jeremy Macalaney and it gives his whole life story and how he's risen to the number one prospect, despite breaking his collarbone and all this personal tragedy that shook him with his mother's passing last year and everything else. It's really a heartfelt story. And if you want to have a great personal interest

in watching Matthew Schafer selected first overall, I highly recommend that documentary. Yeah. I've heard a lot about his overall, I highly recommend that documentary. Yeah. I've heard a lot about his story and I'm really cheering for the guy. Um, he seems like a guy who's mature beyond his years and perhaps forced into being mature beyond his years.

A hundred percent. He came in last year and shouted us, he and his father, Todd came in and his father, Todd is a in. And his father, Todd, is a total character. Like just, he's telling jokes the whole time. And it was funny, because Matthew would be like apologizing for his father. Picture like a seven year old, he'd say, oh no, God, please, no, stop, you gotta stop.

And he came in and spent the night with us during Wednesday night hockey with Sam Cosentino and Luke Gavdik and I. It was great. He was just such a personable young man and honestly, just so incredibly mature. And again, I have, I have a 20 year old and an 18 year old and they're both mature in many ways, but just seeing everything this kid's been through and just how engaged he was, uh, was just so, so impressive.

Um, yeah, I really are fine young, you know, from a hockey perspective, just a great skater, great pop movie defenseman. Think about this, he's going to probably be the number one overall pick. He certainly held the number one ranking. And this is a guy who hasn't played since December. He broke his collarbone during the World Juniors and has missed the last five months. For him to stay as the number one pick, having played only, I think it was 22 or right, well,

he played 17 games in the OHL and another six or seven games internationally, that's the whole resume he's put out. And he's still maintained the number one spot. That speaks volumes about how good a player he is. Can you tell the listeners how watching the draft this year might be different because of the way things are operating with the draft this year might be different because of the way things are operating with the draft this year. It's a different, yeah, it's decentralized.

So all the teams, so, you know, Patrick Alveen and Jim Rutherford and the gang are not going to be in LA. They are going to be in their situation rooms. Every team is going to be in their own little bunkers figuring things out. So if team A wants to make a trade with team B instead of seeing, you know, one GM walk across the draft floor or seeing the phones being picked up, we're not going to have, we're not going to be

privy to that. All the players, the families, the agents will all be here in Los Angeles. Where instead of being in a big hockey arena, we're in the Peacock Theater, which I believe is where they have the Emmys. I'm heading out there in a couple hours to check out the venue. It's supposed to be a nice intimate setting. So it's gonna be a little bit different. Having said that, we're gonna have wall-to-wall comprehensive coverage,

Sam Cosentino, Jason Bucola, and Colby Armstrong, and Elliot Friedman will be down on the floor. We will have remote cameras in all the different situation rooms. Friedman will be down on the floor. We will have remote cameras in all the different situation rooms so you will be able to hear what they're saying but you'll be able to see if there's a frenetic you know debate you know if Pittsburgh's on the clock and Kyle Dubis and the assistant GMs are having a whole you know we'll be able to see that so we'll still be privy kind of fly on the wall but yeah it's going to have a different feel to it. They're going to bring out celebrities and being in LA, they're going to bring out celebrities to announce, uh, the

picks. So I think commissioner Batman will, will do a few of the picks, but instead of them doing all of the picks, uh, you're going to have, you know, think of who are the big fans of different teams and you're gonna have the, you know, the, the Adam Sandler's of the world picking for Boston or whatever so it's going to be interesting that'll be a fun little part of it just knowing that there'll be different sort of voices heard and I'm sure they'll butcher the names and it'll be pretty hilarious in some of the local celebrities try to give out some of these tough European names yeah so I think it'll have a

different wrinkle to a guys but they're trying to make it fun and certainly at the end of the day, it's less about the razzle-dazzle. It's really just more about the players and their families. This is a tough, tough journey. The amount of sacrifice and discipline it takes to come a first round draft pick in the NHL. Think about how many kids around the world are playing hockey and for you to be in those top 32, that's what this is all about. So yeah, we take the show really seriously.

It's the, it's the kids' day to shine and we want to make sure we do that. Um, do you think we'll see some trades? We're dying for trades here in Vancouver, David, absolutely dying for some sort of, uh, movement. Um, and the Canucks, the, their AHL team, of course, so just won the Calder Cup. So that might've delayed some moves. It's possible, but we're grasping at straws here, wondering how Jim Rutherford and Patrick Alveen are going to pull off all the changes they want

to make this off season when it seems like 99% of the league, well, maybe not Pittsburgh, but everyone else is also trying to improve their teams and they have the cap space to do it. Yeah. I love that shot of our team. of the league while maybe not Pittsburgh, but everyone else is also trying to improve their teams and they have the cap space to do it. Yeah. I love that shot of Arthur Silov's with the net around him and the MVP trophy and the championship called their cup.

And it was a really cool shot of him. And I'm so happy for Manny Malholtra and that gang. I wonder what's going to happen with Malholtra. That to me would be a fear for the Canucks, like make sure he stays in the organization. I don't know what you do to appease him, but I mean he clearly has the pedigree of a championship coach. So that's something to keep an eye on. I do think it's gonna be busy. I'm not based in this. I'm not an insider as you know, but when I talk to our insiders, Alex Elliott Friedman, he is saying there's a lot of teams with the cap going up,

the likes of Elliott Friedman, he is saying there's a lot of teams with the cap going up, you know, with ownership groups now, they're not multi-millionaires, they're billionaires. So for a lot of these guys, for a lot of these groups that own teams, this is their little sort of prize, you know, it's like I want to trot this out, I want the Stanley Cup, we're gonna battle hard. So you have a lot of teams I think who are trying, who've been quiet in the last six, seven years. Columbus, Anaheim, San Jose. You know, you have a lot of teams. Chicago clearly needs to revamp things that are desperate. And we've got a lot of cap space. We want to make a splash. How do we do that? We don't necessarily see as much out there on the free agent there's only so many good free agents that could be added so what's the other path to improve your team you trade

prospects you trade picks and you pick up bona fide NHL players so I think there's going to be significant movement and it could happen in the next 48 hours leading into the draft last year there was only a handful of deals on draft day guys and they were mostly just shuffling pick for pick, so it wasn't a big deal. But this year, I think certainly there's the promise of a lot more movement happening. Which Canadian team are you most curious about?

I'm not asking you to play favourites here, but I think Vancouver could be compelling. Edmonton obviously, what are they going to do with their goaltending situation and what are they going to do with their goaltending situation and what are they going to do with some of the contracts that they've got that they might want to move off of like a Vander Kane. Then there's Toronto. They've got some replacing to do if Mitch Marner

moves on and John Tavares. Even Montreal and Ottawa, they want to improve their team as well. Who am I leaving out? Calgary and Winnipeg. Yes, I agree. No, I mean, yeah, I, I, listen, I think you kind of hit on the compelling ones. I think the obvious, you know, really front and center interesting one is Edmonton

just because they're coming off another Stanley Cup final loss and they have a group of free agents, they sort of went veteran and old last year are they going to abandon that and try to get younger and a little bit more dynamic and clearly the goaltending situation reared its head all through the Stanley Cup playoffs so what are they going to do there but to me the sneaky interesting team to keep an eye on are the Montreal Canadiens. Kent Hughes has been very stealth very stealth in his time as GM. They have a lot of drop capital, a lot of picks in the next few years, and they're

at a stage now where they've seen the maturation of Nick Suzuki, of Cole Caulfield, clearly Lane Hudson coming off his rookie of the year win. They probably are saying, it's not like our window is now to win, but we want to keep moving in the right direction. We made the playoffs, that's great. And now we want to do some damage in the playoffs. And I think they have the opportunity with their draft capital prospects and everything else to go and add some bonafide players to their lineup, NHL ready guys.

So I expect Kent Hughes to stealthily be doing something interesting. The Canadians have back to back picks it. I I think what is it 16 and 17 so those are two good you know legitimate prospects they could dangle out there potentially so I want to keep an eye on Montreal I'm very interested there you mentioned Vancouver and Toronto as well and obviously there's some big big you know questions there in both those markets but I just you know I think we've been talking about it ad nauseam, you know, what's going to potentially happen there. I don't think that's sort of going to be surprised anyone, but Montreal and

Edmonton, I think are the ones that could do something, you know, what if Edmonton goes out and gets a, you know, a different goaltender or what if they go and they allow some of these veterans to leave or move some of these veterans as you know, as you suggested there in the Vander Cane. So I think there could be some real and they're also trying obviously on July 1st, the opportunity to resign Connor McDavid, that's going to be become a massive talking point. And it's probably not going to happen on July 1st, but that's going to be this big kind of shadow hanging over the team until they lock him down.

So there's a lot of interest this off season in the Canadian markets. Look, I mean, if you want to look at how this draft might unfold and I know everyone's going to have eyeballs at the top of the draft, like they always do, who's going to go first, second, third, probably that top five. But if you look at it, when you get to the right after number 10, you got Pittsburgh going back to back at 11 and 12, then you've got Vancouver at 15.

And we've obviously talked a ton about them potentially moving that pick. You just pointed out Montreal goes back to back after that at 16 and 17 and then at 18 it's Calgary the other Canadian team that has two first-round picks because they get the 32nd pick the final pick of the first round as well. So if you want to talk about where things could get really interesting in terms of moving and shaking I do wonder if right in the middle right after it gets to number 10 if we could see some real movement because it's Canadian teams That are interested in making moves that have picks at their disposal And this is supposed to be a draft where you know trades are supposed to happen because you've gotten away from the centralized model

And you've got teams in their situation rooms being able to maybe have a little bit more flexibility I do wonder if that could be the action time for the draft. A hundred percent. And there's not, and there's a lot of construction though. You might find that time in the rough, but it also could not work out for you. Um, you know, in talking to scouts and talking to different people closer to the, to the, to the juniors than I am, they'll say, look, there's a lot of potential there, but there's not a lot of locks like guaranteed.

Oh wow. This guy's going to be a top two defenseman. This guy's not six forward. So that being the case, there should be a bit more movement. One thing I'll say about Calgary is there's a lot of talent coming from the WHL this year and for the last 20 plus years, they've always selected someone from the WHL, I fully expect Astrid to continue and most likely in the first round when

that pick. So yeah, it makes for a lot of intrigue guys and you know again, it's all about timelines. It's all great and dandy to add a prospect but if you're you know Edmonton, it's much less about adding a prospect and it's about getting bonafide dice there. And you say the same about Toronto. Um, and you can say the same about a lot of the other top tier teams. And that's what, that's what makes it interesting. You'd also mentioned the multiple picks. It's a strange draft in that sense, guys, for some things, for 10 teams, they don't have a pick in the first round. 10 teams. That's a lot. And eight teams have multiple picks. 10 teams, that's a lot, right? And eight teams have multiple picks, a couple.

Might have lost him. We're gonna leave him with that, multiple picks. Call him back, say thank you for the hit today. Tell him we love his work. We're always happy that he joins the program. Have a great time in Los Angeles at the draft and we'll do it again next week when we will be into day two of free agency.

That's David Amber, Hockey Night Canada, Sportsnet NHL host here on the Haliford and Brough show on Sportsnet 650. It is hilarious, hilarious if you do a lot of the reading how many teams are now more than open and willing to move their first round pick. So yesterday, the general manager of the Buffalo Sabres, Kevin Adams, had his media availability ahead of the draft.

And we don't need any more picks. He said, we will be open to moving the ninth overall selection in this year's draft, among other things. He said he's not going to buy out. Mattias Samuelson said they're working on a deal to extend Alex Tuck. So that was some of the stuff out of Buffalo. So it's funny because the team. Chicago's willing to move number three to after Buffalo at number 10.

Is the Anaheim Ducks? Well, lo and behold, Pat Verbeek two days ago did hit some media availability in the wake of the Trevor Ziegler's trade. And he said that he's looking at moving the 10th overall selection because obviously the Anaheim Ducks are making moves to try and be more competitive this season. Maybe we want to take a step forward. Maybe they'll move off the number 10 pick.

We mentioned Pittsburgh yesterday. They got word that in addition to the 11th overall selection, the Rangers were giving them the pick number 12 instead of giving them next year's pick. So Pittsburgh now goes back to back at 11 and 12. I would suggest that of all these teams that have multiple picks, Pittsburgh's probably the one that would make the selections. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Stockpile for the future. Acquire some more even. But you never know. Montreal at 16 and 17 is very interesting. I think Montreal could be in competition for the Canucks for a young centreman. And the thing with Montreal is that, you know, I read an article that Eric Engels wrote the other day for Sportsnet.

And to paraphrase it, basically it was like, the Habs want to make moves, but they don't need to make moves. Right. And there was an illusion to them not needing to try and square peg round hole. Right. Make that sort of move.

They don't want to peg. Okay. And I, and I kind of thought, oh, the Canucks are going to square peg round hole it, aren't they? Like, and I think like the name that comes up is Marco Rossi, right? Yep. That's the young center that a lot of people have talked about. And in some ways, his most attractive trait seems to be that he's available.

I know he had good production in the regular season, and then his role in the playoffs was diminished against a big Vegas team. We're almost like old school now with, we've gone back to like, are you big enough to play in the playoffs? Are you strong enough to play in the playoffs? So guys like Marco Rossi, there was a time where the smaller players were more and more welcome in the NHL. And I think they still are, but there's still that, yeah, I wish you were a bigger thing. My point, my overall point, I'm sorry I'm rambling, my point is that Montreal is in a position where they can pass on deals, I think,

more than the Canucks, because the Canucks, number one, have said, we are gonna make moves. For sure we are going to do that, and Montreal does not have a Queen Hughes situation. I consider a number of the names that Vancouver's been attached to this off season as being square pegs. I think J.J. Paterka is one of those.

I'm not sold on Paterka being a great solution, especially for the Vancouver Canucks. If you talk about to anyone that followed his time in Buffalo, fans and, or media, two of the biggest complaints were a lack of defensive awareness and long stretches of like long dry spells. They were majorly inconsistent player. Now at the end of the year, the numbers look kind of okay. Yeah.

Right? 25, 30 goals, 65, 70 points. You also have to give them the Buffalo excuse. You got to give them, you're in Buffalo. We don't blame you all that much if you weren't. Yeah. Right. 25. You also have to give them the buffalo excuse. You got to give them, you're in Buffalo. We don't, we don't blame you all that much. If you weren't sure. Super excited to play every game. And a lot of guys have thrived under the Buffalo escape plan, right? There's countless players that got out of Buffalo

and they thrive. So I do understand that it's a little bit different, but in the, in both cases of Rossi and Piterka. Yeah. I know what you're saying. You're looking at them and you're saying like, are these great fits or are these great fits that are available to us? And those are very different things.

Those are very different things. Hey, we got three minutes until the break. Will you allow me to discuss what happened last night at the gold cup? Do you think now's a good time to do it? Because we haven't done it at all. So Canada, on the good side of things, capped off their gold cup group campaign in good fashion.

They won the group. They beat El Salvador, two nil. They will now take on Guatemala in the quarterfinals. They did what they were supposed to do. They won the group. They advanced. They get an easier opponent in the quarterfinals. That's the Coles notes version of the story. What happened yesterday against El Salvador in hot and sweaty Houston? Yeah, El Salvador came in and sweaty Houston. Yeah. El Salvador came in with a bee in their bonnet.

They were hot and they played hot. It was a debacle of a match. I think it ended up being in the first 35 minutes of the match, 14 fouls, three yellow cards, one red, and then a second red for El Salvador just prior to the half, which ultimately left them down nine men. There was also a missed penalty, a safe penalty. Jonathan David for Canada was stopped by the El Salvadorian keeper. There was an El Salvadorian physio therapist that got red carded at the half as well. You always want to red card the physio guys. They're always the chirpiest.

Right. Yeah. In the end, Canada scored two goals against nine men, hundred or El Salvador in the second half. I wish they'd scored more. So here's the thing. That was a bad two man advantage. They had you got to, you got to get more than two goals.

If you have a 45 minute two man advantage, that power play's got to click. Here's the thing. That power plays got a click. Here's the thing. I don't know how good Canada is right now after three stages, after three matches in the group stage of the gold cup. I think they have the possibility and the potential to be very good, but they haven't shown it nearly enough over the three matches for me to be sure if they are. I like Jesse Marsh a lot. I think everyone knows that if they listen to the program, then he's a good manager. I like his energy.

I like his enthusiasm. But I think he sometimes gets a little too caught up in the moment. And this moment for him, this gold cup was all about we're going to show off how deep and how talented this program really is. We're not just Alfonso Davies. We're not just Jonathan David. We've got all of this depth in this program now. One of the complaints of the team that went to the World Cup in Qatar was that after the starting 11, it got pretty thin.

I think Jesse Marsh wanted to rewrite that narrative, and it hasn't really happened. I don't know why he needed to go to so many great lengths. So I got this. They played three different combinations of starting midfield pairs. Yeah, they started three different center back duos, two different forward combinations, and they changed the goalie all in the span of three matches to the point where it's it looked

Disjointed and they had a lack of cohesion And it just seemed like it was janky like no one knew how to play with each other And then I put my hand up in the back of the class and I'm like it's because they never get to play with each other They're already star always starting new lineups, and they've already it's very it's like you know when Canada goes to these international like the lineups and they've already it's like you know when Canada goes to these international like the four nations or the Olympics yeah and sometimes they bring along ready-made pairs on defense or a couple guys who play together on a forward line it saves him a car they know each other yeah it's you know they got some chemistry built in chemistry Canada didn't really have that going

into the tournament they had some guys that were familiar playing with one another but it seemed like that was never a priority to make them play more together so they got even more cohesion. It was very janky, the whole thing. Well. Yesterday was a, I classified as the second consecutive painful, painful watch. And yeah, it had a lot to do with how dirty

El Salvador was and how reckless they were. But Canada didn't exactly shine in those moments. So, so you're just worried that Canada is going to show up to the world cup and you're going to be like, I don't know what they're going to look like. Is that, is that. I'd like.

Or how they're going to be. I think everything right now should be putting polish on this is what we're going to look like. Like. Is it too early for polish though? How many more opportunities are they going to get in matches that mean something? From here on out, it's friendlies.

But I think this, this now, the, the, the knockout stage is Polish time. So why not do a little bit of polishing in the lead up to the knockout stage? It just seems like there was a lot of playing with food. Okay. Yeah, I got that. You know, and it's like, why? Well, he's trying to learn the team. He's still quite new to the team.

But he is, though. But there's a lot of guys there that have played that are not going to factor in. They're not right there. Now, they come all Miller is not going to be a contributing member of the team. So why play him at all? Mm hmm. Is it to keep him around? Is it to make him feel good?

Is it to show that you've got more than three centerbacks, I guess? But why do you think he's going to make the World Cup squad? I'd put it at 50-50. Maybe he's one of the last guys on it and he's not going to see the pitch. If he sees the pitch, it means something's gone really bad. Right. So I would say, figure out what your best team looks like. I don't think Canada is in a position where they can play with their food. They still need to go out and win and win with regularity. And they should be smoking Honduras,

Curacao and El Salvador. And they only did that once. Yeah. Do it all three times. Anyway, there's my little rant. Okay, well, let's see if the Guatemala matches the Polish match. Right?

Now I've got Guatemala in a knockout match. OK, before we go to break, I need to tell you about the Vancouver Giants. It's never too early to get your Vancouver Giants season's tickets. Tickets started under $19 Vancouver Giants dot com forward slash season tickets. Coming up on the other side of the break, more Canucks talk. Satyar Shah is going to join us next on the Howford and Rough show on Sportsnet 650. El Salvador came in with a bee in their bonnet. They were hot. Perhaps you have a bee in their bonnet. They were hot.

Perhaps you have a bee in your bonnet.