The Athletic Hockey Show - Should the Rangers fire Chris Drury?

Episode Date: January 15, 2026

The 'Fire Drury' chants returned to MSG on Wednesday night as the Rangers again took it on the chin at home, this time at the hands of the Ottawa Senators, Hailey, Sean and Dom discuss the Rangers nightmare season, they talk about Dougie Hamilton's resurgence with the Devils, the red hot Sabres who have won 14 of their past 16 games and they compare Sidney Crosby's historic point streak from 15 years ago with Connor McDavid's current 20 game point streak.Hosts: Hailey Salvian and Sean GentilleWith: Dominik LuszczyszynExecutive Producer: Chris FlanneryProducer: Jeff DometWatch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@theathletichockeyshowJoin our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/VTm9VjkF Subscribe to The Athletic: https://theathletic.com/hockeyshow Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This is the Athletic Hockey Show. Hello, everyone. It's Haley Salvean and Sean Gentile here with you for another episode of The Athletic Hockey Show. We teased maybe giving Max Boltman a call up from the Monday show, but we actually found this like analytics darling instead. We're going to bring him in. It's Dom Luce Chishinney's here with us this Thursday to jump around the NHL, dive into a 16 stats column, and Connor McDavid's kind of,

kind of quiet 20 game point streak. Very casual 20 point games. Yeah, he's chilling. No one's really talking about it. We'll get to that in the second segment. But let's bring in Sean and Dom. What's up guys? When you said give Max a call up from the Monday show,

did you mean like give him a call up? No, a call up. He's getting called up from Monday. Correct. That was intentional. Both would have been true. I just wanted to clarify that. Okay.

Very nice. It is my personal opinion that Max was demoted to Monday. Totally. I was in Detroit a couple days ago. He was too busy to see me because he had to go see. I think Sergey Fedoros jersey retirement game, like whatever, man. I don't know. Dominic.

I think we found a little prize in this Dom. Let's see how he does. Is Monday the Miners? Is that what's happening? I think. I'm not even on a podcast. I'm in the ECHL, I guess. That's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, that's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, that's the ECHL.

Yeah. That's the, that's the, the, the, the, the, the, the, W.H.L or whatever. Dom's the spunky kid playing beer league that we were like, someone's got to look at this kid. Have you seen my last beer league games, they are bad. Oh boy. Oh boy. Oh, gosh. Oh, shed.

Yeah, nobody needs to, whatever's happening at 10 p.m. at the Ford Performance Center is not my business. She can bleep out where his games are. My God. People are going to be coming in at 10 p.m. There's several ranks. That was just a joke. I don't know. Don't go there. The doors are locked. Okay, so I shared this off mic with producer Jeff and Dom maybe you'll appreciate this too very quickly before we get into Wednesday nights games. So Bono, my dog, is in a cone, and the vet said he needs a collar to keep the cone on. So I went to the dollar store because Bono's a French bulldog. Collars are bad for their throats.

The only collars available were Toronto Maple Leaf's ones. So Bono's been ripping around the city of Toronto and Maple Leafs gear. And it's kind of embarrassing. Did he wear it in shame after Tuesday night's game? Yeah, he's in a cone of shame with a shameful leafs collar on. while they're out of playoff position. It's immense pride after Monday, humongous shame after Tuesday. The way it goes in Toronto.

Yeah. He's actually the third line. He's actually the third line center right now. Hey, Nick Wah has been pretty good. Oh, my God. I guess that's true. Yeah. He's a valuable depth middle sixer, or a valuable middle sixer.

How about that? They're going to give him a shot beside Austin Matthews. See how it works. works. All right. So that was my little dog update. It's been, I don't know, I don't like walking around in team gear unless it's like the Blue Jays or something. So it's been kind of funny to have the dog in his little Leafs themed cone.

All right, four games in the NHL on Wednesday night, guys. Let's start with Ottawa, New York very quickly here. The Senators win 8 to 5, but midway through the second period. Ottawa's up 5-1 and fire drury chance begin at the garden. What do you guys make that? Is it surprising at this point with the New York Rangers? I know we had Peter Ball on last week, so we went pretty deep into trade scenarios, the injuries, but one week from then, seven days later, things are getting pretty spicy at the garden.

I think the fact that they lost isn't surprising. That's just how things are trending for them. We shouldn't be surprised that this team loses any game on any given night, especially one without Igor Shusirkin in net. I think that's a big part of what's become clear over the last little bit. God bless Jonathan Quick. I love him. He's one of the few remaining NHL players who is older than I am.

Like I got all the time in the world for that. But I think what the Rangers are seeing is what happens when you don't have Igor Shisterkin bail on the mount on a night-to-night basis. Quick, since Shastirkin's been out, say, percentage is in the 700s. It hasn't been good. So we know that this can happen on any given night. So it shouldn't be that much of a surprise. The other side of the coin, though, is that it happened against the Ottawa Senators at one of the most chaotic stretches that an NHL team has had, I think, over the last few years, given, you know, the statement that they had to release about Linus Allmarks personally and all that stuff. This is a team that's in disarray, right, off the ice to some extent.

then you throw on the fact that Levi-Marlyan is the replacement for Allmark and he's been putrid. So you have a goalie who's playing terribly on a team that's in the middle of some kind of distress come in and do that. I think that's the surprising part. Not that they lost, it's that they lost the way that they did to Ottawa. And if, yeah, if ever there was a result that deserved to get booed and deserve to lead to fire the GMG, I think that was it last night. Yeah, respect to Ottawa's scores who needed to put up eight to beat the Rangers. Yeah.

That's how bad Maryland has been. I've seen some online discourse unhappy with Brady Kachuk, and I think he had a four-point night, so good for him again. Sean talked about Chasturkin being out. They also are missing not USA Olympian Adam Fox, and that blue line is absolutely horrific. without him. It's not great with him, but he at least carries it. He's that good. I don't know who's supposed to create offense from this blue line. The first month of William Borgon's 25, 26 season was great, but he is back to being William Borgon, unfortunately. So it's two teams going

in the opposite direction. I think the Sends are going to start trending back up again, but they need some goal tending and allowing four goals and a win is still not ideal. I loved what Vince McCogliano wrote after the game, too. He's been, he's in his first season with us is one of the Rangers beatwriters, and he's been, he's been fantastic. I think his, the, the way he laid it out there after that result last night was, was pretty impressive. Tons of good bits from, from what he wrote and what he's written of over the last, over the last couple days. I knew they drafted poorly. I knew they drafted poorly going back to Jeff Gorton, really,

but he really kind of lays it plain in something Vince does in something he wrote a couple days ago. The only jury draft pick who's carved out a regular role is rookie center, Noah Labba. So, like, that's an example of the issues that they've faced, you know, going back to the Capo Caco pick and Lafranier pick. I mean, once you miss on high-end draft picks like that and further down the, and further down the, in the order and you can't, you can't fill out a lineup adequately, right? So if you have a broken pipeline coming to the league and then your best players age out and or, you know, fail to fail to perform, I think to some extent, you know, this is, this is predictable.

but to see it again on home ice where they've just been absolutely awful all season long against that particular team, man. This is, this feels like this feels like the trench. This feels like the bottom of something. And another thing Vince said coming out of that game last line is he wouldn't rule out something drastic today. He doesn't know what it is because, you know, it's tough for them to make a move and, you know, they can safely assume that they've backed off trying to pry Kiefer-Sherwood away from the Kinnock. So Vince, Vince isn't getting into specifics, but it's the kind of result that, you know, leads to action in one way or another. And he kind of said to watch out for that.

So that's something to keep your eye on Thursday and Friday. I just think the timing is interesting, too, because Rangers, Nick's owner, James Stolen, gave like a pretty glowing review and backed Chris jury like a week ago, 10 days ago. saying you have to be patient. Chris Jury is a winner and a competitor. He can't stand to lose. So he seems like the owner's backing his guy, but, you know, 10 days later, they're close to the bottom.

He's getting booed. They're calling for him to get fired. The Sends are putting aid on you. So we'll see how quickly things can change in seven to 10 days. The New Jersey Devils win their second straight game. Dom, are we seeing the get out a free fall a little bit.

It's a three-two overtime win against the Krakken, by the way. They're third in the Pacific sitting in a playoff spot, the Seattle Crackenar, but the Devils win. Did you have a thought on New Jersey? It sort of feels like Jack Hughes is finding his rhythm. The last couple of games, I think that is the biggest thing. They were absolutely abhorrent offensively when he was out, and he still had his hand in some bandaging we found out from some.

TMZ style photos with him and Tate McCray that iconic. I got, yeah. That's old news, man. Those photos are taken weeks ago. No, like the fact that he was back, there's new photos with Tate McRae and he's,

his hand is still wrapped up and he's playing. So obviously, not 100%. He's looked closer to that the last couple of games. Wait, there's new photos of Jack and Tate McCray? Wait a second. I was unaware of this. Okay, I think you're pretty aware.

There's a picture of her in a winter coat. Yeah. She posted on Instagram saying like it was cold out and everyone's like, she's in Minnesota for the Fuse Ball. It's so important to me. That's going to be our third segment from now on is the Tate McCrae Corman. I'll wear the t-shirt I got from her concert. Sean loves that.

I think the more important development is that Dougie Hamilton was amazing the last two games after being healthy scratch. Maybe that's all they needed. Just healthy scratch arguably still their best defenseman and get him back. to being a $9 million guy. I still think he has a lot of juice, even if he's not fully a 9 million guy.

He looked like last two nights. I don't think he is right now, but he still has some game left. And I think the fact the healthy scratched him was a little silly to put it like me. What's it going to take for you to be out all the way on Dougie? I'm not saying you should be. I do agree with you.

And so does Tom Fitzgerald, by the way. He told the reporters yesterday. He made a point to say, you know, that Dougie's, Dougie's been good since he was scratched. So I'm not, I'm not here to, you know,

throw dirt on Dougie. What would it take for you to be completely out on him, though? Because this is, I just love, I love hearing you defend this guy. And I've loved it for five years or eight years or 12 years or however long it's bad.

Dougie's my ride or die. I always depend him. Congratulations. If the results are, like, truly bad, then I will pivot. And I definitely don't think he is as good as he was two or three years

ago and even his entire tenure with the Devils, I think, has been a lot more up and down than when he was next to Jacob Slavin. So obviously, there was something there. But this year, he is, for some reason, their matchup defenseman. We all know Dougie's not known for his defense. So it's a little odd they're putting him in that role. And he has been arguably their best defenseman given that context. And I think people will see that he doesn't have a lot of points as usual. I think a lot of that is his teammates just aren't finishing at a historically low rate for him. He is not getting points on goals he's on the ice for. And I think it's just, it does look like a guy who's been a bit unlucky more than actually

bad. Wasn't that a bit, I don't know if concerns the right word, but wasn't that a conversation that a lot of people had when Luke Hughes was signing his big extension of like, now you have two, you know, quote unquote, top pair guys, top power play guys making a ton of money. but only one of them is going to get those offensive blue line minutes. And so far it's looking like that's, I mean, that's been Luke Hughes. He's on the top power play. Dougie's power play too if he's in the lineup.

It was one scratch, so I don't want to overreact. But I assume the usage between Luke Hughes and Dougie Hamilton's playing a role there. Yeah, for sure. I think one of the reasons Dougie's not been the best this year is he's usually someone who really drives five on five who gets hold. there as well. And it doesn't really depend on power play as much as maybe some other offensive defensemen. And that just hasn't shown up as much this year. And I think that's been the story with the Devils this year is they can't score power play five on five. It doesn't matter.

With Hughes out, it became a huge massive issue. And you'd think with Hughes, with Nemwich, with Hamilton, Manning the Blue Line, they'd have enough offense from there, but just hasn't manifested in that way. All right. Final game we can talk about from Wednesday night before we take a break and get into Connor McDavid. The Buffalo Sabres won their 14th of 16. Oh, my God. Is anyone paying attention to the Buffalo Sabres right now? And it's against the Philadelphia Flyers, a meaningful game in the middle of January

for these two teams. It's kind of fun if you're Sabers and Flyers fans, I guess, specifically. I know who's paying attention, by the way. Your friend, Greg? My friend Greg. From Buffalo. proud Buffalo native. He's texting the all possible permutations

that have Matthias Samuelson and Norris in the name. So it's like Manoris Samuelson, Matias Norrison. Like he's running out of different combinations. I think we got Menoris Samuelson last night and that went over the flyers. Dom, are you liking the Buffalo Sabres? Like Sean's friend, Greg?

I am loving this. I don't remember if it was last time I was here or two times ago where we were asked about which of these East teams on the bubble or outside still have a shot. And I proudly still said Sabres because it was my preseason pick. Even though they looked absolutely horrible, they have vindicated me with this massive stretch. So I feel, I'm feeling great about the Sabres right now. We got a Josh Norris injury, everybody.

He left. He left after getting cross-checked to the ribs. That seems like it's hopefully nothing long term. As long as it's not the shoulder. Yeah, true. That's tough. With the win, the Buffalo Sabres kick Toronto at a playoff spot. So Sabres are sitting pretty in a wild card right now.

Whom'st among us? As they deserve, they've been playing great hockey. They've been playing not great hockey for 15 years before that. We have boots on the ground with Sean's friend Greg. I think the city's coming alive and we, I mean, this is a hockey town that's been starved for something like this. I really want to see the energy with the, if the sabres do make it. All right. Tage Thompson just under point per game player this season.

If they go in the tank, you know it's going to happen immediately when the bills are eliminated from the NFL playoffs. That's just how things work for them. They're not going to be. It's like, oh, where are the main ticket in? town. If and when the bills are done, say the bills win the Super Bowl. Like, whatever. Whenever it happens, you know they're losing seven of nine. That's just, that's just, that's just, that's just, that's the way it's going to work. It's just cruel. That's sad. All right, let's take a break. Then we come back. We're going to compare Connor McDavid's 20 game point streak to, uh, Sydney Crosby's from 15 years ago.

What an era. We'll be right back on the athletic hockey show. All right, 15 years ago, Sydney Crosby put up arguably the greatest stretch of hockey in the salary cap era, scoring 25 goals and 50 points over a 25 game point streak. Connor McDavid is somewhat quietly giving Sidney Crosby a run for his money. Since December 4th, he scored 19 goals and 46 points, the highest mark over any 20 game stretch of his career beating his previous best of 44. Dom wrote pretty extensively about this in 16 stats if you want to read more about this, but let's chat about it now, Dom, just how crazy has this stretch been for the Oilers captain

and how do we kind of compare this to Sydney Crosby, who was like the best player on the planet slash the best player we've ever seen during that stretch of hockey. Yeah, that stretch of hockey from Crosby was obviously special. I remember where I was watching almost every game. and McDavid may not have the same aura of that streak because this has been a fairly quiet 20-game point streak. He's only the fourth player to do in the salary cap era joining Kane and Marner as well. But to have McDavid beat himself is, I think, what makes it really special.

Looking at all his 20-game streaks throughout his career, his previous best being 44, and now it's at 46, like McDavid is doing things that even McDavid hasn't done before. I think the big thing is that this is a different era than when Crosby did it. It was lower scoring when Crosby did it. And even if you control for that, it feels like what McDavid is doing has been more impressive on paper. He has a higher XG rate. The power play in Edmonton has been absolutely nuts with him. Just the fact he's scoring more, he's generating more shots and chances on his own.

he has been absolutely unbelievable. There's 20 games, probably the best of his career. But I think back to the aura argument where I think when Crosby was on his point streak, like Sean's from Pittsburgh, Haley, huge Crossey fan growing up, like we were all like tuned in to this. And I think it was a huge story after every single game. And with McDavid, it just feels like it's not quite the same level in terms of the attention it's getting.

Yeah, I, you know, I'm going to come across like I'm dumping on McDavid here. That is not what I want. And I don't think it's a coincidence. By the way, this streak started. Sounds like he's about to dump on McDavid. The streak started right after it was all Sean McIndy, by the way, like brought up. We were a couple of the people that brought up in Frankie, Frankie Carado. He's also the blame for this.

We floated that is McKinnon better right now, not overall. but I think it was and I think literally he played a game that night and started inside of the point streak. So whoopsie Daisy. Dommy said he's one of four players in the salary cap era to do this, to have have a streak like this. He's one of 12 since 1990-91. So you go even further back and I think that makes it that makes it all the more impressive. But yeah, I kind of had the same reaction yesterday. The NHL every morning sends out this great email kind of summing up what happened the night before, you know, with stats and context and historical bits and then teeing up whatever's going to happen the following night.

And the McDavid Point Street was like buried in the middle of the email. Like under the heading of, you know, Roman Yossi overtime winner against the Oilers. Also, also Connor McDavid, you know, had a, had a, had a. a 20-game points that has extended to his 29th birthday. So I, but I think that kind of sums it up. And I think the Oilers team results over that stretch have been part of the issue. They are what they are. I don't think, they haven't been terrible.

But I also think that just because of the way their last couple regular seasons have gone, and I think there's some degree of Oilers fatigue that's, that's seeped in. I think that's a play to some extent. But also, like, more generally, Dom, you kind of got into this. Sydney Crosby did all that while he had an HBO show. That's a huge part of it. They were on the Road to the Winter Classic series back then. The game against the Capitals coming up on Jan 1, 2011.

That was a huge part of building the aura around that streak. I mean, I can't, like, that was must, that truly. Those shows were so good. Like, those were, like, me and my parents were sat every week. Same. Me and my dad, my mom was like, eh. Not a sports gal. I was out of college by that point.

I was living in Charlotte, North Carolina. My roommate at the time couldn't have cared less about an angel hockey. Just, it was not something that entered his purview. And he was the dude who was sitting on the couch, watching HBO every week. Like he was captivated by it. And I just, I'll never, I'll never forget, you know, the way that that show seemed to surface on a way that the sport rarely does in the United States. And that was literally during Crosby's Point Street. It was during a 10-game winning streak by the Penguins. And it was in the run-up to the Winter Classic. So I think there is like

important context. When the Winter Classic was still cool. The Winter Classic was still cool. It wasn't, But, you know, just go down the list. It was December. It's like, you know, the holidays are around. Like, there's any number of reasons, you know, that that that streak had a little bit more juice than this one does. That would have been the Winter Classic that was at Hinesfield against the Caps. Correct. 2010, too, right?

So, like, that, I still remember watching that HBO series of Penn's Caps and, like, the rivalry there. how good crossby was. They were 19, 5 and 1 during that streak. So not only was there like the juice of his streak, the intrigue of the Winter Classic, the Penguins were the best team in the NHL at the time too. Like there was just more going for that team. And to use Dom's term,

like there was just like the aura around Sydney Crosby in like 2010. You really can't describe it really well. like I was like still in high school or whatever and just like obsessed with the penguins and Sidney Crosby like there was nothing cooler than that team and that player my parents and I would drive to Pittsburgh to go to games every year during that era of Sydney Crosby. So Connor McDavid has like he's the best player on the planet. But it's interesting how he's not getting the same amount.

There's just not the same juice there. think it was just the timing and the penguins really. Absolutely. And also before I move on to like talking a little bit more about the specifics of McDavid's streak, what's added, I think, to the way that streak, the Crosby streak is viewed publicly is what happened during the 2011 Winter Classic. We saw the start of the concussion saga that, you know, at one point very legitimately seemed to threaten Cudney Crosby's career.

Like that's what that's what the dialogue was around him for almost two years after that. Right. But everyone had also known what we'd just seen. So as we're waiting for Sidney Crosby to come back from his concussion and in whatever, whatever that entailed, in the back of everybody's mind was, all right, we just saw this dude play 20 or 25 of the best, of the best games anybody had watched in the years preceding that. I think that added some kind. And then the question turned into whether we would ever see him at that level again

and whether that was like the absolute apex or Sydney Crosby as a hockey player. Like I think, you know, the overall context of the streak in the years that preceded it, gave it, you know, another, another level of notoriety and in another level of juice. And that's just not, you know, we haven't had that, thankfully haven't had that opportunity to, you know, surrounding McDavid. I think, like, to add to that, it was Crosby leveling up to a level we didn't think was fathomable in that era. Like, he, I think, had settled in as like a 110 point guy and we're like, all right, that is, that is the peak. That's what we can maybe expect.

And he's like, I'm going to score two points per game because I can because I'm Sidney Crosby and I am better than everyone. and with McDavid, because we've already seen him just go off in the playoffs, have these two point per game moments. I don't think it reaches like the national conscience that he is doing something better than he's ever done before, where he's never scored at this pace. He's on 189 point pace. Like that's Gretzky level. Yeah. Yeah.

He's just doing what people kind of expect or need. to see like you know the expectation on Connor McDavid is just so skewed right now to your point Dom yeah he's also he's also a power play merchant didn't he wasn't and uh that is a fair enough point because the power play has been a huge part of this at the same time you can make the argument that they oilers have been a bit unlucky during this streak because McDavid has been generating so much at five on five and they just aren't putting it in the way they should. Crosby had 4.4, 5 on 5 points per 60 during his stretch,

McDavid to 3.3. And they've been outscored with him on the ice 22 to 14. Crosby 3011. I thought you said you weren't trying to dump on. I'm just saying, that's the difference. To me, that's the differentiation point. If we want to strip the context from it, we want to ignore the HBO show,

and we want to ignore what happened in the Winter Classic, which is completely fair. That's a fine exercise. I think the differentiation point here, one of them for me, and one of the reasons that Crosby still stays ahead of McDavid, at least in this particular category, is that he was, is that the five-on-five production and results were significantly better. And I think that's, and I'm joking about McDavid being a powerplay merchant.

I'm kidding. I am not serious. But like when you're splitting hairs and when you're trying to figure out which of the two greatest runs that we've seen is the greatest, I think those are the kind of things that come into play. Yeah, well, it wasn't really a debate. We were just talking about how good Connor McDavid's been. Yeah, like you're...

I'm snapping back into my natural mode, which is to defend Sydney Crosby at all costs, clearly. Right. I was just asking Dom how good Connor McDavid is. It's a fair question, though. Like that is, these are the two greatest streaks that we've seen the salary cap era. And I think the five on five point is an important one. Like Sean mentioned that Crosby had four. point four points per 60. I think the penguins were on, like he was on for four point four point. So he

had a point on like, I think every five on five goal during that stretch. And McDavid, like, they're still outscoring teams. It's not the same effect that that Crosby did the same time. He's not getting picking the points that Crosby did. And the power play, I mean, I can, you can slag on Crosby for not dominating the power play with a guinea malkin on it. But true, it's, uh, if you are think about what's more, I think, valuable. I think the five-on-five stuff does point in Krazi's direction. And in terms of, like, historic relevance, like, I can say McDavid has a 6, 5% XG. Like, that doesn't matter in the terms of a streak.

Like, I love the self-awareness that you're showing there. Thank you. Thank you for that. I just feel like it's almost similar to, like, the voter fatigue conversation that we've had about the heart. like Connor McDavid ripping off point streaks and being unbelievable. It's just like, yeah, okay. Like it's just not popping in the same way. Maybe because of marketing.

Maybe because they're on the West Coast. They're playing on mountain time. People aren't awake for it. Or it's just like, yeah, Connor McDavid's the best player on the planet. He's doing this thing out there. Like awesome, cool and no one's really talking about it the way that we should be because like this really is an unbelievable streak. 19 goals and 46 points in 20 games.

It's like Dom said he's doing this, the best stretch of his career, and it's been a career full of unbelievable stretches and great hockey. So I feel like we can just leave it at that. Connor McDavid's still doing Connor McDavid stuff. Everyone should be talking about it more, okay? It's on us as media members to cast up Connor McDavid. NHLPR, if you're listening to this, don't bury Connor McDavid's 20-game point streak.

it's important. We want it at the top. Just put the oilers on HBO. Everything else will fall in a place. All right. Let's take a break when we come back. A couple final questions for Dom and Sean before we rob the show. As someone who's going to Milan to cover the women's Olympic tournament,

I have found. Thank you. Thank you. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yeah, I'm really excited about it. If you would have let me finish, you'd hear that I'm in agony. Every countdown, every timeline I'm provided, I think is rude. I take it personally. I think it's offensive.

I don't need to know when my flight is. I don't need to know when the tournament starts. I'm stressed out. Everything's fine, though. You sound like an arena construction worker. Oh, my God. The only people under more stress than Haley-Salvian right now. Good God.

Are the poor guys trying to build out the locker room in Milano Cortina? But I do have a timeline. I was going somewhere. I wasn't just trying to, you know, talk about how stressed out I am all the time. We're about three weeks until the NHL's Olympic break. I don't know if anyone's noticed this. I certainly didn't, but Sean Gentilly did. Because he's in Washington, he's working on some stuff.

He's in a nondescript Marriott. Don't, I'm not going to docks you like I dox Dom on Tuesday nights. It's a courtyard. I'm always in a court. I'm always in a court. I'm always in court. I'm always in court. I'm always in court. I'm always in court.

But the schedule for some teams, the Washington capitals specifically is about to get crazy. Well, the thing is, here's what I'll say, too. It's not just the, it's the capitals in the sense that I was talking to people on the capitals. It's saying about it, but it's not, it's not them specific. This is every team. They're, the capitals have played 47 games, but more than 20, teams have played fewer. So this is an issue that's facing every team in the league. But starting tonight, this is Caps, this is Caps sharks. So I get to see Cellebrini for the first time in a little

bit. Very fun. Wow. Starting tonight, the Caps have six games in 10 days, 12 and 22 until the Olympic break. There's a six-game road trip that's mixed in there. And then they finish with four and six days. That's, that's incredible. And they, and they, and they're not complaining in, in any capacity, right? This is just what they're faced with. I, I can't imagine those guys are thrilled about having a go on the road, but that's for, for that long in, in the middle of it, but, you know, whatever, things, things happen. It, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, it, comes out in the wash. And like I said, the, the, the caps are, if anything, they have, they have, they have fewer games than most to, to, to make up in this time. 12 games in 22 days, including a bunch of back-to-backs and a whole bunch of travel,

that's the kind of stuff that every team is facing. And I feel like it just dawned on me over the last couple of days. Like, that is incredible. So to have, and then to have a bunch of guys turn that into flights to Milan and a couple days off before getting their own tournament started is just, is just wild. And I think there's going to be repercussions for it. Like, you hope it's nothing crazy. In injuries.

Like, you guys talked about Braden Point. You know, injuries happen regardless of strength of schedule stuff. But it's been happening on the women's side, too. There's been, like, a lot of conversations with coaches, players, people in the game about how much hockey is being jammed in. And the women's schedule specifically, they don't play as much in the PWHL, like, their schedule or their seasons tighter. But they had rivalry series.

And there's college games and there's all these different. games and training environments. That's just like a lot of hockey this year. And I think it's just the first time we've been reminded of how crazy and Olympic gear gets. And as it relates to the NHL too, I think aside, not even, we'll take the injury issue out of the equation. If you're a team that has a bad week and you struggle for seven or eight days, you know, if you don't have your best game, that, that's five games. Right. So you, you are, you are, you are, you are, pretty dramatically for having for having a bad six or seven or eight days in a way that you in a way that you typically aren't okay i wanted to ask one question of you guys rapid fire please to wrap the show if it's just one question it can't be rapid fire

keep it tight keep it tight you know okay we've got timelines i have a meeting at 10 i have an olympics meeting at 10 you know okay i'm sorry which team is more likely to actually make the playoffs the buffalo Sabers or the Seattle Cracken. Buffalo Sabers. Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!

Norias Samuelson. Menoris Naurasen. It's got to be them. They're underlying. That's a more talent. It's a more talented team. How many more, they have, how many high-end players would you say they have? Two.

Two and a half? Two more than a Cracken. It's more. More than zero, because that's what the cracking got. I think they have the high end in a way that Seattle doesn't. They have the five-on-five play in a way that Seattle doesn't. I'm somewhat nervous about the amount of teams that are in the chase in the Eastern Conference. That's maybe a tick in the cracking column, but I'm going Buffalo all day here, baby.

Yeah, I don't think people realize how hard Seattle's upcoming schedule is. I'm not sure about the actual concentration of games, but the teams they play, it's the second toughest in the league. So that should be the time for the Cracken to come back down to Earth, but they keep winning. I watched the game on, I think, Saturday against Carolina. And I think the Cracken had the puck for roughly five seconds. So that was interesting three-two loss, as is classic for Cracken games this year. who is the best player on the Cracken and where would they rank on the Sabres?

Oh. Where would Jared McCann rate on the ton of... Is it still Jared McCann in 2026? Is that their best player? I think so. And I would take Tage over him. I would take Tuck over him. I would take Josh Dohn over him with the way he's playing.

And I'd obviously take Dahlina over him. On the Sabres, he would be more properly lined up. Yeah. And the depth charge. And of course, you would take Narayas Norrisen over him. Oh, yeah, naturally. Well, oh, sure. Philip Grubauer is their best player.

Philip Grubauer. I feel like he should have saved this for the Olympics. Because imagine Grubauer at this level, dry sidel cider, Patererca, that is upset city, and that would have been fun. And I feel like he might turn into a pumpkin when it matters most to him. You think? Wow, you're really stepping out on a limb there, brother. So mean.

I didn't think you guys were going to be so mean to the Cracken. I am somewhere. Clearly not a power rankings reader is hosting the show today. Yes, it's our little space to make fun of the Cracken every week. That's mean. I want to apologize to Cracken Nation. I do. Because they think I hate this team, and I don't want to think about them at all.

they're randomly successful power play and one of their goal tenders always seems like has been on at one point or another over the course of this. Yeah. Good for that. Good for you guys. It all counts. All right. That's enough.

All right. That was mean. Ten games on the NHL schedule tonight, including Toronto versus Vegas. Leif's looking to get back into a playoff position playing Mitch Marner for the first time. since he left town. Not feeling like home in Vegas yet, guys. Sad, it's sad. I feel, I feel sad for him.

We all hate seasonal allergies, one of them is. I felt so bad for Mitch's own decisions. I don't really like you. Here it is, the consequences of my actions. Oh, man, I can't play video games with my friends. This sucks. I feel like I didn't.

realize that he wasn't playing with Jack Eichael anymore and that just speaks to me not paying attention to Mitch Marner of the Vegas Golden Knights. I'll own that. I don't care. It wasn't interested. To playmaking guys, I did have optimism that Eichael, who has had some goalsqu scoring prowess in the past, has been a shooter, might find that form with Marner. I kind of thought that that was going to work too. I thought that's what we're going to see. Yeah, me too. I thought it was not it had been until recently. No, Mitch Martner is manning his own line. He's playing center for some reason.

He's not good at face-offs. The line, when he's playing center, they're not controlling play. He has been really good defensively. I think part of that is because he is not getting the match-ups cycle is. But it is definitely a lower offensive output than he is used to, which I think is notable. well so Austin Matthews was like out and about like Greenwood ranks

and like out in the east end very safe walking around his city seems nice pleasant anyways nine other games for Mitch he's locked in the house in Summerland or wherever wherever he's living

I just think if any other player came out and said like this new city that I moved to that's really far from home after playing somewhere for a long time and I'm having a tough adjustment. If like literally any other dude said that, people would be like, I get it. He's just a boy. He's a first time dad.

He's adjusting to life. But Mitch Marner says it and everyone's just like, I don't care. I don't feel bad for you. Everyone was poo-pooing on Mitch. Our lives are- I think if Mark Shifley moved to Arizona, Utah and was like, yeah, it's a bit of a tough adjustment, but we'll get there. Everyone would be like, you're right, Mark Shifley.

You will. And everyone doesn't want. want to hear it from Mitch Marner. Our lives are the some of our choices to quote, yeah, possible final reckoning. Oh, my God. All right. Maybe he should take up hiking. That was shocking.

I was like, what do you mean? Why did you tell Jonas that? That was my takeaway. Did Jonas ask him, hey, have you gotten any nice hikes? And he's like, no, I hate to hike. I don't like it. The red disc. I couldn't get through the rest of the story.

It was, I couldn't, I couldn't handle it. Anyways. Too sad for me, Jay. This was the segment where I admit to everyone that I don't pay attention and I don't read or consume anything. So I won't be back next week. Thanks everyone for listening to this episode. I'm about to get fired from the podcast. Braspect Boys have the next show tomorrow.

Sean and I will return next Thursday if I haven't been canned. Thanks for doing this, Dom. We appreciate you. Anytime.