The Sheet with Jeff Marek - On the Sheet: David Pagnotta on Alex Tuch, Logan Cooley, and More

Episode Date: October 19, 2025

Jeff is joined by David Pagnotta of The Fourth Period to go deep on the latest insider buzz around the league — from Alex Tuch’s contract pause in Buffalo and the Sabres’ internal struggles to Logan Cooley’s negotiations in Utah, Mike Matheson’s situation in Montreal, and the evolving 2026 cap landscape.SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!!👍🏼 Fan Duel: https://www.fanduel.com/👍🏼Bauer: https://www.bauer.com/👍🏼Shark Ninja: https://www.sharkninja.ca/ninja-crispi-4-in-1-portable-glass-air-fryer-cooking-system/FN101CGY.html?utm_source=Better+Collective&utm_medium=display&utm_campaign=H2+Air+Fryer&utm_content=EN👍🏼Uber Eats: https://www.ubereats.com/ca👍🏼Prime Video: https://primevideo-row.pxf.io/c/5560083/3303015/20020Reach out to [e-mail] to connect with our Sales Team and discuss opportunities to partner with us!If you liked this, check out:🚨 OTT - Coming in Hot Sens | https://www.youtube.com/c/thewallyandmethotshow🚨 TOR - LeafsNation | https://www.youtube.com/@theleafsnation401🚨 EDM - OilersNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Oilersnationdotcom🚨 VAN - CanucksArmy | https://www.youtube.com/@Canucks_Army🚨 CGY - FlamesNation | https://www.youtube.com/@Flames_Nation🚨 Daily Faceoff Fantasy & Betting | www.youtube.com/@DFOFantasyandBetting____________________________________________________________________________________________Connect with us on ⬇️Link Tree: https://linktr.ee/daily_faceoff💻 Website: https://www.dailyfaceoff.com🐦 Follow on twitter: https://x.com/DailyFaceoff💻 Follow on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dailyfaceoffDaily Faceoff Merch:https://nationgear.ca/collections/daily-faceoff Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We know you love the thought of a vacation to Europe, but this time, why not look a little further? To Dubai, a city that everyone talks about and has absolutely everything you could want from a vacation destination. From world-class hotels, record-breaking skyscrapers, and epic desert adventures, to museums that showcase the future, not just the past. Choose from 14 flights per week between Canada and Dubai.

Book on emirates.ca. Hey friends, it's Nikaela from the podcast Side Hustle Pro. I'm always looking for ways to keep my kids entertained without screens. And the Yoto Mini has been a total lifesaver. My kids are obsessed. Yoto is a screen-free audio player where kids just pop in a card and listen. Hours of stories, music, podcasts, and more. And no screens or ads.

With hundreds of options for ages 0 to 12, it's the perfect gift they'll go back to again and again. Check it out at yotoplay.com. with that we'll bring on our man who does a number of things around here i'm surprised they don't hand your broom at the end of the day and ask you to sweep up dave pan yota it's it's awesome how much you're on the network i love it including your own show wednesday's three o'clock eastern with ruffan guffar and a really interesting interview with with brian bartlett as well who represents amongst other players i think he controls like 600 million dollars worth of contracts like think about the responsibility that comes along with that.

Alex Tuck, and I want to sort of start the conversation there, and I want to get to Logan Cooley as well, and my theory on what could be happening there in Utah. What do you think is happening with Alex Tuck right now? Like, he's on a team that, despite what we just saw against the Ottawa Senators, is a lot of question marks around.

He's a big piece of the team, do a contract extension. So far hasn't signed one. His wife is from Western Canada. He's from New York. I don't know. Like, what's your, what's your spidey sense saying on Alex Tuck? Well, you know, before we had Brian on, I had heard that, you know,

they were still going to have back and forth conversations. The door wasn't closed. They're, you know, the conversations were still, or at least both sides were still open to having the conversation. And ultimately, both sides still wanting to get something done. And then Brian came on and confirmed that they've actually pressed the pause button for the time being and put negotiations. on the back burner to kind of focus on

basically what's going on with this team. And this was before, this was the day of, just before they got their first W of the season. There's a lot of concern in Buffalo. Again, unfortunately. And I think for Alex Tuck, yeah, he's interested in staying

and as Brian confirmed he has not closed the door by any stretch on the Sabres, but they need to know what the direction of this team is. That's the sense that I've been, getting and you know what jeff if there's you know some markets have a have a tax you know we've talked about this before the buffalo tax the winnipeg tax this that well buffalo also has the sabres tax based on what's going on right now and how long it's been a problem in that market from just the hockey perspective itself so i've got to imagine that that yes especially with other

guys that i've that have cashed in and that you know you've got less and less guys now they're they're coming off the list and less and less guys, excuse me, that are available July 1 next summer. He's thinking, if this team isn't going to start trending in the right direction in the very near future, I might as well take my game to July 1 and cash in big time. Like, I've talked to a few teams in the last 24 hours that think it's not just a $10 million AAV for him to stay. You're probably looking at north of 11. and maybe, maybe a tiny bit closer to 12.

Listen, the numbers sound staggering. And this is not to insult Alex talk at all. It's a brand new world we're walking into with the salary gap. And you were talking to Earth about this the other day, about, you know, we think it's 404, but it's probably 107 and the numbers are skinnier than they'll probably end up being on July 1st. But I think a lot of it, too, Dave, is we're going to walk into a situation on July. I won where everybody's got, this is the first time and forever.

Everybody's got money, everybody's got caps, there's no one to spend it on. Like, I'm thinking like, what's Martin Aitchis going to be? You know, like, what's Alex Tuck going to be?

What's, you know, Adrian Kempai going to be? Like, I know, like, what you're saying might sound, may sound like stunning to people, but when you look at big picture

and what's on the horizon, I don't think it's stunning at all. To me, it makes sense. No, no, I agree. I've been trying to, every time I talk about these big numbers, I keep telling everybody, we're trying to,

remind everybody get used to these like these numbers are going to continue to climb year after year and with the cap again currently projected and i know gary betman the other day said well we're not even talking about that well officially you're not but the projections are there 104 next season 107 108 113 and a half the following season 118 118 13 and a half the following season 118 like these these not we're going to be around 120 in no time and with that equals higher salaries. And what's our Temi Panering thinking right now in New York? Do I want to stay there?

And would I take a team-friendly deal? Doesn't sound like it. He has another opportunity to hit July 1 next summer and cash in big time. So for a guy like Alex Stock, who again, as Brian Bartlett, his agent reiterated this week, has not closed the door. They put the talks on hold mainly because of what's going on with the start of their season. but reading the tea leaves in that situation and talking to people around the league, it's going to cost a pretty penny to stay in Buffalo.

And they've got a number of things to figure out, including this contract. They do. And I think, I know Sabres fans always get, and I hear it on social media all the time. Like, I were only a couple of games in. You already got everybody bailing on the team. But it's not just a couple of games in. And we were saying the other day, this is 14 years plus a couple of games in. Like history matters here.

that is part of the context. And there's only so long that you can ask elite level athletes to surrender prime years of their career. Like I think it's reasonable, I think it's reasonable to ask players to go through one rebuild. But we consider how short careers are, I think it's really unreasonable to ask any player to go through two. And does it not feel like that might be where we're at right now

at the Buffalo Sabres? Yeah. Yeah, like quasi two. It's like almost three with just how long things have gone there. I feel for those people. I feel for the fan base. It's tough. You know, you've got guys that have been traded.

There was where, you know, Dylan Cousins, when he got moved, there was an unofficial trade request at the start of the season saying, look, this is where we're at, just, you know, get it going. That's, he's not, he wasn't the only one. You know, we know about obviously J.J. Peturka not being overly thrilled there as well. There are other players that are frustrated. being there with what happened last season. And I've got to imagine those same guys

probably equally frustrated now. Granted, the last game they won was a nice one. And winning does solve a lot of things. But it's deja vu all over again, again and again. Like they started last year, 0 and 3. They finished up the month, 4, 5, and 1. They got that contract, and then it just wasn't sustainable. And that lack of sustainability is what eats at some of these.

these guys these guys are all competitive they all want to win i don't blame it you brought up something you brought up something really interesting there and that is the j j j peterka um escape from buffalo to to utah not that i'm trying to kick buffalo when they're down but like so that was the model for if you want out this is how you do it and this and and and you can do it uh i do wonder in the back of my head whether it is as you mentioned dylan cousins or j j j jay but Turk, I always wonder about cascading effect of everything and how much of a cascading effect

that goes through the room. It's like, well, you know what, Dylan got out. Well, you know what? Right. Jay J.J. got out. Why not me? Like, that's part of the danger when you move young players who the, I'm not saying, it's like

the second they're disgruntled, they get their wish. But there is that sensitivity for managers. That if I do it for this guy, then do I have to do it for everybody else? comes into the office and says, I'm done here. You know what I mean, Dave? I think, and I, you know what?

I think management's had that discussions with some of their guys, like Rasmus, Dahlene, like Paige Thompson, like some of the others, Jason Zucker and so on over the last 12 months or so, being like, listen, this is where we're at. We want to build with you guys and have you guys be the centerpieces. We want you guys taking the reins, and we're going to try to insulate this group and bring in some complementary pieces and some star pieces if we can that make us better with you leading the way.

The Peturka thing, I actually like the return that they got. I like that, you know, you bring in Josh Don, you bring in Kesselring. Yes, I agree. I was all for that. Under the circumstances, given the cards that they were dealt with,

they got a good return on that. And Don't contribute. I think he had, what, two or three assists the other night in that W? Benson got back from injury. He had a few. Castle ring's been hurt, so you can't see that yet.

But, like, this is not a scenario where they just want to give give these guys away at this point. Like it's fine, we'll take this in their consideration. But unless we get a deal that makes us happy, we're not going to do that. I am curious, though, how much longer this goes with Tuck? And obviously it's going to be based on their season.

If by New Year, Olympic break, if they're still in the cellar and he's still not signed, I wonder if they have another little heart to heart and then may have to turn around and say, We may not have a choice here. We may have to start exploring the market. Fall is here, and everybody's getting back from vacation, headed back to school.

And you know what that means? Yep, it's time to slide into some bombas. What's bombas, you ask? Only the most amazingly comfortable socks, slippers, teas, and underwear made from the premium materials. And the best part, one purchased equals one donated across Canada. Bombas makes the best socks for fall to start you off on the right foot. And the left foot, too. These aren't just your regular old fall colors. They're actually playful and fun. They've even got new sweat wicking socks that keep you energized for those fall workouts or, you know, just

running after the kids as they head to school. And can we talk about the comfort? Bombas Marino wool socks are so cushy, they're like walking on pillows. Plus, Bamba's underwear feel like nothing, but still, support everything. They even have new heavyweight cotton teas that are extra thick and soft, perfect for layering season. Bombas make slippers that make it hard to leave the house, you know the kind, slippers with indulgent Sherpa lining, cushioned footbed, and even memory foam. Of course, the best thing about Bombas is that for every item you purchase, they donate one to someone experiencing housing insecurity right here in Canada. It seems small, but it does add up. In fact, with the help

of Bombas customers all over the world, Bombas has donated over 150 million essential clothing items to people who need them. That's a whole lot of good. Bombas has a 100% happiness guarantee, that means you're covered for life. Reach out to their happiness team for easy returns, exchanges, or replacements. Go to bambas.ca slash the sheet and use code the sheet for 20% off your first purchase. That's b-o-m-b-a-s.ca slash the sheet and use the code the sheet at checkout. We know you love the thought of a vacation to Europe. But this time, why not look a little further to Dubai, a city that everyone talks about

and has absolutely everything you could want from a vacation destination. From world-class hotels, record-breaking skyscrapers, and epic desert adventures, to museums that showcase the future, not just the past. Choose from 14 flights per week between Canada and Dubai. Book on emirates.caid today. Hey, friends. It's Nikaela from the podcast Side Hustle Pro. I'm always looking for ways to keep my kids entertained without screens. And the Yoto Mini has been a total lifesaver. My kids are obsessed. Yoto is a screen-free audio player where kids just pop in a card and listen. Hours of stories, music, podcasts, and more. And no screens or ads. With hundreds of options for ages zero to 12, it's the perfect gift they'll go back to again and again. Check it out at yotoplay.com. There's another name that doesn't get the headlines that it would otherwise because he's not on the main roster. And for me, there's a ton of questions around.

And I wonder what happens if he doesn't get both starts this weekend for Rochester. And that's definitely Levi. Yeah. That is one that is under the radar right now. But I don't, I don't think, I, I'm not saying that it's like a, you know, a five alarm blaze. It's probably best put maybe like a controlled fire. I don't know how you would have phrased it, but it feels like it does very much sound like there's something there. Yeah.

And, well, I mean, like some of these guys, and this isn't specific to this, but in certain situations with some of your young players, the ones that are anticipated being next level for you. you know eventually they're they're unofficially promised okay you're going to get a shot here you're going to get an opportunity here you're going to get some we're going to ride you for a little bit see how it goes and if it doesn't work okay we'll we'll continue to go through this process with you um i think yeah i think you're right i think starting this season this was kind of where they were at with with devon levi and is he going to be able to get that opportunity there's a reason they brought them in um you know you want to shore up as many positions as you can And obviously, with the caliber of players you can't, you know, you want the offensive guys,

you want the two-way guys, you want to bank yourself up the middle, you want to find the shutdown guys on the blue line, the mobile guys, et cetera, the goaltenders, every little facet of the game, the physical guys that are two-way that are sneaky in the quarters for your third and fourth line, and so on and so on. I think with Buffalo, with Levi, yeah, you've got, you know, you have UPL and he's hurt at the moment, but you've got him that. a lot of people within that organization have been high on. And he's sitting here going, okay,

I'm going to be patient a little bit more because you've been preaching that. But let's go here. You know what it is though, Dave? I don't know there would be the, it would be the same if they didn't lay out the red carpet forum in the first place and almost hand them the starting reins. First of all, the list of goaltenders that have gone from college right into the NHL.

that list is short man like everybody goes to the American hockey league everybody does their time like making a jump to starting goaltender with an NHL team from college is one of the hardest

if not most impossible things you can do and it was like there are a lot of people in that organization that really wanted that to happen for whatever reason knowing full well it's not going to happen because you don't make that jump as a goaltender

and the other the other part about that too is you've um you know you you you laid out the the carpet for for devon levi and now you you sort of chum the waters that he's the heir apparent he's the guy coming and now all of sudden over him you're a ride or die with colton ellis and alex lion he's saying to himself and now you send georgiev down here with me to split games you've got to be very yeah, you've got to be very careful when you're selling optimism and you're making promises to,

first of all, optimism to within your organization, to the player that you're bringing in, to the fan base. And then you have to be very careful is what type of official slash unofficial promises you make. And, you know, I know the selling of optimism is, okay, we're bringing this kid in. You know, he's ready to roll between the pipes. There's going to be some fine-tuning, but he's going to be our guy.

And it takes a little bit of time. It's a process. And if he is going to be the guy, Jeff, exactly to your point. Why are there so many other guys here? Why are there so many other goaltenders that are in this position? They've got so many goalies in Buffalo now, Dave. And then when the main guy right now gets healthy, then what?

You got like 75 guys. There's not enough space. You know, so they, you know, you got to be careful. Does each team get one net still? Like I didn't watch all the games last night, but it's still one puck and each team gets one net? Did anything change? You're still the same?

No, no, I don't think so. This is in ESPN, the Ocho, with different types of, yeah, different sports center out there, a couple different ones. Like, they've got, they're going to have, they're going to have some questions that they're going to have to answer relatively soon, not only because of Levi coming in and getting games, but also, again, but UPEL's healthy.

What are you doing with all these other guys? Yeah, you know what? I kind of look at it with Levi and the rush before. It's kind of been the story of the Buffalo Sabres. So many players that were rushed to the NHL, like right away. Like, ah, enough of the American Hockey. Oh, he played a dozen games. He's cracked his knuckles.

He's fine. Let's get him to the NHL. To me, that's going to be the story of this era of the Buffalo Sabres. I want to get to Logan Cooley because I think it's a fascinating thing that's happening here with Cooley and the Utah mammoth. Yeah. In your conversations in and around the Logan Cooley story, it feels to me like Utah wants to set their upper limit with Logan Cooley. Like this is the guy that no one's going to go past. He's a guy we're doing this around and this is going to be this number.

And when you sort of set that as what you're trying to do, the negotiations tend to get tricky. You know how all of these things work. Does it feel to you like Utah wants to set their upper limit here, their bar with Logan Cooley? I think, you know, Utah has looked at what the Montreal Canadians. I think a few teams have, quite frankly, that are looking at what the Canadians have done with some of their top guys. And not necessarily from a limit perspective,

but everyone's going to take a smidge less because we're going to do this together and we're going to keep this unit together for an extended period of time. So, like, you know, it started with Nick Suzuki, but obviously there's other talent out there. If it climbs over that figure, so be it. Noah Dobson comes in, prime example, 9.5, making considerably more, but he took less as well.

Lane Hudson, taking less in order to stick around. And in the grand scene of things, 150, 250,000, you're saving per year on an AAV? but you get 10 guys doing that, that's a decent amount of cap space to utilize moving forward. I think Utah in some manner wants to kind of mimic that in their own form and have certain guys that are going to be at the top. And if the bar is set with a guy like Logan Cooley,

whom they anticipate being their primary weapon, and certainly him and his camp believe that he's going to be one of their top guys consistently for years on end, how does that look numbers-wise? And at the same time, do we have to make that type of commitment now versus four or five years from now? Maybe we do something on the smaller side.

This is kind of one of the things that Brian Bartlett, his agent, was kind of hinting at a little bit. We don't necessarily have to go. I know everybody's signing eight years. We don't necessarily have to do that. We can go four years. Still, the team will still have them under control

as an RFA. and then move to a seven-year deal after the fact. I've talked to a few teams about this this week, about that theory of, you know, committing jointly on a long-term. The max right now is eight years, then it's going down to seven. Well, what if we're thinking 11-12 years down the road? What if we're thinking an 11-12-year commitment that just gets split up in between? You're signing a four or five-year deal out of your ELC,

and then you're committing to the big one right after. Because with everything going up, and again, going back to the, cap with the cap going up and expansion talk getting louder even though they tried to cool it again this week at the board meetings you add that into the equation in five years from now this what's the salary cap going to be at with all the revenue that's being generated all good problems to have but from from from from brian's perspective i could see it being you know let's take a responsible approach here let's go four or five years potentially and then then get the big one after the fact So I think that's at least been part of part of the discussion points to this, to this stage.

I'm glad you brought up expansion, Dave, because the one thing that's, that I firmly believe here is while there's a CBA and the players don't get any piece of expansion whatsoever, if you're the NHL, the time to do it is now. Because the players association are hands off, you know, the, you know, the $2 billion entry fee for each team here. And they're not going to touch a piece of it in the CBA. This is the most, you got, you got the four-year CBA, the time to do it is now is while this CBA is in effect so the players have their hands off, that money. I remember when they made the announcement in L.A. Before the draft, the day of the draft,

I remember asking that question to the panel, Gary, Bill, and both looked at me at the same time, going, no, there's been no change in that discussion. With respect to the players getting a piece of expansion. budget fee. And the league's been very adamant about that. We're splitting this amongst us. You guys are getting the jobs. But with everything continually going up and we've got five more years, maybe that becomes an interesting point of discussion. So I think you're right. Within that time period, it counts now, get on it now. And I've been, look, I've talked to owners. Everyone I've

talked to have either said we're going to 36 or we would not be shocked if we hit 36. What that time frame is. I'm not exactly sure anymore, but I do think we're jumping into the stages of expansion. The league has been also pretty open about not caring about symmetry if they need to, which they've done with Seattle and Vegas and whatnot. That's going to keep going. And all of that, well, the expansion fee doesn't affect, you know, HRR, everything else does. Revenue coming coming from ticket sales and marketing sponsorship, merch sales, television deals, so on and so on. You add markets like Atlanta and Houston

and jump back into Phoenix properly. U.S. television rights, those are big markets. That's going to go up again. NHL to 36, PWHL to 12. Massive expansion on the horizon. Dave, excellent work as always. Great to see you all over the network. It's fantastic.

Have yourself a great weekend. I know your phone remains on. So there's no sleep until next July. So you can earn like I do like the Louis Vuitton's under our eyes. You'd be good. We'll talk soon, Dave. I got him too. Don't worry.

I got them too. Thanks, Bill. Dave Panyoda of the fourth period. joins us every Friday here on the sheet. And also, DFO Rundown Insiders Edition, Wednesday, 3 o'clock, Eastern Dave Panyoda, alongside her fan Gafar. If you haven't watched it or heard it, go back. can listen slash watch Wednesdays.

Brian Bartlett, NHL agent, is Dave and Earth's guest. Really interesting stuff there. I said 16 hours last night, every day this week, every day this month. I can't get out my head,

lifestyle ambitions day to day, because I can't call it all right. I went to the dark man. You're trying to give me a little medicine. I'm like, nah, and that's fine. I'm not against those methods but new. It's me and myself and how this is going to be fixing my mind. I do want a bracket.

I turned on the music. I do want me backer, I turned on the music. We're going to know And you're sometimes losing I've been on the days that we're wrong We're in the dead dark night We know you love the thought of a vacation to Europe But this time, why not look a little further

To Dubai, a city that everyone talks about And has absolutely everything you could want from a vacation destination, from world-class hotels, record-breaking skyscrapers, and epic desert adventures, to museums that showcase the future, not just the past. Choose from 14 flights per week between Canada and Dubai. Book on emirates.caid today. Hey friends, it's Nikaela from the podcast Side Hustle Pro. I'm always looking for ways to keep my kids entertained without screens, and the Yoto Mini has been a total lifesaver. My kids are obsessed. Yoto is a screen green free audio player where kids just pop in a card and listen, hours of stories, music,

podcasts, and more, and no screens or ads. With hundreds of options for ages zero to 12, it's the perfect gift they'll go back to again and again. Check it out at yotoplai.com. Y-O-T-O-P-L-A-Y. Hey there, it's Jeff Merrick here. You know, my wife and I both have countless memories from spending time discovering Canada. Well, I always come back to the summer of two. 2005. We were staying at a cottage on Lake Joseph here in Muscoca watching the Live 8 Music Festival in Barry on television. My buddy Jeremy Taggart, former drummer from Our Lady Peace, dropped by after his band's set and stayed the rest of the weekend at the cottage after the band set and told some incredible backstage stories about some amazing Canadian

music icons. I will never forget that. And fast forward to today, I'm a hockey parent. And I feel like I'm always on the road with my family, whether that means traveling across southern Ontario hockey ranks during the week or overnight at tournaments on select weekends. But what makes our hockey experience even more special is booking a place on Airbnb when we're on the road for overnight tournaments. All of this traveling got me to thinking, my home's just sitting empty when I could be hosting it on Airbnb instead. I'd simply put up my house on Airbnb, pre-select dates that I want to host, bam. It's practical, easy to manage, and it enables people like me to make some money while they're not at home. Your home might be

worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.ca slash host.