Real Kyper & Bourne - Trouble in Long Island with Frank Seravalli

Episode Date: December 30, 2024

Nick Kypreos, Justin Bourne, and Sam McKee welcome Frank Seravalli from The Daily Face-off to debate the state of the New York Islanders, Pattrick Roy's future with the team, and whether their playoff hopes are over. Next, the three discuss the New York Rangers, whether Peter Laviolette is under fire, the state of the Calgary Flames and Ottawa Senators, and why there hasn't been much talk about free agency this year. Finally, the guys wrap up with some World Juniors talks and the state of the Edmonton Oilers (33:53).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 affiliate.

All right, one more show, and the year is over. Holy cow. So we're on today, off tomorrow, off Wednesday, back on Thursday, Friday. Yes, we have the schedule dialed. There you go. But during a similar time slot, we will be doing the Leafs game tomorrow,

so there's content. Yes. There's just not. Busy. National NHL content. Busy There's just not. Busy. National NHL content. Busy next few days before the Winter Classic. Mm-hmm. Which goes.

Are you pumped? Well. Sounds like it. I don't mean to slander it at all. No, no. Listen. I've been a part of them enough on the broadcast. When you're there, they're really cool. Really cool.

They're awesome. Outdoor hockey's awesome. I'm jealous of Sam seeing his. They're back at Wrigley Field. It's been done before, so there isn't, that element is gone. So, I think I'll tune in for sure, but I mean, the luster's gone

off of it in terms of feeling like you're seeing a real spectacle. Yeah. But it's great for the locals, and it's great for what's been a money-making, like, 20 years now, 20-plus years. Yeah, is that how long ago the first one was? Yeah. And I will say the Blackhawks uniforms are spectacular. I like St. Louis' too.

I think it's going to look like a great matchup. That is a stupid dumbbell brain, but a lot of it has to do with the jerseys. It's going to be beautiful. It's going to look great. And listen, you got Conor Bedard. The Blues are trying to get competitive. Who's he not, by the way? Shooting it in the net a little bit more now, Bedard.

There you go. Bedard's, or sorry, St. Louis' 20th in the NHL. They're chasing down a playoff spot. And he'll be a big focal point New Year's Day. All right. Wherever you're watching, listening, Sportsnet 650 in Vancouver, Sportsnet 960 in Calgary. We're glad you're aboard for the next hour.

This hour of Real Kipper and Born brought to you by Bet365. Frank Cervelli, hockey insider, president of hockey content for daily face-offs, will join us is he there is he i believe he's there he is there oh there is wonderful unlike luke i think frank's done opening gifts is that right okay frank welcome aboard bud thanks for doing this how are you yeah happy new year guys good to be with you again yeah um santa good for you like does does do you shut down the news even if you got the biggest scoop of the year would you go nah i'm on break here it's christmas i mean i guess it would depend i i think we all

have a price everything everything can be bought but i will say that uh the league going dark december 24th 25th 26 i know you you see the the NFL now and the two games that they added on Netflix. I think it's one of the things the NHL really gets right. Let everyone hang with their families, get some time away from the rink, close the facilities, and we're looking at you Dallas Stars. No optional extra practices here. Everyone kind of has to live by the same rules. And if it's going to be you're playing games on the 27th,

then that means that no extra practice for everyone, not just you guys. Okay, this is not anything new, Frank, for Dallas or any other team to kind of understand. They're not the first team that has done this and gotten fined, I think, $100,000 in the past. So where was the screw-up? Where did they think they were going to be able to pull this off? Explain it to us.

Well, the first rule in committing a crime is don't tell on yourself. When Pete DeBoer talks openly about the team's optional skate and then saying that the young guys were there, even though it's optional because they had to be there, probably not the best course of action if you're looking to evade punishment. Maybe that's just it. Maybe they don't care.

Maybe they're happy to pay the fine if it means gaining a competitive advantage. Yeah. Yeah, it makes sense. Was it 100 grand? Is that number out? The number is not out, but I wouldn't be surprised

if it was larger than that because how many times are we going to see teams year after year, do the same thing and get fined and then have it just a hundred grand. I mean, every owner's writing a check for a hundred grand for a chance to win at, you know, even if it's a slight percentage chance to win an extra game. Well,

that's crazy. Do you think they'll ever play in Christmas day? Do you think we'll chase down the NBA and NFL? I don't know why you'd want to even compete. No offense. You're not the ratings behemoth that they are. Maybe in Canada it might be different, but even so, at some point you're encroaching

on world junior territory. There's just a lot happening, and I like the traditional aspect of the NHL going dark on those days. All right, So the, I'm a little tempted by it. You like the idea? Yeah.

I, I maybe even one, one game. Yeah. Christmas morning. How much would you like it? Yeah. Go up against screaming kids,

opening up gifts like 11 a.m. 11 a.m. The rules for Christmas morning are you can put on Christmas vacation and you can cook breakfast in your Blackhawks Griswold jersey, and that's about all you can do on Christmas morning connected to the NHL. I'm telling you. And the Grinch is the ref. All right, hold on.

So the NHL trade freeze has ended. Who do you see as being active first out there? My eyes have been on the Vancouver Canucks for two weeks now. They, I think as the trade freeze was being enacted, they were making calls right up until the very end. Now look at the injuries that have piled up for them. This team was in a world of hurt, moving the puck out of their own end when philip aronic was the only guy out

of their lineup on the back end now take quinn hughes out even for any measurable length of time not just with the season that he's having creeping into the heart trophy conversation but also looking at the rest of this defense core as it's currently assembled i mean you head over to daily face off and you look at their pairings it is pretty ugly for the vancouver canucks you're looking at four replacement level nhl players and and two regulars and that's tough sledding for a team that's really been as inconsistent as they've been there's been a lot happening so far this year in vancouver we can talk about petterson and and miller and we can talk about thatcher demko and the time that he's missed but i i don't know that we've properly assessed the Canucks yet

or have the ability to do so yet with all of the injuries that they had. They put together a roster in the summer that they haven't had together for one single game as a complete team this season so far. Before we get into JT Miller, just in terms of the injuries, we get a sense that Pedersen's not as serious as Quinn Hughes.

Do we know anything about what happened to both of them? I don't. They've done a pretty good job of keeping it shrouded. And look, I think with Hughes, the really interesting part is Rick Tockett mentioned that he had no ability to make it worse. So when he guts it out and plays a game and he's clearly injured, what does that mean for the rest of the timetable? Is it just when he starts to feel a little bit better or is in less pain? What, what exactly is the threshold to manage here? If the injury can't be made worse

or can't be hurt worse that's certainly something to keep an eye on um you good on vancouver kip if i move on just one more one more and just in terms of your thoughts on this this i don't know what do you want to call it disagreement feud between petterson and and jt miller and whether or not it'll cost one of them traded because everybody's feeling like names are out there do you see any scenario where they they move one of them and the sense is it would be jt miller before petterson i'd love your thoughts on this look could it could i see a scenario that that world exists yeah i think i could i think it's probably a single digit percentage point um look at the end of the day these two guys have played

together since 2019 they both signed eight-year contracts knowing that the other one was there we didn't hear a peep about this last season, even though this has been ongoing for years. Two guys that, look, on any given team, in any work environment you've ever been in, not every single person gets along with everyone else. And that's okay. That's a fact of life. I do think it's something that they probably need

to more consciously manage this year. And do we get to a point where one of these guys Do you think it's something that they probably need to more consciously manage this year? And it does. Do we get to a point where one of these guys raises their hand and says, I've had enough. I can't do it anymore. Maybe, but I can only tell you that the biggest loser in that situation will almost certainly be the Vancouver Canucks, because it's going to be difficult to find equal value for those players in return. If you want to change it up, sure.

Doesn't mean the Canucks are going to be better off for it in the short term or the long term. And I think they've got every incentive in the world to try and work this out. All right, Frank, I was on Long Island and went to the game where Buffalo beat them 7-1. Fans were chanting, Lou must go at one point. There's some unrest on Long Island.

What are they going to do? Are they just going to plow ahead with this same group to a 20th finish in the league? I do think they're going to have to make decisions, Justin, as we get closer to March 7th. They've got a couple pieces on their current roster that I think are certainly going to be of interest to teams at the deadline pending

UFAs. And short of that, I think we need a cohesive long-term plan. We need a succession plan. We need some thoughts. What's the process here? And I think the fans on Long Island deserve to hear what that plan is because I don't know that it's been properly enunciated to anyone. I know that that's Lou Lamorello style to not do that. But then you see someone like Patrick Watt, take the mic at practice and tell the fans, Hey, we haven't been nearly good enough. We need to be better for you guys. Those types of messages go a long way,

but it feels like reading between the lines and you don't have to be a super sleuth to do that. That Patrick Watt is, is banging his head against the cinder block wall here. like reading between the lines and you don't have to be a super sleuth to do that that patrick waugh is is banging his head against the cinder block wall here what does that mean for his future on long island what does what's the path forward for this islander team because you know not being close to the playoffs and also not being in the lottery zone is is no man's land in the nhl and they've been firmly entrenched in that position for what feels like a couple years now. You're watching and listening to Frank Cervelli,

Hockey Insider, president of Hockey Content for Daily Face-Off. So lots of talk about the Rangers quitting on Peter Laviolette. Larry Brooks, who writes for the New York Post, has mentioned it. Just in terms of your sources, what are you hearing on Laviolette?

Is he safe? Is his job in jeopardy? Where do the Rangers go from here? I think the job status for Peter Laviolette is teetering on the edge right now. That part is clear. We know how the New York Rangers operate. They don't tolerate mediocrity and they certainly don't tolerate this team flailing like they have for the last six weeks you know it's one thing for

any team that has a tough two-week stretch in an 82 game season that happens but when it starts to stretch into a second month now and you know at some point it could be a third here they're four and twelve since Chris Drury sent out that memo to the rest of the league and i get that players were upset but i also think in talking to people in and around the new york rangers organization that there's a feeling from their management staff that they don't want to let the players off the hook here and make a coaching change because this team i think lar Larry Brooks, as to your point, mentioned and reported it perfectly that they have quit. They've quit on themselves. They've quit on the coach.

They've quit on the manager. They've quit on the organization. And to paraphrase, quit on the city. This team is so much more talented than the way that they've played. I don't have an explanation for why it's unfolded the way that it has. How did Mika Zibanejad seemingly forget how to play hockey this season don't understand it um but i think you could ask that question about a number of different players on the rangers roster at this point and they're another team that seems to be in desperate need of a direction which way are they heading

here is chris drew you're going to try and make a a move or two here um with all the cap space that he has and and cash that's been accruing or is this a situation now that they flounder to the bottom of the eastern conference that you have to take a step back and say well we could trade our way out of it or try and make a coaching change right now and save this season or should we wait and and see what else we learn about this group and at the same time deal with a more full deck when we get to the offseason as opposed to trying to wedge something in now with teams that may not be viable trade partners or who may not have interest in taking on some of the guys that we want to move on from you know they're they're a fascinating team to watch um Obviously a big market.

You know, we're also here in Toronto in a big market, and so there's a lot of attention when everything is slightly imperfect. The Leafs kind of struggling down the middle, but they're not sure about Matthews. I don't know if you have anything on Matthews or what's going on there. If so, yeah, okay, probably not. No one seems to. But how urgently do you think they would do something make a trade try to add

someone down the middle even with matthews it feels like it's something they're going to do eventually it does certainly feel like that's something that's on brad tree living's wish list or right at the very top of it and i know that he's always making calls and is active trying to understand the market i don't get a sense that there's a ton of urgency at this exact moment in time, mostly because the Leafs haven't really needed there to be. They've played well enough and kept their head above water, and even when they hit a bit of a rough patch, they find a way to dig themselves out of it.

And that part, I think, has been a really comforting factor of this Leafs season, that they are a good team, they've played like a good team for the vast stretch of it. And when there's a clunker or two, they find a way to respond. So that's certainly, you know, as we get closer to, and it's very shortly in 2025 going to be trade deadline season, we're not there yet, but this is a team that will certainly look to improve at that position, then also addressing the third line as well,

and potentially both at the same time, that no doubt that's going to be at the forefront. And then with Matthews, I just think the larger question is, is this something that can be addressed in a different way? And if not, what is the proper protocol and course of action? Because this whole idea of sit out for a few weeks, come back and play a game, re-injure it, and then have that continue on isn't a recipe for success for Matthews, for the Leafs, for anyone for the rest of this year.

What is the best play and can it be fixed in a more meaningful way? And I don't know what exactly that entails or means, but I think it's the type of question that you have to be asking right now. Got to ask you about Winnipeg and Calgary in terms of the expectations going into the trade deadline. We know Winnipeg's in a different place than Calgary, but lo and behold, Calgary's, man,

right there in the thick of things as well. So what are you hearing on those fronts? Well, the Flames are just patient. They've been a scrappy team. air in the thick of things as well so what are you hearing on those those fronts well the flames are just patient they've been a scrappy team they've been to me one of the most fun teams to watch in the league because i think they really understand what they have and what their identity is and they don't really try to do too much they're they're hardly ever playing over their heads which i think has been um a really important facet of this season. And they also seem really comfortable no matter the situation down up,

whatever it is, they've got enough vets there that they've pulled that group together. The culture is night and day different. I think from this year to last, and I think they're a team that's going to remain right in it up until the very end. As far as what that means for the trade deadline, it probably means that there's not going to be a fire sale, which is disappointing to a lot of teams, I'm sure. Will they have to consider a call or two if it comes in asking for a Rasmus Anderson or whatever that market looks like?

Yeah, Craig Conroy is going to have to consider everything that comes across his plate for the Calgary Flames. But I don't think they're in a posture or a position where they'd want to do something. And I think the bigger part when it comes to Winnipeg is asking the question of Kevin Sheveldayoff, who took a couple big swings last year, although the prices weren't exorbitantly high, still certainly paid a pretty decent penny to bring in the guys that he did that made immediate changes that really didn't impact that team in the playoffs. So, look, I think Winnipeg, for the start that they had and then the almost expected downturn and come back to earth,

I still like the Jets. Actually, if you're looking at some odds, and, Borny, I know you're all over this, like Jets as a president's trophy winner. I mean, points wise, gold differential wise. I don't know why that wouldn't be a team that you'd be thinking about in terms of ability to make a run for that as the top team in the West or in the entire NHL in the regular season. I think they're pretty uniquely positioned for that with Connor Hellebuck. And I just wonder, I don't, again, don't know exactly what Kevin shovel day off's thinking, but when you,

when you do go out last year and make the additions that you did, and then don't find success in the playoffs, do you turn around the next year and say, maybe less is more, maybe we have a good team and don't need to do that. I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. Shovel day off has done pretty well for himself when he does make moves like i've generally liked him and it's helped the team but yeah the uh the first round last year was concerning so good for them that they'll be in a spot to take another crack at it i think around canada like most of the teams are kind of where

we thought they would be montreal not awesome awesome. Oilers, pretty good. The Ottawa Senators were, I think, the team that people were most divided on what they would be. And they've kind of found it a little bit here. Steve Stahels, first-time GM. What are your thoughts on where Ottawa is, how ambitious they'll be? Like, they're in a spot right now, and I'm sure if you're Michael Andlauer,

you'd sure love to see some playoff gates. Yeah, it's not just playoff gate. You'd like to see the buzz from this. Yeah, it's not just playoff gate. You'd like to see the buzz from this season roll into something that gives people good feelings and sustainable boost heading into the summer and next season. So I do expect the Sens to be aggressive. I think they've been one of those teams that's been pretty active to this point in the season, sort of under the radar

in terms of making calls. And it's been a series of really good moves from the coaching change with travis green to then the trade for an extension for lenis olmark even though he's been out um his numbers in the month of december were flat out unbelievable and then just another move that was widely panned you know even including myself was the asset management with Jacob Chikor. And I know previous regime and what was given up to get him, but not that many people were excited about Nick Jensen. And you see the impact that Jensen's had on their backend, not just in terms of settling

things down in their own zone, but also helping Thomas Shabbat on that pair. Shabbat's played some of the best hockey of his career this season. So I think you stack a few of those wins together and then you maybe add something else as you get closer to that deadline they're open to considering lots of different things and i think the sends are going to be a team to watch as we get closer to march 7th so you mentioned jacob chikrin who's a pending ufa we've got a double digit goal scorer already this is crazy more than the leafs all year playing legit playing fantastic but my question to you is like number one have

you seen such a rich list of ufa pending ufa and marner here in toronto ranton and brock besser nick eelers you mentioned jacob chickering um And I'm just wondering, Sam Bennett in Florida. So it was roughly, if I'm not mistaken, Frank, about this time last year, the Leafs announced a $92 million contract for Willie Nylander. I haven't heard anything on anyone here. It is so eerily quiet when it comes to teams with these type of talented

players at the peak of their careers. And there's not a lot of smoke around any one of them, quite frankly. And I'm, I'm really surprised. I've been around a long time here and I just, there's no sense of urgency on any of these teams outside of maybe Shea Theodore, who's Vegas signed at the end of October. My question to you is why? The answer is simple.

No one knows where the cap is going quite yet. Is it going to be 92.5 million bucks? Is it going to be 95 or 97? It all comes down to when you're signing these deals is having a really clear understanding of percentage of cap and what that looks like. Now, each negotiation is different unto itself. And, you know, I can just, you know, give you a peek inside the Rantanen situation in Colorado, which has been pretty ugly. I think those two sides, I don't want to say they're at odds.

It's pretty clear. I think that Rantan they wants to return to colorado but the abs have drawn a really clear line in the sand saying we've got an internal cap uh this number slightly south of where nathan mckinnon is is as far as we're willing to go and you know ranting and sitting there going well leon dry side oh he just got to 14 million bucks for next season we have the same agent i know what that market looks like why can't i get closer to 14 million dollars even if it means exceeding the deal that nathan mckinnon signed i don't think the oilers turned around to leon dry sidle and said hey you need to get in in line south of where McDavid's deal is currently. Internal caps are great, but they're also ways in which you can go about losing a player.

So it all depends on how this goes about unfolding. Could we see a world in which the Avalanche say, hey, if we can't get a deal done, we're going to have to trade you? I have a hard time believing that Chris McFarlane or Joe Sackick is going to walk into that avalanche locker room this season and tell Nathan McKinnon under kale McCarr. Hey, we just traded Miko Ranton. And I personally can't see it, but the avalanche, they're going to need to manage the asset. What happens if Ranton is walking? Are you going to give it one last playoff run and then just say, Hey, we'll see whatever we can do at the, at the end to get him signed. Are they going to bend on what this internal cap has been? It has not been pretty to this point in time.

And so it's, it's a couple of things it's percentage of cap, but also when you talk about the free agent class, the reason I don't get too excited and or worked up is out of all the players that you just mentioned my guess is something like 60 to 75 percent of them will end up re-signing with their current team and not end up making it to market because the very best players hardly ever do and some of the ones that you mentioned are in that category do you think if the avs lost some games here that would force their the hand like if they thought that maybe they were going to miss playoffs, they would trade them?

Like, I'm just trying to imagine, because in the NBA, you see seven first-rounders traded for, you know, it's like, Ranton, to me, would be the first guy where it'd be like, yeah, yeah, they got four firsts or something wild. Well, I don't know that firsts are going to help that team. They're not trying to blow a few years of, you know, Nathan McKinnon and Kale McCarr in their absolute primes.

I think you'd have to look around the league to teams that would, A, be open and willing to pay Miko Rantanen, and B, have current assets from their crop that they'd be willing to trade to Colorado to improve their team in the here and now. Tough to imagine, isn't it? You've eliminated 20 teams. I can give you one that I know has been calling, and that's the Carolina and now. Tough to imagine, isn't it? You've eliminated 20 teams. I can give you one that I know has been calling, and that's the Carolina Hurricanes. Like, they're a team that's ultra-aggressive. Could you imagine linking up Ajo with Miko Rantanen?

I mean, it'd be pretty special, and what could you send back the other way? I don't know. A guy who's having an all world season and you already nature's you envision that owner paying close to $14 million for Antonin. Really? Look, I,

yes, I do. And here's why, what have we said about the Carolina hurricanes for the last number of years? They're missing a true game breaker. When you could bring in a guy who has a hundred points in 82 career playoff games,

that's a game breaker. That's a special player. Again, not saying any of this is going to happen. Just saying there has, since word got out, the things weren't going well with the abs and ranted in there's been teams calling left and right to Colorado to try and understand the situation and

get on the list. If they do decide to part ways, but that would go against every fiber and Tom dundon's body well he's gonna have to realize that right to stay competitive and keep people coming to games i disagree with you i think he's willing to pay if there's a clear case he just doesn't pay for anyone that's all i think we're good all right hey hey be great i'd love to see it i'd love to see it because he's a game breaker. Half the guys we mentioned are true game breakers and they're true stars. And I just like to know what's the new number.

As soon as we have a percentage of cap, as soon as we know what the cap number firmly is going to be next season is when you'll start to see some extensions. To the point where you piss off some of these uh unreplaceable players like the caps at 100 million whether it gets there in the next two years or not it's well over 100 now they just can't they got to negotiate that number but we know that the the revenue has it over at 100 million dollars why is edmonton going yeah 14 million yeah let's get it done I can't I'm not replacing Leon Dreisaitl why aren't the rest of the teams figuring out you're not replacing

Rantanen in the Leafs case you're not replacing Marner so where is the what is the waiting for the cap number how do you then find five and a half million bucks for mackenzie blackwood on a five-year deal great question i i i'm sorry like i'm getting my first and most important pieces done first and then figuring out hey maybe we could you know spin the the goaltending you know carousel in the summer and and try and find a few pieces that could get our team through they've already won a stanley cup with a you a somewhat mediocre goalie in Darcy Kemper, sub-900 save percentage on the way to a Stanley Cup in 2022. You would think that they'd be one of those teams at the front of the line to try and do it on a value basis instead of four games into the experience

with Mackenzie Blackwood, who, by the way, has played as many Stanley Cup playoff games as me and Borny. I mean, I just don't uh i'd have someone needs to explain that contract to me right hey frank excellent stuff man for our show we really appreciate it thank you guys have a good one happy new year yeah happy new year to you too frank servile as a reminder we get to start saying happy new year that's oh love it uh how long into the year i don't know i. I think like the third. Great stuff by Frank.

And for all the time. I really, really don't get like, okay, first of all, we are talking about some of the best players on the planet right now in the game of hockey. So it's really strange that these guys have to nickel and dime another half a million or a million bucks out of their teams and teams are actually debating on on to let someone go or not over a million dollars when top baseball players of the world and top nfl players of the world are signing for hundreds of millions and we're splitting hairs on the best hockey players in the world yeah i was crazy i will say that i think it's more complicated with marner in terms of the relationship with the team and the playoff stuff and all that i'm saying it's

not i'm not saying it's right with ranting i mean he's had 100 points in two straight seasons he's won the cup he's won like that one to me like there's scars with martyr and like say i want them to pay him you know what i'm saying here but with ranting it's like you're gonna tell nathan mckinnon that you're gonna just like let him walk over like he is nathan mckinnon really gonna be that piss that if he makes 500k more than him to keep him on the team yeah you would think mckinnon's a competitive like it's crazy he'd be like yeah yeah just don't lose him, you fools. You know, like. I don't know.

Like, there's no way they've sat McKinnon down. And they're like, we have this internal cap with you, sir, and we will not pay him a dime more than him. We're going to lose him because of it. He's like, no, just pay him. I love. I'm rich. I love the way the Edmonton Oilers didn't mess around.

Just get it done. Okay. You cannot lose Leon Dreisaitl. Yeah. Okay. And if you have to go back, go back and get rid of pick 10 guys and say, sorry, got to get rid of you.

You're done. Yeah. Because I got to get that guy signed. No. So it's not that you don't have room for him. You make room for him. Of course. There are guys in this league.

There's 700 and some guys in the league. There's like 75 that make a difference. And you can't let them go. They're impossible to get. From when you draft them to when they're good is five seasons. Like when you get them, you got to keep them. That McKenzie Blackwood contract. Five years. Who, when you get them, you got to keep them. That McKenzie Blackwood contract. By five years.

Who are they bidding against? That blew my mind when I saw that. He wouldn't sign for four? Maybe see, like, 15 games? Yeah. I don't know. Are you surprised by that? What is the hurry?

Make them hungry. Make them earn that thing. Don't give it to them now. Yeah. Game time? Game time. All right Game time? Game time. All right. It's game time.

Presented by Bet365. Visit the app, Flatest Odds, and find out why it's ever ordinary at Bet365. That's a 19-plus. Ontario only. Please play responsibly. Now, when you guys were talking to Frank, he mentioned the President's Trophy race. Yeah. Interesting.

The Winnipeg stuff. The Winnipeg stuff. I'm just looking at the standings here. The Winnipeg Jets are a plus 500 number to win the President's Trophy. They are the second favorite to the Vegas Golden Knights, who are the favorites to win it. So they're on to what Frank is talking about. I think they're not letting you get a ton of value out of that one.

You look at the points percentage in the league. I'm looking at the Eastern Conference points percentage in the league. Vegas is ahead. So they've kind of just gone down the list here. But the Washington Capitals, to me, are plus 900. They are third in the league in points percentage. They're three points back of the league lead when it comes to the President's Trophy. If you're looking for

value i guess that's where you have to look like the panthers are down the list a little the devils are plus 850 yeah i just don't love the value yeah so and it's like it's kind of hard to win it here when you got all these teams that have already all these points and they they have done a pretty good job of laying it out here but i guess there's decent value with the winnipeg jets at plus 500 all right you could do worse than that. I'm into it. I'm looking at the games for tonight. Only three games on the ice tonight. The putrid New York

Rangers. Hate saying that for Kippy, but they're in Florida to take on the Florida Panthers. Florida Panthers are minus 210 on home ice tonight against the New York Rangers who are plus 175 on the money line. And looking at the game that's on Amazon Prime tonight against the New York Rangers who are plus 175 on the money line. And looking at the game that's on Amazon Prime tonight,

the Jets and the Nashville Predators, Jets are big faves at home, minus 130. And the other game on the ice, Kraken and the club, the battle of the expansion teams. Well, I guess not expansion. What do we call it? They left, but they're like their own thing. I don't know what the hell they are.

The Utah Hockey Club is minus 155 in Seattle tonight. So some definite value on the Kraken at plus 130. And that was game time. Presented by Bet365. Visit the app, play the odds, and find out why it's never ordinary. Bet365 must be 19 plus. Ontario only. Please play responsibly.

Brad's going to do something. Like do something, probably. Unload? Yeah, trade to Luke Shen to the lease. Like, do something, probably. Unload? Yeah, trade to Luke Shen to the least. Yeah, trade to Carrier, and that's it. All right. That's the rebuild. That's what he was talking about.

Trade to Carrier. Yeah, done. Your boy Samsonov with a shutout over Calgary last night. Yeah. They've won. They're good. 10 out of 11, including six in a row. My second team.

Vegas. Love Vegas. Wow. Like, where are they? You know, I look at that roster and it's obviously very good. This is not... I just don't think... They got the best blue line. They're just not the best. Yeah. Hannifin,

Petrangelo, McNabb, Theodore, Hag, Whitecloud. Wow. Rock solid. And that's why they won the cup when they did. They're fine. They're like 20 other teams up front. Eichel and Stone and Hurdle are great, but after that, it's pretty much just fine. So good D.

Good D. It matters. Wow. Is there a saying that's like defense wins something? I don't know quite how the saying goes, but anyways. You might want to look into a human or two back there themselves. Yeah. All right. Let's take a quick break.

When we return, we'll get into a little bit maybe more on the Edmonton Oilers in terms of what they need to do moving forward. Skinner. Yeah. Healthy scratch. That and more when we return to Real Kipper and Bourne. Fresh views on everything in the National Football League. It's the Fan Checkdown with Matt Marchese and Donovan Bennett.

Subscribe and download the show on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. The Cabrillo's Justin Bourne, Sammy McKee. We are closing out 2024. Big New Year's plans? You guys do? Yeah. You do New Year's plans? Do you guys do New Year's? Not really, but we'll get out of town, I think. Oh, yeah? Nice.

I mean, we just fully stopped. I think we'll do a faux countdown with the kids at like 9, and that'll be it. Do you go to bed before midnight? You know, last year was, I think, the first year I did, and I just don't see any reason to go through the charade of staying up past it. Something's going on.

I mean, it happens every year. I'll see you next year when I wake up. I like making a nice, really nice dinner, maybe doing a little year-in-review stuff, talk over your year, maybe watch some college football, depending on what the schedule is like. This sounds like someone who has time on their hands. I have no children. That's amazing.

Yeah, it's really great. Tell me about it. It's fantastic. It's fantastic. Sometimes I just live children. That's amazing. Yeah, it's really great. Tell me about it. It's fantastic. It's fantastic. Sometimes I just live vicariously through Sam. Yeah, we all do now. The Sour of Real Kipper and Bourne brought to you by Bet365. All right.

NHL news and notes. All right. Oh, actually, I know what I'm going to do. I'm going to watch Canada versus USA and the World Juniors. Oh. Yeah, that's what I'm going to do. All right. You brought it up.

I didn't. Oh, okay. Okay. How are they doing? The loss to Latvia.'m going to do. All right. You brought it up. I didn't. Oh, okay. Okay. How are they doing? The loss to Latvia. You got to relax. Oh, you're mad. You're mad about how mad I am.

You feed the beast. Yeah. Okay. You feed it. Kipper, I care about this level of hockey. It's okay to care. I don't swoop in every Christmas like everybody else. Calling for a, tweeting a summit is embarrassing.

Disagree. Disagree. Just, I'm telling you. Did he really? Yeah, yeah. He did that? Yeah, he did that. Yeah, I may have had like between six and seven Coors Lights.

Probably could have used a breathalyzer for those tweets, but that was a little sour. You can't tweet unless you're below 0.04. Or just one big smack on the head. Kipper, Canada can't lose a hockey game to Latvia. No, you can't. Our boy Janice Bunkus. You can't.

Feeling pretty good. Way to go, Bunk. They're playing Instagram hockey, bud. They all play the same game. Nobody hits anybody anymore. What's the Valley line? Oh, wow. You're going to get yourself in trouble now.

You're Vali'd. They take. They'll Vali you. They're like, oh, they had all these shots. Yeah, they had 40 wristers from the half boards boards they don't get to the middle of the ice they're trying through the legs more than they're doing shots it's just a hot craig the game is the game he wasn't i mean they hit him in the chest from the half boards 40 times like and they almost they played the exact same game like everyone else did no i mean you're in there everybody was watching like i

watched from the start to the finish i watch these games and i support the level of hockey i care about the level of hockey it matters to me and people like oh they're teenagers or teenagers we're now getting into the best on best part of hockey again where this matters we need these guys to keep the canadian, and it starts to become, we just play like everybody else now. You can't tell the game between USA, between Canada, between Sweden, between Finland. That's the NHL.

It is. That's everywhere. Canada used to have a defining factor when you went to these tournaments where they're bigger, stronger, faster, and now everybody just plays exactly the same. At the start of UFC, which I remember watching, they used to pit a boxer versus a sumo wrestler and then a karate guy versus a jujitsu guy and

then everyone kind of figured out that the best thing to be has a have a little bit of all those skills learn to grapple learn to punch that's hockey now man there's no more no one's just we're no country is going to benefit by being a dump and chase and hit team. You have to have skill to play. Yeah. And so. They just play. But that is never how we succeeded. The bottom level of these tournaments has come up.

The other countries are getting better. I mean, America beat Germany. It's tougher to pull away. The separation's not. I mean, America hung 11 on Germany. You can barely score three. Canada's not as good as Latvia. They're a thousand times better.

You watch hockey all the time. Sometimes crappy teams win. It's just a one-off. Thank you. So I understand that. And it was almost a two-off because they barely beat Germany. So anyways, I just,

it matters to me more because there are best on best. So if they beat the U.S. tomorrow night, you're okay? Of course. I'm all the way back in. Duh, that's how this works. You guys have talked to me before.

You gotta ride the coaster, man. Clearly. Yeah, you don't just go down on a roller coaster. No. And you're an idiot for overpanicking. No. As a standalone event, Canada losing to Latvia in any hockey game is completely unacceptable. That's it.

Totally agree. Unacceptable. And I stand by my Coors Light tweets. Anyway. Summit. Summit. Do I ask you that? How do you feel about Canada and the Spangler Cup? I didn't watch it.

Do they get spangled? Are they out? Somebody told me they lost to like a seventh place club team today. I didn't dive into the Spangler this year, boys. Sorry. Sorry, everybody. I didn't dive in. That's a retirement tournament.

Come to the best resort and enjoy yourself. Look, the roster is the most hodgepodge of Canadian hockey players. I don't know how it works, who gets invited, but Josh Joris is there. I think they're all there. Antoine Bebo. Yeah, the majority of our AHL players. Yeah. Matt Hallwell.

Come and spend. Bring your family to a beautiful resort. And I would go. Fire those guys. Then they go and play on the big ice surface, which they're not used to at all. After having 400 Oktoberfest-sized beers in Switzerland, they're like, oh, no, did we lose? And go win a tournament.

Oh, darn. I'm going to hit the outs. I'm going to ride the shit and head up to the chalet here. Anyways, enough international hockey talk. I mean, If I'm mad during this, boys, that four-nation face-off is going to ruin me. Let alone the Olympics. Alright, we mentioned

Jeff Skinner before the break. Healthy scratched. Some suggest it was a long time coming. Once again, a player that you thought could kind of come in and help support the offense of Leon Dreisaitl Once again, a player that you thought could kind of come in, help support the offense of Leon Dreisaitl and McDavid,

and it's just not happening at six goals and six assists for Skinner this year. The Skinner move, it stunk. It was bad when it happened. They weren't a skilly, unproven playoff scorer away from success to me, Kip. I understand that he's scored goals in the past. Excuse me, but like they just, to me, he was never the solution they needed as a second line scoring guy. So this kind of felt, I don't want to say inevitable.

There was obviously room that he could have had a great run with a better team, but I'm not at all surprised by this. Are you? The salt in the wound for Oilers fans is the year that Dylan Holloway is having with the Blues. Yeah. Right? He's been fantastic for them. He's got 24 points in 38 games for them.

He's a plus seven on a not great team. And he's young, fast. He was developed by them. And they kind of i mean it's hard to say that they didn't pick skinner kind of over holloway right like you could say it was arvids and they picked over him but it was kind of the similar they spent the money elsewhere well what did what did they pay skinner was it just over three was it three that they paid for skinner yeah and they pay and the contract for uh holloway was2.29 million on the offer sheet. So I thought it was the right move to let him go at the time.

Very wrong. And I guess you got to know that. But, God. You would hate to see this Oilers core who was so good and was so close last year just, like, lose by these paper cuts. You know, by, like, making a wrong bet here, keeping Skinner in net and not making it, you know, like there's a few little things.

The other wild card in all of this is Evander Kane. Yeah, I was thinking that while we were having this conversation. What's going on with him? Well, supposedly he's getting healthier and could be available March maybe. What about April 16th? Well, you're not bringing him back until after the trade deadline. Right.

But yeah, he still couldn't play until playoffs if you want to spend his money. But yeah, I mean, that would change things for me. He's the type of depth guy they need when he's good. And effective Kane is not many people like him, right? And he's a playoff guy too. So good news there. All right.

Kudos to Sid. All-time assist leader passing the great Mario. I saw the assist total. It was 1,023 assists, 1,034 assists. That's batty. So good for 12th in NHL history. Only three players, Ray Bork, Wayne Gretzky, and Steve Eisenman have more assists with a single team.

The 37-year-old Crosby has played 1310 regular season games. Lemieux played 915. Yeah, Lemieux's kind of the guy. 915 games. 400 fewer games. That's crazy. Pitt's got themselves back in it yeah they are they're right there with ottawa they're one point behind sniffing and is this enough to make

sid happy that you're close you don't you don't have to make the playoffs if i'm not mistaken they've missed playoffs two consecutive years by one point each year or like within a couple of points so no i don't think he's gonna he's content with this which begs the question are they a team who's going to add and i think the answer is yes and in that case has a minus 23 goal differential team ever been a buyer before it's a tough spot tough spot i, you gave him a two-year contract. You're obviously looking to be good when he's there. Compete. Do you have, like, a ranking of easiest to hardest schedule

and where Pitt would fit in moving forward? I do. Because they've got some tough games coming up, I think, including Florida, Carolina, Edmonton ottawa tampa bay they may have one of the hardest ones in the league remaining here so yes they have they have a very hard schedule you know like bottom third of the league and it's in terms of how challenging it is 20 teams have easier schedules uh washington capitals oh you're done talking with it yeah you want to go you got anything on sit for me it's? I just think it's as much as the dubious relationship

with the Penguins has changed the way I look at the Penguins, I really am happy that they're not like one of the worst teams in the league. Yes. With him wallowing away on it. And the reason that they're in where they are is because Sid has been dragging them and he's been unbelievable. One of the best players in the league for the last month. He's been awesome. It's just nice to see and he's been unbelievable. One of the best players in the league for the last month. He's been awesome.

It's just nice to see him playing again in somewhat meaningful games. For sure. Because I didn't want him to be wallowing away in the worst team in the league. That would have been sad. So there you go. Vancouver or Lalonde. We haven't done Lalonde yet. Oh, yeah, right.

Lalonde. Yeah, let's do Lalonde. Fired from Detroit. You know, he took them from bottom team in the league where they couldn't win a draft lottery to 80 points to 91 points tied for a playoff spot last year. Didn't get in. And then this year struggling. Is this him taking the fall for Iserman's poor roster construction, or is this a deserved fire?

I'm not sure. I don't have a strong enough opinion either way yeah uh i do see good players there i do see good players there and i i do think that they should be better better than last in the east yeah yes which is i believe where they're at they are currently tied with these sabers yeah the knock on derrick lalonde was that he could not command the room. Is that right? Couldn't get their attention. Man. And that's why he went and got a guy that is completely opposite. Looked like they really bought in on Saturday night.

McClellan's strength is getting the guy's attention. On Friday night. Yeah. So. It's good. You know, McClellan has a ton of experience. He won a cup as an assistant with Detroit in 08, I believe. And then since then has been good teams, Oilers, Kings and Sharks,

through some ups and downs, a lot of experience. So certainly comfortable doing that. Yeah, curious about the lawn thing, the lawn thing, because, you know, I wonder if he'll get snapped up by someone else or if he's someone who sits on the side for a little. He's not Jim Montgomery. No, doesn't have that cachet. I can't see it.

I think it all went downhill when he was with Elliot on Hockey Night in Canada. And he's given, like, secrets away. I was so mad about that. I was so mad about that. Oh, him being on there? No, when he was like, when it was the Leafs and the Lightning series, he said, we multiple times about the Lightning. he was like but it was the leafs and the lightning series yeah he said we multiple times with the lightning i was like what are we doing this is hockey come on trying to anyways i was so sour about that i get sour hey we may get him back on hockey

night you know you never know i was just uh mentioning the was Capitals. Ovi had a quiet night, Saturday night. Then he gets the empty net goal. And then he scores one in Detroit. And now what is he? 25. 25? Yeah. 25 from breaking and 24 from tying it.

Yeah. He's getting there. Is this happening? This year? No. Well, I don't know about this year. I'm kind of with you on that. I don't think.

But I do think, and here's something that we've talked about a lot. Last year, Matthews chased for 70. Played into the Leafs' struggles down the end, right? Those last two games of the year. He's going full tilt, banged into the boards. The Capitals are playing for a President's Trophy this year, let alone first seed in the Eastern Conference. As this comes down to the wire,

is it going to overshadow a team's genuine push to try to win a Stanley Cup? I don't think it'll change anything. I think he'll just have that same look. He'll go out there and some nights play 20 minutes. Do the storylines succeed the Capitals? I think the answer is clearly yes. Yeah, it's bigger than them.

This is no question. Hank Aaron. Yeah, this think the answer is clearly yes. Yeah. It's bigger than them. No question. Hank Aaron. Yeah, this is the sport's biggest record outside of points. Yeah, this is chasing Hank Aaron's home run record. To me, like I said this before the show, I'll say it again, one that I've talked about with my buds my whole life is a totally unbreakable record. With him, like before even OV existed,

I said no one had ever touched Wayne. Like this is crazy that it's this close yeah do we know how many empty nets he's had he's gonna score 100 empty netters he just he's also has to put him in a position where they call the goalie yeah and they've done a fantastic job of that let's put our worst defensive player on the ice so he can cherry pick and shoot him into the net to break gretzky's record that That's awesome. I haven't seen someone have a two-zone breakaway on an empty net before. That was pretty wild. He was awful

against the Leafs. Yeah, it was a tough night. He'd been hurt. Yeah, he'd been hurt. He's back, baby! Tonight on Sportsnet, Rangers and Florida Panthers. How about Montreal going and spanking the state of Florida? If I'm a Leafs fan or sorry a Habs fan I like that they're starting to be okay but you just can't finish 25th this year you got

to be worse it's too early for the for those teams to start playing well now isn't it usually it's like yeah you wait till January February before Buffalo fairness. Buffalo's going. Montreal's going. Detroit, the Rangers, and the Islanders are all behind them in the East. Buffalo, too. And I think they're all probably better than them. It is so hard now for them to climb. Switch spots. They're not going to climb, but I think they'll catch Montreal.

All right. Just like that. Close out 2024. Wishing everybody a happy new year. Happy new year. Happy new year. Happy new year. Our thanks to Frank Cervelli and Luke Fox. Stay safe, everybody.

We'll see you on the other side.