The Hockey PDOcast - How Players Traded at the Deadline Are Fitting on Their New Teams

Episode Date: March 26, 2024

Dimitri Filipovic is joined by Shayna Goldman to take a look at how players who were moved at the trade deadline are fitting on their new teams, highlighting the ones that have had the biggest initial impact. This podcast is produced by Dominic Sramaty. If you'd like to gain access to the two extra shows we're doing each week this season, you can subscribe to our Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/thehockeypdocast/membership If you'd like to participate in the conversation and join the community we're building over on Discord, you can do so by signing up for the Hockey PDOcast's server here: https://discord.gg/a2QGRpJc84 The views and opinions expressed in this podcast are those of the hosts and guests and do not necessarily reflect the position of Rogers Media Inc. or any affiliate.

mean since 2015. It's the Hockey Pediocast with your host, Dmitri Filippovin. Welcome to the Hockey Pediocast. My name is Demetri Filippovich and joining me is my good buddy, Shana Goldman. Shana, what's going on? Hey, thanks for having me. This is going to be a fun one. So the plan for today is we are coming up on about 10 games or so that each team's played since the trade deadline. And I thought this was a good time for us to sort of revisit some of the most immediate impacts that we've seen from those deals that happened and kind of break down what the new additions have done on their new teams and how much they've changed their relative outlook or I guess situation moving forward heading towards the postseason. And so we're going to go through all the big ones or at least try to and kind of see how far

we get. And I think it's going to be a fun exercise for us to do. And I thought the most logical one to start with was the Jay Gensel edition for the hurricanes because not only has he had, I think, the most kind of foundational or transformative impact on them right away, but he was also the biggest name. I guess aside from Thomas Hurtle, who, to be fair, we haven't seen yet actually play for the Golden Knights, but the biggest name that we saw moved to the deadline. So let's talk about Gensel here to start off and kind of his fit on the hurricanes and the immediate impact he's had for the way they're playing, particularly

offensively, which I think has been a really nice, pleasant surprise. Yeah, I mean, you know, he was the player we were all waiting to see where he'd move and who he could be a potential fit for. it's funny he ends up going to Carolina because that seemed like the dream fit for them especially, right? We've talked about it forever. Carolina needs finishing talent. They need a really strong offensive powerhouse. And Gensel is exactly that. And, you know, most years they're like, it's fine. Here's another defenseman. Here's fine. You know, here's another forward who can drive, play, but not score and not convert on their chances. So it's nice to see they have that on Gensel. And funny enough, you know, he only has two goals so far. But you're seeing such an instant impact. I mean, in all situations, they're outscoring.

opponent 16 to nothing in his minutes. You're seeing at 5 on 5, they have a plus 22 shot differential, a plus 19 engine scoring chances with Gensel on the ice. He's helping tilt play. He looks really great with Jarvis and Ahho on that top line. I think he's adding a little bit more of that like rush pop that I think Carolina could use. We know their team that can play the dump and chase game better than anyone on 4 check.

Like it's no one's business. But to see a little bit more in transition is what they need. And he's making such an impact. with his shot. He's still shooting the puck at a ton. I think since he joined the team, he has the best expected goal rate of anyone, individual expected goal rate. And we're seeing him thrive with this puck movement. Like he's such a good passer. And I feel like we forget that because we think of him as this 40 goal score when, you know, he's doing a really good job setting up his teammates. So 10 out of 10 fits so far. Really excited to see where it goes from here. Yeah. And he

started out with NACIS and Kuznet's off in the first couple of games. And then I think partway through that dramatic comeback they had in Toronto. They put him together with Aho and Jarvis. And I think that's where things really got interesting for me, because those three have played 75, 5-1-5 minutes together. Goals are 7-0. Shots are 48 to 30. And I went back and looked at all the scoring chances they've had.

And I had the three of them down for 32 combined scoring chances in those six games. And that doesn't count like the little sort of like tips and deflections that we know the hurricanes love to utilize, which kind of don't make it on net. are theoretically threatening at least. And they don't include when they pass to a defenseman with them and they get a scoring chances. It's just those three individually.

And so 32 through six games is obviously a large amount. And Gensel actually leads the team with 12 of his own scoring chances in that time. And so you're right. I think the fact that he already has 12 points in eight games, but just two of them are goals. We're going to see that regression. This isn't a case of, oh, here comes another player on the hurricanes. And they have a lot of expected goals, but they're not actually scoring because you watch the tape of where these shots are coming from and they're very high danger.

They're very threatening in the middle of the ice off of passing plays. And this is a whole new look for, I think, the hurricanes, right? And I will say, I was very optimistic about the fit heading in. I thought the idea that it was being kind of held against him of, well, we've only seen him play with Crosby. And Crosby is such a historically great player that everyone's going to look good with him. I thought that was sort of missing the point that the real. reason why Gensel was so successful with Crosby were all of these sort of skills that I think were very transferable to a different situation as long as he got to play with other good players.

And we're seeing that with Ajo and Jarvis where they're utilizing all those kind of similar actions that he was doing in Pittsburgh with Crosby, back door passing, kind of going around the net, coming into the slot, obviously the rush stuff you mentioned as well. And these are the high danger plays that I think we've all wanted to see more of from the hurricanes, right? I think the reason why they've been susceptible in previous post seasons is because their offense really bogs down, becomes very predictable and very perimeter based. And this is the opposite of that. Like, we're seeing this line really carve into the middle of the ice and attack you at will from that middle area. And I think that's very encouraging and really provides a whole new,

I think, ceiling for the hurricanes that they didn't. Past teams were really good, obviously, and they've made long runs in the postseason. But I never really think they had this type of a dynamic. to any of those squads before. Yeah, the note about Crosby, it's so interesting because I think it's so easy to say, well, this player is only influenced by playing with Top Talent. Like, of course he is. Who wouldn't be influenced by playing with Sidney Crosby? But Gensel really, I think, is the best line he's ever had.

He's not a Chris Cunitz who became great because he played with Sidney Crosby. It's not Brian Rust. Here is your make or break moment because you're playing with Sidney Crosby. This is someone who was so good in his own right, who obviously got better with Crosby. And sure, maybe you might see it's, you know, a slight drop-off in his game without Crosby, who wouldn't? But it's not to say he's not going to be a productive, you know, high-end, top line play without that.

And you look at the line mates he's getting in Carolina, like, Seth Darvitz's having a breakout year. He's crushing it. Sebastian Aho is one of the best two-way centers in the game. We all hoot and holler about how underrated he is. You're going to see more results that hopefully we don't have to hear that conversation, keep going. But yeah, it just feels like Gensel and Cousnetsov, really. there are two players that kind of brush up against the canes lineup and bring something different

into the mix and some teams like we'll get to the avalanche how they can afford to keep leaning into their strengths and that works for them but the canes have always leaned into what works for them and then you're looking at them in the postseason and go you need something a little different to go against the grain and give yourself a little dimension and a little more surprise and here two players that they brought in that do exactly that but still mesh within the system of the canes because you can always bring someone in differently who brings you know who brings a different element to the game and it might not click it might not work out they could just stick out for the wrong reasons and it just feels like it's coming together in the way that this

team needs to go on a deeper run to have a little more surprise in their game to go to match up against more opponents because they have more in their toolbox no they certainly do and i think that's what's so exciting about and there's also a trickle down effect i think of adding gensel and and throw kuznet's up in there as well as you did in the sense that all of a sudden now, like it bumps Svetnikov down to Nages's line with Guznetsov, right? And previously, I think Nages's top line mates this season before the trade deadline were bunting, who obviously got traded for Gensel. And then it was like Jack Drury, Yersperry, Gakene, M. and Stefan Nosen, and you look up,

and that's those three guys, the last ones, are literally their fourth line right now. And that's a luxury they have because they got to add all of this talent that can now play in the premium top six scoring roles. I think it's really allowed this forward group to kind of fall into place as well, right, where previously they were getting results through that volume-based approach from these guys who weren't necessarily as skilled as these players. Now they can play in a role that's more suitable for them. And I think really optimize their scoring efficiency in the top six.

And so other than what I'm seeing from this group, and I think there's a big reason why I am so encouraged about the hurricanes moving forward. Like you see, it's the deadline. They have a 9-1-1 record. They're up 41 to 21. And they're just one point back of the Rangers now as well, right? And I think they're very live for winning the first in the East, first in the Metro, and that'll set them up as well.

So this is a team that I've been critical in the past because I thought that while they were a good regular season team, they were clearly flawed in the postseason. And I think this is alleviating a lot of those concerns I had. And that's a testament to what an impact Gantzels had just as an individual talent on this team. Yeah. I really like their moves. you add in someone like Kuznets off. And like you said, now that second line, half of it is your fourth line,

to have another center in the fold. I think that they were an ideal landing spot for Kuznetsov because not everybody had the center depth of the canes that if he couldn't shake it, it's totally fine. You have Kockney Ami, you can keep playing second line center. So it feels like now they have this diversity and versatility in their lineup group too. You know, we know teams need to make changes in the playoffs.

And sometimes you have to work with the positions you have. And it just feels like they open the door to making so many, adjustments if necessary. And I think that's going to be really important. I think also this was the year to make the move. We can look at the Western Conference and talk about how many teams legitimately look like they can win the cup, right? And you could have that conversation all day.

It's going to be a gauntlet to get through to the final. And if you make it through, are you going to be so beaten and battered that you'll be able to win. In the East, there are good teams. The Rangers and the Panthers stand out. But I feel like everyone else is kind of flawed around that. Like we could nitpick the Leafs, the Bruins, the Lightning. and then whoever wants Wildcard 2 or doesn't want it.

Like we can debate that all day. So it feels like there was this opening for the hurricanes to take advantage of, right? If there's that door to being a team to beat in the East and get to the final, this was the year to do it, I think, versus last year's arms race where, you know, good luck to everyone who was a part of it. So it just, it all comes together at the right time. No, I certainly think that's true. And, you know, you look at this team as well.

Their third, I believe now, in power play scoring behind just the lightning and the oilers. They've got these scoring lines up front at 5-1-5 that we mentioned as well. I think that's a big part of this. You're seeing Gensel certainly contribute on the power play and all of that. But something he's done historically well since he pretty much came into the league is the 5-1-5 production, right? And that's something that I think when we get into the postseason is going to differentiate this team from past versions of the hurricanes. And so that in combination with sort of the landscape around them,

presents a very exciting outlook for the hurricanes. And look at that. You know, you say people can't change, but I'm really high on the hurricanes now. So this is very exciting for all of us involved. Any other notes, Shana, on Gensel and the Hurricanes, or do you want to move on to our next situation? Just that with, you know, these additions,

I think the biggest thing is Carolina didn't have to take away from their strengths at all. We see their defense has been outstanding all year. The goaltending is kind of rounding into form now. Frederick Anderson looks so good since he, return and Coachcoff can play a 1B backup role, which I think is probably the move right now. We got better after a really tough start. But to have that plus what they already had, it just makes for such a contender.

You're right. Like I am so much higher on the Keynes and I have been. We like their group a lot better now. Yes, yes, we do. That's the, that's a takeaway here. Okay, let's do the avalanche because you sort of hinted at them and I want to keep the good times going. And we're going to get to some other fits that I'm not necessarily.

is high on, but I want to get to this one first because I think it fits with these vibes. And this is an avalanche team that has not lost since the deadline. They've gone 7 and 0. It's extended their current winning streak to nine games during which they've outscored opponents, 42 to 18, put them similar to what we said about the hurricanes in a position to win the West, certainly win the Central. And I think stay out of that sort of looming round one matchup against the stars, which would have been really fun for us to watch, but certainly not ideal for either of those

two teams involved. and I have to say just like at the time I was very high on their series of moves but I think just seeing it play out now and kind of reaffirm everything we expected it really was a masterful sequence of moves right where they not only significantly improve their team by adding two legitimate impact players in Sean Walker and Casey Middlestat but also two other highly useful depth pieces in Yakov trennan and brandon new haem but they did so with guys who fit stylistically with what they do and as you said kind of double down and already in existing strength. And they also simultaneously remove their biggest liability in Ryan Johansson and clear it up about $8 million in flexibility cap space wise this summer to kind of add however they see fit. Obviously, something that's going to be taken up by Casey Middlestatt's next contract,

but they still at least have some wiggle room now to do other moves this summer as well. And so putting all of that together, I couldn't be higher on how this is all played out from the avalanche perspective. and, you know, they were already a dangerous team, certainly, with the way their top players were playing. But this has answered a lot of the questions we had about them. And I feel like right now, as we kind of go into this final month of the regular season, they're looking as dangerous as any team in the league for me. Yeah, absolutely.

I think they had one of the best deadlines you could have had. And to manage that with the number of moves and changes they made, I think is really impressive. it's like you don't even know where to begin sometimes. To lose Ryan Jojanson's contract. You know what? I get why Colorado bet on him last summer. There were not a ton of center options available. They were able to get him at 50% cap retention.

And the Amalanchive had a really great knack for maximizing players. So if you could mask some of the defensive weaknesses in his game and try to get him back to his playmaking strengths, like maybe you'd have something. And it was very clear they did not have something. They did not have anything at all. So I like to. it's not that they brought in a center upgrade, but they actually brought in someone who could do what he couldn't. You know,

he's such a good playmaker Casey Middlesat, and he's bringing that to the fold, which is what they seem to have wanted for that, you know, position. That's a big game changer for them right there. And it helps solidify a role that they've clearly struggled with over the last couple of years since cadre left.

You know, it's just been like a rotating door of players. And this feels like someone who could be a good long-term fit. And to have him and Ross Colton, and it brings in, you know, some younger players and younger talents to the mix when Colorado, you know, their players aren't old, but you know what I mean? Like they're in their prime now. You need it that you can extend your window by having young players in those positions

and not just pieces that you're constantly going to have to replace. So I think that that swing made a lot of sense, even though they had to lose Byron in the process, which was a big surprise. But it really worked out. And you see now, if we start a middle side, you see how well, they're playing a five-on-five, in his minutes. You know, I think they have 55% of the expected goal share. They're winning their matchups with him on the ice. He looks really good with Lekinen and ruin or you can, you know, shift Nichushkin into that line and mix and match your top six however you see fit. And I think

if there were any concerns about middle stat and Buffalo, it was that he, that his, that the team generally outscored expectations in his minutes. And you always have to have that sustainability vibe check. And now it's kind of the opposite. Like, yes, he's picking up points, but you're seeing them win the minutes and that is standing out versus just the goal scoring that it feels more sustainable too, especially because he has, you know, better quality line mates than he would in Buffalo on the third line where he would slop behind Cousins and Thompson. So to me, it just, it's a really, really, really, really good fit and it just feels like a stabilizing presence that they needed there. No, it certainly does. And yeah, you're right. He's got the five points,

but much more important for our purposes here and for, I think, the avalanche when evaluating this, is they've generated eight five on five goals in just under 100. minutes that he's played so far. And those are all minutes primarily not only without McKinnon and Ranton, but also without Macarra as well, because we know that the avalanche like to use McCar and Taves generally with that top line and get them out in the offensive zone. And they should. That's the best way to optimize that.

But the fact that the avalanche are winning these minutes and still scoring goals and not just kind of hoping to get by with a neutral score, but actually generating offense without those guys on the ice is such a massive development for them. And just in watching middle stat kind of anecdotally, I mentioned this on a show recently. He certainly looks faster to me just playing on this avalanche team. He's almost been supercharged than when I watched him in Buffalo. Not that he was a slow skater by any means, but it feels like he's kind of jumped in and had a jetpack strapped to his back. And he's also doing so in a way that really aligns with how they want ideally play.

Right. Like he's carrying the puck up the ice. His work entering the zone has been so fluid. And it's allowed him to essentially just kind of keep. keep stacking together sequences and keep playing downhill as a team as opposed to sort of trying to change the way they play to accommodate them. And that's kind of why I mentioned not only with him and Walker, but also with the sort of depth ads and Trenton and Duhame, these are all guys who can play with pace and can

kind of keep accelerating things, right? And that was why I think the Johansson thing was such a miss. You watched him play and it just, he just couldn't operate at that speed, right? Like both physically and also processing wise at this point of his career, he was lagging a step behind and slowing everyone down. And these guys have not only allowed them to keep playing as fast as they want, but if anything, sped up the entire team.

And so I think that's what's so scary about them when you watch them play. It's that they just drop middle stat in and all of a sudden it just made everything better around them. And so that's a massive one. I do want to talk about Sean Walker, though, too, because I think it's easy to sort of lose sight of the addition of him because of that big middle staff for Biden and trade that happened almost simultaneously with it. But watching him step into this lineup, it really feels like he was.

almost created in a lab to be an avalanche defenseman, right? It's a very similar style, certainly, in terms of the transition attack to what we saw him thrive in in Philadelphia, but it's just been an even more juiced up one. And he's looked awesome. And if anything, like, he's really stood out to me in watching these games since the deadline as the player who has sort of benefited the most and really, I think, changed the way they can play when that top pair isn't out there. Yeah.

I'm a really big Sean Walker fan. He was, I think my favorite defenseman on the market this year because of how much he grew in Philadelphia. And like, obviously, we all had questions. How would he look outside of the Flyers? Because he only has one really good season to date. But you look at a team like the Avalanche and go, well, this could be it because he has that foot speed. You know, he's someone that the Flyers could trust to be a rover. Well, guess what?

That's the perfect team for you to be on. You look at someone like Jared Bednar, if I remember correctly, when he was in the H.L. coaching Columbus's farm team. Like he worked with Wrenski to be a rover. Like this is a coach with a ton of experience with that. So, you know, it definitely clicks here too. What helps his case versus say Byrman in this role, because if you're on the third pair, you're not getting those McKinnon minutes is that Colorado does have more depth.

So minutes with the third and fourth line aren't going to be as maybe daunting as they were a couple months ago. But I think he is someone who can really push the pace of play from the back end. He can jump up in the rush. He's really steady defensively too. So it totally clicks. The one concern, everybody I think talked about was his size is Colorado's blue line too small. I feel like they already have what could set them against the green.

The Josh Manson's of the world, right? The grittier, harder to play against defensemen in theory. But for the abs, they've won leaning into their strength. That's exactly what got them their success. You know, you look at the year they lost to Vegas in the playoffs and how Vegas figured out a way to slow them down. They didn't panic and change your game. they went, we know what makes it successful and we're just going to lean further into it that we're so dominant you can't beat us. And that's how they want a championship. So I like that they kind of

kept that mentality up here. They have the other pieces, the Duhames, the Trennan's, and the Mansons that I think add that sandpaper that they could use that they could afford to go for sure, the undersized, speedy defenseman that, you know, is similar in ways to a Girard, to a a car into a taves to a lesser, you know, in a smaller role. So I just think that it might be my favorite addition of deadline season is Walker in Colorado because it's just that perfect of a fit. It is. And what we've seen so far is interesting where they've primarily used them with Jack Jodson on the third pair, like in terms of how they listed on the depth chart.

But he's actually been their fourth most used defenseman at five on five so far. And that's partly because we've also seen them kind of situationally experiment with him and Sam Girard, which I honestly thought they would do just right away. full time out of the gate. But it makes sense that they would kind of, you know, based on like body type and sort of skill set wise, separate those guys so the Gerrard can play with Manson and he can play with Jack Johnson on the third pair.

But I suspect once we get into the postseason, like they've been winning a lot of these games rather comfortably since Sean Walker came to a team. And I think they haven't really been tested that much in a bunch of these games. I imagine once we get into the postseason and teams are giving them their best shot and they're having to actually maybe play from behind more and try to generate more offense, we'll probably see them go with Walker and Gerard

as more of a full-time second pair in those offensive situational minutes. But yeah, three goals, primary assists so far, carried over all the sparkling 5-1-5 metrics. And, you know, just in re-watching some of those shifts so far, a couple examples that really stood out to me was the goal he scored. I know he scored the two goals in Edmonton and actually almost had a hat-trick in overtime

in that really fun game they played recently. But the first goal he scored was like very indicative to me where it seemed like almost a harmless two-on-two, and just the fact that he sprinted up the ice, the way that he did and beat Leon Dreisdell to his lane, allowed him to turn that two-on-two into a two-on-one, which he scored on. And then in the most recent game against Pittsburgh,

he really, I think, helped expedite that comeback where they scored that second goal to make it four-two in the final middle of the second period. And it's similarly, like Sammy Girard just pushes the puck up the ice, gets it to Lekan. Lekan makes a play at the blue line, and all of a sudden, Walker, it just sprints as the weak side defenseman

gets into the middle of the ice and has a great A chance which they wind up scoring on and these are just things that like this is what the avalanche do better than everyone else right? It's that like downhill momentum where all of a sudden you think you're safe and then within a split second they have someone wide open in the slot coming downhill with a rush scoring chance and he's really fit into that perfectly

and I know it's like it's easy to make the jokes about Pittsburgh because their season's been so tragically comical in so many ways this season. but watching that game, which everyone was, because it was like the only game on at the time, and it was a national TV game over the weekend, that really felt inevitable, right? And that was sort of like the perfect distillation of this avalanche team

where once they get that momentum moving and once they get going, it just felt it was like a barrage of one scoring chance after another. And the other team is just kind of holding on for dear life, hoping they can get through it. And eventually the avalanche broke through and came back in that game. And I think that was like a testament to why they're so special and when they're at their best. Yeah, absolutely.

And I think you're seeing the abs do two things. One, they've mixed and match their line. So I think that they know what options they have going to the postseason. And we've seen them do that before. It was with, I remember their top six, they did it the year they won. You know, the last month this season, they were like solidified in a playoff spot. And they just started mixing and matching their line combination. So they knew what they had in their back pocket.

So right now they know where they can fit Sean Walker, who he can play with, what situation is best. The other thing is I think that they're showing that they can win in different ways. Like you can start with your B game like they did against the penguins, maybe even worse than a B game, and they can still pull it together. And obviously it's going to be different if you're trying to do that against the Dallas Stars or the Vancouver Canucks and the playoffs or the Oilers. But, you know, it's not like they were doing this against San Jose sharks either.

So that to me is really impressive. I think they know what their capabilities are. And it's going to be really interesting to see because you look at the potential opponents that they could have. and, you know, could their speed theme be the difference against a team like the stars? Could it be against the Jets? Because all of them, you know, can play a couple different ways. You look at now the Predators.

We're going to get a little sample of that. I think on Saturday, right? It's abs spreads and that's a potential round one matchup. So I like that we're getting such a good look at the abs in different ways with these new additions heading into the playoffs because I think it's going to teach them even more about themselves than they already know. Yeah. And they do have a lot of that flexibility now in terms of. the personnel where they can kind of mix and match and move it around. So it makes sense that

that Jared Benner would try to do that and figure out what the best sort of combination of those guys is. So I'm really looking forward to seeing that, but it's been really fun to watch them so far. And yeah, I mean, that Oilers game, which I referenced a minute ago was obviously incredibly fun. And I think one of the best regular season games of the season. And in just rewatching it, it really stuck out to me. Like, I think they must have been very happy coming out of that game. I know it was very close and it was there for the taking. And the Oilers easily could won it. And I think like McKinnon made that play in literally the final possible second no overtime, right? So it was kind of a coin flip game in that regard. But as it went, it really

felt like the avalanche started sort of like asserting themselves with all those rush opportunities and making it a game environment they're much more comfortable in than the Oilers are right now. And so those types of games, I think they're very happy engaging in them. And while a team like the stars certainly can play fast and likes to attack off the rush themselves, I think with how much they're still relying on Ryan Suter and S. Lendell and Yanni Hockampah at times, that's kind of concerning for a team like that, and particularly the Jets who are much more kind of methodical and trying to grind out possessions.

Those two teams do not want to get into that type of a game with the avalanche because they just don't have the requisite foot speed to keep up defensively, and the avalanche are able to sort of force that on you, right? Like even if you're grinding out possessions and slowing it down yourself for stretches of time, we've seen that it only takes them a few shifts here or there to totally break a game wide open.

And so that must be very concerning if you're a coach of either of those teams kind of trying to game plan for this because you almost have to play the perfect game defensively and stylistically to stay away from that type of scenario. And not just in McKinnon's minutes.

Like that's the huge part of it right now. Everybody knows that you have to be on your toes when Nathan McKin's on the ice because he is just a complete and total powerhouse. But now you're dealing with that speed and so many players who were tough to play against through four lines and three defensive pairs, like that right there can be all the difference in the world. So if anyone had concerns about the abs, like, yeah, it's their goal tending right now, right?

Like there's a little bit of a red flag there. But if you're Colorado and you know that you can just dominate play, you can get by. See, they're one of the teams who could take the lesson away of you can get by with average goaltending if you have everything else. And they've positioned themselves to be such a strong possession team and such a strong speed, you know, speedy team that they can swing that. Certainly. Okay, let's take our break here.

And then when we come back, we'll pick things up with Cheyna and keep talking about trade deadline fits and early impressions of how those players have done on their new teams. You're listening to the Hockey-Pedio cast streaming on the Sportsnet Radio Network. The most comprehensive Canucks coverage in the city.

Canucks Central with Dan Riccio and Satyar Shah. Be sure to subscribe on Apple, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, we are back here on the Hockey PEOCast with Shana Goldman. We're talking about trade deadline fits and their initial impacts. Shane, I'll let you go now. Who do you want to talk about next? What's the next fit that's on your list or on your mind?

All right, let's talk a little bit about bone byrum. Since we hit Middlesad, like, let's go across the way. I think of all the deadline additions, he kind of made the biggest, like, pop when he joined his new team because he came and he had a goal in his first game. Two games later, he had a two-goal performance against the Red. wings, which was such an important game for the Sabres. And all of a sudden, it seemed like the Sabres might just be coming together a little bit, right? It's so on brand for the Sabres to get our hopes up in March and then we can all rally around

them, get pumped, but it's a little bit too late because of some errors earlier in the year. But with Byram, you know, the scoring stands out. The play below the surface is a little bit more concerning. I think they're just outscoring opponents 11 to 10 at 5 on 5 in his minutes, but we're seeing him fall below break-even and expected goals. And, you know, there's a couple things with that. First is, you know, you look at him and it's that adjustment to the top pair role with Dahlian.

It's a role he didn't get to play in Colorado. We know he was playing third pair of minutes. So I think not just adjusting to your new team, but now it's adjusting to an expanded role is going to be a challenge for him. That's going to take some time. The other part of it is, you know, I think we see signs that this can work and there's reason to get really hyped about the Sabres Young Decor, but it's kind of a reality check to look below the surface

and say, okay, but it's not there yet. Like we can see how there have been shifts where Byram's already skating up the ice while Dahlene's going for the puck retrieval and knows how to stick out to receive a pass and break the puck out and start an offensive sequence, which is something the Sabres oddly have struggled with this year. They've gotten better defensively,

but the offensive pop just isn't there like last year. So we're kind of seeing that building block of what could be down the line. And even on the power play, you know, sometimes they're going three forwards, 2D on the top unit, which isn't my favorite strategy. But it works here because I think Byram's adding a little bit more movement into a powerplay unit that got really stagnant this year. And you could just see them stuck in formation and not as fluid as they could, would or should be. So the potential's there. And this isn't just a deadline, you know, a deadline rental that's there for a minute.

So I think we'll see things trend in the right direction down the line. But it's going to take some work. and it's going to take more than just a couple hot results to be totally sold just yet. Certainly. I think it's very encouraging because I think we'd all agree that the Sabres were so fun and so dynamic last year, right? And then they started off this year clearly trying to sort of play a more even keeled game to get better defensive results to make life easier for their goalies. And that had very adverse effects on their scoring. And that really took a massive step back, right?

And so I think the way we're seeing Byron come in and play right out of the gate and just like, how dynamic he can be getting involved offensively, his shooting talent, his reeds in the offensive zone and transitioning the puck are all very good. And it's all kind of moving back, swinging the pendulum back to where I wanted it to be with this team. Now,

I think you can explain some of the underlying metrics, not necessarily lining up with that with. I think there's still some reads defensively that he's kind of missing and his positioning is an ideal. And part of that might just be, as you mentioned, kind of like an adjustment to not only a new team, but also one that the personnel is different.

Their playing style is wildly different because we just talked about how the avalanche are so extreme in that regard. And so it's expected there's going to be some adjustment there. I think what's encouraging for me is that generally for, you know, we talk about his kind of risk reward as a player and how he's been hurt so much in the past

and how that's kind of forced his game to, to regress a little bit. Generally, when you're worried about a player's long-term ability in that regard, it's because, you know, they just aren't physically the same anymore. Like they're either not moving as well or they're not as dominant playing that way. And at least with him, like, you can still see that he's clearly got that talent in it in his tool bag, right?

Like it's, it's something that's available to him and he can tap into and utilize. Now it's refining some of the stuff on the margins to kind of round out those underlying metrics. But I think the fact that he still has that makes me feel much more confident that at least like physically, this isn't a player who's been compromised. It just makes sense that maybe his development, has been stunted a little bit because of how much time he's missed on and off. And that's going to take some time for him to kind of round out. So I'm willing to give him more runway here, similar with the Sabres.

And I think especially with a full off season and training camp and preseason and kind of all of that coming together for him and the team, I'm going to be high on him heading into next season. But you're right. I think I've seen enough so far where at least I'm like, all right, there's enough here to work with moving forward that I think this can be a still net positive for this team, even though they're clearly going to miss middle stat. and he's a great player in his own right. Yeah, and it's not like they've had the easiest schedule either. You know, going on the Western Conference swing isn't going to be easy going against teams like Detroit, who have so much to lose in Nashville, who are, you know, they were in the thick of the playoff race

then to really solidifying their spot. Like those are high pressure games. Am I surprised that against the team like the Oilers, he really lost his minutes? No, I think it was 2717 more shot of attempts with him on the ice against the Oilers. Scoring chances were 196. He had a lot of minutes against McDavid. a lot of minutes against dry siddle it's like all right good luck um but then you see him against the flames

and you know it's a totally different story obviously totally different caliber team but you see you know scoring chance they're 144 for the savers when he's on the ice so you're getting the good and the bad but those extremes i think are going to balance out and you know if if anything the conversation is going to be what are they going to do with the lefty you know the lefty lefty pairings and how are they going to spread that out around their lineup like how are they going to balance out Owen Powers pair and things like that. Those are the questions I think that we can be asking versus whether Byram is a fit. I think that we're seeing he's going to be a long-term fit.

It just is going to take some time. Certainly. I want to talk to you about Wenberg and Roslilvich on the Rangers because I think these are two players who kind of like in a vacuum or in isolation, I wasn't necessarily that high on. But then when you view it through the team concept of the Rangers, kind of what they already had and what they needed, it makes a much more sense. and I think it's growing on me certainly. You see Wenberg in particular, like in the minutes he's gotten to play with Will Cooley so far, where they've played 55 on five minutes together.

Shots are 26 11 for the Rangers. Goals are 1-0 and it's like, all right, there's been one total goal score. What's the big deal? I think that's a massive win for the Rangers considering what they need from that line, right? Where it's just a matter of keeping the puck in that side of the ice, kind of grinding out possessions, winning the territorial battle, and then setting up their top six to be able to come out in, advantage of situations and then score.

And so almost like nothing happening in that way, but then actually controlling a lot of the underlying metrics is exactly what I want from that unit. And they've been able to do it so far for the Rangers when they've been together. And so I think that's very encouraging because it's clearly what I think they were missing when you compare it to the other kind of top contenders in the league and, and their ability to match up with them on a night to night basis in the postseason. Yeah.

I think the Ranger's biggest task at the deadline was going to be finding someone to unlock Zabandad, which is an ideal for your top line. But, you know, that's the situation. And then filling the void of Philippa, who before, you know, being sidelined was having a really great year. And it feels like it was like building to that moment. So it was a really big loss for them. And Wemberg is a completely different player, but I think a player that really fits their needs. it's tricky because the forward lines have been shifted around a lot the last couple games in the bottom six because they're trying to keep everybody fresh. That's how Peter Lovielat's selling it.

You know, keep everyone fresh for the playoffs and just see what they have in everybody. So you're not always getting those consistent combinations. And then the other problem is they've had some defensive injuries like lingering and intrubid that are shifting things around even more. But I think just zoning in on Wemberg, we can still see some positives. I really do like that combination with Kuli and Kako because it feels like they can just, just hold possession. It's as simple as that. If they're not losing their minutes, that's a good thing.

And Wenberg, you're seeing make the little plays. That's the special part of his game. If he's leveraged in the right way, obviously he has his flaws, like he hates shooting the puck, but leveraged in the right way, he can be a really strong asset to a team. And I think on that third line, you know, he makes smart plays to shift from defense to offense and help push play up the ice with control. You're seeing him battle for the puck. and make really strong defensive plays in the offensive zone to extend zone time,

which is beneficial to the Panarin line and the Zabandajad line, getting those offensive zone starts, especially the Zabandajad line that has started in the defensive zone a lot, and you're seeing Zabanajad have to be the defensive anchor on that line, which is taking them out of the offensive capacity that they need them to be. I think that flexibility is going to be really important because we've seen in the playoffs in the past with the Rangers. Sometimes the struggle is figuring out who can take on top competition,

and it ends up being Zabanajad, and sometimes that suppresses his offense, which is a problem enough this year at five on five. So just to have that extra player, even if it means shifting him up a line, like I would be really intrigued if the Rangers are trying to defend a one goal lead with two minutes to go. If we start seeing him jump up, maybe slot down the middle between Kreider and Zabandad to kind of just be that stabilizing force for a defensive zone shift versus a Barkley-a-drow doing it because I think you get a little more dimension with Wemberg there. I think that there are a couple things to try out, and especially since they're really solidifying their spot

with the win tonight during the playoffs, they'll have the time to do this down the stretch. You know, we can see them try to experiment with him because I think that's going to be the ideal role for him as this utility player that they've been missing. I think that'll kind of get him to the heights of what he can do. And then you don't have to just bury him in defensive minutes like he was in Seattle, but you can just experiment and see what he can bring

in different capacities. Yeah, similar to what. we just talked about with the avalanche, right, where you're using this sort of window between now and the playoffs to figure out what you want to do once you get into the postseason and you have to optimize your lines. You know, with the Roslovich thing, especially early on, it was very intriguing for me because it did help accomplish what I think you were alluding to there where it was not necessarily helping with a defensive workload, but just giving Mika Zabinajad someone who can kind of hold the puck and provide a bit more pace and inject them with. that and then had some playmaking as well so that he can be a bit more off puck as a shooter, right? And I think that would have been the most alarming part this season. It was obviously not ideal that he's not scoring in 5-15, but it said he wasn't really

even shooting that much. And so far in a limited sample, at least, you know, he got the couple early goals of Rosovich, but at least we've seen him shoot more since then. And I think that's the key to all of this where obviously he's at his best and most effective when he's utilizing that weapon of a shot that he has. And so just getting him in these situations where life's a bit easier for him. He's in more advantageous student positions is huge. And so I'm curious to see how they accomplish that and whether they can kind of,

whether they tapped into something here and whether they can keep that going heading into the postseason. Yeah. It's interesting when you look at who Zabandajat is played with along, you know, it's Zabandich, that pair that always plays together. But who's completed that line this season? When you had someone like Blake Wheeler, you had, you know, Zabandad really deferred to a passing position for, you know, Wheeler and Kreider.

So he was making a lot of the puck retrievals because you're not seeing the defensemen do that as much this season, which is a little bit interesting. You're seeing him put a little bit, you know, carry that workload a little bit more than he did last year. And then defer it to be the playmaker when we know, you know,

that's a great skill set to have. And to be a dual threat, that's, you know, the goal. But you want to see him shooting the puck more when he has such a danger shot. When he had Caco on his line, it was interesting because this was someone who could kind of help that defense.

game, but he doesn't move the puck as much either. And, you know, you're still missing that passer. So ideally the Rangers at the deadline would have found someone who could have accomplished both. I know they were looking at, you know, like a Frank Vitrano, which didn't make as much sense to me because I think Zabandad would have slipped further into that playmaking role. I think someone like Pavlovichnevich really would have been like the perfect fit on that line who would have thought it.

But with Roslovick, we're seeing someone else move the puck a little bit more, which, like you said, it's going to boost his shooting. That's a good thing. they're outscoring opponents six three in their minutes at five on five that's also a good thing the underlying numbers to me are a bit more of a red flag so they're going to have to figure that out um it just feels like over the years sabbaner john and crider fit together and then the third player has always been the weak link and that's still going to be the case here at least it wasn't an overly expensive weak link to bring in um but they're going to have to figure out a way to

balance that out because you don't want it that in theory a line of your top six is lacking and losing their minutes as much as they have been at times. I want to talk to you about Adam Henrique and the Oilers because especially kind of tying it to, we talked about Gensel, right? We talked about Walker. These were players that were theoretically linked to the Oilers and we'll never really know, I think, for sure, how far down those paths were, kind of how those conversations progressed, right, and whether they were actually available as options to them and the Oilers just simply

chose to go an alternate route and go with the trade with the ducks. but and I think particularly with Gensel, right? Because we've heard a lot about how Calduba's sort of prioritized the prospects that the hurricanes had available to them because they're kind of further along in their development and they can more conceivably contribute to them sooner rather than later as opposed to draft picks. So that makes sense. But I think in particular when you look at like the Walker trade and what the avalanche paid and what that accomplished and the fact that they were also able to move Ryan Johansson's contract, which I think the Oilers would have wanted to do with CC in a similar trade. it's really tough to view this Henrique trade as the ideal outcome for them. And I'm mostly sort of prefacing that with like my lukewarm feelings being guided by these theoretical alternatives of what I would have liked to see them do instead rather than

necessarily the player himself because I think Henrique is fine and I think he can contribute to this team. But it's just I feel like they went into the trade deadline with clear needs in terms of what they needed to add and what they wanted to accomplish. And I'm not sure. like they paid a pretty hefty price in futures with the first and a couple additional fourths and whatnot. And I don't really think that they, they got marginally better, but I don't think they actually

accomplished what they were striving to do. And I'm not sure whether that's them just sort of misunderstanding what they needed or just misunderstanding the player they were acquiring because it's a bit of an odd fit for me in terms of how to best utilize Enrique and what he can actually contribute to them moving forward. I think that gets even further clouded by the price of acquisition, right? because it's a hefty price to pay for a third line center. But then again, that was the market for center. So if you're looking for help to get in the middle, that's what you're spending.

So it makes sense that he's playing there. If you move them up to the wing, though, it's like you just paid all that money for a center. And now he's playing wing. And obviously he'd be better at wing because, well, we'd assume because you're playing with either Connor McDavid or Leon Dreis Eidel then. That's a slam dunk win. I wonder if we see the Oilers, especially in the playoffs, like when moments get tough, and they need a quick comeback if we're going to see them stack up that top line.

And then we can see Henrik jump up as the 2C. And then we'll go, oh, okay, there's that forward versatility that they needed in their lineup. That's why they paid for a center. But until that happens, I'm a little bit underwhelmed right now. On paper, I didn't think that fit was that bad at the time of the acquisition. It's just you had to wonder if they were going to be better options available had they acted sooner. And that's really what it comes down to or should they have gone a little bit more low-key there and then they could have afforded to keep spending elsewhere.

Like, there's so many moving parts, you know. But I'm just not loving the fit so far. You know, like it's getting better, I think, than it was in the first handful of games. But if he's going to be the three C you wanted that that third line, you know, he's not going to be the driver of the line, but maybe he can add a little bit more, you know, scoring depth, a little more support that they're not as relying on their top six. And it just feels like that's missing a little bit. And obviously he doesn't have the easiest role.

It's not like he's going to have amazing line mates as long as he's outside the top six. But that's the reality of it. It just feels like he isn't carrying over the play that he had in Anaheim the last year and a half just yet. Well, that's the complicates this is I really, I don't think he can center a third line if his wingers are going to be some combination of like Connor Brown, Corey Perry and Evander Kane at this point of their careers. right because I think we like we know that henrique is a much more subtle player and he's going to kind of do his work behind the scenes and he needs very active and involved wingers with speed to do a lot of the heavy lifting one off the puck right and so those guys can really play with them if you're going to expect him to succeed in a third line role so he needs at least one of warren fogle or ryan mccloud to be on his wings if he's going to be centering that line the issue for me is that I've really really loved watching those two guys play with leon dres in the second line actually this season when they've been together. Like their results are phenomenal. They actually look fair, the part, every bit the part together.

And I love the speed element they add to Dreysidal with a puck retrieving and ability to push defenders back and give him more room to operate. And so for Henrique to succeed as a center and justify the price you paid for him, then you have to take away Dry Seidel's best wingers. But then if you want to make sure that Henrique succeeds to justify it, then he's going to have to play on Drysaitle's wing. And then that means all of a sudden you're moving McLeod back to 3C, you're kind of mixing and matching with Fogel and you're kind of getting away from that line.

So it feels like whatever they try to accomplish here because of the personnel they have and their respective strengths and weaknesses, it's always coming at someone else's expense. And right now you look at their depth chart and with Henrique playing on that second line wing, it leaves a bottom six of Yanmark McLeod Perry and then Brown, Carrick and Derek Ryan. And that's leaving a lot to be desired for me. And especially when you get into a matchup with the abs or the stars or even the Jets. And so that's concerning because they paid a price to upgrade their team and they paid a premium for it. And I just don't think they really accomplished what they were seeking to do.

And so I think that's a bit of a failure on their part. And I'm curious to see how they get the most out of it and what they do. And I would have much preferred them either adding some sort of a winger or just improving on their defense by adding a Sean Walker, for example, and giving them a legitimate second pair of right shot defenseman because now Cici's been bumped down. So Vinnie DeHarnay, who we saw exposed last postseason is having to play with Darnal Nurse, and that's a bit of a mess of its own. And so, yeah, we're kind of, we're almost in a very infuriating way, getting back to a lot of the original issues the Oilers had.

And they paid a bunch of money and a bunch of assets to do so. And I don't really know what they accomplished in doing so. Yeah, I think a lower key forward definitely could have been the move here to help them bring in another defenseman. I don't mind that they, like the option of another center. I mean, you have Ryan McLeod, right? so he could either slot on the wing or at center, and that's a big advantage of Ryan Nugent Hopkins,

who can too. So there's still have that forward versatility in case you see Jai said, I'll go to the wing. And I'm sure we're going to in the playoffs. We always do for a couple shifts here or there. And if that happens, you know, we could see the potential of a Nugent Hopkins, Henrique Fogel line.

That'll probably cook, but what do you do the rest of the time? Vogel, like you mentioned, I think would be a really good fit for him. But who do you move up? You know, if Evander Kane could play up to his capabilities, it would be a big difference. I thought Connor Brown would. be a much better fit than he. I think everybody did, right? Like, this is not what any of us saw coming

when you think of where he left off in Ottawa. And you're just underwhelmed by everything else. So, yeah, the forward depth is definitely an issue. And the fact that they can keep McDavid and Drysidal separated pretty confidently most of the time is obviously a huge advantage that they haven't always had. But you're just left lacking a lot. And you spent a lot of money in very important years. You know, next year the pressure is going to be even higher because Everyone's going to be talking about dry saddle next contract and then McDavid's a year later. So it just felt like this was the time to maybe maximize your deadline a little bit better, just like how we were talking about Carolina did because you look at the openings you have in the east.

For the, you know, for the West, it's a much tougher battle, but you made it into a top three spot right now. So you have that working in your favor. The team turned around to such a huge degree and the coaching's really working in their favor. So you have that going for you as well, that it felt like this could have been the time to maximize the deadline. and it just falls short. You know, we saw them a year ago, have one of the better deadlines in the league. Here it just felt like a super pricey one that you're underwhelmed with.

Yeah, I would love to see how it all unfolded, right? Because I think the Henrique trade actually happened like about half an hour before the Sean Walker one. And I wonder whether the avalanche had already sort of at least agreed to that deal. And he just wasn't available or what happened there because I feel like that would have made much more sense

in terms of actually improving what they needed as opposed to what they accomplished. We got to get out of here. I just wanted to quickly shout out of it. I just wanted to quickly shout out Anthony DeClair on the Lightning, though, because he's come in and he is five, five-on-five goals in seven games. Now, to put that into perspective, Anthony Sorrelli has eight this season and Stephen Stamco's nine. So he's already on their heels for lightning leaders to get into basically the top six on the team. And he's got this hilarious profile.

And part of it is because he's played with Kutrov in point so far. But at 5-15 for the Lightning, he is 23 attempts, 13 shots on goal and 15 high danger chances, according to to natural statrix. So the Kings of Shot quality are added again. And I've really liked the speed element he's added to them. He's given them a bit of juice, gives him some optionality to move Hegel down to play with Sorrelli or get Stamco's going with him and Paul.

And all of a sudden, they actually have three lines that can kind of be competitive from their forward. So I wanted to shout him out because I've liked that. And it's been really fun to watch them play so far in Tampa. But, Shana, we got to get out of here. I'll let you plug some stuff on the way out, let the listeners know either what you've been working on so far or what they can expect as we get into this final month of the regular season.

Yeah, I'll have stories running at The Athletic All Week, including something on Faces and New Places. That's first up. That'll be up tomorrow with things like, you know, the NHL vibe check. Then we're doing PWHIHL vibe checks. We have men's hockey, women's hockey, a little bit of everything. Awesome. We'll keep up the great work. It was really fun having you come on for this check-in.

Everyone go check out that article that you just referenced. It'll be a nice little supplement to the conversation we just had. And we'll have you on again soon. and hopefully once we get into the playoffs, we can do some breakdowns together. So thanks for coming on, Shane. I thank you to the listeners for listening to us. We'll be back tomorrow with another episode

of the HockeyPedio cast, as always streaming on the Sports Night Radio Network.