Halford & Brough in the Morning - Who Are The Top Canucks Prospects Now?

Episode Date: July 1, 2026

In hour three, Mike & Jason get a Canucks update from analyst Randip Janda (2:59), plus the boys talk all things World Cup with Sportsnet soccer reporter James Sharman (24:57). 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.

It's Randipe. Randibe Janda time. It's Randipe Janda. It is Randy. Randy Janda. Talking hockey now. 8.02 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody.

Happy Canada Day, everybody. It is Halford. It is Brough. It is Sports Night 650. Halford and Brub of the morning is brought you by Sands and Associates. All their clients. say, I wish I'd called them sooner. If you're ready to be debt-free, why wait?

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Go above and beyond this summer with Beyond Basic Eyewear. The worst thing is just basic eyewear. You need to go beyond. You got to go to Beyond Basic Eyewear, visit them at 1052, Austin Avenue in Coquitlam or online or online at Beyond Basic Eyewear.com. Can I get through a read?

You're like, do you have any basic eyewear? Get out. Don't interrupt the weeds. Go down the words. the road to subpar eyewear. I need to be interrupting me because he wants to say that Nick Robertson got traded to Pittsburgh. Kyle Dubus. I was pointing to my head. I said that's next level.

Why? Why just get basic eyewear where you can go beyond basic? You're basic. You're basic. That's what you are. Also, it does sound as though we have a Robertson trade. Just not the one everyone was thinking about. Nick Robertson traded from Toronto to Pittsburgh, this according to Pierre LeBron. Also, we've got the return now. Full details. Yeah. So, as we heard

on our show, during our hit with Elliot Friedman, he left us to break this trade live during the Halford and Brough show, Maverick Bork on his way to Nashville from Dallas. The Preds are sending a second and third rounder to Dallas along with Oh, sorry, Nashville's also

going to Ilya Labuskin to Nashville. So it's my favorite French player. Lubushkin. Lebrun and Lubushkin. Ilya Lubbushkin and Maverick Bork to Nashville. Preds send a second and third round pick to Dallas. Let's go now to the ABLE Auctions Hotline.

Our next guest is a presentation of bells and whistles. Randy Janda joins us now on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, Randy. How are you? Good morning, gentlemen. Excuse me. And happy Canada Day as well. Happy Canada Day to you as well. You sound like me yesterday.

My voice was absolutely shattered. So don't worry about it. No apologies needed. It's all good. World Cup is really grinding my voice down, guys. I'm putting in a shift every other day, and it's taking a toll. I feel it, brother. Did you see those scenes in Mexico last night?

Oh, yeah. Wild. Just wild. Even Granville Street was wild. Not Mexico wild, though. Jackpool Plaza yesterday. I think in part of that I had to do with the fact that there was no fan fest yesterday at the P&E, right?

It was closed. So there was different places. But Jack Pool Plaza was like a couple thousand Mexican supporters. Oh, there was remarkable. It's a nice place to watch a game. You got a good view. Pretty great. Okay.

we got to focus on the task at handle and that is July 1, that is free agency. All the news going around the National Hockey League and then the Vancouver Canucks. Now, pair moves already in the books. Nils Hoaglander out. Brendan Gallagher is in. Let's get a quick synopsis on those two moves

from your perspective, Randy, before we move on to what the Canucks might do today and beyond. Yeah, I think with the Brendan Gallagher deal, let's start with that one. I think if it's not consensus, it's near consensus of what this guy brings at this point in his career and at this point in the rebuild for the Vancouver

Connect's compete level keeps the standards high. And I think Brandon, and based on what he was saying a couple of days ago, he wants to show the NHL that he can still produce. This is a player that's one year removed from 21 goals. So there's motivation on the player's side, not only from a character perspective, but also to show that, hey, there's still some game left here. And, you know, he's going to get that opportunity in Vancouver

to play up the lineup in certain situations. Now, guys, for the Neal's Hoaglander move, well, this one is one we saw coming, right? Like, it's been talked about the last few years, and it was a matter of when do you get the right deal, when do you get the motivation to make that deal, and this is a player that despite having that one season of 24 goals, just never got the trust of any of the coaches he played for,

whether it's Travis Green, Bruce Woodrow, Rick Tawket, or Adam Foote. So, you know, the biggest gap for him and something he's going to have to figure out in Nashville is, you know, that decision-making, you know, making the right read at the right times and executing. Listen, any NHL coach is going to focus on that. But, you know, you get a new start in Nashville. You get maybe the heaviness that he might have had in the last couple of years,

especially with that injury last season. Perhaps he can, you know, wipe that and clean and start afresh. But, you know, the biggest gap for Neal's is, and if those back to his days in Sweden is, can you make those right reads at the right time? And, you know, he sometimes hangs under the puck too long. Sometimes he blows his own. you got to, there's no NFL coach that's going to allow that unless you're producing 40 or 50 goals of season.

Ryan Johnson spoke a lot about role definition in the wake of the Nils Hoaglander trade. And I'm just wondering how difficult it was for Nils to gain the trust of his coach without being a part of the special teams. It wasn't on the power play and he wasn't penalty killing. So it was one of those things where you're, you know, when he wasn't scoring goals, it was like, what would you say you do here? Yeah, and I think on the first side of things, when you're talking about the power play, because that 24-goal season,

all of those goals were even-strength goals. So even when he was, you know, clicking and bring that 5-on-five game, Jason, it was based on the five-man unit. And I think with, you know, you have other players that could probably produce at a power play level. You look at what Jake DeBrus was able to do,

and you look at what Linus Carlson was able to do in limited power play. time too. So, you know, I think there are better players for that role. But when Nealz was scoring those 24 goals five on five, or, you know, he was able to get to the middle of the ice. He was able to make the right decisions at the right time that season. And how many of those goals were, you know, tips or battling for rebounds? I found in the last couple of years, he just wasn't able to get to that spot, even five on five, forget the power play. So in order to earn that spot you have to gain the trust yet again you have to show that you can you know play well in your

five-on-five game it didn't happen to the power play and on the pk he really truthfully didn't have the trust of any coach you know defensively so you would never be able to be on the pk and you know this is a guy even during his 24-goal season he was averaging just above 12 minutes of ice time so you know when you're producing that much it comes down to trust and unfortunately adding that other wrinkle, that other, you know, that specialist role, whatever it may have been, you know, he wasn't able to do that in Vancouver. Perhaps it can happen to Nashville, but, you know, you have to add that, hey, this is my niche in the NHL in order to be an everyday player. What do you expect the Canucks to target today in free agency?

High character, individuals who can support and, you know, work alongside young players to build that better culture. You need that compete to be high. This is not simply an, in locker room role. This is going to have to be, you know, a role where there's a lot of pushback. There's a bit of spine on a player where, you know, you're essentially saying there might not be the easiest of nights with a younger roster, but who, as a veteran, can handle that and who can help motivate their team to lean in. So, you know, if I'm the Vancouver Canucks, and I think this is the way it's going to be

based on the vision that Ryan Johnson has described. It's short-term deals, players that click, but also players that can, you know, you can flip in the future at the deadline, whether it's this deadline or next season or other short-term deal. So I look at two positional needs. I think first we talked about it. Veteran

defensemen, somebody who can kill penalties, essentially taking over the Derek forbert role. So there's going to be some veteran defensemen available. So you've got your potentially to pick from, but like with a weaker free agent class, you know, there's going to be a lot of teams

that might be interested in that profile. And the other type of player I'm looking at is a Teddy Bluger replacement, essentially. He is hitting the free market. If he leaves, you're going to need somebody that can work the penalty kill minutes. You're going to need somebody who's decent draws. And there are a couple of veterans centermen out there that could fill that role if Teddy doesn't leave. Do you think the Canucks will continue to ship any players out today? That's the one thing.

I think the draft to me was something. I understood why they kind of sat that out. because, you know, there are other deals going on. There was a younger player profile that was being moved around the draft. Most of the players were 25 or younger. And even today, as Elliot Friedman broke on your show, the Maverick Boardfield kind of continues to go with that. I think there is a secondary market that is going to develop with veteran players.

The three-agent class is not a strong one. So, therefore, you start looking at other players that might be able to fill that void. And I think, you know, the name that's been talked about a lot in this market is Jake DeBrusk, at $5.5 million, you know, having that cost certainty. Like that's the player that I look at and say, if there's a team that is interested, and I would assume there is, you know, that's a player you could say, hey, in our, maybe he's not a top line player, but on our second line, on our power play, that is a guy that gets to his spots and score his goal.

So I certainly look at that contract specifically to say, if there's a secondary market that develops for more veteran players, 25 and above, whether that's today or whether that's in a day or two after essentially the player's the top end of this player pool and free agency is gone. I see that with Jake DeBrus. Now, the question, guys, is, does Jake DeBrus want to leave? Does he want to go to a specific team? Does he want to go to, you know, three or four teams?

Or, you know, where is that decision making at? He's got a no-move clause, which, you know, he's earned. So it's about the market. I think the market will be there, whether that's today or an account. couple of days, it also comes back to, you know, Jake DeBrusk and when he signed in Vancouver, he wanted to come to Western Canada, you know, has that idea of wanting to stay in Western Canada or the West Coast in general, has that changed? Or is there going to be a little bit more of a, you know, an open mindset in the sense that he's, you know, available to go wherever? So

those are kind of the couple of things that I factor in. But no doubt, I think for a, there will be a market that develops for the 25 and above either today or the next couple of days. Okay, Randy, I'm going to make you think now, which is not something that actually happens a lot on this show, but I'm going to ask you to do it pretty early in the morning. The Canucks kids are out in Abbotsford for Prospects camp in the wake of the draft. In the order from 1 through 5, who are your top 5 Canucks prospects? And while you think about it, I'm going to tell you that the three young

defensemen that played in the NHL last season, so V-Lander, Boullium, and DPD are no longer eligible to be prospects. We will allow Jonathan Lecker-Macky to still be a prospect. Your top five, starting with number one,

go. Okay. I'm going to, off the top of my head here, let's go, Caleb Mulhofero, number one. Third overall in the draft center, premium position. He's number one on the list. Number two, Braden Toots, another premium position. You've got an individual that is, he showed something last year, right? It was tougher. I think as the, you know, after camp ended and you can see him process the game well, but he's still

a very young player. And I think his just his leadership and his skill will come to the fore with every, you know, five to ten games that he plays, whether that's at the pro level, at the HL level or the NHL, but you can see he was kind of thrown the deep end, and I love the way he responded. Lekker-Mackie at number three for me, I know the stock has fallen a fair bit just based on his maybe his perimeter game

at the HL level. He's had production, but at the NHL level, it hasn't happened yet, but he still got that one-shot ability. I look at Adam Navatney as probably number four in my list, and the reason I say that is, for the same questions that there are, are around Lekker-Machy of can he play the NHL style of game early on

and Navatine just got drafted. I totally understand that. There's a long way to go. But he can score goals at the junior level. But his two-way game as well as something that is, you know, something that has been lauded. We talked to his coach Rob Wilson from the Peterborough piece and said, this guy's going to make it because he's, you know, he's got that two-way game.

I trust him in all situations. And just hearing that, that's why I would. probably say for me, he's at that level where I put in the top four. And the fifth one is the one that I'm kind of... Yeah, it's tough for me. This is a tricky one for me. If I'll be honest with you, um,

like perhaps Medvedev. Yeah. Like, you know, he's, yes. So he had a tough year last year. But, you know, beyond that,

I would say still, you know, somebody that's well thought of in, in the hockey circles and the prospect circles, unless I'm, missing somebody here that is, you know, I think Kudriathsev could be seen in that mold as well. He's played NHL games. He still hasn't officially graduated to the NHL level yet. So give me Carol, based on he's the next one. I think he's going to play sturdy minutes in the NHL.

He's a guy that you can put in high pressure situations. You showed that in, you know, the Calder Cup playoffs. Does he have a super high ceiling? Probably not. But is he a guy that can take that next step. So give me a kudriat seven, I think an honorable mention to Medvedev right after that. Yeah. And then another guy that some people might wonder about is Rikowski, who was almost a first rounder this season. He's going to be. And some books he was, right? Based on where he was projected, some people had him as a first rounder. I'm really curious about him because he sounds like a bit of a project, but he's also big and sounds like an athlete. Yes. And, you know, there was that discussion of did they take the most skilled player or could they take a more skill in that

spot, but when you're 6-7, you're 235 pounds, and I think most importantly for this organization, your right-shot center, which is, you know, they don't have many of those. They've got two right now in their pipeline. That one is to me, like a bit of a I think the big question mark, and

you know, he is big, right? He's one of the biggest prospects in the draft. He had a great season in the OHL. I just, you know, I don't, like, you know enough about him, but there's also that question of size and skill is he at that level. And I guess we'll find out with, you know, obviously the camp,

but as the season goes on, of is he that player that can take that next leap? 33rd overall in 2026, you're right. He's in that discussion. But I would probably have a player like Kudriath, that's a little more NH already just above him. And Medvedev based on some of the things we heard about him from last year rather than this year. Okay, Randy, before we let you go, tell us about your buddies at bells and whistles. All right, it's a big day, as you guys know.

I know you guys are going until 10 a.m. today on the show, but that final hour might be a little quiet. Bells and whistles is the place to watch England versus Democratic Republic of Congo today at 9 a.m. So it sounds going to be on there, open early. If you have

some time off work or maybe you're not working because of Canada Day as well, head over 3296 Fraser Street right in the Fraser Hood to catch that match and all the others today. Boys, I might be flipping in there as well at some point. I'm going to swing by Rogers Arena today, but like I said, I can't get enough of the World

Cup. So you might see me there as well. Cool, man. Enjoy the day. It should be a good one. Cheers, boys. Randy Janda, SportsNet 650's very own here on the Halford & Breft Show on SportsNet 650. I do have an update on the Jake DeBrusk file. This comes

courtesy Ryan Rashog out of Edmonton. No dialogue between the Canucks and Jake DeBrusk's camp about waiving his no trade as free agency approaches. For now, looks as though he's staying. And one of the reasons this is coming out of Edmonton is that he's a possibility for the Oilers. And they were wondering about him. Yeah, be curious to know if that evolves at all. As they say in the biz,

one phone call can change everything. As they also say in the biz, we'll monitor the situation. A lot of monitoring going on around here. Okay. Before we go to break and we are going to do some Canadian soccer talk on the other side, James Sharman's going to join us at 830. Let's get you up to speed with some of these stories that are percolating out there. The Nick Robertson trade from Toronto to Pittsburgh. This is obviously Kyle Dubus getting one of his guys.

Kyle loves his guys. He drafted him in Toronto many years ago. He's now on his way to Pittsburgh. That's Nick Robertson, not Caldubis. He's already there. Fourth round pick going back to the Maple Leafs there. According to Pierre LeBron, here's an interesting one.

Claude Giroux, who many thought would end his career, playing an Ottawa, appears as though he's ready to leave Ottawa in free agency and potentially return to the Philadelphia Flyers. Pierre's hearing that there could be a reunion there with Klojuru going back to Philly, which would be if not staying in Ottawa, the other fitting end to his career if he has to play out the string there. Two places that like me. Ottawa for Philly. Out of Edmonton also, Mark Spector is reporting that Connor Ingraham and the team

have decided that they're not going to re-up and Ingram's going to go to free agency. Speck is saying that's not so much a story about Ingram, but the fact that the Edmonton Oilers have something in the hopper at the goal tending position. I know they've been tied to, I think it's Devin Levi, right? There was some connection there. Maybe they could make another move in that, but you wrap the top of the show. So Ingram's done. Yeah.

Calvin Pickard, he's, he's a UFA, right? Yeah, I think they had already ruled that one out. Moving on from him. So they got Tristan Jari and There's a goalie to be named And I don't know who that goalie is going to be Well, do they have to move out Jari too? Can you?

I don't know what you do there Sneak him in in the Darnell nurse trade Oh it's like no it's both of them To me that might have been the worst move That Bowman made last year Because somehow He made the goalie position worse And it wasn't great to start with

I think we all knew that, but it was a terrible decision. It did not go well. And now they've got to clean up a mess that quite honestly they didn't have to make in the first place. They would have probably been just as good going with the rotation that they had. And they would have been out of the contract now because Skinner's a free agent, right? So they would have been totally different, it wouldn't like clean slate going into this. To me, it wasn't even about getting this lateral move at goalie. It was like, you've got, he's got a worse contract.

He showed zero signs that he was going to come to Edmonton and turn around. And to make matters worse. and you and I talked about this on the show, Jari's remarks and the way that he approached the job and the opportunity and the role, it seemed like it really rubbed some people the wrong way. 100%. Like it just, I think it was the worst move that Bowman made there last year.

So there's a lot going on in the National Hockey League right now. Weirdly enough, a half hour ahead of free agency, the Giroux one is the only real hint that we've got of an actual signing that could be on the horizon. and no early leaks about guys that might sign elsewhere. Now, not entirely unexpected. No one anticipated this was going to be a very exciting or quite frankly busy free agent period.

No, no leaks in the P. No. Well, that's not exactly true. The trades that have happened got leaked. The extensions that have yet to be confirmed, including the Bowen Byram deal from earlier, that got leaked. But it doesn't sound like we got a lot of guys changing locations as pure UFAs right now. Do we pass along the news that it looks like,

New Jersey is going to extend Nico Heeshire. Yeah, we did that one earlier in the show. So the joke, that's a big deal because people thought like, well, this guy might be available with new management in New Jersey. That was my joke earlier where I said, because Kevin Weeks reported and said it'll be

around just shy of 12 million per and I said, I wonder if he will hit the elusive $11.6 million A.A.V. He's one above Pee, one, $100,000. $1.7, 11.7. So Nico Heard.

sure comes in on a five-year deal at 11.7 million per, as Jason mentioned, a hundred K more than Elias Pedersen at 11.6. So that's a big deal for New Jersey and that locks them up down the middle for the foreseeable future, although who knows what's going to happen with Jack Hughes. There's a lot going on in and around the National Hockey League. But as I mentioned, we are going to take a step away in the next segment. James Sharman, who's joined us every Wednesday throughout this World Cup, is going to continue to do it today. Saturday, 10 a.m. Pacific. It's Canada and Morocco. in the round of 16. We will preview it with James next. We will also preview the match that is going to kick off in a half hours time. England and the Democratic Republic of Congo from Atlanta. That is at 9 a.m. So we'll talk to James about those two matches coming up next on the Halford & Brough Show on SportsNet 650.

It's Canucks Central on Sportsnet 650. From exclusive interviews to insider scoops and post game breakdowns, we've got it all. Tune in weekdays 4 to 6 p.m. on radio and on demand through your favorite podcast app. 8.30 on a Wednesday. Happy Wednesday, everybody. Halford and Brough, Sports Night 6.50. Halford and Brub in the morning is brought to you by Sands and Associates. Don't spend summer sweating over your debt. Sands and Associates is ready to help you get debt free. Visit them today at sands.com. Happy Canada Day, everybody. I know it's the start of free agency, but we are also full. immersed in the round of 32 at the World Cup. In just a half hour's time, it's going to be England versus the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The winner gets the unenviable task of facing Mexico in Mexico. As we saw last night, pretty difficult place to play right now. Mexico. Is that the most electric stadium we've seen in the World Cup yet? Without question. I don't even think there's a close number two. That was buzzing. Mexico right now is in an.

rarefied air to have started a World Cup literally winning four straight matches and not conceding a goal the only other countries to have ever done it Brazil in 1986 Italy in 1990 and now Mexico in 2026 rarefied air

at Azteca at Azteca yeah a bit of a break between their last knockout win and last night's win 40 years yeah you were 31 years old back then which was in Mexico. I imagine at Azteca.

They're very good at hosting and winning. Right. Let's go now to the ABLE Auctions hotline. Our next guest is joined us throughout the World Cup. James Sharman from SportsNet and the Footy Prime podcast here on the Halford & Brough Show on Sportsnet 650. Good morning, James. How are you? You're giving me some PTSD from the Azteca from 86.

The first World Cup I actually remember watching as a kid and watching that goal by Diego Maradona against England. So thanks for that. You know, I don't think that one should have counted in hindsight. I don't think that one should have counted. I think VAR should have picked that one up. You know what? Even though I don't want to trigger any bad memories,

I do want to ask you for your thoughts on what you witnessed last night from Mexico, not just necessarily the match at which Mexico got up to a flying start. Very comprehensive win over Ecuador. But the scenes, the lead up, the singing and dancing, and everything that happened outside the Ecuador, Hotel, the atmosphere in Mexico for that very historic win. Now, first time they won a knockout match in 40

years. Yeah, I mean, listen, it's such a football country, isn't it? They just, it's a religion down there. And the Azteca is, if it's not the greatest stadium or football, maybe the second, you know, the bombineras in South America is huge, but the Aztecans had so many

massive games. And it's packed to the brim, the passion, the noise. It really, you know, it screams World Cup. And we've seen it more than one occasion. Yeah, it's brilliant. You know, this World Cup, we talk about how great it's been in Canada,

and it's been fantastic. In the States, you know, walking around Houston, walking around L.A., and I don't sense the same buzz. I know as a bigger country. It's not quite the same as Canada, and certainly not the same as Mexico.

So as much as Mexico and Canada, you know, aren't really so much co-hosts but helping out with the states. I think that the true feels, vibes, passion from this World Cup are coming from north and south, quite honestly.

So I'm going to ask this next, question without looking ahead and beyond the Democratic Republic of Congo because England's going to kick off against them in a half hour and let's be clear here. They're decided favorites by everybody. You know, match pundits, sports

books, England is expected to go through. If they do, it would be England, Mexico, round of 16 in Mexico. And a friend, Jason and I, a mutual friend of ours, we were having a text conversation last night. And he said, this would be great to see,

as a representation of maybe some of the European countries who don't necessarily think that Concaf qualifying is as difficult as it is, because this would be the ultimate going into the cauldron of the toughest place, Mexico, with the highest stakes. And what we saw from Ecuador last night was, quite frankly, I don't think they could deal with the atmosphere, the energy, the frenzied nature of all of it.

I would love, even as dangerous as it is, I would love to see England take that, task on. I think it would be absolute cinema. Oh, 100%. And don't forget, listen, Ecuador is a really good team. Yes. We're fantastic in South American qualifying Conno Bowl. Oh, fantastic. And they were toyed with by that Mexican said, listen, Mexico's a fantastic team. We knew that before. And, you know, maybe they've had a tough

few years. But the last couple of years, they've began to really find themselves again, enjoy their football, throw in the extra man of the crowd. And they're a formidable force, 100%. And, you know, are they the kings of conquer cats? You know, I don't know. States are very good. Canada's proven it in the past as well. But they're a tough out for sure. Now, England, you're right, playing against the Mexican.

And like you said, I'm glad you said if, because it's England, they every now and again do disappoint, believe it or not. But they should beat D.R. Congo, with respect to them. If they do get that, I mean, the narrative going back to 86, I mean, that would be such pressure on England's players' shoulders against a very good Mexican team who traditionally don't go much further. than this, right? Mexico often looks great in the group phase. That's a knockout round, is that where they really struggle?

Have they peaked? You know, have they reached that emotional high point already? I don't know. It's tough to kind of break it down until we know England's through. But whoever plays Mexico is going to find themselves against a very good team, very physical team, incredible energy, and a team that are finding goals in this World Cup and defending brilliantly. So I think they've kind of broken into that dark horse label now that perhaps they

weren't before the tournament. Before we get to the Morocco game, Canada's through to the round of 16. Mexico's through to the round of 16. The Americans play Bosnia Herzegovina tonight in the round of 32. We already know as Canadians what Bosnia is all about. Is there any way? And please say yes that the Americans could trip up tonight. There's always a chance, right?

That being said, they've really impressed me so far. And it pains me. I mean, what a great July the 1st would that be to see the Americans crash out of the World Cup on homeswell. It would be delicious. It would be so sweet. And I'm saying this very quietly because I'm surrounded by American security guards here at training to Canada. If I suddenly get my phone cut off, you know why? And tell my wife I love her very much.

Yeah, we'll send help. But no, it would be so sweet, let's be honest. But they're playing great football. Yeah, they are. They've got a great team. That being said, listen, they haven't really played anyone of real significance. that Paraguay match to start things off

Paraguay weren't the team we've seen since then right? They're really bad 90 minutes there and that's a Bosnia,

they're a tricky team right? We know how well they defend. They're going to sit back. They're really physical. We can't have difficulty with them,

right? So there's absolutely a chance. The state's generally speaking of a difficult time against European teams too. So yeah, it's going to be a tight one. Don't expect an easy role

for the states in that match. That could be a shocker. But again, I really believe the home field advantage counts for a lot in these games, right?

and the US support have come out in big numbers, they're loud. So they're still the big favorites. But hey, listen, we can keep her fingers crossed, right? Okay, you mentioned your training today. What are you watching for from the Canadians? Well, you know, we just play the Jesse Marsh, actually. And he said, listen, it's going to be a very light session. It's so hot here.

It's crazy how hot is right now. And to play football, even the training football, it's going to be a nightmare. So a pretty light session, I think, overall. He did mention how the Moroccans were taken to 120 minutes in the heat. Mexico, of course, and Monterey. So that might play in Canada's hands, although, let's be honest, Monday, the Saturday, they should be just fine.

We're going to see if Alfonso Davis trains. I mean, it's so hard to get anything from training, quite honestly. Yeah. It's going to be because we get 15 minutes, right, and then we don't see anything else. But we'll see who comes out. I haven't seen yet. They're not out on the pitch just yet.

We'll see who comes out. And, you know, he's promised David there. It's Nico Seguera there. Players that that could potentially be earning a start. Sigur in particular. I actually asked Jesse Marsh about Nico Seguer, who came off the bench in midfield last match. It looked fantastic. Woody replaced maybe

Natanz Saliba. He's done nothing wrong necessarily, but he was ready for that answer. He was just waxing poetic about Nico Sigur and how he sees him as a central midfielder, despite the fact that he's been playing right back, namely for Canada, and for his club.

We saw that silky smooth footballer in him. So that's something to watch, I think. That midfield positioning. Do you a replacement for Stephanie Stackio's partner and is it going to be Nicco Segar. So I know Canada has always said we want to play the way we play and that's high pressure, high pace,

et cetera, et cetera, forced teams into other mistakes. But there are certain teams where if you play that style, sometimes you play into their hands. Is there any way that Jesse Marsh would consider changing the game plan against Morocco should he consider

it? What do you see from this Moroccan team? No. No, and again, he spoke about it today. He mentioned the word free hit a couple of days ago now. And what he meant like that, and he clarified today, we're saying, listen, you know, we've got nothing to lose here. We are not the favorites. Everyone expects us to lose.

So he's building that narrative, and that's smart. So let's go for it. Let's play. Let's do what we best at. And that is, you know, you won't have much of the ball because it will be Morocco with probably 60, 70% of the football. But do what your best at. Win that ball, high up the pitch.

Be aggressive in the press. That's what they're good at. That's what they did at Cop America two years ago. for the semifinals. So that's what you're see in Canada. You want to see a new Canada. There's no point. They're playing a Moroccan team who, you know, we talk about this new era of world football and how the

tri-and-tested powers. Some of them are declining and you've got these new teams coming through. Well, they're led by Morocco, who for me are suddenly a contender for this tournament. They're a fantastic team. There's not a weakness there. They can adapt. They can be possession based. They can be counter-attack and they've got such great pace. So they're a terrifying

challenge. And I know people, including myself, are kind of looking forward to a Netherlands, had a quarter of us at last 16 match just because of the orange, the history of the Netherlands, but this is a tougher challenge, right? Morocco's a better team, we saw that. So that's terrifying. So, you know, don't try anything new. Don't experiment

for this one. Just go for what's got your successful in the past. If you lose, it's still a great World Cup, right? It's still a historic World Cup and that's important. Alfonso Davies came on in the 75th against South Africa, so that was roughly 20 minutes with the added. How much,

how many minutes do you think he has to give against the Moroccans if you had to guess. I can't imagine too many more. If you see him when he came back from his injuries for buying Munich, you know, he'd start off with 10, 15 minutes for a couple of games, right? And it'd slowly build him up. You can't, with a hamster, you can't just suddenly give him, you know, 45, 60 minutes, an hour, you know, even, even let I learn to start.

So I think he'd see him played in a very similar role. And as you saw, that could still be impact, right? You can come off the bench for 15, 20 minutes, and you can play a real force because you can attract more players to your open up space elsewhere. That's what happened. the last match. So, you know, I, of course, it'd be great to see Alfonso Davis start, but there's no way that happens. He's still going to come on as

the second half, so tactically, when it's necessary. They can't start Liam Miller again, can they? You don't like Neil Miller? I like him, but I've watched him start twice in this tournament now, and I haven't been impressed either time, and I think that the better options, Ali Ahmed. Yeah, listen, Ali Ahmed is probably better defensively, right? Can play both sides of the ball, as can Liam Miller to a certain degree. I think you can see Ali back in there, if he's back. He had a little niggle, right? He's had a hamstring issue. He's been fighting.

So if he's healthy, you'll see him start, I think. But I'm a fan of Liam Miller myself. I think he's had a pretty good World Cup. But you have to realize the quality of the squad, you know, we're not up there with the Moroccans of the world just yet. There's going to be players there who are good, who are, you know, developing, but they're not playing for top four, top five leagues in the world. Liam plays for Hull, right?

Had a really good season. They're now in the Premier League. And let's hope he sticks around in that team for the Premier League football. But who knows, right? So you have to realize that when you go, when you're trying to look at teams and where Canada rates, rather than going individual players, look at the clubs that their players play for, right? You can really get an idea of just where Canada is. We only have four or five players playing in top leagues in Europe.

And that will change. There's a lot of rumors out there right now, a lot of rumors. I actually asked Nate Natanzili about that. He's mentioned in rumors, you know, and say, you know, you're in the room. And he goes, nope, nope, don't know. No idea. I'm just focused on the World Cup, but he smiled when he said it, so he damn well knows. Was it the goal I scored against Qatar?

Was that it? That would have helped. Yeah. Let me expand further on Miller. I think he's a quality player. I think I like a lot of the things that he brings. I find him to be way too predictable at times. And I don't know whether that's be safe rather than sorry.

But it seems like every time there's the option to cut inside, Liam Miller is cutting inside. Whereas a guy like Ahmed, part of the reason that he's so tricky to deal with is the unpredictability of his approach. And I do wonder in a one match, winner take all moment, if you want someone that's going to throw a little more doubt

into the defenders as opposed to a guy who's going to go to the same tried and true move or movement every time. Yeah, no, it's a valid point. I mean, Ali Ahmed is very hard to predict. We saw that in Norwich all season, right? He can go left, can go right. He's got that dynamic pace out wide

if he's filling 100% obviously. I just don't think that that Liam's done anything to to cause too much concern for Jesse Marsh. You've seen both players start at this World Cup. And I think that the spot was Ali Ahmed before the World Cup, before the injury. It would have been his to start.

But yeah, I know exactly what you're saying. You know, it's not a bad place to be for Canada, right? I mean, how many times in the past have we said, listen, we've got two very good choices for left wing, and that's without even mentioning Alfonso Davis, right? There's a real depth there. And you'll see both players, I'm sure, when it comes to this match against Morocco.

So we'll see who he goes with. Yeah, if I'm a betting man, I'd say he starts with Ali, assuming he's healthy. Okay, stay a betting man and now predict what the striking partnership is going to be up front. Oh, that's a tough one. Yeah. You know, I understand why he might lean with Tanya L O'Shea again, because you are going to be pressing, pressing, pressing in this game, I think.

Bear in mind, it's also an air-condition stadium, right, so heat won't be an issue. So I see why he might go with that. That being said, this match is all about taking full advantage of those few chances you'll get. and in that case, Carl Aaron would be the choice because I would bet on Carl Aaron's scoring rather than Taniolo O'Shea, quite honestly. Especially with Promise Day, but not ready yet.

Is he, I mean, is promised there for a start? He's getting more minutes. I don't think he's there yet. I think it's got to be an impact sub off the bench still, so I think it's going to be Carl Leran, but I would understand fully why they go, Taniela O'Shea, just from a tactical standpoint, but you have to put away your chances.

You won't get many against Morocco. You might get one, and you've got to score it. Yeah, hopefully Kyle Aaron's up. upset about not playing against South Africa, right? That's a great. Angry Laren. I love my thoughts on that. I'm a huge fan of Angry Laren.

And when he walked into the ground for the last match, you can see in his face, he was pretty upset, I think. He was pretty angry. He was surly. And that's great. So let's get some more ang. Maybe don't tell him to just before kickoff that you're starting and then getting really angry.

And then we'll see how it works out. It's a great point to bring up that Laren did not play at all against South Africa. A match that was looking nil-nil-nil as if it was going to go to extra time because he scored one of the biggest goals for Canada in this tournament. He started for Canada in this tournament. I think it reflects two things. One, the glass half full approach would be look at the quality of options that Jesse Marsh has at his disposal at the striker position. The glass half empty would be that a guy that has played that prominent role also sits out an entire match because it's been this constant mixing and matching and trying to find the right

combination and never really quite finding it. Well, maybe the question actually is more towards Jonathan David as well. If his name isn't Jonathan David, does he start? That's a great question. If you remove the Qatar match from this whole equation, he hasn't had a good World Cup. He just hasn't. He's not the same Jonathan David that we've seen and that we know he can be. But you still have that, he still seduces you with the talent and you still think, yeah, man,

but if he does find himself, he's going to be the best player we have by some stretch. So it's a tough one, but he has to find this game. He has to be more involved. And when he does get his chances, to me, again, despite the hatching, he lives to avoid a confidence, a couple of chances in that last match, when an earlier release,

even fighting for that ball into the box late when the defender got to it first from that great cross, I don't know what he's doing. Like, dive, go for it. That's what I was going to ask you, if Eustacio hasn't, didn't score there, maybe South Africa wins that game, is that the focal point of,

for all the critics after that game? because I'm sitting there going, I mean, I don't know soccer that well, but I was like, lay out, like dive, head it, and you didn't. Yeah, I think had they lost that game, you know, it would be considered a disappointing World Cup. Let's be honest. And he would have been the focal point for sure. What happened to Jonathan David?

That and the injuries, right? They're all excuses and they're good excuses, but what happened to him? So that being said, it takes one goal. It's one goal against the Moroccans. Everything changes. Everything's fine. And we know he can do it. So I think there's more pressure on his shoulders,

anyone right now to find this game at the right time so I'll have to wait and see for Saturday. Is anyone beaten France anyway? No, probably not. They're unbelievable, right? And I was really hoping before tournament they'd be imploding like they do because I thought from the talent standpoint, they can't be matched. But they're getting better and better and they're smiling and they're hugging their coach. It's like a really tight group. It's like, well, how do you stop them? Okay, Argentina, Spain over to you, right? And then they're really, at this point, I think the only two teams that can maybe touch them. I'm not saying England for a reason. You know that. But those, those things,

two teams, there's a lot of pressure on them because it's a standard right now. They're sitting there. We haven't seen it for a while at a World Cup. I do want to do some glass half full stuff. It's a positivity for Canada. So Stefan Eustachio, goal aside, that match against South Africa, when you look at the advanced metrics on it, I think he completed 90% of the 48

passes that he attempted. He created five chances, created two big chances, finished with, I think, in the neighborhood of like an 8.8 match rating. Like, again, goal aside, he was fantastic. And I think that is a big plus for this Canadian

team going into the Morocco match. Because again, Morocco's got quality throughout, including in the midfield with Baudi. And I know it's going to be a tough assignment, but it feels like Eustakio's game is trending in a very, very encouraging direction going into Saturday. Yeah, he'll be the most important player on the pitch for sure.

Morocco and midfield is very strong. And he'll keep them composed, calm, he'll sit at tempo. And his set piece delivery was outstanding last match, just outstanding. And set pieces are going to be key once again. And with that physical midfield, you might get some opportunities and dead balls. And, you know, that delivery has to be up there again. You know, he's such an interesting player because unless you really know the game,

you might watch a Canada game and not see him doing that much, aside from the big moment. But he's a smart, smart player. He is the leader out there. He is the de facto captain. Even when Fonzie has the armband, it's Stephanie Stachio, a quiet leader. Players love him. I have to have no sleep about him today again. And he goes, yeah, he just brings that composure to the team.

Every teammate your speech says the same thing. He's calm, he's collected. We feel at ease when he's in the pitch directing us. So important. And this and the Morocco game could get physical, could get nasty. Like I said, they're a genuine contender to win this entire tournament. So a player of his quality has to step up and be at his best. And quite honestly, outside the whole World Cup conversation,

he's at Porto in Portugal, a huge club, where he's fallen out of favor the last little while. He went to LASC on loan. He is doing himself a lot of good. as far as, you know, his future as well. I think a lot of people are noticing his performances. So, yeah, Yostakio, the team goes as Yostakio goes, quite honestly, if you're not including Jonathan David in that conversation.

So big game for him. Hey, so after the Swiss match, Jesse Marsh said that one of his regrets was that he didn't go to five at the back to start the second half. And, of course, Switzerland scored twice in the first 12 minutes. I think it was of the half. Yeah, I think they went to one at the back. Yeah, it wasn't great. Now, if they were to go to five at the back

and maybe earlier on the match against Morocco, what would the, based on your understanding, what would the five look like? Would it be putting in a third centerback and having Bombito and DeFuzerol and Cornelis all on the pitch at the same time? Yeah, I mean, if you go on five at the back, that's five without the ball, right?

But with the ball, it's three, and then you've got two wingbacks. Yeah. Which would be, you know, Johnston and Richie Larea, or, you know, potentially a fancy. Yeah. But unlikely. and the backs and Luke DeFuserole, you know, you understand why he's not starting right now,

but he can feel ripped off. He's been the breakthrough player of this World Cup. He's been absolutely brilliant. And when he came on, he even, he was so good against South Africa, I thought. So it'll be those three, but I just don't, I just don't see Jesse Marsh experimenting with stuff. He hasn't really tried that much. Yeah. You know, in the last, it's a dangerous game. Like he said, you know, he's saying today, he goes, let's just go for it. You know, let's do it with best at. That's not about experimenting the new formations. You can talk about putting three in the midfield, too, right? Because the Dutch was talking about how they were overrun in the midfield

were there two. So you could put three in there, but again, you're playing a four three three. It's not often you do that. Yeah. I think you stick with, I stick with what got you there. That's four, four, two. I just wonder if the match, if the match would allow for it, right? Like, let's say they get into the half nil, nil again. Like, does he go back and not make the same mistakes as prior? Because I will say this, I thought Cornelius was solid. I mean, I know he missed a big chance, but I thought he was very solid against South Africa and his match rating did show as much. Defusiole's been great the whole tournament

and getting Bombito back is such a plus because you thought you might be without him for the tournament. I just wonder if they might try and play into a strength like, wow, we've actually got our best three centerbacks available, healthy and ready to go. Maybe in the second half if it's at nil-nil, we lean into it. Maybe, maybe, you know, it was getting towards the end there

and you're looking at extra time. But I don't know. I think the issue against the Swiss in that match wasn't so much they weren't five at the back. They just all switched off. And they stopped playing for the first 10. minutes of that half. They were too passive, Jesse Marsh says, over and over, two passive. You know, it wasn't a mistake with the formation. It's just they, for some reason, they didn't

come out after half time playing the right type of football with that aggressiveness. So I think that's the biggest issue there. So listen, I would put nothing past Jesse Marsh, but switching and experimenting with formations now would be, I think, a mistake because you're playing a team that knows who they are. And so does Canada, right? But let's keep it simple. Keep it at 4-4-2. James, appreciate this today, man. As always, love getting your insight. very excited for Saturday, very excited for kickoff here now. We're about a few minutes away from the start of England and the Democratic Republic of Congo as well.

With that, we'll let you go. Enjoy the matches today. Enjoy Saturday. We'll talk again next Wednesday. Thanks, guys. Enjoyed it as always for chat soon. Thank you. That's James Sharman from the Footy Prime podcast and Sportsnet here on the Halford and Breff Show

on Sportsnet, 650. A couple of bits of news from the social media account of Danny Millions, otherwise as known as Dan Milstein, the agent. Yeah, Hock. I forgot about hockey. Assistant General Manager of the Canucks it sometimes seemed.

What's he got? I think this has probably already been reported, but Dan Vlodar, five-year extension with the Flyers, cap hit of $5.5 million. So Dan Vlodar is sticking in Philly, and this is the big one. Ivan Demadov

has signed an eight-year extension at a cap hit just over $9 million. So I think he's got one year left. So nine seasons under contract. So if you look at the Habs. We are gold star. If you look at the Habs core,

and I'm including Demadoff as part of the core now, I know he's got some room to go in his game. He's part of the core, buddy. He's part of the core. They've got all these guys locked up for a cap hit under $10 million. Okay? Suzuki is under $8.

million. So is Cole Caulfield. Those guys are both at 7.8 around there and Slavkoski is at 7.6. Suzuki's 26. Caulfield's 25. Slavkovsky's. He's still only 22 years old. And then on the back end, they've got Lane Hudson and Noah Dobson locked up. Dobson, nine and a half million. He's only 26. Lane Hudson, just 22. He's at around 8.9. How many no movement? clauses in that group. Well, I think they're all too young to get them at this point. I mean, Suzuki's got no trade and Coffield eventually has limited no trade. But yeah, I'm actually, I don't think Mike Batheson has a no move, but he's a veteran

defenseman. The HABs, like I still think they need a piece more or two, but. Well, they'll have the financial flexibility to get it. They are going to be absolutely set up perfectly. As long as all those guys stay motivated and not like bitter that they're not getting paid as much as everyone else. Why did I sign sorely? This is ridiculous. I hate this team.

Yeah. You mentioned the Vladar signing. Yes. The Flyers haven't confirmed it yet, but they've posted this, you guys. It's just a black screen with. So I think. Why is their audio of me sleeping? At 5.45 when the show's about to start.

By the way. Another signing to. pass along, courtesy sports net's Elliot Friedman. Radco Gudis to Florida. Check out the terms of this deal. Six years, $1.5 million

cap hit. How many years? Six years. Radco Gudis is 36 years old. Yeah. So quick math, that'll take him to 42. That's right, A. Dog. Wow. Wow. At 1.5 million per. With the way he plays? Oh, yeah. He's playing until 42. This contract feels like it should be

illegal, but it's not. It feels I'm just going to say we're these outlawed. Yeah. It's clearly, clearly an illegal contract that they've signed them to, but it's not. It's legal. Okay, we got to go to break. When we come back, final hour of our four hour.

They're going to be hard to play against, man. Yes, they very much are. Really are. The only question, really honestly, and I mean, I think they're the favorites for a reason. Are they fast enough? I think that's a totally fair question. That's a valid, totally fair question to ask.

Is E2 Lusterainen fast? because they also resigned him, if I'm not mistaken. Things are happening fast and furious here as we try and talk Canadian soccer, watch the kickoff of England and Democratic Republic of Congo, all this stuff going on. We also have to go to break. On the other side, Jason Greger is going to join us out of Edmonton. What do the Oilers have up their sleeve?

We are now just two minutes away from the official start of free agency. Don't go anywhere. One bonus hour of Halbro coming up next right here on Sportsnet 650.