The Sheet with Jeff Marek - Ovechkin Announces Final Season, Larkin Set to Debut, Flyers Struggles, and More ft. Greg Wyshynski

Episode Date: October 6, 2026

On today’s episode of The Sheet, Jeff Marek and Greg Wyshynski react to the major announcement that Alex Ovechkin will retire at the end of the season, reflecting on what Ovi has meant to the NHL, the impact he’s had on the sport, what his legacy will ultimately look like, and what the league will miss when one of the greatest goal scorers of all time steps away. Jeff and Greg also run through the biggest stories from around the NHL, including Gavin McKenna skipping recent optional skates before returning to the ice ahead of the Toronto Maple Leafs’ matchup with the Nashville Predators, and just how high the panic level should be among Leafs fans following a 1-2 start. They also discuss Dylan Larkin preparing to make his season debut for the Detroit Red Wings while trade speculation continues, the latest on Simon Edvinsson reportedly preferring a trade and where that situation could ultimately lead, and the ongoing stalemate between Connor Hellebuyck and the Winnipeg Jets. Plus, the Ottawa Senators’ 2-0 start, Ivan Demidov being sidelined for 2-4 weeks, Macklin Celebrini missing last night’s game with a lower-body injury, and plenty more from around the NHL.SHOUTOUT TO OUR SPONSORS!! 👍🏼Coca Cola: https://www.coca-cola.com/ca/en/offerings/coca-cola/hockey 👍🏼Sports Interaction: https://www.sportsinteraction.com/thesheet 👍🏼Taco Time: https://tacotimecanada.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Alongside Greg Wershinsky, Jeff Merrick along with you, coming to you from the Sports Interaction Studio and official sports betting partner of the NHL. And what you are looking at, ladies and gentlemen, and what you are hearing on today's program are not just the stars of the sheet, but also the stars of Halford and Brough. This morning. Why would they not have us on together? I preceded you. I was like you're warm-up backed. You were my opening. I was the local indie band opening up for Jersey.

Yeah. And so like, I don't know why they didn't have a son at the same time. I was wondering the same thing. They said, they said, we wanted you on to stay embarrassing things about Merrick before he came on. I was, okay. So I don't know if you. I saw that. And I'm really disappointed in you.

Why? Because like you could have done so much better. All you essentially said was like he has this compound compound in Stowville and he's essentially a prepper. Like now wish. You could do. way better than that on me. You've you've once again misstated what I said. I said you were a doomsday prepper and then when you walk into your basement in Stoneville it's all VHS copies of Sarnia Sting games and canned soup. That's exactly what I said. Um close. There are a lot of old

VHS and DVDs and you've like you've been there. You've seen the whole you've had the whole experience before. So yeah, I thought you gave me too much of a soft hand and I was like oh man he's going to warm up for some good ones on me here. That's too early in the morning for that. In their time zone. I just was having a conversation with somebody about VHS recordings of games and such. I got tons. I got so many.

And I came to realize that somewhere in this house or somewhere in my parents' house, on VHS, I have the entire 95 Devils playoff run on VHS. Isn't that awesome? All the way through winning the cup against the Detroit Red Wings. Like my dad would tape every game. That's so cool. He would use the timer on the VCR to do so. So who even knows what if the game winning goals were cut off or if you set the timer correctly.

But I've always said that like my dad, as people know, passed away unfortunately in July. My dad has an extensive collection of VHS tapes that one day I'll have to go through. And the thing that I'm going to look for more than anything, Merrick, isn't necessarily the content that we can't get anymore because we live in a streaming society where rights are tied up and you can't get certain things. Although that's important. The thing I want most of all commercials are those still, yes, delicious early 90s commercials on VHS that are lost to history. I promise you, if you're watching this show or listening to the show right now, when I go through my dad's VHS tapes.

I will throw all of the local commercials that I can find onto YouTube so people can consume them. We have a lot to get to, but one VHS story quickly, you will find it no surprise that in the 80s, I was part of a VHS tape trading ring for hockey fights. For hockey fights, okay. And actually, my buddy Bill was part of one that was curated by, and he used to advertise in the back of the hockey news. A guy by that at a Hartford, a guy by the name of Sandy Vigilante,

which was a great name. Just an awesome name for a guy that collected hockey fights. But essentially, he would have a bunch of like satellite people all through NHL markets, and you would record all the games in your market, edit out all the fights, send it to him,

and he would send you tapes of what everybody else sent to him. Essentially, he would curate all of it and everybody for their, for their, contributions, and I think he would sell these things too in the back of the hockey news again, you'd get free tapes. And that's why when you came to Casa Dmeric, the couple of times that you've been there, that's what all those DHS tapes are.

The tape trading thing, we'll get to the news the day in a second, but the tape trading thing that always fascinated me was wrestling, like the trading of obscure Japanese matches and, you know, Lucha Libre matches and stuff. And the end result of that was, Tony Kahn going from being a kid who used to trade wrestling tapes through probably the back of Pro Wrestling Illustrated to the guy running AEW. I know.

That's a beautiful. That's like sunny meta going from the stands cheering on Patrick Sundstrom to running the devils one day, which is exactly where we are with the devils as well. There used to be a place in downtown Toronto on Queen Street called Sunco, which is a Japanese import shop, and it's like candies and clothes and all kinds of. different things. But every two weeks, they brought in a fresh batch of tapes, New Japan, all Japan, pride fighting, and I would just grab all that. And they were, I think they were $2 each. That was insane. And again, anyhow, we're getting sidetracked here. But yeah, I know

exactly what you're talking about. A couple of things here, Greg Wosinski, senior writer at ESPN and usPN.com. So yesterday, Alex Ovechkin announced that this is going to be his final season in the NHL, Caffeat being in the NHL, we still do wonder about him playing Dynamo afterwards. Like he's always talked about more on that in a couple of seconds.

I'm of the mind. I wonder if you are as well. If part of this, because I don't think that he intended to make any of this public, I don't think he wanted like a Dennis Potvin. Maybe you remember the Allender's retired when Potofan had his last year

and before every game there was presentations and flowers and cars and crying. I don't think Ovatrikan was anything like that. I'm convinced. or I believe that he did it to take the heat off his teammates from being asked about him all season long. What do you think? Oh, you know, my public relations conspiracy theory

hat was firmly on my head for a different reason. Oh, yes. Yes, when this announcement came down. I don't know if you notice, Merrick, but when Alex Ovechkin's name is put into circulation these days, say like by the NHL or the Washington Capitals, The immediate reaction online is a lot about Ukraine. And a lot about the video that Ovechkin participated in in the off season.

And the questions the team had to answer when he came to camp about it in support of Russian President Vladimir Putin. And again, I'm not saying this is why it happened. Okay. I think more likely is your scenario in which he just wanted to kind of get it out in the open and not have to answer questions about it throughout the season. But it does conveniently change the narrative from a very uncomfortable place for Alex Ovechkin of the Washington Capitals to a more comfortable place of nostalgia and celebration.

And here is a gift for Ovi on the ice from the opposing team, the Mark Andre Fleury of it all. Again, I went to school for public relations. I got my start in public relations. I know how some of these things work. I'm not saying it's how it worked. I'm just saying that was one of the first thoughts I had when I saw that thing come down yesterday morning. Am I wrong on that?

I don't know that anybody who would, like anybody who comments on Ovechkin politically, I don't know that they would stop just based on, oh, this is his final season. And that's all I'm going to talk about now. I don't know that that would change anybody's mind who is of the persuasion to focus not on the hockey player, the athlete, etc. But to focus more on the political leanings of said hockey player. I don't think that would change any minds. Do you really?

Like, do you think all of us? No, I think it changes the conversation. The gloves stay on? I don't think so. It gives us something different to talk about. It shifts the focus away from what happened in the summer to what is going to happen for the next 82 games, assuming the capitals have now played twice.

That was my thought. And again, I think that's. offering too much calculation behind the move, which probably is not the case. But again, this is where my head's at when it comes to Ovechkin and how his reputation has changed pretty dramatically in the last couple of years as the war in Ukraine continues. And I think it reached its apex with him once again being on Putin team this summer. My reaction also, because you said something else in your preamble about Ovechkin and the year-long celebration and whether he wants it or not.

I've talked to him. I've talked to people around the team. I think he wants it. I think he wants like spotlight. Spotlight at Center Ice. Bring me all the gifts. Oh, another vehicle for me. Okay, put it over there.

You do. Because he's talked about this public about not wanting that. First of all, humility in Alex Ovechkin, they've never met. They're alien to each other. Okay. Second of all, he didn't want it last year specifically, and he told me this, because of the ongoing season long Gretzky chase that took all of the spotlight away from his team and his teammates. And he didn't want if it was going to be his last year or last season. He didn't want that to happen for two straight seasons where his team had to,

indoor OV night every night. And that was a, that was calculation. That was him saying I didn't want to do this again. Having this announcement come before the season, knowing what was going to be ahead of him, I mean, this is the guy who waved off the penguins because he wasn't sure if it was going to be his last game against Sid and them. I think now that he's certain, and according to Ovechkin, he made the decision in the off season, now that he's certain he can allow this all to play out, one, knowing it's going

be his last season. So it's not like somebody gifting him a car and then he comes back next year and then you're like, why the fuck we give you a car? But also because I think that he, I think he does want the celebration, the lauding, the good vibes,

maybe feeling those good vibes that he doesn't necessarily feel as much of now with all of the stuff happening off the ice. I wonder, I've always just assumed that he wanted something along the lines of what Andreo Kopitar went through last year. which was a very quiet, understated tour around the NHL for one last hurrah,

but nothing over the top. Now, Copatara is different than Alex Ovechkin in the history of the NHL, and we understand that. They're both going to the Hall of Fame, but nonetheless, I've always just assumed that he wanted something like that until maybe right at the very end of the season. I don't think that's true. I think this is a guy who's never shied away from celebration. I understand that he's always very sort of like eagoless when it comes to crediting his teammates and things of that nature.

But I mean, this is his last ride in the NHL. I mean, it's your last ride in the NHL and you've played as long as he has. You know, you're not going to turn away, you know, a painting that the Winnipeg Jets want to give you or something. Like, you know what I mean? It's like a time for celebration. I'm just as long as it doesn't overshadow what the team is trying to do. As long as the team is relevant, and he's playing relevant games, then I think he's going to accept all of this on different conditions

than he would have, say, last season. You mentioned you worked and studied at Public Relations. Okay? Yeah. Let me turn the dial here to Detroit. Yeah. And if you were handling the PR for the Detroit Red Wings right now, what would you be doing

or what would you advise the Detroit Red Wings to do right now in advance, you know, tonight of a game where they'll face off against the Ottawa senators. Dylan Larkin provided he passes one more, checks one more medical box, it's good to go tonight to plan a line with Raymond and Arvidson.

Let's see what the reception is like. We saw Friday. How would you handle the Detroit Red Wings right now? First, I should say that I worked in PR coming out of college when I went to the University of Maryland. It was the track in the College of Journalism I was on. I was fired from that job on Labor Day weekend, no less, because I was not fit for the gig

and because I was simply writing hockey on the side in my office for sports fan magazine in D.C. and Dave Panyota is the fourth period.com. Anyways, first of all, I assume part of this is necessity, right? Right? Like, Comfers out, Casper's out, Appleton's out. Like they're missing three forwards and they've only scored two goals in the first two games. So I imagine some of this is out of necessity as well. The scab was pulled off on opening night. The fans have already signaled how they're going to treat Dylan Larkin.

There are no secrets there. His teammates, in particular, Mort Cedar, tried to, you know, defend him as best they could. But even they acknowledged the fans are going to express themselves as they're going to express themselves. as they're going to express themselves. If you listen to the way the players talk about Larkin, by the way, it's very interesting, which is that it's a lot focused on, it's kind of how I thought it was going to play out and why I predicted before this season

that I thought he might play the entire year in Detroit, which is that they're such a better team with him. And we know this guy can score, and we know he can play on the power play and on the kill. And they don't go as far as to say, like, we welcome him back with open arms, our captain who tried to abandon us, who is no longer the captain.

But they will acknowledge tacitly that they're a better hockey team with Dylan Larkin in that locker room. So it's been interesting to see them tow that line. But from a public relation standpoint, first of all, what else are you going to do with him? If he's willing to play, you have to play him. Yeah.

And you suffer the slings and arrows from the fans that are already signaling how they're going to treat Dylan Larkin going forward. Do you think that there's any chance because I've long given up being surprised about what happens with Detroit. Okay, there was the dragging the heels with Eisman. There is the Dylan Larkin trade request. There's the Simon Edvenson situation.

Oopsie, we didn't know he was going back to Sweden, our bad. I've long given up trying to be surprised or pretending to be surprised. Anything could happen at this point. Do you think they would go back to Iserman? If you're Chris Illich, given how everything right now is a blaze, do you think that there's any way or even a consideration of going back to Iserman at this point? Let me answer your question with a question. Is this one of those, Jeff Merrick, I've been hearing things, so I'm putting this out in the world thing that you're doing?

No, no, no, no. I know what you're talking about, but no. Okay. This is like a legitimate question. One of the things here, too, that I wonder about, like, is Dylan Larkin going to be Sean Horcalfe? I'm saying this on Halberl this morning. Is Dylan Larkin going to be Sean Horcoff's first trade? Is the Simon Edvinson contract going to be the first contract that Sean Horcoff does?

Long gone are the ideas of, you know, wading into the pool. This is like jumping into the deep end cannibal style off like a 15 meter tower. These are massive decisions being made by a rookie general manager who just walked into the shoes of Steve Eiserman. But isn't he on an interim basis? Yes, he is on an interim basis. But is there any chance that they go back to Steve and say, we made a mistake? The first answer, to answer your Eisenman question, the only reason you go back to Iserman is if you want to increase your chances of getting the first overall pick. He was objectively terrible at being a general manager in Detroit.

There are a lot of reasons for it. If you're to believe the reporting of Sean Shapiro, it's because instead of having a cabinet like our dear President Abraham Lincoln had here in the United States and yet Steve Iserman had with Tampa Bay where guys like Julian Breezebaugh were allowed to have a voice in the proceedings, Eisenman became a megalomaniac. He ran the department by himself. He wasn't relying on the feedback of people like Sean Horcoff and Chris Draper, and he drove this franchise out of the ground.

So the only reason you bring him back is because he was so unsuccessful that maybe you just can drive up your odds to get the first overall pick. Now, the other thing about- He has signed contracts and made trades. So have a lot of GMs. Why would you-he stepped away out of the good grace of this organization to not fire his ass. He was terrible. They've been out of the playoffs, the entirety of his tenure as general manager.

Why would they bring him back unless it's to like, again, drive the ship deeper into the iceberg? This management seems frozen. Does not everything in Detroit right now just seem like locked in mud and unable to move? The Larkin situation is going nowhere. The Edvinson situation finds this splendid young defenseman on a different continent right now. This is awful. And the fans are chanting sell the team. I know.

And, you know, as a New York Jets. fan, good luck with all that. We've been chanting it for a while. And Woody Johnson's just going to give it to his kid who builds rosters based on their Madden ratings. Okay. So like we're, we know where this all leads. Listen, um, I understand what you're saying. And that's that Sean Horcoff being an inexperienced general manager and being someone who is clearly serving on a temporary basis or else they would have just given them the job is not the guy you want to find your way through the Simon Edvenson situation. and more importantly, pull the trigger on a trade that could come to define the next few years of your franchise, depending on what the return is.

I completely agree with that. But that's not Steve Eiserman's issue. Steve Eiserman was the guy who, oh, I don't know, couldn't figure out a Dylan Larkin trade during his tenure as general manager after the trade request was made. He's also the guy that didn't figure out how to give Simon Edmondson a contract that was going to keep him in Detroit. So bringing him back doesn't solve any of these problems. But what would solve the problems is getting your next general manager in this. there. And because they hitched their wagon to a baseball guy who didn't want the job, they are in this pickle right now where they don't know who that next guy is going to be.

So how close are they then to getting the phone call from someone in the NHL saying these are some potential candidates? We cannot have this in our league. Mr. Illich. It's happened already. I don't know that for a fact, but I assume that it's happened already because anytime there's a general manager opening in this league, one of the first calls is from Bill Daly, giving them the list of approved candidates that the NHL keeps in a drawer. Hello, Peter Cheirelli. And then you go from there.

And the idea that the NHL hasn't done that, I think is sort of dispelled by the fact that the NHL is so interested in this Detroit Red Wing situation. You have Gary Bettman saying they may reopen the issue of no movement and no trade clauses explicitly, because of what's happening with Dylan Larkin with the Detroit Red Wings. And I'm not saying that because I'm speculating. I'm saying that because I know for a fact that when teams are coming through New York and

Gary Betman is doing what he does, which is to meet with players as teams come through New York in his offices, they are talking about no trade and no movement clauses with those players. I know this for a fact. Now, I don't know if Dylan Larkin's name comes up. I don't know if that specific situation comes up. but I do know that the catalyst for this current crisis, the NHL is identified in players wielding this power, is directly tied to a guy who was three years to do a contract,

a team captain limiting his scope for a trade to three teams, and the aftermath of that is why it's become an issue. Okay, let's get there, because it is on our list to talk about here. And so this is Gary Batman, the commissioner of the NHL, openly musing about perhaps needing to talk to Marty Walsh, executive director, NHL Players Association about the spirits, not necessarily just about the thing,

but the spirits of what no trades and no move clauses are, to which I always say, that's fine, have the conversation, but what are you prepared to give up in order to curb these or limit these or try to eliminate no trades or no moves? Because this is a negotiation,

This is a CBA issue. The follow-up question should always be, what are you willing to surrender in the CBA to amend these things? And I don't think the NHL wants to have that conversation. There's two things. First of all, it always really scares me. I have PTSD from 2005. So do I.

Whenever we start talking about the saving the owners from. Yeah. No, no, no, no, no, no. Just saving the owners from themselves. that could lead to a lockout, but like that's the essential problem right here is that the owners, the GMs, they're all giving out these clauses. It's all, you know, coin to the realm at this point with big ticket contracts, the guys get trade protection.

They're giving it out to bottom six forwards for some goddamn reason. Like, you know, that's the issue right now is that it's become so commonplace. In order to change the way that this is being done, you're going to have to save the owners from themselves, which should send a chill down the spine of anyone old. enough to remember a canceled season. Hang on, hang on, hang on. Okay, everybody. Okay, this is your buddy, Jeff, talking to you here.

Greg can't hear us. I'm about to say something that's going to make Greg Wyshinsky's eyes ring no sale, like a cash, old school cash register. Ready? Hey, Greg, welcome back to the program. Yeah, oh, thanks, yeah. Do you remember the phrase, treadmill to obscurity? Do you remember?

that phrase. I just want to give you 2005 PTSD. I'm just trying to hit all the triggers. Are we back on it? Are we getting there again? Cost certainty? Treadmill to obscurity.

Fire up the NHL podium Twitter again, folks. We're about to go back. Oh, I forgot about that one. Oh, that was so good. Go back to Labor War. But that's not until four years from now because honestly, nothing's going to happen with no movement or no trade clauses within the context of

this current CBA. But here's the other thing, too. I push back on this when, Halbrose said it this morning, we're not going to use the term weaponize to describe what the players are doing with the trade protection they were given in their contracts that was negotiated in their contracts. Not given, negotiated. Not given this. Yeah. This isn't like a candy.

Like this is like, oh, okay. Like we will earn through tenure. Earned through effort. Earned through marketability. Yeah. Earned through all of it. Like that's that's, that's, by the way, the, I was talking to an agent recently about this no trade. issue. And you and I in the past have talked about no trade clauses being a negotiated part of

the contract in the sense that the team is giving giving you that and you're going to give the team something. I think that was true. Well, I think that was true a few years ago. I don't think that's true anymore, man. I don't think the players are like, I don't, I don't think the teams are getting anything from this financially. I think they have to now give them this clause because everyone gets this clause and still give them the money they're looking for. You know, they're They're getting the player. I'm deciding between these teams, what are you going to do for me? Oh, I don't see no trade as part of your offer here.

Do you want to go back and take another swing at this offer? That's what it is. How do you think AJ Greer ends up in Anaheim? Like it's a bunch of people bidding for AJ Greer and then one team stepping up and being like, by the way, we'll give you a fourth liner of a no trade clause is how they get them. But the idea that players are giving teams like, say, a hometown discount to earn that trade clause, that's an archaic thing. That's no longer happening. Every team is now obligated to give trade protection in these big contracts and there's no give back by the player. That being said, so no more weaponizing. These players have earned this opportunity to do this. And I'll also push back on the idea that it's not in keeping with the spirit of the original reason to have trade protection and contracts to do what these players are. like Dylan Larkin and Connor Hello Buck and Brady Kachuk are doing. Because you know what the original spirit of a no trade clause is?

Not to be punished. Not to be punished by the team. It's saying that a player can determine what happens to him via a trade. That's all it means. Part of it is, I'll tell you, this famous stories, the great Ted Lindsay story from a million years ago when he was traded from Detroit to Chicago was punished, for trying to start a union.

That's where a lot of all of this started. How can players protect himself? That then turned into the Players Association with Alan Eagelson, discussed amongst yourselves about how that blew up, but nonetheless, that was really that Ted Lindsay deal

was one of the beginnings of how can players protect themselves from punishment by the team. And that was like, we're sending you to Chicago, we might as well be sending you to Siberia. That was like the punishment team in the NHL. Then there were situations where Daryl Sittler had a no trade.

Darrell Sittler wouldn't waive is no trade to go to the Minnesota and our stars. So what a punch him like to do? I can't trade you. So I'm trading all your buddies. And Laney McDonald went to Colorado. And eventually Sittler tore the sea off his sweater and the whole relationship broke down. And they were finally able to move him to Philadelphia. You see how times have changed?

The Vancouver Canucks signed all of Quinn Hughes's friends and then made his coach the head coach. See how times have changed? Now listen to me. If you boil down the essence of the original intent of the no trade clause, you boil it down to its very pure core, that essential oil of a no trade clause, you come back with the idea that it is so a player can determine what happens to them within the context of a trade. I know that we believe the original spirit is to protect them from the teams.

That was part of it. But the essential essence of a no trade clause is putting the power in the player's hands. And the idea that this is a. new development that players are determining where they want to go in this league. Now, maybe the specificity of it is new. Maybe we don't have guys in the past going to their teams being like, trade me to three places, two of whom have won the Stanley Cup within the last few years, and that is all I'm going to deal with. Maybe that's new.

But how many, like, you don't have to go back, but like 10 years at the trade deadline, where you hear insiders talking about how guys have no movement clauses or no trade clauses, and they are in the marketplace. They're on the big boards for the trade deadline, but they're only willing to stay in the Eastern Conference because of their family, or they don't want to go here because of their family. Like, players have been determining their destinations with trade protection forever. So the idea that now we're in a moment of crisis because a few guys are wielding it

to like not play in Canada, for example, or wielding it because Dylan Larkin only wants to play for, you know, three teams, all of whom don't have what Detroit needs and all of whom can't afford them anyway. Like, I just don't, I think we have to take the temperature down on this being a crisis right now.

No, I don't think it's a crisis, although whenever players do wield their power, it does become an issue. Oh, God. And that's what I find really, like that's when people really tell us. themselves all of a sudden if someone has has found out a way to maneuver within the CBA that can

benefit themselves as players then all of the sudden it's an issue that's what I find always whether it was free agency or now it's through through through no trades or no moves that's always always when this rears its ugly head as soon as a player has something to flex and a way to do it effectively, it's a problem. Dude, that's a history of the NHL. Sure. I finally had a conversation. I finally had a conversation with a GM the other day about a thing that you and I have

talked about on the podcast a number of times, which is the idea of maybe we find a way to buy out these clauses in the next CBA. Like we build in a trigger to buy out the clauses so we don't have to go through this rig, a moral again. And this GM bought up the same thing. that you and I have also bought up on this podcast. Maybe he's a listener, which is that it's literally impossible to do that in a capped league because one, you don't know how that money counts against the cap.

And two, it is going to be numerous one way to launder money to a player, where if you sign him for a one-year contract and you give him a certain amount of money and then, oh, hey, I would love for you to waive your no-moving. I will give you $8 million to do so. Wink, wink, wink, nudge. Now you're like a $14 million a year player because I simply had to buy out your trade protection. Again, wink, wink, nudge, nudge. The other thing that was, as a matter of fact, brought up to me this morning,

because this is the conversation everybody's having this week is about no trades or no moves. One person, long time NHL person, said to me, it would be really difficult to do really difficult to determine compensation because what's different. There's a, there's a significant difference between a five team no trade, a 10 team no trade, uh, no to Canada, no trade, a 20 team no trade. So how do you put, how do you determine what the value is when everybody's no trade is different? How do you do that? Right. Then are we getting it. That's a really good point. To standardizing what the no trade is. And it's like you can have two types of.

of no trade and that's it. You can't personalize your no trade. And I hadn't really thought about it ever in those terms until this morning. I'm like, you know what? Okay, you got a point there. You do have a point on that one. But in spirit, I like it. In spirit, I like it because it's a spirit of I'm asking you to waive your no trade.

I can't give you anything for it. Just do me the solid. And that's not a deal. That's charity. I mean, if there was a, if the league was willing to give back to the players to get to a point where it's like limited no movement clauses. Like I might have time for that. And maybe some players might have to.

In exchange for, in exchange for getting rid of the buyouts? Who knows? I mean, what do the players ask for that would be that monumental where they give up their full trade? Get rid of biots. Get rid of biots. I could see the union saying that. Okay, well, we'll work with you.

But either the one third or the two thirds, whatever they are, the buyouts are gone. Well, do you, but like when you say gone, there are some players that like a buyout. Like there's some players that like to be flushed with cash and then go sign league minimum with somebody to chase a cup. I always sort of laugh and I think you do. All of these contracts are guaranteed. No, they're not.

No, so you're saying do a full, a full freight buyout. It make that be the thing. Full get rid of full, no buyouts for players. If you want to modify or get rid of the no trades. Okay. Because like that's what we're talking about. Because it has to be a negotiation. So if you're going to get,

if you're going to ask to. players to give up something of significance that they're like holding on to is sacred more so now than ever there has to be something significant coming back the other way could that be yeah getting rid of buyouts well i think the thing though is that if they ever changed it it would have to all just be limited no movement clauses because the one thing that you'll hear from the agents about this issue is that the the idea of the players wield total power is bullshit like the the owners and the and the gms can still pop these guys onto waivers, you know, do what the Rangers did with Barkley-Gudrow, for example.

Like there's ways to get around it still, but a no-movement clause takes that arrow out of their quiver. So if it ever got to that point, I think it'd be like a limited no-movement clause versus a no-trade clause. But I do wonder if ultimately that might be the solution. It's just a major give-back from the league to allow them to get rid of full no-movement and full no-trade clauses to at least allow a little wiggle room for these teams when It's time to move on from these players.

Okay, I want to show you a Zamboni door, but before we get there, this fan moment is a presentation of Coca-Cola. Being a hockey fan is a commitment, the superstitions, the chance, the pacing, the standing through overtime because sitting just somehow feels wrong. Whether you're making the climb to the nosebleeds, rallying your section to start the wave or keeping one eye on your game and another on the out-of-town scores, true fandom puts in the work. And every shift deserves an ice-cold Coca-Cola fan work. is thirsty work. Now, ice. One of the things that we're used to, Greg, is seeing zambonies go around.

I shouldn't say it. Ice resurfers. They're not zambor. Oh, yeah, you don't want to get that email. Tissues and Kleenex and inline skates versus rollerblades. Okay, okay, okay, okay, okay. Ice resurfers go round and round and round. And then they get to the zambonbo.

Nope, the ice resurfacing doors. And the door is open and they drop the ice. They drop the snow. and someone comes out with a shovel and scrapes it off. And there's always that area there beside the door that eventually turns bumpy. I know not so much in NHL arenas because they are pristine or as pristine as possible, but in other arenas. Like that area right beside the ice resurfacer door or ice resurfacing door tend to be bumpy.

So Kevin Jordan runs a website where he, it used to be just a site where he would go to every single OHL arena. And then I think he expanded it out to CHL arenas and went to all of them. And now he's actually in Chequia and sent along this super cool picture in the spirit of this idea has been out there for a long time.

Why has no one done it? So OHL Arena Guide, have a look down below, Greg, if you can see this. They've extended the ice. Oh, look at that. And then there's the place to dump and shovel the snow. so all the snow and ice does not need to be shoveled on the actual playing surface.

Wow. Yeah. This is in the spirit of this idea. This idea has been sitting here forever. And all of us dummies have just said, well, there's nothing we can do. We just got to shovel it off the playing surface. Isn't that a cool idea? From a media perspective, my one grape would be that's usually during practice, the spot

where a lot of us line up to watch is by the Zamboni doors. So we'd have to shuffle out on the ice like it's the end of the Stanley Cup final to go watch practice. But I think that's a cool idea. That's a really, that's a good fix. Yeah, I just like that one, make sure everybody had an eyeball on that one. I don't know that it'll be coming soon to you at an NHL arena near you, but great idea. Really, really smart idea. And I'm always in love with different configurations of ice rinks.

that's all. I just want to give you a little flavor puck. I just want to give you a little treat here. Now, I appreciate that. No, no problem. When you're looking around the NHL right now, we've been talking a lot about Hellebuck,

and we've been talking a lot about Larkin and the Detroit Red Wings. And when we talk about Ottawa, we talk about the loss of Brady Kachuk. Like, that seems to have dominated the conversation. I'm not sure if you watched Ottawa in Boston last night. And I don't know if this is a combination of, Ottawa playing really great. And they, as I said on the yesterday's program,

they went into Toronto on Saturday, kicked over the beehive and then ran out of town and left a mess behind them. But they came out with two points and looked good. And they looked great last night against the Boston ruins. Almark leaves the game. We'll see what happens with Almark here. But do you have a thought on an Ottawa senators team

that I actually think is more interesting without Brady Kachuk than with Brady Kachuk? Because you're not going to get the, okay, here we go again, moments that the Sends had with Brady Kachuk. You mean in the playoffs when he wasn't Brady Kachuk? Plenty of Legergaue. We're down 7-2 and he's starting what with three minutes left in the game. Oh, the Kachuk, the Kachuk of it all.

They were an interesting team to try to prognosticate because, listen, there's some things I really like about their forward group even without Kachuk there. Stutzl being prime among them, Pinto, you know, Bathers and a few others. By the way, quickly, if you haven't, if, I was going to interrupt Greg for one second, if you haven't seen the second Tim Stutzelah goal from last night, the first shot is fanned on,

but it turns into one of the most creative goals that you're going to see. He fans on the shot. The puck stays there, so he turns and slips it by the goaltender. It's a, it's such a good play that, I wish he did it deliberately because there's an element of like Pavel Datser, Kent Nielsen to the whole thing where I'm like, I really want that to be deliberate.

But it was an accident that he turned into a goal. It was brilliant. Anyhow, continue. But the thing that made, they gave me pause about them with regard to like maybe they're not going to be as knocked off the rails as we expect, despite not having a chuck there anymore, was the fundamental defensive. Oh, here it is. Here's the goal.

So watch him fan. But boop. Just grabs it backhand forehand and scores on swaying. All right. So let me see here. So you're claiming he fans on the show. When in all actuality, he used his German intuition and innovation to design a goal that had been seen before in the NHL. Kind of like there's a kuturoff element to that play, don't you think?

You know, Zach was going to watch one more time. I don't know. I really wanted to be legit, but it was a total mistake. I mean, let's just see if he does it again. Zegris would have claimed it was legit. So, I mean, others should do the same. Right. No, look, I was going to say, though, Merrick, that, like, their fundamental defensive game is what gave me pause.

Because, I mean, they were so good under the hood last year defensively. Yeah. Under Travis Green that you're like, okay, so even if their offense takes maybe a little bit of the hit, not having a point per game guy there anymore, you know, they're so good otherwise defensively, fundamentally that they could still be a point. off team. I ultimately left them on the outside looking in, but we'll see where it all goes because they're a real tough out. They're a real tough out, even if they don't have the superstar flag bearer that they used to have.

Clay Stevenson won a game last night for Winnipeg. So I talked to somebody who knows, who knows, Helibuck and knows a bit of a bunch of the jets. and this for i were talking about hellobuck yeah and i'm like i'm like now that he's losing money what happens and this this player's theory was that like there's going to come a point where hellabuck comes back to the jets that would surprise me but you know when you start losing money i know i get what you're saying at your hunting and fishing budget for the off season you're saying to yourself, I'm now losing some of that cash.

The thing we've got to remember about Helibuck is that he would be welcomed back with open arms. He's like neighbors with these guys that are on the team. And I don't think that for a moment, despite the play of the goaltenders that are currently in Winnipeg, that they would. Steve's one and oh, come on, man. Sure. But like, I think, I think, listen, the market to trade. Dylan Larkin is friendlier than the market to trade Connor Hellebuck.

Would you agree? Yes. I agree with that. Yes. So if the Jets and Kevin Shevoldeoff are ultimately like, I can't find a three-way deal to make it work with Carolina. Obviously, we can't make it work directly with Carolina. And there's nobody else.

Like Utah is happy with Melka. You know, Florida doesn't have enough to give us to, you know, send Hellebuck that way. Like if there's not a trade to be made and Hellebuck is tired of sitting on the sidelines and losing money, couldn't you see him back? Because one player told me he could see him back. I could. Okay. I always look for pressure points in situations like this. Like right now, there's not a pressure point for Kevin Jebeldeoff to trade Connor Hallibuck, especially not while Skinner's winning games and Clay Stevenson's winning games.

And everyone keeps talking about Terrell Bauer, just starching players in Boston and starching players in Detroit. Next pressure point to the point about missing checks is December. Yeah. December was the beginning. It's funny, I don't want to go back to 2005, but here I go because I know it gives you PTSD. December was when the NHL players union started to fall apart because it was Christmas and there's no checks coming in. Right. I think that might be another pressure point.

Unless Winnipeg goes on an awful losing streak. But right now, again, it's still early, and Kevin Chivaldaioff is not feeling the pressure right now to trade him. Yeah. And again, in theory, Stuart Skinner. Connor Hellebuck has made enough money in his career where losing the amount of money he's losing on a weekly basis shouldn't be an issue. That being said,

Connor Hullabuck is a professional athlete. They all live on a pretty big nut is what you're saying? I'm saying that like, he doesn't work at, you know, Merrill Lynch, okay, he's like a professional athlete

who is probably relying on the money coming in on a monthly and weekly basis during the season. Last night, the Dallas Stars beat the San Jose Sharks pretty soundly. Yeah, well, there's a reason for that. That's what I want to get to.

did last night show you that Macklin Celebrini should have won the heart trophy? They look so different. They are night and day. I had an NHL executive tell me this week in no uncertain terms that everyone like me who believes the San Jose sharks are a playoff team is out of their freaking minds. They believe there is so much more heavy lifting for this team to do that even having Celebrini have the season that he had last season and dragging what I consider to be a better version of the sharks into the playoffs is something that they don't expect to happen. And maybe

Exhibit A was last night, right? Maybe Exhibit A was last night where if Celebrini is taken out of that team, you were literally ripping the heart out of the San Jose sharks. And you get performances like you saw last night. Now again, like if Celebrini's on the ice, I think they're quite good. And I do think that they're going to be a playoff team this season. I think they're going to get over the hump. But that was not evidence to support my theory, at least, that they're going to be a playoff team the way that they looked last night. A couple more things around the NHL here as we start to wind down the program here.

Philadelphia, Flyers, Lewis to Tampa, 4 to 1, still not taking shots on goal, still haven't found a power play goal so far this season. Talket were saying this team is way too comfortable, not enough compete in this group, says Rick Tocket, also Hegel landing an elbow flush on the head of Porter Martone yesterday. Yeah.

First of all, the shots on goal issue, I mean, this is something we talked about with Tocket in Arizona. Well, everybody in Vancouver is having the, I told you so. Yeah, I mean, this is just how he coaches. So it's frustrating because I think, you know, I covered the devil's Flyers game last week that Jack Hughes won an overtime with that just sick play with Yes for Brat. And it was marveling at the fact that, you know, the Flyers have themselves some players offensively, Zegris and Mitch Koff and Martone and Kinekeli and players like that.

And yet when you watch that three on three, there's no like crazy. offensive flourish. There's no like that the devils are on their heels because here comes Zegris or here comes Martone and I'm like that's kind of weird to me because the Flyers do have really good skill guys. But they don't have a number one center. They don't have a number one defenseman. Right. So I wrote about this year last week when I about the Flyers. When I visited their camp there was a a real sorry hang on this is actually right this second according to Darren Dregor. the flyers are bringing in Michael Bunting as of right the second 1.2 mil a. A.A.V.

Okay. Wow. Well, there you go, Zach. We've fixed it. So what I was saying about the flyers? No, but that's, he was one of those players, actually. It's funny.

Like last year, I think there was some eyebrows raised last year when Bunting, what did Dallas keep up a third round pick? And then Gulletson essentially didn't play them. I know there's a whole lot of, like, if you're Jim Nell, like, what are you doing here? here like I gave up a third round pick and you're not playing the guy at all until like what was a game six anyhow. So Michael Bunting finds a hold with the flyers. Listen, whenever you hear breaking

news, you assume it's going to be something big. And I got to be honest with you, Merrick. When Zach popped in when we were talking about this Flyers team, I thought for a moment John Tororello was the head coach of the Philadelphia Flyers once again. I thought it was going to be that. Like, hold on guys. Hold on a second. Here comes. Here comes. And it's now it's Michael, Michael Bunko Bunting for the 1.2 million AAA for some sparks, says Darren. Okay. So listen, the, the flyers were very nervous about last season going to the heads of their young players. They want a playoff round. They made the playoffs. They want to playoff round against the Penguins. I wrote about this last week. What is the mindset going to be when they come back? And Danny Breyer, explicitly said,

he was concerned that these guys were all of a sudden going to feel like it gets easier now that they've arrived as a team. They had a horrible camp. And sometimes, horrible camps don't portend things and sometimes horrible camps are harbingers of things to come and the, you know, 02 and 2 start for this team is an indication that camp has carried over to the regular season. So, you know, Tocquet rang the alarm bells early in this season. I think they're still ringing. And, you know, there's, there needs to be a quick turnaround for this team because everything that they were worried about in the preseason has come to pass in the regular season. Again, I, maybe I'm just too simple of a person.

first line center no first pairing d i love travis anheim but he's not a number one d and find me a number one center on the philadelphia flyers not yet i mean they've got a lot of players coming yeah that's the issue the issue is that is in the middle and you know hey do you hear dylan larkins playing tonight for the uh red winds he has to pass one physical tonight or one no i just mean like When you start to think about the broadening of his of his O'Vure as far as like trade destinations. Would Philly be on that list? I had, no, I don't think. That seems like a fit.

I don't think Philly is on the list. I did wonder about Philly initially. I also wondered about Boston with Dillard. Yeah. But, I mean, that, again, we talked about Boston before about like how they were trying to keep their powder dry for dry sidel potentially if he ever pried loose in Edmonton. German coach? German center. There is definitely a, well, that was before he signed that contract.

There's definitely a fit in Boston for Larkin. And I think there's definitely assets that the Bruins could give up for Larkin. Let me ask you this about Larkin, though. Sure. Because I don't know the answer, and I don't ever pretend to be in the mindset of a professional hockey player because I'm not one. But the fact that a captain, and, you know, say what you will about the captain's see in the NHL, but I do believe it's sacrosanct to certain people like maybe, oh, I don't know, Cam Neely, right?

The fact that a captain bagged out of his contract after three seasons, for whatever reasons Dylan Larkin wants to gin up, do you think that affects how people see him? Or is the talent inherent enough that they aren't going to care about the decision that a leader made in this situation? You're forgetting about one thing. What's that? The arrogance that every team. carries with them, which is he'll be different if we get him in our program.

Oh, for sure. All we need to do, all we need to do is get him here and our culture and our mix. He'll see. No, I don't, I don't think so. I think they look at it and say, you know what, we might be able to steal a player from Detroit. Which brings us back to something we talked about last week. Like, it is insane to think about someone else looking at the Detroit Red Wings, the Eisenman, Lidstrom, Datsuk, Zetterberg, Red Wings.

Delvecchio, how? Delvecchio, yeah. And saying they have such a broken culture that we could get one of their players and they'll thrive here. Maybe two now. Crazy to think about that with this franchise. Maybe we can get two of their players now, Greg. Not just the one. It's just wild.

I wonder what a model franchise falls apart. Listen, I was talking to Max Boltman about this yesterday. about the Detroit Red Wings. And the word for me this summer was Cascade. Right. As soon as Leo Carlson signed that offer sheet, the cascade started. And everybody started scrambling and signing in Minchikov. There was the threat of the offer sheet there that got the threat of the offer sheet,

I've compared now to the threat of a fight. The threat of the fight is actually more of a determining factor on how the other team behaves than the actual fight itself. The threat that this might happen can scare people. same as an offer sheet, the threat of an offer sheet can now scare general managers and everybody said last summer

I don't want to be Pat. I don't want to be Pat. I don't want to be Pat. I don't want to be Pat. And look how the contracts that the Pat Fabique has signed ever since the Leo Carlson offer sheet to the cascade,

what's the cascade going to be here in Detroit if things don't change? Like who else is going to ask out? Like does Alex De Brinkett say like, I ain't going to resign here? The answer is De Brinket. I mean, he's obviously not going to be long for Detroit if things start to go this sideways.

But, you know, maybe the chat could help us out on this one. But like the idea of a model franchise in professional sports that then falls into complete disrepair. Like, who is that? Who else fits that bill? I'll give you one. The Blackhawks. The Blackhawks.

But the Blackhawks. But the Black, but hold on, though. But it's different because the Blackhawks for a while were the. Bill Wirtz were not putting this team on television. They were kind of a mess before they went on the runs of Cups. Detroit was a model franchise for like 25 years. But yes, yes. But before that, when Mike Gillich bought the team,

I was saying this guy said that. When Mike Gillich bought the team, he had to do two things. One, he had to give away cars every game to get people into the Joe Lewis Arena. Hey, come to the Red Wings game, you could win a car. And two, do you remember the story of Brad Park? So Brad Park becomes their coach. They couldn't pay him enough to get him to coach. So Mike Illich gave him two little Caesar's franchises.

This is the Detroit right away. And you're right. Afterwards, they went on this incredible run. But they were a joke of an operation when Illich first bought the team. He turned them into a Cadillac franchise. But that's since been driven right into the ditch now. Oh, look at all the car references you're making to the team from Detroit. How clever.

You're such a clever boy, aren't you, Merrick? Yeah, Michigan's kind of important. No. It's almost like Ontario's economy is linked somehow to Michigan. There's a difference between Detroit and Chicago. There's a difference between Detroit and Pittsburgh. Like Detroit was on the pedestal. They were the Yankees.

They were the Canadians. They were the team that, again, like the winged wheel meant so much for three decades. And now it's like a team of uttered. They're chanting sell the team to an illich. That, I know. Merrick. I know. That's crazy to think about.

I know. That was the one that got me. I never expected that one. I expected the booze for Larkin. We all did. Sell the team? Sell the team. Is there not an element of, hold on a second.

You just had an uninterrupted string. I know it's been a few years, but you had an uninterrupted string of playoffs and playoffs successes that rivals any organization, in your era. Is there not an element of this is how the rest, a lot of teams,

while you were racking up Stanley Cups and sending players to the Hall of Fame on a consistent basis, these were the teams that you were running over. Like, are we at the point where I always wonder about this,

we all expected at some point Chicago was going to fall off and they weren't going to be that dynasty, right? And no one was going to feel bad for them. You had a great run three stout. No one's going to feel bad for you. Are we,

has it been long enough now that you can feel bad for the Detroit Red Wings? Or do you still say, hey, pump the brakes. You guys had this string of success for so long. I'm not, I'm not willing to get behind like, oh,

woe is Detroit. First of all, I hope, I hope for those brave Red Wings fans that Chris Illich doesn't have the same technology. that James Dolan has where AI can detect who's doing the chance and where they sit. That's a really good question because I actually do feel bad for Detroit in the sense that they've had zero lottery luck during this run of futility under Izerman. Like that's part of the reason they've been so futile.

Have they had bad lottery luck or have they had bad scouting? Well, they've had bad scouting and bad player development, but I also think they've not had the opportunity to get themselves a McDavid, Matthews, Eichol, you know, level guy. They had a chance to get a Quinn. Sure, and they screwed that up in fairness. Yeah, that's a very good point. But, like, they've also not had the first or second overall pick during any of this run.

That's, I'm, I'm struggling with that question you've asked me as far as, like, has it been long enough? Yeah. where you can now feel sympathy for a Detroit fan. Okay. You know what? They've suffered long enough now. No, no, no.

Here's how I'll answer that. Incredible run. I was asked this morning about Detroit and occurred to me, you know where I've never been their new arena? Oh, it's gorgeous. Which is, oh, it's beautiful. I've heard this. It's beautiful.

I've never been there because I've had no reason to go. And so that makes me feel sympathy for Red Wings fans in the sense that they've got this gorgeous new building. And there's never been a reason to have a postseason game. There's never been a playoff game there. I've never been there because I've had no reason to go, either because they've not been successful enough in the regular season, and they certainly haven't appeared in the postseason.

So from that aspect, I feel sympathy for those fans because, I mean, it's like building a church and never having a service inside of it. Do we have time for one more? We have time for more? No, we have time for one more. Yeah, of course. Here's one more for you. 10 to 12 weeks for Barkoff.

Is that official? That's what's, that came out last night, didn't it? 10 to 12. Well, it was reported by someone and then Paul Maurice pushed back and said that there's still consultations with doctors and any timeline that came out isn't necessarily the timeline. Zach? I thought I interpreted that along the lines of like this guy's a quick healer. But I'm happy to be wrong about it because I don't want to see Alexander Barkoff out that long. because I think the Florida Panthers are one of the great potential stories this season.

Regardless of what happens, they are one of the great stories this season. Oh, you know what I was going to ask you about the Panthers? Are they America's team? What does that even mean? You tell me what that means. I don't. No, you tell me what that means. You can't throw out that stuff and try to lay a bear trap for me to step in.

And you have to tell me what that means before I respond. Are they the team that carries the American flag with it because that is the one team where it seems every single American hockey player wants to play? And bluntly, they have the Kachucks. And if you have the Kachucks, are you America's team? They have the Kachucks. All the American players want to go play there. And they have Seth Jones, who was the U.S. Olympian but was too injured to play,

remember. They have a number of Canadians. They have a very... Brad Marshand, Sam Bennett. Special Finn. Sam Reinhardt, by the way. Well, you're not going to get like a complete run of all Americans. Now, they...

As much as Minnesota tried once. There's two other ways to look at this. First of all, if you want to say they're America... Are they America seen? Well, their owner was at one point in the Trump administration. So like there's a certain amount of that. Briefly. Yes.

And if you want to say spiritually, culturally, are the America's team, well, they celebrated their championships with rampant hedonism in South Florida. And I believe that is also very much in keeping with the American spirit. I was thinking about the other day. I just the next time I talked to where you're going to ask them because you have like a hit with him on the polls more than I do. I think the reason all these Americans would want to come and play there is because they're good. And because they've done a really good job. And the Canadians are part of this, by the way, of selling the idea that this is where you want to be. This is where you want your family to be.

This is where you want to hang out. This is beautiful weather all year. This is golf carts driving back and forth. Like, I do think that with success and also with investment, let's see how I think about the Panthers too that doesn't get enough credit is the amount of money Vinnie Viola has put into making the experience for these players. better than what it used to be. That practice facility is awesome. That practice facility is really good. Yeah, it's great.

It's beautiful. I was talking with Chris Armstrong from the Utah Mammoth yesterday for a thing I'm working on. And that was also one of the things that people don't understand about the mammoth is that like when a guy like Andrews Lee starts going through all of the offers he's receiving inexplicably, not one from the Islanders. He is looking at not only the players that have played in Utah tell me what Salt Lake City is like, but also like what is the investment from Ryan. Ryan Smith into that franchise, the investment is palpable. So I think, you know, America's team, what have you, blah, blah, blah. It's the cups. It's the investment.

It's the way the players are taking care of there. And that's ultimately, I think, why you see so many people wanting to play there. Also, if your brother plays there. I think that's also a big factor in whether or not players want to come play for the Panthers. All right. I think that's all the stuff that I wanted to go over today. You know I'm back tomorrow, right? Like we could hold some stuff for Wednesday.

No, no, no, because we got a lot of good stuff coming up tonight. Like tonight's going to give us more headlines. Dude, the Sends are playing the wings at home. Dylan Larkin plays. Like, we're going over that. Certainly tonight. Gavin McKenna skated at morning skate today. Like, what does that mean for the Maple Leafs?

Come on, Greg. We got things to talk tomorrow, buddy. Zach, I lost my damn mind when I was on the Halbroe show this morning. And like, Jason's like, so, uh, or any thoughts on on, on Gavis Kevin McKenna not taking the options in Toronto. I'm like, you are the first ones to complain when we start talking about Toronto being the center of the hockey universe. And we're three games into the season.

And we're already crafting narratives about the guy who's supposed to be the next marner. Like, I don't understand why we do this. I don't understand. You can't have it both ways. You can't complain about everybody's talking about the Leafs and the Leafs are front of mind and they're in our heads and we're tired of talking about the Leafs. And talk about Gavin McKenna's practice. routines, three games into the season.

Give me a break. It's always about the least. Isn't that what Willie said in that video that they put out? I saw. That's right. In their pushback video. That's right. I got to run to a radio thing.

The one and two Maple Leafs. Okay, you go do your thing and we'll rejoin tomorrow. Okay, there you go. Nine games on the goal, by the way, around the NHL. This evening, let's get to a couple of things right now with our friends at Sports Interaction. This segment is brought to you by Sports Interaction, Sportsbook and Casino. Every game is your game when you bet with sports interaction.

Bet the action on every period, every shift, every shot with Canada's homegrown sports book. Sports interaction. Ontario or Alberta only must be 19 plus in Ontario, 18 plus in Alberta. You have nine games to choose from, Zach, where you had with your hard earned dollars this evening. I got a couple bets. And I threw in a third one here. I have Stephen Ellis in the booth here with me right now. Oh, nice.

Yeah. Hey, buddy. There he is. So I asked him to provide one as well. So we have three total picks for today. And two of them are very narrative base. And then Stephen went on his own. And he decided that he was going to give us something,

something, you know what, maybe with a little bit of actual reasoning behind it for tonight. So he actually thinks about things, Zach. Yes. He doesn't just think about narrative and what makes a good story and that kind of stuff. That's how I think. I like to think. No, no, I just want a good story in chaos and fires.

So you'll like the ones that I've got here tonight. Okay. So the first two are specifically from me, and those ones will be our narrative-based bets tonight. So the first two that we've got on the board, Gavin McKenna would have recorded his first point as a Maple Leaf plus 110. And Dylan Larkin, anytime goal. Is Stephen Stamcoast on the ice when he scores his first point? First overall pick with another first overall pick? on the ice.

And you want Larkin any time goal? Larkin any time goal. What will the faithful at Little Caesar's Arena do if Dylan Larkin scores tonight? Will we see a situation where they will boo the goal score on their own team tonight in Detroit? This is the type of watching we have early in the season. Yes. It's going to be entertaining. So those are the two I'm looking for.

I think those are most compelling stories. McKenna, he skates in a morning skate for the first time. this season and he gets on the board. And then all of a sudden, the conversation tomorrow is, why wasn't he skating earlier in the year? He could have had four points by now and Larkin anytime goal. And then this one was Stephen Ellis's pick. This is, and you'll understand exactly why this is a very Stephen Ellis pick. UC Soros over 24 and a half saves for tonight. Stephen Ellis, noted ball hockey goaltender who I, what was, we were last week in Mississaughey, He told me he's on a new on a new team.

He's playing internationally. What country are you playing for, Stephen? What country are you playing for? Netherlands. Netherlands. At what event? What event? What is it?

It's a, it's a, I'm not on camera. Yeah, you are now. It's in Florida. So there'll be like Canada, Czechia, USA, Slovakia, India, I think Ireland and a few. I love it. I just love it. And true or false, you got scouted based on the clips you put up of your

self on social media. Yeah, yeah. I posted a bunch of clips and then I got noticed for that. I worked out. I tried it out as a joke and then it turned out trials went great.

I'm excited. It's going to be a good time. We're driving down. We're taking a van with like eight players' equipment. We're driving down all the way to... We got an Airbnb today. It's in Fort Myers.

It's like a beachfront villa. It's so cool. When is this? This is the best story? Yeah, November 13th to 50th. Everyone should be coming out. Oh, man. I don't even know the rink name.

So, Zach, so you know what you do with that, Zach? What? You got to start putting your beer league highlights on there. No kidding, man. I got to get live bar on subscription. Do you have live barn at the rings you play at? Yes, I do. I got to get clips.

Dude, this is there. Scouts are, scouts are everywhere looking for players. You know, when you play in Menzlake and you're like, buddy, there's no scouts in the stands? Live barn. Oh, there are. Oh, live barn, buddy. Who thinks watching Live Barn right now, pal? Not looking at you, buddy.

Live Barnes. Oh, you want to bet? Zeroed it on me. You wait till you see where I'm going. Anyhow, we return to the bets. Every game is your game when you bet with sports interaction. From puck drop to overtime, bet with live odds on every play with easy deposits and payouts. Go to SportsInteraction.com slash the sheet to open an account.

Ontario or Alberta only must be 19 plus in Ontario, 18 plus in Alberta. Please play responsibly. responsibly. When Steve, I forgot to tell you, Stephen told me that story when we were doing the beat the goalie

feature, which you're featured prominently and more on that on another program here. But I'm like, oh, I got to tell Philly this one. He'll just love it.

And then he'll like clean himself up for beer league. Okay, so Stephen showed me, while the show is going on, he's like, oh, look, this is the custom mask

that I'm getting for this tournament that I'm playing it. And I never pieced this together. Yeah, buddy. explaining to me the colors of the helmet and the design on the helmet and then he's like,

this is the Airbnb we're staying in. And then when you just ask him, brother, I've been sitting here with you. I never realized. Yeah, man. He's a player. He's,

of course he's going to be a goalie pick for crying out loud. Oh, hang on. Do we have the match? We got a glare. There you go. Fear the venom. Look at that.

Steve. You're the best buddy. I love Alice. That guy's the best. This is, Having the studio, I will say, is also awesome. People coming through here, like, even the fact that Stephen's been sitting with me the whole time. Ellis, how bored are you that you get to hang out with Philly for an hour?

Good grief, man. So you have something more exciting to do, like sort out your sock drawer? You have anything more excited? Tie your shoes. Anything more exciting? He says no. He was busy interrogating McKenna at Morning Skate this morning. Oh, that's right.

Yes. Yeah. How many questions about the medicine hat tigers did you ask? Not enough. There's never enough medicine. That's high goes question. Tell us about Willie Desjardam. He just said,

will you play at the World Juniors this year? That would have been a story. That's awesome. That would have got a great, you would have got like the frostiest look. Oh, my God. And you sort of just ushered him out quickly. Thank you.

Mr. Ellis, just leave your pass right over there with that gentleman at the door. Thank you very much. Please do not darken our doorways again. Exactly. Your hockey hoodie rotation called, and it wants an upgrade.

The new daily face-off team collection is officially here, bringing classic varsity style, premium apparel, and a whole lot of hockey into your everyday wardrobe. It's made for the fans who know every line combo. Stephen, pay attention. This is we're talking to you. Every trade rumor and every reason their team is definitely winning the title this year. Same hockey community.

bigger home shop the daily faceoff team collection now at nationgear.ca. Before we wrap anything out of you? No. No, let's get out of here. I'll save it for tomorrow. I have a thought, but I want you and wish to hear it. So remind me tomorrow. It's about Detroit. I have a thought. Oh, yeah. That's our cliffhanger to bring people back tomorrow. Oh, you better tweet that tomorrow on the sheet. Zach has a thought. No, I think you guys, I think you guys will like it. You might just say you're an idiot. Why would you bring this up? I get that every day on Twitter. Why should you be exempt from stones thrown at you? If that's the reaction, that's the reaction.

So we'll save that for tomorrow. I love it. Otherwise, I'm good. Awesome. Thanks to Greg Wischinsky from ESPN and ESPN.com for stopping by. Thanks to you for watching and or listening and subscribing and liking and being part of the chat and being part of all of it here at the sheet. We're back tomorrow. Tip your Zamboni driver on the way out.

Thanks for the buns and the use of the hall and the use of the studio. Talk to you tomorrow. One o'clock Eastern right here on the sheet. I said 16 hours last night every day this week, every day this month. I can't get out my head, lost all ambitions day to day. Kiss you can call it. I went to the dark man.