Locked On Penguins - Daily Podcast On The Pittsburgh Penguins - NHL SQUAD SHOW: Suspensions, Wildcard Races and What Happens With JT Miller?

Episode Date: January 24, 2025

NOTE: This was recorded before the McDavid suspension was announcedWelcome to the NHL Squad show! Today, Gil Martin (Locked On Islanders), Jay Forster (Locked On Blue Jackets), Armando Velez (Locked On Panthers) and Josh Sperber (Locked On Lightning) are hanging out to chat about suspensions in the NHL, the Eastern Conference wildcard race, and whether the Vancouver Canucks should trade JT Miller, Elias Petterson, both or neither!Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Indeed:Now, you can speed up your hiring process with a $75 Sponsored Job Credit. Just go to Indeed.com/LOCKEDON right now and support our show by saying you heard about Indeed on this podcast. Terms and conditions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNHL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with TWO HUNDRED DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win or lose your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM to get started. FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Connor McDavid should be suspended. It's time to get the squad together. You are Talking Puck with the NHL Squad Show, sponsored by game time. From the Oilers to the stars, Golden Knights, and the Panthers, the Rangers, Avalanche, and yes, even the Maple Leafs. The Locked-on Podcast Network brings together all its local experts to provide the scoops, breakdowns, and comprehensive looks at all the NHL, with plenty of trash talk to go with it. Don't miss the hard hits and love dropping hot takes on the Locked-on NHL Squad show. It's time to drop the puck. Welcome to the NHL squad. Sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and join us as we get you ready for another wild week across the national hockey league.

We are part of the Locked-on podcast network, your team every day. Today's episode is brought to by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, and use code Locked-on-N-A-H-H-H-A-H. for $20 off your first purchase. I'm Gilmartin of Locked on Islanders. I am joined today by Jay Foster of Locked on Blue Jackets, Josh Spurber of Locked on Lightning, and the Mondo Man, Armando Velas of Locked on Florida Panthers.

And gentlemen, the big story right now, will the NHL actually suspend its biggest star, Connor McDavid? Jay, let's start with you. Does he deserve a suspension? A and B, will they actually suspend him? I think he absolutely deserves a suspension. I will be flawed if they actually do suspend him. Is the thing like, stars get more leeway with this kind of thing.

And it kind of goes hand in hand with, I see a lot of people saying that he was, you know, 100% winning his rights to do this because he gets mauled basically every game. And, you know, it's the same thing we saw with Cindy Crosby back in the day of just slashing and whacking and hitting him because he's the best player on the team, you know? And the idea that because I think a lot of hockey people never learned that two wrongs don't make a right is kind of what this all boils down to. So I think he absolutely should be suspended. He cross-checked a dude in the face.

Was it like pre-backed, like was it, like, was the precedent for it? Like, did he, was he, you know, acting upon something that happened to him? He was, you know, not self-defense, but, you know, it was a reactionary cross-check. He didn't just decide to go out there and cross-check the dude in the face, but he still did very much cross-check a dude in the face. And sometimes you've got to sit in time out for that. But I would be shocked if the NHL actually suspends McDavid. Josh, what do you think? I mean, just looking at the play, he was kind of dragged to the ground in an important time of the game.

Like, I'm not saying he didn't do anything violent because there was definitely some violent attention there. But after the hit, it just kind of looked like the defender, like, linked. around him and kept him on the ground as McDavid was trying to get up in the dying seconds of a game where McDavid's team was down by one goal. So again, like you said, Jay, I mean, he definitely did something wrong. There's no debating that. But I don't think it deserves a suspension because it, you know, it was kind of instigated by someone else. And I don't think that this late, you know, I guess it was Myers, the defenseman who was holding him, but this, I just, I just don't see them handing out a suspension for that. I mean, if you really look at that play, he still did something bad, but he was, you know, he was kind of taken out of the game in a legal way.

So I think it'll just be a hefty fine for both of them, and I'm okay with that. but even still like a hefty fine, I still don't think is enough to stop something like this, but it's not like McDavid is a history of doing this. It's not like it was, it's not like he does this every single year. So I don't know. Did elbow a dude in the face like two days previously, though in like in fairness. He did very much elbow a dude in the face in the previous game. So not that I'm saying, I'm not saying like David is a dirty player here.

Yeah. Well, I mean, that that's what I mean. Like, you know, he's had some, he's had some dirty moments, but overall, he's not a dirty player. Like, it's not, it's not like this is a regular occurrence for him. So, yeah, I just don't know if it's worth of suspension. Does it bother you, though, Josh, that like you said a hefty fine, the maximum fine is something like $5,000, which to Connor McDavid is like a trip to Burger King for everybody else. It's like a $20 fine for the average person. I mean, I would say that's not much.

of a deterrent to find a guy making as much money as Connor McDavid, $5,000. Should the league, you know, up the structure of fines, I know that's negotiated with the NHLPA, but it seems to me like these fines are nothing more than a very minor slap on the wrist, especially for star players. Yeah, and it's crazy because we even see something like that happened with like someone like Nassan Qadre in the playoffs. when he was with the Maple Leafs just a few years ago. And even with the, and this is something that Jeff Merrick also talked about how the general managers

want the, want the suspensions and the criteria for suspensions to go down. And so that's why we have, that's why we have this system that we have now for the NHL. But let's not forget, in the postseason, when these two teams met, there was that cross-checked of the face that Carson Sousy had of McDavid. when he was falling over.

So you're thinking if the rolls were flipped, you want the same thing for this. So, you know, after not getting anything for the elbow a few days ago against Minnesota Wild, you want maybe this could be something of a makeup from the NHL. Now, here's the other thing. Like, I'm torn. So on the one hand, if you're going to enforce the rules, the rules should be the same in my mind for,

you know, Conor McDavid and, you know, some fourth-line guy on the other team who is making the league minimum, because you need a standard and you want to uphold that standard. But at the same time, the NHL is a business. They're in the business of entertainment. People like pay money, especially if the oilers are on the road. You know, they're only making one trip to Tampa Bay or to Columbus or to Florida each year. And people buy those tickets as soon as the schedule comes out because they want to take their kids to see Connor McDavid and they want to see Connor McDavid. So if you suspend Joe Blow, only, you know, a few people care. You suspend Connor McDavid. You know, people don't get to see the guy they want to go see. I understand that. But like the last, I mean, I'm,

this could be just be me not watching as much hockey as you guys do. But the last hit, that I remember, like, should they suspend him? Should they not suspend him? Was, Armando, you'll remember this, that Nikita Kucharov hit on Kachukh. That happened, what, like last month? Mm-hmm. Could be the same kind of reasoning that you mentioned

that Kuch was not suspended that next game. That, I thought, honestly, was a much dirtier hit than what McDavid did, because Kooch was just settling some old scores. You know, we can go all the way back to, what was it, 0-2 or 22? What Cootra's making up for, and a lot of people say. Like, I mean, there's a lot of history there.

Not as much, I think, maybe more recent, but not as much history, I think, with McDavid and the Canucks. And it did not seem at all that that Coutterall was going to get suspended for that hit. And if he didn't get taken a game for that, I don't think McDavid should get suspended for this. Again, yes, he hit the guy, but I think Tyler Myers, if any of the two guys, should get hit with a hefty punishment because after the hit, Myers retaliated by dragging him down during, you know, an important time of the game, not letting him get up, like, just basically impeding his play. And then what else is McDavid going to do, but try and push him off you? I also think, sorry to interrupt you.

I also think that because there was two seconds left on the clock before when it happened, you're not feeling the consequence with a game misconduct there. The game's for the most part over. So I think the timing of it has a lot to. do with why he could eventually be suspended. That's true. Sorry, go ahead, Josh. No, no, no.

I'm just like, it happened that late in the game. Kuturav's hit happened in the, what, first period, I think. So that, you know, that's a full game anyway, even if Kuchin already scored before the hit. But, no, I think in this case, like, the fact that it's the end of the game that makes suspension a bit more likely, just, I don't know. It just was, to me, it seemed like tension. sparing, tempers rising a bit too high during a heated game situation. And, you know, that kind of fire, I think, is good for the league.

But obviously, when it, you know, turns this ugly, maybe not so much. I think something that has always, has bothered me for a long time about this. And, you know, you talk about the, the Kutrov hit on Kachuk. Kachuk return to the game, right? Yep. Like the next period. If Kach doesn't finish the game and, you know, he's done for the season, then I think Kutrov absolutely gets suspended because this league, like this league and like Dopp specifically

is so reactionary. They punish injury over intent, I feel like. And we're kind of seeing a similar thing with Gil, your guy. I'm going to butcher his name. I'm so sorry. Sipa Klov. Sipoklov, yeah. Who it was called not a penalty on the night. Or it was called a penalty. Then it was reviewed to not be a penalty and then he gets three games about it because, and I do think that if Ryan Paling is not put on IR, I don't think he gets suspended. You know, I think if, if, um, uh, Conner Garland is, you know, lying face down on the ice, bleeding profusely after McDavid cross-checks him and, you know, it helps stretch it off the ice or whatever, then McDavid probably does get a longer suspension.

But I think the fact that, um, Garland stayed in the game for, you know, the 200, you whole seconds or whatever it was and continue to cause chaos after being cross-checked, I think it's probably going to lead to less, less punishment for McDavid. Because, and like, I have no real scientific, like, a way to back this up. It just, it seems to me that suspensions are tougher if the player is injured and they don't punish intent over, they punish impact over intent, which I don't think is, is the way to do it. I agree with you. And I don't think the league has a consistent logic to the way they handle these things,

unfortunately. And it leaves us with all of these debates because the left hand often in this league doesn't know what the right hand is doing. All right more to discuss coming up. All four of our teams are in this wild card race in the Eastern Conference. And we're going to talk a little bit about that. Plus the Vancouver Canucks, are they ever going to? to make a trade. We'll got all that and more coming up on today's NHL squadcast.

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So let's talk a little bit about this wild card race in the Eastern Conference. All of our teams are somewhere in that fight, although Armando, team is a little bit above that level right now. But, you know, it seems like the Eastern conference is both top heavy and bottom heavy, less than 10 points separate the two wildcard teams from the last place in the conference. How do you guys think this will affect the trade deadline? And how do you think this reflects on the league? I don't think we're going to see, I don't think we're going to see as many early trades in like early February for the league, especially with Four Nations. I think that some teams that are selling that might have some players in the Four Nations might want to maybe showcase them more to maybe up their stock if anything falls out for them.

I mean, it's crazy because, I mean, two of the greatest stories in the NHL are right now are teams like the Columbus Blue Jackets and the Monterey. Canadians of what's going on there. And then what's going to happen with the likes of like Jake Evans in Montreal? Do they stick with their plan? Kind of like what the Philadelphia Flyers did last year, even though they were fighting for a wildcard spot. The capital sold at the deadline last year and still found the way to make it to the top three in the Metropolitan Division.

So it's a mix of, it's a mix of like what is, what front offices, their agendas still are for what they want to build. And it's about really taking a macro view of each individual team and saying, is this a team that can compete in the postseason for them? I mean, and a team like Ottawa, they're not in the same situation as Columbus and Montreal. They are trying to make the postseason. They have to try to prove to their fan base that this is something that can be sustainable. They wouldn't have traded for a leaner's all market if that was the case for them.

So that's a little bit of like my thoughts on the trade deadline. As far as the wild card race into Eastern Conference, at least from my perspective. Do you think Four Nations is viewed by general managers as a chance to showcase guys? Or do you think they say, oh no, I'm not going to risk my possible trade prospect getting injured in an exhibition? And then I lose them for no value at all. Yeah, 100%. They are crossing their fingers that no one gets injured at this competition, I guess, this tournament. I don't know off the top of my head how many of the guys that are named to the four teams are actually going to be in the deadline mix.

Like if there are any pending UFAs or like RFAs that are likely to move. But my guess is that GMs are just going to kind of like cross their fingers, cross their toes and hope that nothing stupid happens. Because you see it all the time about, like, guys get to go to the world juniors. For example, they get hurt. There goes their season. Like, it happened to Kirby Dark, I think two years in a row. He went to the world juniors and got a season-ending injury there. So, like, my guess is that GMs are not thrilled about what's happening here.

Do you think we see some moves before Four Nations in order to avoid that possibility? honestly I'm surprised there's been as many moves as there have been already like the rangers selling house was you know less surprising given their position to standings but still like those are just big names that I'm surprised got moved so early so I think that four nations I honestly do look at as a tryout because you look at what happens during the World Cup in European soccer you know the biggest players I mean as a Real Madrid fan I remember the bag Hamas got after bar. falling out in Columbia in 2014. I mean, you look at the World Baseball Classic a couple years ago in baseball, same kind of thing. A bunch of guys got minor league deals, contract extensions, major league deals, what have you, coming out of that. And this is just NHL's kind of shortened way to do it. You know, obviously, I hope no one gets heard. But again, these are also some of the best players in the league.

Like, it's not like every one of these guys are just up for trades. So, but, you know, you look at the guys. on Finland maybe from the sharks as as players that could have, you know, teams like any one of, any one of the four of us in the chat could be looking to make a big move for with, you know, a team like the sharks who could certainly handle stacking up on prospects. But I think I agree with you, Jay. I really don't see a lot of, a lot of players in the four nations that you'd be likely to move because most of the players in the four nations are the best handful of players on their guys'

his team. Like, you know, I look at the guys on the lightning just in my own bias. I think there'd be a riot at Amley Arena if any of those guys were treated. So, you know, that's the case for a lot of players there. One example, I can cite from experience. Brock Nelson is on Team USA. He's an unrestricted free agent. The Islanders, he's already announced, or his agent has announced. He intends to explore the free agent market this summer. So the Islanders are probably going to have to trade him away or lose them for nothing. I mean, if I'm Lou Lamarillo, I say either he gets traded before four nations or I tell him you can't compete in four nations because, again, using the Islanders as an example,

John Tavares, I think it was about 10 years ago, went to the Winter Olympics, got injured, missed the rest of the season, Islanders missed the playoffs that year. If something like that happened, now I'm assuming Four Nations is not going to be the most physical tournament that we've seen, but, you know, even just changing direction on your skates can cause an injury. So, you know, do you want to risk that? Not if I'm not if I'm a team that's fighting for the playoffs. And like to go back to that a little bit, like the Blue Jackets are in a really different situation, I think, to, for example, the islanders to, to our. Ottawa. No one expected this. They are playing with the most house money of any team in the league, I think.

So it is very much a case of like at the beginning of the season. I kind of looked at the guys and had pencilled in. I was like, right, okay, well, Proverov's gone. Sean Corrali is gone. Like, there's a world where they trade Boone Jenner at the deadline for, you know, a hall because he's exactly the kind of player that teams would love to pick up for a playoff run. You know, so I penciled all of these guys in as like,

being on the move. And now they're in a playoff spot. Or I think they're a point out of the playoff spot. As of the time of recording this, the Bruins just won and knocked the blue jackets out of the second wildcard spot. But like, this team wasn't supposed to be good this year. Do they buy at the deadline?

Do they send picks and prospects away for a team that was never supposed to make the playoffs? Or do they hold firm with their plan? Do they sell at the deadline? you know, or do they risk getting nothing for, you know, especially a guy like Ivan Proverov, who for my money is, I think, the biggest ticket agent for teams to pick up at the deadline. Yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how this all plays out. And, you know, it's going to keep a lot of people engaged for the next couple of months until the trade deadline.

We've got more to get to here on this NHL squadcast. The Vancouver Canucks, there have been so many trade rumors, are they ever going to pull the trigger or will they self-destruct first? We'll talk about that and more coming up on this NHL squadcast. Today's episode is brought to you by Fandul from the first whistle to the final drive. FanDuel makes the NFL playoffs even more exciting. Right now, new customers can bet $500 and get $300 and bonus bets if you win your first bet. That's $300 to keep the action. going. The Fan Dual app is easy to navigate with a variety of bets that keeps every game exciting.

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So the Vancouver Canucks, they can't get along, they can't win consistently, the talent is there, the results are not. Rumors keep heating up. The general manager is shopping players listening to offers. Who do you think goes first, if anybody? and when do you think we see a move because the season is kind of slipping away right now from the Canucks. I mean, you go back to the Four Nations because if I'm not mistaken, Elias Pedersen is on Team Sweden. I had to think about that for a second. J.T. Miller is not on Team America, on Team USA, or is he?

I should know this, but I am a noted Four Nations hater and have not been paying attention. But again, it goes back to like, do you trade them before the team? tournament? Do you hope that the tournament raises their trade value because they'll be playing presumably with teammates that they're not in a fight with? And it goes back to what you guys talked about last week, Gill and Josh, about like, we need to put these guys just in like a get-along shirt, you know, and tell them to get over it. You are adults. I work with plenty of people I don't like and I am still civil with them, you know? Yeah, we're all in this squad show right now. that's living proof. No, I'm just kidding.

I would, I would never. But, you know, like my point stands of just grow up. Like, I do as an outsider, I think it is hilarious. And I'm also fascinated about what happened. Like, this is one of those things that I guess we'll just, like, we'll never know the truth of in, in the same way that, like, I don't think we'll ever know what happened with Corey Perry in Chicago. You know? We're never going to find out what's gone on with this rift. and it is going to be one of those things that, like,

is going to haunt me a little bit because I am dying to know what is going on in that room. I do think that Miller goes. I think Petterson stays. I think it'd be crazy to do anything else. And I know that Pedersen has spoken out and said, I want to stay in Vancouver. And quite frankly, I think that Pedersen is the better player.

Mm-hmm. So... The only problem. problem with Patterson being the better player there is he's also the better trade ship. I mean, he's five years younger than J.T. Miller. And I mean, you know, I don't know the full contract details of either of them, but regardless, you know, even if they have the same contract, which I'm assuming they don't. No, Pedersen is making a fair amount more.

I don't have exact numbers. I'm pulling it up right now. His clauses don't kick in until next year. So if you're going to trade Pederson, this is the time. to do it before July 1. Yeah. So Pedersen is making $11.6 million until 2032. Mm-hmm.

J.T. Miller is making $8 million until 2030, but his no-move clause has already kicked in. So. Although. You'll have to retain on either, on both of these salaries. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. I feel like.

This is just, I think this is why, I mean, just, just hearing you saying these salaries, Jay, makes it very clear why the Canucks have stood pat right now, because this is just a tangled spider web that I don't think anyone in that front office has any clue how to unweave. And because it's, you know, it's two talented players. You know, J.T. Miller won a Stanley Cup and was part of another Stanley Cup team a couple years prior to that. I mean, these are two guys that have done, had a lot of success in this league.

And, you know, especially with Pedersen, I feel like that's the centerpiece of your franchise almost. I mean, offense, you know, obviously it's Quinn Hughes on defense, but then it's Patterson on offense. Like these are these are these are these are these are franchise cornerstones potentially they're talking about. But you know, that no new move that no move clause with Miller certainly makes things a bit more complicated because I'm sure the Canucks had not started thinking about moving Elias Pedersen before a couple weeks ago. Yeah. I think of a I think of

different situations that J.T. Miller has been in. I mean when the Rangers were kind of reeling when he was there. I mean that he was a trade piece that was used. And I mean for for Miller like you guys said, he is the older of the guys and he he has control here and every every uh every every every every every phone call that from what they're reporting is saying that brayden schneider is not on the table for a trade for um for the rangers one of them that would that they would send the other way if it were the new york rangers would be a guy like philippeito but other guy other teams that are in it are the wild stars and hurricanes with as someone whose team is in the eastern conference

and I would be scared to see J.T. Miller on the Carolina Hurricanes in a broad-brindamore system. Yeah. The guy who's tough-nosed already, and that goes all the way down to his players, especially if you have a healthy Andres Svechnikov, Sebastian Ajo there. And with the season that Marty Nages is already having there for Carolina, that would be one scary trade for if J.T. Miller were to end up on the Carolina hurricanes there. So that is at least my opinion on that one. And you know they're going to want to trade them to the Eastern Conference if they can help it. I mean, they don't want to have to compete against him. You got to figure this, though, the Capitol, excuse me, the Canucks are in win now mode.

I mean, this is a team that, you know, they're not building for two, three years down the road. So, you know, what benefits them most right now? What are they looking to get back, do you think? I mean, you'd want to, for my money, You'd want a roster player back. You'd want to do a, the trader's one for one. And somebody who'd fill the role of J.T. Miller or come close to filling the role of J.T. Miller. Because the problem with trading J.T. Miller is that you no longer have J.T. Miller.

Right. You know. It's addition by subtraction almost. Yeah. You know, and if you get like, I had this kind of not the same situation, obviously, but with the David Jurecheck trade, a lot of people were like, well, we'll give you this B prospect and this C prospect, and then a second and a third and a fourth. that's more than enough for, you know, a blue chip defensive prospect. And like, no, that's just like, you're not, you add all of those pieces up and sure they might add up to make the value of one player. But if they trade J.T. Miller for like, I don't know, so I can't think of a trade off the top of my head. But like, if you trade J.T. Miller for like a bottom six player and an HL prospect and like a second round pick, like that might add up to J.T. Miller.

but you're not going to get JT. Miller value out of any of those pieces, you know? And it's not going to help the Canucks win now. Exactly. And here's a thing. One of the Connux's biggest issues is depth on the blue line, which Quinn Hughes is almost playing 30 minutes a game, along with their injuries in goal. You would want a defenseman back in the, in the trade as well to at least help. Here's a fun, insane thought that won't happen.

J.T. Miller for Eric Carlson, one for one. Ooh. The money would be close. The money would be pretty close. Carlson's deal is up, I think, this summer or next summer. But I think that would be, it's not likely to happen. I think it's a really stupid trade idea, but I do think it would be, as someone who has to, you know, pay attention to the penguins. I think it'd be really funny.

So the other one I've seen is Simone Nemich and Dawson Mercer for J.T. Miller for the Devils, which I think the Devils would be insane. to do. Yeah. It does get a little bit closer to, like, actual value if you're not going to do, like, a one-for-one roster player, you know? Yeah. Yeah.

Yeah. And with Simon Nevich, I mean, the story about his quote the other day is a little bit lost in translation about what he actually said versus what it was interpreted there. And with the, with how Kovicevich has developed in New Jersey and being a big part of that that blue line for it, there might be questions on. on on him going the other way for for uh the new jersey devil so that's i'm new jersey i'm laughing down the phone and hanging up if they ask for a guy like simone nemich like probably probably you unless you unless you're giving something like huge in return that just again that's not a trade

that you win that's a trade that vancouver wins quite handily i know that semit nemesch's has kind of struggled a little bit this season but that's still an extremely good young defenseman under team control for at least another two seasons, I believe, and is far away the best player on that HL team right now. So the real answer here is that no one's going to win the millet trade. Well, it's going to be hard for Vancouver to win it. I would think it'd be tough for Vancouver to win it only because they are forced to make a deal. Right.

And he, yeah, like the GMs can just basically be like, so I'll give you whatever I want. You can decide whether you want that or not. You can decide whether it's good enough. You know, it's the Patrick Lainé trade. Yep. Basically. All right, guys, I want to thank all of you for joining us today. Armando, Jay, Josh.

Thank you so much. We will be back next week with another squad show episode. It's all part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. I'm Gilmartin. Have a great week, everybody, and thanks for listening and watching the NHL Squadcast.