Real Kyper & Bourne - Power Play Malaise with Brian Lawton

Episode Date: October 25, 2024

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne and Sam McKee look at a jumbled-up Atlantic Division with the Bruins and Leafs getting off to rocky starts. Former player, agent and GM Brian Lawton (5:05) shares his thoughts on struggling power-play units in Toronto and Edmonton, Alexis Lafrenière's 7-year extension with the Rangers, Mikko Rantanen's looming contract situation with the Avalanche and more. Later, Kyper regroups with Sam McKee to go over news and notes around the league and answer your questions on the text line!The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Sports & Media or any affiliates.

welcome back to the real kipper and born show as we go national we are live on sportsnet 650 in vancouver and sportsnet 960 in calgary. Seen across all Sportsnet. Great to be not talking about the Leafs this hour. Looking forward to that. This hour, Real Kipper and Bourne is brought to you by Bet365. In a few minutes, we'll welcome in Brian Lawton. And, yeah, we'll like to spread it around the league. But I think the Leafs going from penthouse to outhouse

is a pretty big story. That was world record. They hit terminal velocity off the CN Tower from the top to bottom. We've given the Edmonton Oilers plenty of time as well about their slow start as well. So I think it's only fair that we figure figure a few things out maybe with brian lotten in a few minutes if there's anything that our vancouver and calgary markets would love to hear

it's a bunch of toronto guys panicking about the least eight games in misery down their own leg listen if i know my friends out in vancouver and calgary they love it this is the red meat the ottawa Senator is second in the Atlantic Division right now. We'll take some text messages as well at text 590-590. Yeah. Did I say that right?

You did. You did. Text us, 590-590. We've already got a million unsolicited texts about the Leafs mostly. So text us some non-Leafs stuff so we can do that in the back half of the hour too. Are the Sens for real?

Yeah. They can score some goals has all mark played yet do they need them oh he just came eventually they gave him a lot of money yeah you know it's it's good and i don't know if we're where we are on boston and toronto in that atlantic division because alongside tampa i think we've kind of waited look at this division what a mess toronto oh my god i haven't looked at that yet toronto boston and the leafs have owned this division tampa boston tampa boston and when does one of them fall off? Are we actually seeing? This is the year for sure. Is this the year Boston falls off?

Or because they didn't treat free agency like they were ready to drop off. No, they've got a pretty nice roster, a very good decor, a very good goaltender. There's no reason they should be bad. I don't think they're bad. You know what they look to me? Slow. Yeah. very good goaltender. There's no reason they should be bad. I don't think they're bad. They're a playoff team still. You know what they look to me? Slow.

Yeah. That's troublesome. And Lynn Holmes, a good player. I don't know if our Calgary fans feel the same way, but you expect more out of him, more consistent. There's some nights when it just doesn't look like he has it. You know, it's funny because I mentioned their decor is good.

Hemp's Lindholm, McAvoy, Zdorov, Carlo, Witherspoon, Peake. But up front, it's pretty damn thin. I know they have that one line that's doing pretty good, but, you know, Zaka and Poitras. I was watching the Stars and Bruins as a flickback option with the Toronto Maple Leafs in those commercials and intermissions or whatever. Dallas is just way better. Like, bigger, faster, more good players.

Like, I know Dallas is one of the premier teams in the league, but Boston kind of fancies himself as that, I think. And there was just absolutely no comparison, in my opinion, between those two teams. So, maybe this is the year they just maybe they suck for once. That'd be great. Oh, my God, wouldn't that make me happy? I don't think that's happening.

You don't think so? I think they're just, they might be average. Like looking for a playoff spot kind of, yeah. Okay. Concerns on Brad Mershan? Yeah, definitely. You know, I have noticed a bit of a decline in his game i would say the last year or two and the fact that he has zero goals through eight games which is the longest streak

to start his career uh pre or sorry he has one year he went nine games so he's almost there it's it's definitely concerned top line with him lindholm and pasternak not been good pasternak actually i want to say he has seven minor penalties through eight games. So he's spent a lot of time in the penalty box, which is not great. So the concerns are real for that top line, for sure. So what do we get out of the Edmonton Oilers

and their power play? We spoke in our first Leaf Edition hour about a struggling power play in Toronto, and yet it just seems like they're going to go to the well again with the same guys, whereas Knobloch went a little different on his approach, at least going into tonight. But you sort of implied this in the first hour that like, okay, give it a sec. We'll see how long it takes until everyone's back there. I don't think it'll be long.

Okay, let's welcome in former general manager, president of the Tampa Bay Lightning, analyst, does-it-all, agent, Brian Lawton. Lots, how are you, pal? Thanks for joining us. My pleasure, Kipper. Always happy to be on with both of you. So beautiful of you, Lotz. I want to get into Lotz. I want to get into power plays and struggling ones,

including Edmonton, including Toronto. We had Adam Oates, one of the best passers, one of the best power play guys in the history of the game. And he says really in his world, there isn't a number two power play. It is a number one with your guys. And that's basically it. Where are you on what a coach can do? In your world, is there a one and two power play?

Not really. I think Adam is closer to correct on that than anybody would ever imagine. Of course, when I played, I essentially was a number two power play guy. Certainly when I started out with the North Stars, a little bit more number one when I was playing with an expansion team in San Jose Sharks. But there was definitely two power plays at that time. In today's world, we've just evolved. And the reality is that the top guys on most teams are eating up 80% of the power play, especially if we're talking about a Toronto or even more specifically in Edmonton, where the numbers back that up all year long. They do use another power play, but generally the game would have to be out of hand one way or the other. The interesting thing is that in Edmonton, you know, we have seen some

changes of that power play. Zach Hyman just has been really cold for him. He was super hot last year with 54 goals. Yeah, what happens? The coach still has to have a way to create a level of accountability. And in Edmonton, for instance, there's three guys. They're just not going to take off the power player. It's going to take a lot. Obviously, it's McDavid, Dreisaitl and Bouchard. After that, they can nibble around the edges if they have to. But I agree, the really good teams, the top power plays, they are morphing down to just one unit. So how do you get a team with a ton of awesome players all on the ice at the same time,

more humans on the ice than the other team, and be ineffective? The Leafs have done it. The Oilers did it for a stretch. Last year's Pittsburgh Penguins had four Hall of Famers and couldn't score a power play goal. How does that come to be? it the Oilers did it for a stretch last year's Pittsburgh Penguins had four hall of famers and couldn't score a power play goal how does that come to be there's a lot of things that go into that players do get stale but if you look at those great power plays the thing or the strength that I

always felt Edmonton had is they literally could play their guys in any position, right? They had the ultimate power play, in my opinion, in terms of consistency. And some power plays run hotter and colder than others, but very few are like the Montreal Canadiens when Guy Lefevre was playing and when he hopped over the boards late in the game, regardless of if they were 0 for 5 at that stage or 4 for 5, you knew they were going to score. The really great power plays have that not just to score but the ability to score when it really matters i consider edmonton and toronto at times in that category so how does it go cold there is an element of luck everybody

knows that particularly the people that really follow in analytics. But other than that, there's so many things that really can nibble on how it's going overall. Some of that is, you know, just a player's competitiveness, his Tiger Woods-esque thoughts about when you get somebody down, you know, you really jump on them and finish them. So there's a lot lots unpacked tonight we'll see Sid versus uh Connor and no question that you nibble around those guys there's struggling hockey clubs respectively but it's still selective television to watch Sidney Crosby and McDavid uh I thought McDavid's answer on who should be the Team Canada captain was perfect. Like, the only thing he didn't say was, what are you, an idiot?

Sid. Sid as the captain. But, you know, is it safe to say when Sid signed a two-year contract earlier this year that it was knowing full well that there could be issues on ever making the playoffs in the next year or two, and I'm okay with that? Well, I mean, there's nobody more well-versed

on what's going on around them than Sid, so I would find it incomprehensible that he looked at the club and he didn't think that. It's actually a little bit strange if you look at their start because Malkin has played really well and Sid knows what he's going to do and yet they've struggled.

Goaltending's been a problem. They're not necessarily struggling for me when I look at their team. It's kind of where I expected them to be. Notwithstanding, I didn't see Malkin coming out of the gate like this. So the surprising thing is that they are where they are and they're getting this great performance from him. And it's still not enough to elevate them. Now, they're a game under 500. They by no means are out of it. But as you approach the 10 game mark and you get a

chance to see what people have on a nightly basis, you can start to form some pretty strong opinions that'll hold through for the majority of the year. And for me, Pittsburgh is kind of what they are right now. If you're 500 in the NHL, you're almost always between 20th and 24th in the league. And as we know, that's not good enough to be a playoff team. Right. Lots. We're going to kind of bounce around a little bit. One of the pieces of news in the NHL today is Alexi Lafreniere signed a contract seven years times seven and a half million, roughly.

What were your thoughts on that deal? Not surprised. It's definitely the trend. It's somewhat interesting because Capo Capo has not been able to maybe show the progress that Lafreniere has. They both struggled early on in their careers. Not surprising.

They're young players. I think they're both good players, but Alexi's been able to prove that we feel good enough, at least we being the New York Rangers, that we're ready to pay this guy some significant money. And we even think there's a chance that we could prevent him from getting away from us in the future. So they make that move where they don't make it with their second overall pick the year before him. So, you know, this is just clubs taking care of business.

Chris Drury and his staff, they're asked, like many of the GMs in the league, to make these tough calls. And if you're right and you get enough of them right, and the Rangers have a lot of guys that are playing under market, and they have for quite a while. But now we're starting to see that flip over with a guy like Shusterkin. Panarin is what Panarin is. They've got Shabini Jed done.

Chris Kreider is a fair price deal. Now you've got these young studs. You've got Keiondre Miller. Obviously, they'll have to figure something out long-term. Adam Fox, they have. This is just the life of managing a club and the dynamic of being like the Rangers, who are, in my opinion, a very good team, but haven't gotten over the hump in the playoffs. These are just all the vagrancies you have to deal with on a weekly, monthly, and yearly basis in managing the club. Well, that's the first thing I thought of was that this is going to be a bargain for

the New York Rangers in a very short period of time. And we've seen a lot of guys, a lot of young players now coming in and signing these types of contracts. Quinton Byfield, Seth Jarvis, and I get it, man. They're waving $50, $60 million at you, but maybe Lafreniere in two or three years is a $10 million player or a $12 million player. Maybe at the end of the season he is.

It's a really, really tough call, and the clubs do a great job of reminding you that it's 50 million bucks. But, you know, is Hughes in New Jersey thinking, I jumped the gun too early here with his? The question is, should he be? And the answer is absolutely not. You know, Kipper, you're a parent i'm a parent i have kids around the the ages of these players we're talking about and ultimately from a psychology standpoint

um you never begrudge players for that they haven't you know really rung the bell so when you give them a chance to make 50 million dollars and they're looking at the grand scheme of their lives, players take it 99% of the time. Jack Hughes at eight and a quarter, you know, he struggled for a couple of years. Again, not uncommon. Jack needed to get a little stronger, a little more mature, understand the league. He very quickly overcame that, but it probably felt like an eternity for the New Jersey Devils when he was going through that. And then he comes along, he gets over the hump. He proves that he's not just able to play. He proves that he's got durability because that was in question early on with him. And somebody offers him eight times eight and a quarter and they jump on it.

I often wonder why clubs lose faith in what they're doing, because in the end, you're going to win that battle 99% of the time. It's just so many years and you don't play for that many, you know, like if this guy is a heart trophy guy, guys are getting 14 million now, you know, it's What would Leon get? $14. Yeah. How far off Leon's he going to be in two minutes? I mean, behind, but...

Just on that, is Kaprizov up in Minnesota this summer? Is he eligible? He is. Yes. He's 27. He's eligible to sign on July 1st. He has another year left.

Okay. We'll have to check that because all the stats I'm quoting you, just by memory, I'm not looking at anything. But I believe Kirill. Could he make an argument? July 1st. Could he make an argument to be in the vicinity of Leon Dreisaitl at 12? Yeah.

I'm certain he will. He's off to a heck of a start. He's off to a heck of a start. He's a heck of a player. He's done it since he got here. He started when he was later, but he really does make that team go. I, you know, these are,

I don't envy Billy Guerin for having to, you know, get that one done. And ultimately, if you haven't done your job of accommodating these players and making sure they know how the organization feels against, feels about them, you have no chance for guys that are more transient. And what I mean by that is that there are certain individuals and sometimes we even, you know, stereotype players that they're, you know, more likely to move. Russian players, in my humble opinion, tend to be in that category. And you hear the same things. They love Florida and they love New York. So do you have to pay a premium to keep them is the question. I don't think you do if you communicate with your players and you treat them the exact opposite of how Nick Kiprios was treated when he was a player.

Prisov has this year and next at $9 million. Yeah. And he's jumping. His goal and point total is 47 goals, 40 goals, 46 goals, 108 points, 96 points. That's a $12 million player. At least. Yeah. Right.

Well, let's see what happens with Ranton. And that's an interesting case right now in Colorado because he's not signed. And he could have been, right? He could have been. Is that what you said? Yeah, he could have been at the start of the year. He could have been as of July 1stst and he's not re-signed and conversations have been fairly light there what do you think his number what's fair for him

i think he's in the category with the players we're talking about right here between uh kaprizov and dry cycle I don't know how you would take, you know, the interesting thing about Mikko is that you ask all different groups of people and some people love analytics. But when I ask coaches about him and everything really for the, certainly for the fans and the media,

everything in Colorado starts and ends with Nathan McKinnon. You'd be surprised how many coaches say, that guy's killed us. He's absolutely annihilated us, and we don't even really do enough prep for him. That's the story for a long time on him. That's changing now.

His teams are recognizing that. That's a dynamic duo between those two. There's some value. A-L a lot being behind McKinnon though for him like kind of sneaking under the radar a bit like that could be

part of the reason he's doing as well as he is, right? Like when you have a great hitter ahead of you in the batting order it helps. Or behind you, sir.

Yes. It's always a slippery slope on that because you have guys that have gone on and proven who they are. I would say Panarin you know, got a little bit

of that label when you had Taves and Kane. Oh, he's playing with great players. He went to Columbus guys that have gone on and proven who they are i would say panarin you know got a little bit of that label when you had caves and king oh he's playing with great players he went to columbus he still did well he's in new york he's doing well um there's always that argument and and believe me those are the first things you say if you're the gm there oh he's got mckinnon he's not really that good he's really good miko r He's not really that good. He's really good. Miko Rantanen is really an elite player. Last two years, 55 goals and 105 points. 42 goals,

104 points, and he's a large human. Lots. And he is a large human, exactly. Thursday night, we saw the Flames lose their first regulation game, and what a start in a nutshell. And is there Thursday night we saw the Flames lose their first regulation game. And what a start in a nutshell.

And is there enough of a sample size here to say, why wouldn't they be able to hang in there and keep Calgary Flame fans interested in a potential playoff spot? Or is it just too early? For me, it's just too early. And I don't mean that disrespectfully to the Flames. Nobody expected this. I think they've been one of the incredible, bright stories early on.

I'm a skeptic, but not because I don't like what they're doing. I think Craig Conroy is doing a great job. I think they are injecting young players much quicker than a lot of other people that have tried to do what they're trying to do right now. And I compliment them on that because they haven't been afraid to make some moves to let go a star goalie, to let go, you know, a winger where you try to be flat with Kachuk and you bring in Huberto and Mackenzie Weeger. But those aren't easy deals to do. So they've been through a lot.

I think they're in a really good place. Right now, if you gave me even money, I would say they will not make the playoffs, but they will have a much better season than I was thinking they would before it started. No doubt they'll be right there knocking on the door, hipper to your comment, and they will keep the fans very interested and start to build a lot of pride in this group because I think they're moving in the right direction. I just don't believe this is what you're going to see at the end of the year

when we add it all up in terms of their standing right now. Yeah. You know, Lotz, we do a lot of talking about Canadian teams and where they slot in. Another sort of like fringe playoff-y team for some people, the Ottawa Senators. We're waiting to see if they can take a step and actually get in. It looks like the Bruins might struggle a bit.

There's some early signs that there might be room in the Atlantic. They get Allmark. Is there enough on that Ottawa Senators roster for you to say that, yes, they're ready to go from, you know, they're getting better to actually a playoff team? Still undetermined for me. Their slow start was a little spooky, but they've turned it around.

I'm sure they would tell you it's just a little, you know, a little bump on the way to making it to the playoffs. And that very well could be it. They will compete for a playoff spot much stronger than they have in the past. They could get in. They might not get in either way. I think the future is bright for them when you really look at the young players that they have.

Steve Stahels is doing a nice job. He's had to navigate some difficult challenges thus far, and I think he's doing that. Olmark was really a godsend for them. They needed that particular piece. Brady Kachuk is a real deal. Tim Stutzla, you know, he's been a little bit up and down for a guy that has the skill level that he does,

that scored as much as he has. People seem to been a little bit up and down for a guy that has the skill level that he does, that scored as much as he has. People seem to want a little bit more. We could say that about a lot of other great or gifted offensive players. Sometimes it just takes them time to realize that, you know what, if I get 80 points and we don't make the playoffs every year, it doesn't really make my life better. Whereas if I get the same or less and we're a dynamic team in the league and the world looks a lot better for a young player like him, I think Tim's all in. He's a great kid. And I think they got a hell of a good one there. So I'm bullish on Ottawa, but doesn't mean they'll make the playoffs. The East is a beast. A lot of these teams are just hanging around Washington.

They got a little bit of a resurgence. Tampa's had a little bit of resurgence after moving Stamkos, but bringing McDonough back. So it's just too early to make those types of calls now, in my opinion. Well, it's only one team stands as undefeated, and that's the Winnipeg Jets. Tomorrow night on Hockey Night in Canada,

they'll go against calgary and then monday it'll be toronto followed by detroit next wednesday like how far can this thing go can uh can they knock on door on the door of uh the leafs i think in 90 93 94 they went 10-0 to jump out of the gate. Winnipeg is such an interesting team. We don't give them nearly enough time. You guys in Canada who want to talk about Canadian teams seven days a week don't give them what they deserve because they've done it for a while now. And last year, I felt like they were somewhat discounted. So yeah,

you got to tip your cap to Kevin Sheffield day off changing coaches this year. It looked like that could be something that, you know, created a downturn. It hasn't happened. They've got a good group of players. They've got a great goaltender. They've been through a complete evolution for me in the last four or five years, and I think it's been really fun to watch. Their scouting continues to just really be good, you know, and they've shown patience.

Some of that at times I thought was just a necessity as a smaller market where they're forced to go that path. Mark Chippen has been steadfast on their plans as president of the club, and they're really being rewarded. I thought they were in trouble at the start of last year as an organization. Maybe they weathered that storm. They got their key players signed. The market responded with their good play,

and I think they're in a really good spot right now, and I think they have a lot to be proud of lots we really appreciate uh your your time god I wish we could trade places right now because I'm looking at your background right now and uh Friday happy hour New York City I bet he'd go down that elevator and have a pretty good time just a guess I did move recently in New York City I don't live here all the time, but I moved to a new apartment. I do like the view. Attaboy. We do as well.

Yeah, we do too. Thanks for doing this, pal. My pleasure, guys. Thanks for having me on. Great to see you. I look forward to doing it again sometime in the future if you decide to have me back. We'd love to, Lott. Thanks, buddy.

Brian Lottin, NHL player, agent, general manager. And real estate tycoon. First place overall. First pick overall. Let's talk about that house. $30 million apartment. What is that view? Good Lord.

I just live here sometimes. Oh, do you? I think he's done well. He's doing okay? Good to hear. Glad to hear that. Hey, Lotz, you saw the L done well. He's doing okay? Good to hear. Glad to hear that. Hey, Lotz, you selling the Lotz guy some money, buddy?

What do you want? Game time or you want to go to bed? Yeah, we'll do game time. We'll do a game time. What do you guess? Uh-oh. World Series? Hold on. Alright. It's game time. Beside my bet 365. Visit the app, play a star to find out why it's never ordinary at bet 365. Must be Three, six, five. This is the app for you to find out why it's never ordinary. I bet three,

six, five must be 19 plus Ontario only. Please play responsibly. And Kipper, you were right. Oh, world series tonight gets underway. The New York Yankees and the Los Angeles Dodgers far cry from the Texas

Rangers versus the Arizona diamondbacks last year. Really, really, really exciting to have these two teams. This is like not quite Dallas Stars, Edmonton Oilers. This is like, this is, I don't know. The cherry on top. What's the equivalent of that in the NHL? I mean, it's got to be just New York, LA, doesn't it still?

Or is it Chicago, Boston or something? Chicago, Boston, probably. They don't want a Canadian team in there. I know that. Like in the NFL, this would be like getting the Steelers and the Cowboys in the Super Bowl. This is as good as it gets for them. So the Yankees are a underdog tonight, plus 110.

LA Dodgers, minus 130. It's been a long time since the Yankees have won a World Series. The Dodgers and Yankees have a lot of history in the World Series. I think the Yankees have beat them a lot. Mr. October, is it Reggie Williams that had the three-home run game against the Dodgers? What did I say, Reggie Jackson? I said Reggie Williams. Whoops, I meant to say Reggie Jackson.

Sorry, guys. That's okay. I'm a young man. I know, yeah, you're right. You're right. I'm a young man. He had a chocolate bar named after him. Is that right?

Yeah, but no. Mr. October, three-home runs against the Dodgers. Anyways, so I think the right. I'm a young man. He had a chocolate bar named after him. Is that right? Yeah, but no, Mr. October, three home runs against the Dodgers. Anyways, so I think the Yankees are going to win, and I don't want them to, but I don't really want the Dodgers to win either because of Shohei. I just kind of wish they'd cancel it, if I'm being totally honest. I would want no outcome. Everyone lay down your arms. Yeah.

Form a truce. The worldwide ratings on this is going to be off the charts. Yeah, it's going to be massive the charts. Yeah, it's going to be massive. It's one of the biggest. What was the joke you made there, someone, about the Cowboys? Whoever loses is... Oh, yeah, whatever. This is going to be a tough one for Cowboys fans to decide who to cheer for.

Tonight, Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid going head-to-head, boys. It's exciting. Future teammates at the Four Nations face-off. The captain and probably the assistant captain going to head-to-head, boys. It's exciting. Future teammates at the Four Nations face-off. The captain and probably the assistant captain going head-to-head. Both these guys like to rise to the occasion. Both of them will be inspired.

Give me Sidney Crosby two points and Connor McDavid two points for plus 450. And the last one I have is the Ottawa Senators against the Vegas Golden Knights. Still up in the air if uh lenis allmark's gonna play he's gonna talk to dr season off to see if he can get into the lineup tonight yeah but uh guys senators maybe decent pennies you can score so give me the uh give me the value plus 120 on the ottawa senators visiting the vegas golden knights at one of the best arenas in the in the world going for a game. Oh, my God. Friday night, the Sens fans will be down there. They'll be greased up.

They'll be having a great time. Sens win tonight. Love it. Love it, Sammy. Yeah. I got some text, too. All right. Speaking of Ulmer and goaltenders who've.

Oh, by the way. Oh, yeah. By the way, that was game time. That was game time. Presented by Bet365. Visit the app for the latest odds to find out why it's ever ordinary at Bet365. Must be 19 plus. Tenure only.

Please play responsibly. Line. Line. Sorry, I forgot to do that. All good. Speaking of goaltenders who just need to feel just right, Ladar was in that for Calgary last night. And I don't know if you watched what happened to him,

but he wasn't feeling too well towards the latter part of the game. And he broke down a little bit with some cramping. So I've got his comments after the break. We'll have a listen to where the goalie mentality is. And I kind of clipped this probably more for Steve Valaket than anybody else. Everyone's got to be perfect. But let's have a listen to Vladar's comments

on cramping when we return after the break on Real Kipper and Bourne. Everything you need to know about the Raptors and the biggest stories around the NBA. Smith & Jones. Subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. This hour,

real Kipper and born brought to you by bet three, six, five. As we close out this week, Nick Kiprios and just Sammy McKee. As we let Justin born, take the rest of the afternoon off as he gets ready for a Halloween party with his kid. Yeah, he's got a goal.

I think his wife's away this weekend. He's a good dad. He's a great family man. Is he the dad that will put on a costume tonight too? I don't think. He doesn't strike me as a costume guy. You're a costume guy. I was as a kid, yes, but not as a dad.

Well, no, but like you like wearing a costume. I remember, you know, when I used to listen to you. Oh, yeah. When I was a younger man and I used to like listen to you on Hockey Central and all that stuff, I mean, I remember Kiss. I remember you guys dressing up as Kiss. I remember you guys dressing up as Game of Thrones. Game of Thrones.

We did Wizard of Oz. We had David Amber as a scarecrow. Yeah. So, I mean, Thursday coming up this week, this has been a point of contention, actually, with our show, is that you have alluded to the fact that you would like to dress up. I'm over it now. But then Borny, our beloved co-worker Borny,

if you could show him again on camera. Yeah, he, our beloved co-worker Borny. Ray, you got to dress up this year, Borny. He's going as a skeleton. Look how fit he is oh my god oh that's funny all right so uh before the break i was mentioning vladar who had a good night i think he had 39 saves um but i found it really interesting to hear him talk about cramping up last night yeah this is one for valley so uh you

want to play that clip for us derek and then we can talk about it after in uh the first 25 minutes uh it just didn't stop so i was really tired i skated a lot last couple of days so tomorrow when i'm gonna call the talk to goalie coach i'll let him know that it was too much the last couple of days because I was really tired. I was cramping up at the end. So let's take it. Nothing beyond cramping up.

No, no, no. Just cramping up. Last couple of days, too much. I'm tired. I love that. That's classic. We just started the season. Yeah, but I mean.

He's tired. Too much the last couple of days. He's skating like a dog. Too much. Too much. Can you imagine? tired oh he's going so much the last couple of days he's skating like a dog too much too much can you imagine i could never imagine anybody in my era going up to a coach and say we got to talk tomorrow because it's too much well i think i actually like it that's classic those like european guys are very dry and they'll just say what's like on their mind. Like think of what Ilya Samsonov used to say in this market, whatever he would be on his

mind. He's tired. He's honest. Like, I mean, if they want to continue, they need him to play well. And, but the thing is he's the backup, right? Cause Wolf's the starter. So he hasn't played at all. Just, he's tired.

Just a different world. He's too tired. Out there. He's too tired. It's hilarious. Did you want to do some text? tired. Out there. He's too tired. It's hilarious. Did you want to do some text? I got a bunch. You do? Is there something else you want to do?

Anywhere else you want to go? Well, did you see this with the Penguins and Jari? Where is he? Okay, so this is from the Sportsnet website. Penguins send struggling goalie Tristan Jari back to Pittsburgh for individual individual work does this remind you of anything uh who sent who the pittsburgh no no i know that but what's it uh reminding me of i don't know last year with the leafs and samson off where he was sent to the minors but but it was not the minors. Yes, to work. They just sent him to the gulag.

There you go. Seems like a million years ago for me, but this is Kyle Dubas. Yeah. So, Jari is one and one in three games for the Penguins with a 547 goals against average and an 836 percentage. He's a two-time all-star. And they gave him 5 million times 5. Did they not?

I think that was the contract. A few years ago? Yeah. That was like the first, when Dubas signed there, that was the first contract that he gave out, I think, was Tristan Jari. Which, you know. I know we, I think we've talked about this,

but goaltenders are the only position where if you lose faith in that guy, you cannot win. Yeah. I can lose a little confidence in a number one centerman, a number one defenseman can struggle. There's still enough juice in the room that you think that you could still win or overcome it with one or two struggles to key guys, but not that guy. Yeah. And like I said, I rode Reggie with the numbers.

He is in a year two of five with a $5.375 million dollar cap hit per year buddy that's just crazy that's crazy like i mean he is a two-time all-star like i said so maybe they hope okay okay okay okay i mean oh yeah no you don't care about that but he's been good he's had good season throw out two-time all-star when when whenStar when you're begging players to go to it. People are finding excuses to not want to go. This is fair. And you have to pick somebody from a team. And so it's you because that's the open position.

It doesn't mean anything when you say he was an NHL All-Star. Well, I'm just looking at his numbers. End of the year All-Star, right? Voted All-Stars at the end of the year. That'sL all-star. Well, I'm just looking at his numbers. End of the year all-star, right? Voted all-stars at the end of the year. That's an all-star. Like first team guys. Playing in the game is not all-star anymore. He's a showcase guy.

Can we just refer to them as a showcase guy? But like in 1920 and 2021, he played 33 games. He had a 921. He had a 909. Well, there's something there that led to 5 million bucks. He had a 919 and 58 games. Like there's something there. This is why goaltending keeps people up at night.

Like is there a more unpredictable position in sports? Like it's goalies and it's relief pitchers. Like, I don't, what else? You know, you just. It's a crapshoot. You just hold on for dear life. Like, you think you hope you got one. Like, look what the Leafs have gotten from Stolarz,

who was a career backup, and he's been their, you know, Valaketsi's been the best goalie through six games. Yeah. And then it's like, is it Cinderella? Is it midnight? I don't know. Pumpkin time? It is Halloween. It's Halloween? I don't know. Pumpkin time? It is Halloween.

It's Halloween. I don't know, man. I just, goaltending keeps me up at night. I don't love goaltending. Yeah. We mentioned earlier about Sid and Connor. Yeah. Rolling out the red carpet for him as the captain.

Love that. I know we didn't get into it with Lawton, but you have four nations. Does it matter? It does matter. Yes, I agree. To be selected to that team matters more than the actual tournament. It's just, and it's the link to the Olympics.

And I covered the 2016 World Cup. Hated it. I know you I know but it was listen it was entertaining all the best players together yeah it was yeah Connor and Matthews our first look at Austin Matthews before he ever played for the Toronto Maple Leafs so there was some entertainment value there but to have gone back there and know that Connor McDavid still hasn't played in an Olympic and we didn't know when he ever would be. It's crazy. It made that tournament just feel like it's meaningless. This leads to an Olympic. This is about what's the team going to look like who's who's pushing now if you didn't

have the olympics in a few years this one this one would be looked upon as the same as uh as gimmicky as 2016 but this is the the lead i want to see what the what they envision an olympic team looking like because that's the one that they're going to go with on this one that's why it matters yep i completely i what do you think of bennington last night look like a starting goalie for canada team looking like because that's the one that they're going to go with on this one. That's why it matters. Yep. I completely What did you think of Bennington last night? Looked like a starting goalie for Canada? I liked his game. Me too. But I liked St. Louis' whole

game. Yeah, they played awesome. They played big. Inspired hockey. They played fast. And there's no stars on that team. No. Bennington, you know, he's got that edge to him and you know people like they were talking about it montembeau and you know aiden hill i know aiden hill i have more confidence in aiden hill and binnington than i would in montembeau both those guys have played in huge

games they've both won the cup at least they have the experience in high stress games i don't know but i i think it does it's it's to be interesting to see what people think of it when it comes here, but I think it does matter. So did you want me to give you some text? Well, we've pumped it up like crazy. See, now that JB's not here, you look so far away from me. You know what it's like? It's like when you're in an Uber, you're in the back seat,

or you're in your friend's car, and there's somebody in the front seat, and then you're in the back, and you're in your friend's car and there's somebody in the front seat and then you're in the back and then you just stay in the back. That's what it feels like right now. I feel like Johnny Carson right now. You're my Ed McMahon. Well, but you see on TV, as you look over here, it doesn't look that weird. It just looks like we're sitting at the same table. Anyways.

Do you know who Ed McMahon is, by the way? I do. Yeah. Yeah. I do. I don't know who Reggie Williams is, but I know who Reggie is. Can you say, you are correct, correct sir you are correct sir can you anything else can you give away 10 million dollars i think he used to do that i would take 10 million dollars uh do you think that knob block has a chance of getting fired early in this season like Woodcroft. And if he does, that's McDavid's sixth coach that he's got fired

and his seventh coach. Not a snowball's chance. I agree. That this is happening. But I'm sure he feels like Jay Woodcroft felt. How could you not? When you started and then led to your demise. I like the fact that he's trying to show at least he's not happy with the power play.

And at the end, it's probably just going to end up being the way it is still. And it's not going to be that bad. Like one's going to bounce off of Zach Hyman's ass. And then they're all going to, and everything will kind of fall into its place. But there's a big demand on this team, not just getting to a final, but winning a Stanley Cup. And maybe they just got ahead of themselves a little bit and let the dust settle after the first 10 games.

But I think it does show a bit of desperation that you're even considering doing that. And that a coach is probably feeling it a little bit, right? No doubt. It's, you know, just to stick on the Oilers and the relevance of the conversation we had in our Leafs hour. Did not help, again last night watching Broberg That's what I'm saying.

come out of the gate and score the first goal against the Leafs and looking every bit of a guy who in a few years could be a number one or two defenseman. It wasn't just the goal he scored. He set up somebody in the slot where he comes way down below the net, beautiful pass out in front on the play that Riley high-sticked the goalie on. I loved his game. I thought Holloway looked good.

Even that Ryan McLeod that they traded, he's half to a good start. I think he's got four or five goals to start the year. He's fast. He's young. Like, I think the two things can be true situation with them letting Broberg go. Maybe was the right call considering they have to pay McDavid. They have to pay Bouchard.

They have to pay Dreisaitl. I would have trimmed. You would have kept him. Outside of worrying about those guys. So you would have capped Robred? You cannot give up on a 23 year old who is a top 10 and again talking to a scout the other day

saying that they saw him at the Holinka way back when and it wasn't even close about who was the best defenseman in that tournament and had pronger like looks. Wasn't even close about who was the best defenseman in that tournament. And had pronger-like looks. Not from a standpoint that he's ever going to step on anyone's head.

Never going to be that mean. He's not going to be that mean. But as far as coverage and reach and all of it, he had that presence. He's huge. He's 6'4". He's a 220 he's 220 pound guy like he can fire it skate and now he's loaded with confidence yeah somebody paid me they want me here i'm in a less of a buzzsaw in terms of a market where i can just play my game like god doug armstrong's pretty good at this my friend here in new york slow start to his career yep quentin byfield slow start to his

career those guys are now 50 60 million dollar players uh i see today that matt rempe has been sent down to the ahl i like that move give the kid a chance to play needs to play and not fight everyone in the nhl like a sideshow act thumbs up for me what do you think uh i like him in terms of what he's shown and brought i love the element of of him but sometimes things can get a little ahead of you as well yeah and i've noticed that they've pushed him a lot oftentimes he's the most popular guy off the ice there's lineups for his autograph there's a bit of a cult following here kind of mess with you a little bit early let him go to the minors let him go play some games get some reps and and keep developing he's got to he's got

to keep working on his game yeah so he can be an everyday player it's just we may look back on that rempe thing remember the jeremy lynn lynn sanity yeah where he comes in and he's just outstanding for the knicks for i don't know even how long that was he turned it into a huge contract with the rockets but like an unexpected guy that just took over a sport for however long yeah it was a madhouse last year when he came here it was like at the peak of it and much like with jeremy lynn when he came here it was like at the peak of it and as much like with jeremy lynn when he came to toronto he had a game winner against him like it was a very very crazy situation so he's down in the minors now uh are jake sanderson and brady kachuk serious contenders for team usa at the four nations cup well i'll say that kachuk is not a

serious contender he's on the team jake sanderson uh yeah i'd have to kind of revisit when you think of mcavoy um fox when you think of uh here i'll give you the i'll give you a like there's five or six that are pretty much locks so here just went on NHL.com, pulled up a quick projected roster. For their decor, look in here right now. They have Fox, Quinn Hughes, Charlie McAvoy,

Keiondre Miller, Jacob Slavin, Jake Sanderson, Miller. I get big and strong and can look really good sometimes, but... Faber? Not consistent enough. They have Brock Faber listed here.

Brock's right there as well. And I'd probably have Brock ahead of Jake. Zach Wierenski? He looked pretty good against the Leafs. God, that's like... Their forward do they have listed here. Caulfield, Connor, Eichel, Gensel, Hughes, Keller, Larkin, Matthews, Miller, Robertson, Kachuk, Kachuk, Trochek.

Not a bad squad, Kippy. You're nervous about that squad. Canada always finds a way to beat them. We're still Canada. And like I rest my head on the pillow thinking we still have Conor McDavid. We still have Nathan McKinnon. We still have Sidney Crosby. We still have Kale McCarr.

But, you know, I don't know if we talked about this on air or not. Or it was off air. But USA is coming here big time. They're coming big time. Play the percentages. I know. Okay. Why did they have to start playing hockey in Arizona and St. Louis? 300 million people. 30 million. I know. Why did they have to start playing hockey in Arizona and St. Louis?

300 million people, 30 million, 35 million people. They're playing in all these non-traditional markets, right? Like Arizona, it's produced Matthews, Nye's played there, like St. Louis is producing all these guys. Everywhere. Everywhere. California is producing these guys.

What's going to shoot out of a cannon too is that USHL. Yeah, 100%. They can have those – there could be 60, 100 USHL teams in 10, 15 years. And you just regionalize it. You watch – USHL is going to play for the Memorial Cup as well. Oh, yeah, it's coming. I actually like that. It's coming.

I wouldn't mind that at all. Yeah, there's there's a lot of stuff going on behind the scenes right now that and it's led by the ncaa opening up their athletes getting paid but quickly it's gonna it's gonna look much different in a very short period of time i just pulled up this i'm just interested time. I just pulled up this. I'm just interested in this. I just pulled up the projected D-man on NHL.com here for Canada. Evan Bouchard. Average in defending. Noah Dobson, Drew Doughty, Kale McCarr, Josh Morrissey,

Owen Power, Devon Taves. It's not what it once was, Kippy. The forwards are, though. The forwards are. McGinn are mcginnis coffee well i mean think about think about the 2010 teams think about the 2010 team that blue line duncan keith scott needham are pronger webber drew dowdy as a rookie like that was a stacked decor it's just not what it once was but the forwards are pretty good. So let's see if I got a quick one here before we go. Show the Jets some love, you slackers. We did.

I know. We don't show them enough love. They're on fire. They're unbelievable. I know. I know. Okay, let's get somebody on from Winnipeg. Yeah, what are we going to do on Monday?

Because they're playing the Leafs. There you go. We're going to get somebody in the Leafs out on that. We'll track down Sean. I'm going to do a Big Brother program with you tomorrow. I'm taking you to golf. Oh, you're teaching me how to play. I can't wait.

Are you looking forward to it? I really can't wait to play. I love fall golf. Bundle up a little bit. The sun will be shining. Listen, for the record, every hole I'm playing, my ball's going under the Leafs, and I get a free lift. Love it.

That's my favorite part of football. Thanks for joining us, everybody. Have a great weekend. Real Kipper and Bourne a free lift. Love it. That's my favorite part of it. Thanks for joining us, everybody. Have a great weekend. Real Kipper and Bourne returns on Monday.