2 Guys 1 Cup : A New York Rangers Podcast
A New York Rangers Podcast by 2 die-hard fans Shawn Stein and Jonathan "Roc" Papadimitrios. We aim to bring you insightful guests, information, and offer our opinions on the Rangers.
2 Guys 1 Cup : A New York Rangers Podcast
Trading Futures, Keeping Faith: Rangers' Offseason Strategy
The Rangers have made the controversial decision to give up this year's first-round pick instead of next year's, moving forward from a disappointing season while setting up for future success.
• Rangers' rebuild failed to produce a cornerstone player despite high draft picks
• Current prospects like Lafrenière may be complementary players rather than true stars
• Rangers historically trade players too late, diminishing their value
• K'Andre Miller trade situation remains unresolved heading into the draft
• Metro Division appears weak, potentially creating an opportunity next season
• Zibanejad's contract and performance raise questions about his future with the team
• Florida's championship blueprint focused on finding undervalued players
• Potential defensive options include Gavrikov and Provorov
• Ranger's prospect pipeline includes centers but lacks right-handed defensemen
If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show and check out our Patreon page for additional content.
Oh, it's early morn. Tax is waiting. It's blown its horn Already. I'm so lonesome I could die. So kiss me and smile for me. Tell me that you'll wait for me, hold me like you'll never let me go, cause I'm leaving on a jet plane. Don't know when I'll be back again. Oh babe, I hate to go so many times. I've Good evening, everybody. Two Guys, one Cup. We hope that Keiondre Miller has been listening to that song on a repeat for the last two weeks and that there's a resolution coming any minute now or any day now, or hopefully while we're on this show. Two guys, one cup.
Speaker 1:June 26th 2025, the draft Eve edition, where we have no first round picks. So no Steve Corneano, so Russ Cohen or any draft guests, because it just didn't make any sense. I've spoken to Steve the other day. He said he would love to come on and do like a post-draft show with us and kind of go over whatever picks that we do make and go over those guys, and I'm sure we'll do three hours just talking about the Rangers with him.
Speaker 1:But Brock, how's it going? Buck, what's going on? Draft Eve? Always exciting. There's always some kind of anticipation. I don't really know what to expect. The Ranger land is eerily quiet. I don't know if it's quiet before the storm, but if you base it off the last two off-seasons, I wouldn't expect much, unfortunately.
Speaker 1:We will, uh, we will soon uh find out, as the first round will commence tomorrow night, starting at 7. Pm and sometime around midnight on, uh, saturday morning forever. But, um, no, I mean it's, uh, it's exciting. I mean these, these, let these next few days leading into july 1st, into july, which pretty much will end on july 3rd, uh, we will have some kind of understanding of what this team is going to look like. And, yep, it's exciting, it's exciting, it's. This is the most exciting, the most excited I could be about this team.
Speaker 1:And then we're gonna probably do what one show next week, maybe one the week after, and then we're probably going to close up shop until until September. Yeah, yeah, we'll, we'll figure stuff out. You know, we'll see what the summer looks like. We're bored or we have something going on and we have nothing to do. One night We'll, we'll jump on and kind of see what goes. But, yep, it's been a rough season. Sean, this kind of puts a bow on it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, uh, again, those of you who are following us. Uh, first time long times. If you haven't already, please subscribe to the show. Um, hit the smash the subscribe button on uh. On youtube, uh, those who are joining us from twitter, you know. Feel free to check out the YouTube channel. Patreon link should be in our YouTube now, so check that out as well If you want to contribute.
Speaker 1:We do a bunch of different content. I've done a few things this week. Rock has done a couple as well. We're going to do more. We're going to start doing more. I think we need to do more of those. Some of you guys have been really loyal and we we really do appreciate it. Um, and the money's going right back into, yeah, back into the show. So, thanks a lot, guys.
Speaker 1:So, yeah, so, uh, chris drury made the decision to, yes, uh, give up this year's first round pick as part of the jt miller trade instead of next year's. So I'll jump right into my opinion on that. And it completely goes against Larry Brooks. Larry, I know you listen to the show. I just totally disagree that. This was a cowardly move in some sort of way. What about giving up the 12th overall pick? Yeah, it was Brooks. No, oh, he, oh, he's the one, oh, but he was saying to get rid of it because I was he calling it cowardly. You know he's he called it cowardly. Well, I I don't know if it was him I think he's afraid that egg on his face. God forbid we suck next year.
Speaker 1:I mean, I personally think that the whole reasoning behind this, if you really sit back and you think about the logic behind it, it makes a ton of sense to just give them this year's pick and put this season to bed. Let's just move forward. It's apparently not the deepest and best draft. Give them this pick and move forward. I mean, I don't really care anything else about next year or this, that and the other thing, I just care about moving forward. And if you look at the big picture, it makes a ton of sense. A ton of sense for them to move this pick. A ton of sense. A ton of sense for them to move this pick. A ton One. It, like I said, it alleviates the thought process of this season. We kind of move forward. But the big picture two, part one if they happen to somehow resurrect from the ashes off of this season and bounce back and have a great year, that 26 becomes, that 26 pick becomes a trade chip If they fall on their face and now we're in the lottery well, they probably made the right choice. So either way, it's a win-win. However you cut it up, I agree and from all the counts and we hear this all the time the 26 draft is apparently a better draft than this year's draft, and I hate that, and I'll tell you why I hate it.
Speaker 1:The 2017 and 2018 drafts was the exact same scenario. All we heard throughout the 2017 draft season is that the brady shea draft to 17 no, no, no. We drafted uh heidel and leah sanderson. I'm sorry, I'm, I apologize, no worries, that was a brave fire on my back. Um, that was the year.
Speaker 1:That was the two-year stretch which I actually followed prospects. I watched a lot of European hockey Again, those of you who are new to the show I used to have my own business, so I had a lot of time on my hands during the day. I used to watch a lot of daytime hockey back then, so I watched a lot of these. Prospects followed a lot of them. Would make my own little list. Not that I published them, but you know, just on Twitter. Stupid shit, yeah, and because I was so bad at it. In hindsight, I refused to ever do that shit again.
Speaker 1:But, yeah, all you had everyone saying was that the 2017 draft was not deep at all and that the 2018 draft was going to be loaded. And if you go back and you look now at those two drafts, 2017 had 10 times the amount of talent that 2018 had. Yeah, 10 times. There are so many busts in 2018 and so many guys who weren't highly touted that turned out to be great. I mean, heiskanen and McCarr didn't even go ahead of fucking Nolan Patrick and those are two probable. I mean, my car is already going to be a whole of him. I think it was probably going to be a whole of that. That is. That is incredible to think that it it really is. It's. It really is incredible to think that the two better players didn't even go top two.
Speaker 1:And, like you said, with these drafts and we're going to talk about drafts and the history is you could just be the year guys picked. You know Kako was the consensus second overall pick and you know he just might turn out to be an average NHL player. Right, and you can't fault the Rangers for drafting them. It just is the way. It's just the draft. It is what's disturbing, I think, where a lot of fans are just disgusted and you brought it up and Vince kind of piggybacked off this that the rebuild was a failure because they did not come away with one generational player, not one cornerstone guy. I brought that up on the show three years ago. You did, 100% did Three years ago.
Speaker 1:And the problem is is the Rangers thought they had Kako and Lafreniere and there's no cornerstone player on this team that they have developed and drafted. I know Fox he was a free agent, could have had him without the letter, exactly 100% drafted. I know fox is, he was a free agent, so could have had him without the letter, exactly 100. And I think that's the biggest problem I have when they when these people gotta hold on to prospects, gotta hold on, you gotta hold on. Name me the last prospect the rangers traded that turned out to be a absolute, absolute superstar. I mean, even if you want to go back to wait in a Monty, you're talking 31, 32 years ago and neither of those guys were Hall of Famers. They were both great players, don't get me wrong, but neither of them were Hall of Fame players.
Speaker 1:I mean you kind of it is what it is. They just they do this to themselves every time. We had to hold on to these guys until they're useless. I mean, look at the trade and I know we'll get into Paterka, but they gave away Phoenix, had Utah. What the fuck they are now? You know they. They had a plethora of prospects josh doan and whoever else is on that and, uh, kessel ring are b to b plus prospects. That's not what I heard all day today. Uh, well, you know, of course they get it from people. No, no, of course they're gonna scratch from people that I. I always kiss the ass of the Coyotes. Haven't you known that? Don't you know that they feel fucking sorry for this franchise? Always, not anymore. They do Small market teams win, sean, you know that. That's all this league cares about. They're one of the richest owners in the sport. Now, I'm fully aware of that. Yeah, so they feel sorry for them because they've been kicked around for freaking 20 years. So there's a lot of people. I was in the car.
Speaker 1:He's a nice defenseman, but is he an A-plus defenseman? He's 25 years old, he's not 21, 22. He played his first season short. He's played in 82 games. It's a pull-up. He's not a stats guy. He's only been around for three seasons. He had a decent year. This year he was a plus player. I looked up his numbers. He played. I believe he played 82 games or close to it. Yes, 82 games, 30 points and before that 100 penalty minutes. Right, and before that he barely played.
Speaker 1:Takes defensemen a while, and I'm not disputing that. Yeah, takes defenseman a while. I'm, and I'm not disputing that. Yeah. But this is what pisses me off with the rangers and their prospects. We don't make trades like this. We don't trade a guy a year too early. We trade a guy a year too late.
Speaker 1:Keandre miller should have been traded three years ago. No, three years ago. You were hoping he blossomed into your number one defense. What did I tell you three years ago? I would have traded him three years ago for chicken. Did I not say that on this show? And I would have traded him for chicken? Yeah, and I disagree. I would have. Yeah, I would have traded him for chicken at the time. Chicken said how many seasons where he's actually been healthy? Sean, I'm aware of that. I'm just playing a. That's why I wouldn't have done it. You trade a guy and mill Miller's had one good season. He's been awful the last two years. Oh, I mean, you want to? Just right, if you want to talk hindsight, I'm just saying, well, I can't, I can't say that I wouldn't do it now If I said it then I mean, I, I listen, I, I was hoping that and he just, and I don't know, it's just all upstairs with him.
Speaker 1:Are they waiting for Byram and for Dobson to get traded? Is this what these teams are waiting for? I think they're the first two dominoes to fall. Oh man, the Islanders, why would they do that? Why would they not give Dobson just give him $11 million? It doesn't make any sense. I mean, what are you saving your money for? Oh, for who? Honestly?
Speaker 1:So I've had this conversation. I don't want to bounce around. I know we're bouncing all over the place. I've had this conversation with a Island defense that I'm friends with, that I play hockey with. You know bar conversations, yeah, and you know they still think they have like a team that can compete these two guys that I'm referring to Right, like a team that can compete these two guys that I'm referring to right. And I look at them. I'm just like you don't have. What are you? I mean, when you were in the eastern conference finals two years in a row, you had an identity. You know you were the barry trots you had, you know, your matt martin, clutterbuck, suzika's, like you had an identity. Before that you had to virus. Now what are you? Matthew barzell's, your best player, bo Horvat these are nice players. These are good players.
Speaker 1:You don't have anyone on your team that's a game-breaker at all and you don't even have good defense anymore. Unless they just think the Dopp's in that one season was an outlier and that he's never going to live up to that. But you have the number one overall pick right now and you're drafting Schaefer, who should be a cornerstone player. If you have the opportunity to get back into the top five again and take another guy, that should be your cornerstone center. You now have two main pieces and you drafted Cole Iserman last year, who everyone's raving about.
Speaker 1:I don't mean to turn this into an Islander podcast, but I'm just like mindset-wise. You should be building for that team to be the successful team, not signing Noah Dobson to eight-year deals right now. I'd be trying to trade Noah Dobson to Chicago for the third pick. That's what I'd be trying to do and I think they've tried, haven't? They Haven't? They put that out there, I don't know. But do the Islanders really want more futures? I mean, are they really doing it? They should, and so they're going to give up on Dobson. What is he? 20? He's in the Kratsov draft. So what is he? 25? 25. It's not give up it.
Speaker 1:Third overall pick in this year's draft. Is the third overall pick in this year's draft a guaranteed NHL player? Yes, this draft is so much better than people are giving it credit for. Probably, you're probably right. See, here's the thing. At least we think it's a 99 draft. People want to compare drafts like the 2015. And you go through the 2015 draft. It's like hall of famer. Hall of famer, hall of it's just like it's. It's stupid. It's like the uh 2003 nba drafts with lebron and carmelo and dylan wade. It's stupid. So there's no draft like that. You go through this draft. There's a lot of guys in this draft that are going to be first line players and second line players 15 deep.
Speaker 1:I'm looking at the draft and I'm looking at each player and, again, I have not watched these guys play. So take everything I say with just. I've read steve corneanos. I've read russ cohen. I've read I I've listened to shane mulloy every week on the radio talk about these kids Like right, it's just for me trusting people that I trust and what their views of these players are. This is nothing that I've observed and said. That guy is going to be this, so it's. It's really and it's a combination. When you see this, different people you trust saying the same things about a certain guy. It gives it some levity. It gives it some levity. So that's really what I'm kind of going off of.
Speaker 1:There's guys in here that there's a lot of top six talent in here. There's no Austin Matthews, there's no Bedard. So that's why these people are labeling this draft as being, eh, nothing great, because there's not that the unquestioned number one overall pick is a two-way defenseman. So there's nothing sexy about that. Again, this draft.
Speaker 1:You go back and you look at the 2017 draft and you look at how many top six forwards Marty Natchez, velarde, robert Thomas, nick Suzuki I mean, these are the guys that went all after Leos Anderson Middlestat, middlestat, sucks, fuck him. I'm just saying Cody Glass, middlestat these are the guys that are all still playing in the NHL. Sean and Leos Anderson hasn't sit in the NHL in four years. No, I get no. No, leos Anderson was the worst pick of that. Michael Rasmussen is coming a close second right now. Cody Glass has become a close second.
Speaker 1:What's his name? Yamamoto. Another one, kali Yamamoto. But he went late. He went after Hedl. Yeah, I'm talking about the top 20 of the draft. Yeah, of course we missed Robert Thomas by one pick and I wouldn't be surprised if they still picked Hedl.
Speaker 1:They were in that whole European thing at that point. Right, right, they were on that whole European team. But when you look at just how many guys are just and none of those players that I mentioned are superstars, no, but they're all really fucking good players. They're all players. Well, that's the thing. And this brings me back to this whole prospect thing. Like the Rangers with these prospects. It just brings me back to this whole prospect thing. Like the rangers with these prospects. It just they just boggles my mind.
Speaker 1:I mean, you know vegas who, I understand, stepped in it with this, with with this expansion and uh, and you know the way they handled everything and the gm's not knowing how to deal with it. But you know, they went out and they got, they traded eric branstrom and branstrom at the time, at the time when he was traded was a highly touted prospect. They traded Eric Brandstrom, and Brandstrom at the time, at the time when he was traded was a highly touted prospect. They traded him, they traded him, they traded. I know that's what made me think of it. Oh, okay, they traded him early.
Speaker 1:They didn't wait. This franchise waits. I mean, sean, it's not just now. They've done it forever with prospects, forever. Okay, but you got to take this all with a grain of salt here.
Speaker 1:They had a clear objective vegas to not worry about prospects. They had a clear objective they traded suzuki right away for patchy already. They traded branston right away. Their objective was to take their picks and and win now, because they needed to establish a market. They needed to establish hockey in vegas right away. They didn't have five years to wait. I know these kids to be something.
Speaker 1:The rangers issued a letter saying we're going to, we're gonna suck for the next few years and rebuild. So they their whole reason for this was to get these draft picks and build with kids. They had just a totally different mindset on what they were doing with these draft picks. So you can't compare the two because they were going in a different direction. Here's the problem. You drafted Kako, who was a winger. You had Kreider, who was a winger Right, you had Kreider, who was a winger, right. Then you go out and you sign Panarin, who was a winger. Then you win the lottery and you draft Lafreniere, who's a winger.
Speaker 1:Yeah, hindsight, again, again, it's all hindsight. Yeah, I get it. They should have traded back and I know it would have been blasphemy at the time Traded back, took out the byfield of Stutzler, gotten more assets. You didn't need Lafreniere. You didn't need him at that point. You didn't. Again, I'm saying this speaking out my ass now, but in hindsight you didn't need him. I could agree with you on this more with Kako and this is not even hindsight I'm talking about at the time.
Speaker 1:So who would you have taken at that point? Zekras, I mean, who was the next best netter? I did love Zekras in that draft. I wanted us to trade back in to get Zegers. I got to go back and look, I mean I know Mo Seider was in the top 10. Zegers was what 10th, 9th? Phillip Proberg was in that draft, I believe. Yeah, dylan Cousins, seider, alex Turcotte, who I liked also, who's a little bit of a bust, we don't fully know. Yet Matt Boldy was a guy that Steve Corneanos loved in that draft. Loved him he did, and look at what he turned into Again.
Speaker 1:You just say to yourself, you shake your head and you go they just didn't have a plan. They just didn't have a plan. I don't think. Well, you never expect to win the lottery and Lafreniere falls to you. What are you supposed to do? And I'm not knocking them for what they did. All 31 teams would have taken it 100% Both times.
Speaker 1:The problem is Lafreniere is not a cornerstone player, because I'll tell you right now, if Brady Kachuk or someone of that magnitude would come available, you'd shoot Lafreniere into the sun to get him. So to me, a cornerstone guy is no matter who's available, unless they're Gretzky in his prime, or Lemieux, you know, or someone like that, or McDavid. You're keeping them Right. If a player like someone else becomes available, like Kachuk or you know just name the guy even Jason Robertson, maybe to a certain degree, you'd probably take a lot from the air and you shoot him into the sun. He's not a guy like he's not. I'm definitely not trading him, no way. I don't care if he's 23 years old. I'm not trading him for the right guy. You're trading him. So that's my problem, that's my problem with this team. Yeah, I'm so. You know what it is with him, man, it's such a he's coming.
Speaker 1:The only other player that I could think of that was drafted as high as lafreniere in the modern era. I mean, you know I'm not talking. You know, larry bird going to the celtics so they win a championship yeah, we're talking about that shit. But, like um, tyler sagan, you know, being taken second overall by boston on and coming into a cup winning team. Yeah, yeah, he was never going to be asked to play in that top six and so, as you speak, and what a terrible trade that was. Oh, my god, you know what I mean. But that was.
Speaker 1:You want to talk about trading somebody too early to fit a need for a veteran player? Right, and that backfired. They were playing with house money at that point. That's the only guy that I could think of. But they've been to two other cup finals after that too, boston, but not because of him, no, I'm just saying they did make it to two other cup finals. Yeah, it wasn't like they traded him and the whole world stopped. No, but Louie Erickson, oh, he was awful, and then didn't he get another contract from somebody else? He had one good year and then Vancouver gave him a contract, right? Yep, oh my God, that was like Alexander Semen. He used to do the same thing. He'd have a great year and then he'd get a big contract.
Speaker 1:Who else was taken first or second overall to a team that was trying to win? I already had established veterans in those spot. Like they were blocked. It's it's. It's such a rare. It's rare because the draft really curious.
Speaker 1:I'm really curious now that it very much, it very much seems like drury has turned the page on that, on that core, like and we'll truly, truly know with Panarin. Is Panarin brought back? Is he re-signed, or has Panarin moved at the deadline? Has Panarin moved this offseason? That'll really tell, because Kreider's now gone, mika's going to be here, but it's only going to happen if they're out of contention. They're not trading him otherwise. That's my opinion. So they're going to Mitch Marner it, they're going to walk him out. So if they walk him out, they walk him out. But it looks like Drury is going to start handing the keys over to these guys.
Speaker 1:I think Lafreniere is going to finally get the chance to be an alpha on this team and we'll sink or swim. He's being paid. And if he's the guy that we saw, you know, two years ago and in the eastern conference finals that year and the beginning of last year, I'm fine with it. Let me ask you a question. A really, really good player, if he doesn't sign that extension, yep, what does he make in this offseason? You still think he's making seven, five. No, I think he's making five. I still think he's making five. You're probably right. He stepped in shit and if he was a restricted free agent, you know what, honestly, you'd probably have a team out there that would offer sheet him. Ah, I don't know, we'll get to see. It would be, sean. We're going to see about this offer Sheetum, nonsense. We're going to see. We're going to see. We're going to see if teams do it. It's possible because the free agent class is so bad and it looks like everybody's resigning in Florida. You know Well, not Ekblad.
Speaker 1:Ekblad already told the wait staff at a Strong T frequented Thanks for taking care of me while I was here, gave him a $500 tip on his way out. Okay, I don't want anything, but you do no. No, I mean, don't get me wrong, I would love Eckblad if we had room for a right-handed shot defenseman. If he was a lefty, I'd take him to Hartfield. You're giving him $7 million. Yes, you're giving Eckblad what I wanted.
Speaker 1:Always hurt, sean, always hurt, and that's a contract that will not age. Well, you know it. But he was awesome. He was awesome. I know that he had 40 games abreast during the suspension they were talking about that too on the radio but he was awesome in the playoffs. He was so good. Okay, I didn't watch a minute of the playoffs, so I have no idea, sean.
Speaker 1:Rangers are eliminated. I don't care who wins. I know I don't want to watch the celebration. It makes me sick. It makes me sick to my stomach. It's easier for me to watch when we don't make it. No, it's not. It's not easier because it makes me angry to watch these guys celebrate when we're now waiting. You know, 31 years since our last chat 31 years. Yeah, it's bad, but it's easier for me because I don't have any heartbreak. No, I get it. Yeah, no one eliminated my season like that.
Speaker 1:I'll be honest with you. I could not see McDavid win. So weird that that's a guy. You know why this is for me and I'm going to be bluntly honest with you. I am a big Hank guy and it pisses me off that he did not win. No, it does, and I'll be honest with you. It bothers me because he has gone down. He's the greatest Rangers goaltender of all time. He's probably, like they said I don't know if you saw the Post article what the third or fourth greatest Ranger of all time after Rod and leach, and then maybe you could put messier and him kind of like 3a, 3b. He doesn't have a cup and that bothers me. It bothers me about mattingly. It bothers me and I hate watching like I hated ovechkin winning. I wanted that guy to never win a championship. I don't want other team stars to win because my guy didn't win. My guy didn't win. So I don't want anyone's guy to win. Fuck him Got it. I know that sounds ridiculous and stupid and petty, so it's better that Barkov wins. I know, yeah, better than Barkov won. No, I'm serious For you, it's better than Barkov, better than Barkov one. No, I'm serious For you, it's better than Barkov. Barkov doesn't bother me, why, I don't know. He just doesn't.
Speaker 1:Mcdavid's a great player. Alexander Barkov, he's a great player. If Alexander Barkov was Canadian, the way people view him would be totally, totally different. I don't know he is, he's great. But I mean, yari Curry was a great player and he's not heralded the way. Yari Curry was a complementary wing next to Wayne Gretzky. Yari Curry had 600 goals Next to Wayne Gretzky, oh. So Yari Curry ain't doing that, it's fine. Yari Curry ain't doing that in Hartford.
Speaker 1:So I'm going to tell you who Lafreniere is, who His career. He's Kevin Stevens. Sure, I'll take Kevin Stevens. That is who. Lafreniere is A good player who needs a great player to succeed. That is the only way Lafreniere is going to put up points.
Speaker 1:For me, sasha Barkov is the third best center in the NHL. He probably is. He's Kopitar. Does Kopitar get the respect that he deserves? He's better than Kopitar was, in my opinion. Probably Kopitar was a little bit better offensively. Kopitar's one of the best two-way centers I've ever seen. Oh, he's a Hall of Famer, undoubted Hall of Famer. Is he better than Bergeron? Yes, because he has better offense than Bergeron, and I think the same Bergeron, between the dots, is one of the best centers. That's what I'm saying. I think Barkov is every bit as equal defensively. Again, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:Unless you, until they find that elite center. I think you're just spinning your wheels. So what you need then to win is team buy-in and and an identity, and the identity has to be we've only seen one team do that, la, excuse me, st louis. Okay, but here's without the centers. Can I? Can I give you the path? Yeah, I'm gonna give you the path. Okay, we still have more talent and if we do establish this identity, we have more talent than any team that's in the metro.
Speaker 1:Do, right or wrong, that third line showing is pretty bad. It's Carolina's third line. They don't have one Better than ours. It's not Parsonin, brett, berard and Offman or Kaliev, which I like, kaliev, by the way. I hope they give him a chance. But the top six on Washington does not come close to competing with our top six on paper. Again, they have to establish this who's in our top six? On paper? Again, they have to establish this who's in our top six right now Lafayette, trochek, panarin, right, cooley's, abanajad, miller.
Speaker 1:Oh, so Miller, cooley and Contract. Okay, sean Dude, I'm sorry, I'm just so angry with this guy, I can't get past it yet. All right, so we're going to get into this later, but me and you are placing away John, the Ben and Jed season. Ok, am I 0-2? Did we place one last year, the Trochek one? I don't remember what it was. I'm going to tell you how mad I am. Trochek one was open by October. It's November. I was going. We're going to talk about Mika later, promise.
Speaker 1:But the path To winning a cup Starts with winning our division and right now the Metro Is in complete like Changing Not changing of the guard, but there's a lull right now. The Devils are not that good, carolina is just. They're not that good and in the playoffs they're even worse. We own them in the playoffs. Washington is not that good. They were a paper tiger last year. I called it during the season.
Speaker 1:I said, once this Ovechkin thing is over, these guys are nothing in the playoffs. You can't tell me that Dylan Strom is your number one center, is going to fucking win a playoff, is going to win in the playoffs. It's not going to happen. No, nobody in the Metro, none of this. No one down the middle of the Metro. I mean, the devils might be, they're not. What do they got? He's your Hughes. And uh, they just traded Eric Holla, right, no, I'm so I, until they get Quinn Hughes here, they're not going to be that good. Columbus will be good one day. Columbus will be very good one day. They're not there yet. I'm not worried.
Speaker 1:Pittsburgh obviously has already waved the white flag on the season. They have no interest in even playing hockey. The Flyers are the Flyers. They'll always be somewhere toward the middle slash bottom. They'll be in contention for a while Looking for a goalie again.
Speaker 1:I heard Always Always Carter Hart's available, isn't he? I said that the other day. I know I started laughing so hard when I saw that, like hey, why not? I want to say Robichick, monique, no, no, no. Rest in peace, rest in peace. I forgot he passed away for a minute. So the path to the Eastern Conference Finals itself is right there. It's literally right there for them, right.
Speaker 1:So is Florida going to do it again? Are they going to go that far for a fourth consecutive season? I'm not saying that they can't, but statistically I think the Atlantic is much better than it is and it's going to beat up on each other. Well, they didn't beat up on each other this year. I mean, you know, florida manhandled friggin' Because Carolina sucks, they suck, the goaltending sucks and they're yeah, they don't have they. The way that I describe the islanders, that's carolina. They don't have it is. I listen, I am I'm fully aware of that, but you gotta say you shake your head and say you know they lose nature's, they give up ranted, and all they get back is Logan's stank COVID, who's a young player, who's, I think, going to be a decent player, yeah, and they still make it to the third round, Because the rest of the Metro was was terrible this year.
Speaker 1:Who do they beat? The devils? And uh, and Washington and Washington. So they beat nobody. The devils that they didn't even try. They didn't have Jack Hughes, they had nothing.
Speaker 1:I saw Washington this year, sean, and I'll tell you they looked completely different. I don't know if they just got. They were on the OVHQ run, I don't know. It's more than that. It had a lot to do with it. All right, he was hurt, though, and he was still winning. But again, you can't win without centers, and they're, you know, dylan Stroman, who was the other center that they had this year. I was like you can't win with those two guys as your top two centers. I can't even think who their other center was. Why am I blanking on it? It was Stroman. Oh, pierre-luc Dubois, that's it. I'm like that's a bunch of scaring.
Speaker 1:They kind of stepped in it this year with the trades they made. They got rid of Kemper and they brought in Logan Thompson and they brought in Dubois, obviously in that trade, and they brought in Logan Thompson who was all-world for the majority of the season. They brought in Chikrin, which was a gift of a trade. I mean a gift of a trade. No, no, give them credit. I mean they made the right moves, give them credit. But again in a playoff series, rgm keeps rolling back the same freaking guys. I mean, but again in a playoff series, dylan Strom and PLD were your top two centers and that just you saw the outcome and that just you. You saw, you saw the outcome. That was it.
Speaker 1:Yeah, so just get to the eastern conference finals and then anything happens, whether it's florida, whether it's toronto. I mean toronto is going to have a total makeover. You know marner and uh, what's his face? Tavaris are probably going to be gone. I heard they. They offered Tavares four years at $5 million per Right, which he's not going to take. I mean it depends.
Speaker 1:What do you want to do? Do you want to win or do you want to make the most money. I mean, have you made enough? Take a one-year deal, but it's also been well. What has he won there, though? So maybe it's. I want to win. I don't want to stand for all. I don't think he wants to leave. Maybe he'll sign back with the Islanders.
Speaker 1:I said that they already took his captaincy away and gave it to Matthews. Listen, he's got seven years. Crazy that he was there for seven years. That's incredible. Think about it. Panarin's going to be here seven years. That's crazy, and it's so funny, though, these guys normally don't last, especially for the Rangers.
Speaker 1:There are just guys that just never seem to last their contract, and the guy that shocked me, that lasted his entire contract was Brendan Smith. I joked about that. He thought he was going to get bought out right away. He signed that contract and he was going to get bought out. He, he, he. He signed that contract and he felt he was great for them against Ottawa and Montreal, yeah, and he fell off a cliff, and I'm like this guy is never going to last, and he lasted that whole fucking contract. Meanwhile, everyone else around him gone, gone, gone, gone. I'm like, oh my God, I couldn them. Gone, gone, gone, gone. I'm like, oh my god, I couldn't believe it.
Speaker 1:Someone else signed that summer another defense. I want to say it was another defenseman, I can't think of who it was. Brandon smith signed and someone else maybe, maybe shattenkirk, yeah, and shattenkirk was gone. I was like these guys don't last. Yeah, they don't last, and that's why you got to build through trades for you.
Speaker 1:I kind of feel for shot and kirk a little bit, because, man, he left seven times seven on the table from the devils. Yep, god bless him. I mean he has to wake up at night in a cold sweat thinking the amount of money. But, sean, I mean, come on, we all know hockey players' careers are very short. Yes, you know, to leave that type of money on the table, I mean that is incredible. What did he take? Five, four or five, four years, four years, I know Six and a half, six and a half, all right, the money wasn't that big. He left three years on the table. The money was in a huge three years and five an extra two million bucks, you know, I mean it's, you know, 21 million plus. He left 20, left 20, he left 22 million dollars, 23 million dollars on the table. That's not, that's not a little bit of money. Yeah, god bless him. God will keep you up at night. I bless him.
Speaker 1:Unbelievable and kevin weeks. I remember that was the first guy. I remember him truly breaking like. That was the first guy he said shattenkirk signing and he was like it was like an hour later he, two hours later, he signed right. But, um, let's see shattenkirk, from us got, yeah, six points, six, six, five, six, six, five. Okay, yeah, all right. So we still left significant money on the table, bought out poor guy. Then got 175 the next year from tampa. He got what he got paid by, paid by Anaheim. What did he get from Anaheim? He got four, three, nine, three years, one year, three years. Yeah, Wow, in the end he got taken care of. He did all right. He still left money on the table. I get it, I get it. Plus, he was being paid by the Rangers. It's all good, the buyout. I'm not saying these guys are eating cat food, but it's uh to do all right. I'm just saying it's just. It's just.
Speaker 1:You think about that. You're like wow, their careers are so short. Yeah, I remember my dad. There used to be a book. I don't remember it was uh, it was a media guy, but for the nh it was a big, thick book. They used to sell it at Cosby's and in this book it had every team and it broke down like every retired player in the back, like what years, their statistics and everything else. And my dad, one time he goes give me that book for a minute, he pulled out 10 guys at random, like 10 straight guys in the book that retired and he pulled up, he added them all together, their years they played, and divided it by. You know uh, I forgot. I've got the math. He did the average, the average time the guys played, and I think the average career for an nhL player is three seasons or three to five seasons, something like that. That's the NFL's three. I got to imagine the NHL's a little longer Depends NFL's three. So maybe it was because guys are coming in younger. So this is maybe when they were older. Okay, remember, guys didn't break in at 18, 19, 20 years old. No, no, this is 21, 22, 20 years old. No, no, this is 21, 22, 23 years old.
Speaker 1:You know, I remember Joe Thornton was the first guy me personally that I remember that was 18 years old playing in the NHL, and I may be wrong. Was Pronger 18? Who Pronger? Did he come in his first year? Was he that young? I don't remember. Joe thornton was the first guy I remember coming in at his age, as an 18 year old. Well, the game was just so much more physical back. So maybe, maybe, maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it was six years was the average year. Now that I'm thinking about it, I forgot. It was a long time ago. It was a very long time. They haven't made the book, probably in 20 years. So Chris Pryor came in at 19. Okay, he came in the year after he was drafted. Yeah, okay, so he was fairly young too.
Speaker 1:I remember Thornton's the first guy I really remember coming in at 18. And you know so. Or Dague Dague came into the league at 18. Oh, yeah, I forgot about him. Yeah, I guess those expansion teams which he credits with killing his career Probably Jovanovsky. Jovanovsky was 19.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I guess those expansion teams. Yeah, right, they just needed someone to sell tickets. They needed to sell tickets exactly. I don't know if Olin Nolan came in. Oh, no, he was right at the bike. Quebec, never mind.
Speaker 1:Yeah, yeah, but a lot of these type picks during the 90s. They were coming in at 19, which is still pretty crazy. Yeah, no, I never realized that, because I guess back then, when 90s, they were coming in at 19, which is still pretty crazy. Yeah, no, that's I, I never. I never realized that, you know, because I guess back then, when you know these guys are 19, I'm probably like 10, so they seem like they were 35 to me. Thornton was 18.
Speaker 1:Was marlo or marlo stay in the at faloon? Yeah, marlo was 18. Also, it's pat faloon, 18. I don't want to go back to the 91 here, so that might. I'm just saying all those expansion teams brought their first-round picks in, I believe right away, I think Roman Hamerlich, he was 19,.
Speaker 1:Pat Falloon, roman Hamerlich, yashin I don't know if Yashin played right away, he was 19, but he was just September. It must have been late. So he was 19, but that's just, he was just September. I don't know. He must have been late birthday because he was in the 91 draft and he played in 91-92. Alright, so then he was drafted in June and then he played and he played. Yeah, that was a big rookie card back in the day.
Speaker 1:Paffaloon, that was a big deal. What was that set with the green? All the rookies were in like that green pinnacle. Was it pinnacle? Yeah, I had that. I have a close one. We all had those. Yeah, and of course, the great Scott Lachance was in that draft. The great going to be better than Brian Leach one day. Scott Lachance, too funny. That's why I hate Island Defense. Scott Sissons in that draft. Scott Sissons in that draft. Scott Sissons so you saw that thing I sent you about.
Speaker 1:Have you ever? Has anyone ever heard of Morris Titanic, a draft pick from the 70s that played for? Did he play for Quebec or Hartford or St Louis? That is a real name. I thought it was a made-up name. No, it's a real fucking guy. He played 19 games in the NHL For Buffalo, buffalo, sorry, that's what it was. Morris Titanic. That is amazing. I thought that was a made-up. I'm like I have never heard of this guy. I mean, you would think, sean, you and I, who have been around hockey all our lives, just as a name, someone would have brought this up. You would have heard of this guy. I have never heard of this guy. Morris Titanic. Tell me if anyone in the chat room has ever heard of Morris Titanic.
Speaker 1:Do I have to name the episode Morris Titanic? Well, you might have to. I, I saw that it was like that. It's sometimes on Instagram. These things come up like 10 worst draft picks of all time. Of course the Rangers have to have one guy on there. It's a foregone conclusion. But I'm like who the fuck is? Morris Titanic? I've never heard of this guy in my life. It's a bad movie character name. The name sounds made up. I say there's no way this name is real. But he played 19 games for the Sabres. It's a porn name, never scoring a point. Incredible, it's a porn name. Incredible name. Incredible name Morris Titanic.
Speaker 1:Scott Sissons was on there.
Speaker 1:Ryan Sittler Was he Darryl Sittler's kid? I don't know. Scott Sissons was on there. Ryan sitler was he dad? Was he daryl sitler's kid? I don't know. Maybe scott scissor was on there.
Speaker 1:I said, uh, who else was on there? Brian finley was in there. I didn't know that 99 draft. Brian finley was in the 99 draft. I went back and looked at that 99 draft.
Speaker 1:Sean, other than the Sedins in the first three rounds you don't have another half-decent player, like not half-decent, but not another star player. You had some nice pieces Barrett Jackman, marty Havlad had a solid early career. There were a few other guys in there but I was like, oh my God, it has to be one of the worst drafts I've ever. It's the worst draft I've ever seen personally. But yeah, it just goes to show you that you never know, like you said, I mean you could have a first round pick and obviously you said the drafting back then was different, but you could use the draw. The Rangers unfortunately had the first round pick in a year where the guy's just not going to be a cornerstone generational talent by no fault of their own. It's just the way it is.
Speaker 1:Or is he or is he Jonathan Chichu? The book is yet to be written. Or is he Jonathan Chichu? The book is yet to be written. Or is he Jonathan Chichu? Let's see what happens. Why isn't this? Letting me open this now, trying to open Steve's draft thing?
Speaker 1:So tell me about Mika, what's my problem with him? You were, I told you on the last show what my problem with him is. I don't want to hear about his contract. I don't want to hear what he's felt he's earned and and that's really what bothers me when did he say that? Just, oh, I'll. I'll have to go back and find the quote. He said it when they were talking about waving his no-trade clause and he said I know what my contract says. I don't know anything about it no one's asked me anything, but I just know what my contract says.
Speaker 1:Instead of saying I know I want to be here and I want to win a championship, I got to hear about your contract and I just he just rubs me the wrong way. I just the mopiness that I just don't think you can win a championship with him. I don't, I just don't think he's a big game player. I think he's just here for the ride. At this point. He's here. We're playing out the string for the next five fucking years.
Speaker 1:You know, I just you felt that watching him down the stretch, yes, yes, I just wasn't. I wasn't impressed, and you know it's funny. I meant to pull up his numbers, like the last 20 games. I understand he had a great january, but I mean he can't get, he can't, doesn't get the one-timer off at all anymore. He doesn't score on that shot at all anymore. I mean zero. Now is that more towards scouting? How come Ovi and Stamkos can still score from there? That is true.
Speaker 1:Well, stamkos didn't last year, but yes, in general, correct. I mean I don't want to hear about these. But why is it? When it comes to the Rangers, we have to make excuses for these guys? I'm not saying you, but just in general. It's just very frustrating when you see these guys.
Speaker 1:I just don't like what I saw this year, and it's a lot of guys. It's not just him, right, it's him, it's Lafreniere. I don't like the. There were games upon games. You didn't even hear his name called. So would you want them to know? The last 20 games? Yeah, what was Mika's points? The last 20 games, subtracting the last two where the team didn't? The two teams they played in Florida and Tampa didn't even give a rat's ass, they just were going through the motions and I'm sure he had four points in those two games.
Speaker 1:If you want to know what he had for the last 20 games, he had 18 points in the last 20 games Seven goals, 11 assists, three power play goals. So he scored on the power play just fine. He was only a minus two in those 20 games. So he was nowhere near as bad as what he was before that 50% on his face-offs. 18 hits in 20 games. So it was nowhere near as bad as what he was before that 50% on his face offs 18 hits in 20 games. So he was a hit, just about a hit a game for those 20. So, yeah, I don't know, I get it Sometimes, the numbers, just I look at the numbers and you and I talked about this.
Speaker 1:Well, sometimes you look at the numbers and you say to yourself how, in God's name, when Lafreniere, after we pulled up his numbers and signed his contract and I broke it down per month, he's a point of gate player. How is he a point of gate player since he signed his contract? At that point I don't think it was full, like I think it was. Whatever his contract was up until the date we said it and it wasn't the end of the season. Obviously it was probably, say, I don't know, january. They're like this guy has been invisible, oh, but he's put up 15 points in the last 20 games, like where, from january 1st to the end of the season was 46 games, he had 41 points. So that's an even bigger sample.
Speaker 1:After the team dug an insurmountable hole where there was no pressure on them to do anything. That's not true. Not in January. There was no pressure, sean. Of course there was. Of course there was. Of course there was. That's not fair. They went 4-15. What pressure was there at that point To turn it around? And they did. And then they brought in Miller. You want to tell me the last five games of the season when they lost to Philly and they blew all those games? I'll give you that. How about the Pittsburgh game without Crosby and Malkin? How'd that game go? That was terrible, terrible. How about Buffalo after the World? All terrible. I'm making zero excuses for them. I'm just.
Speaker 1:If you compare the first half of Zibanejad, where we also both, with the eye test, noticed he couldn't move on the ice and we were concerned with what seven years of him not being able to six years of him not being able to move was going to look like, compared to what he looked like both on the ice, the last half and his production. It's fine, I don't. It bothers me. Where he was also a plus, he was also a zero. You know what, sean? I get it. I get it that players negotiate this in their contract. I'm fully aware of that.
Speaker 1:But when a team says we don't want you and you choose, who said that? The team never asked him about it? How do you know that A beat reporter did? The team never asked. You don't think the Rangers tried to trade him. There has been zero report ever that they have asked him to waive his no move clause or that a trade was being discussed and they needed him to waive it. That has never come out once. I think it was vince or arthur stable, one of the beat writers, asked him if he would waive his no move clause if he was approached by the rangers. He said he had never been approached about it and he said I have the clause in my contract. I have no interest in leaving. That's it. There's never been anything else. That's ever been mentioned that he's turned something down. To be fair and Frank Cervelli brought this up no one wants him, and multiple guys. I also don't agree with that. Nobody wants him.
Speaker 1:Would you want that contract, his contract's buyout proof and five years left for a 32 year old player on the decline? Would you want that contract? We'll see if he's on the decline. We're going to find out this year when we make our bet. Mika will not score over 70 points this year. That's my bet. That's exactly where I was. I was going to put it at 75, but I'll take 70. He will not score over 70 points this year Worst year of his career.
Speaker 1:He had 62. And how old was he at that point? Was that the year he broke his ankle? Or whatever he did? This is the worst year of his career. The year that just passed was the worst year of his career. What was the year? He got hurt with the Rangers and he broke his ankle? He didn't put up 60 points that year, did he? No, he only played in 50 games. What was he on pace for in an 82-game season? It wasn't great. That year he played better down the end. He was also just.
Speaker 1:I think he was 23 years old. That was his first, his second year with us, right? Or first year? First year, he had 37 points in 56 games. What does that come out to? Points in 56 games? What does that come out to? 37 times 82, divided by 56. 54 points? He's 23 years old, playing in New York for the first time.
Speaker 1:Alright, okay, you know the human beings, right. And what did he do in the playoffs that year? I don't remember he had 9 points in 12 games in the playoffs. Is that when he scored the overtime against Montreal? Yep, I don't know. I just don't think we can win with him. I don't care how many points he scores. He can score 100 points this year.
Speaker 1:Sean, I don't think you can win a cup with him in your top six. That's my opinion. I don't think he's tough enough. I don't think he's tough enough. I don't know if he's big enough to go up against top six players, tight-checking guys on other teams. And you want to know the cool part, if he's playing on the line with Miller and Cooley, he don't have to be. He could be tactical defensively and be really fucking good at it. Would you ever tell me what pisses me off with this team more than anything else? Is there knee jerk reaction to everything? Don't get Eichel. Okay, let's give this guy a fricking, unsurmountable 78 years, seven or eight year contract with a no movement clausemovement clause at $8.5 million.
Speaker 1:Meanwhile they were trying to get rid of him. Didn't they offer him for Eichel? No, no, we talked about on the show, about how awesome it would be to have him and Eichel as a one-two punch for that one season, and then we wouldn't be able to keep Zibanejad after that because of the cap, but for that one season we would have them both. So no, that wasn't the case. And once you didn't get Eichel, you couldn't just let him go and you wouldn't have 91 points the next year.
Speaker 1:So what do you mean? I'm just very bad. I know you hate the guy. You want him deported. I don't know, I wouldn't go that far. Listen, I'm not Sean. I love him, but he's a little over the top With all that. I just don't think you can win with him. I don't like what I saw. I don't think he's mentally tough Enough to play here. I'm surprised he wants to stay and I don't know, I don't know what, and I just don't think he has any trade value. I wouldn't trade for him. I wouldn't trade for him. I wouldn't touch that guy with a 10-foot pole.
Speaker 1:If the Rangers waived him tomorrow, he'd be claimed by who. Someone would take it. Someone would take it. First of all, no one would do the Rangers the favor. That's not a favor. They'd be getting a good player. For what? One year, maybe two years?
Speaker 1:What is your fascination with the age with these guys? They're not 35. You can't see guys fall off a cliff when they reach 31, 32, 33 years old. No, I mean Canaris. Next year is his age 32 season. He's only 32?. He just turned 32 in April, they're even more trouble. Why, if he played this poorly at 30 years old, he didn't play that bad in the second half of the season. That's my whole point.
Speaker 1:I truthfully think that he was laboring with something in the first half. Oh my God, always a fucking excuse. It really is An injury is an excuse. He played through it. Did they say he was injured? You're assuming he was injured. My eyes tell me he didn't escape. You know what the problem was, sean? He was fucking butt hurt because his boyfriend was fucking injured and because Krydo's name was in the fucking memo.
Speaker 1:And why did he have an anxiety attack on the ice then? Why did he have a panic attack? For what reason? What reason? Because they were asking him while we were trying to get rid of him. Why other way would this guy have him lose it on the ice? A lot of pressure, I don't know. Pressure of what? They're 14 and 4 and 15. Pressure of what? That's? A lot of pressure when you, when you can't figure out how to play your game.
Speaker 1:First of all, on the list of important players on the rangers, it's igor, it's panarin, it's fox, it's crider, and then it's him. He's the fifth most important guy on this team. I've said for years he's the second most behind the bully. No, I've said that for years. I've said for years that he was more important than panarin. He's not more important than Panarin. Panarin puts up 120 points. How is Mika more important? Because he's a center. A center will always be more important than a wing, I don't care Will. You also said that Panarin plays like a center because he's a distributor. He drives the line, yes, but he doesn't play defense the way that Panarin plays defense, that way Zibanejad plays defense.
Speaker 1:Was Zibanejad play defense this year? He was terrible the first half. He's the fifth most important person on this team. So Mika Zibanejad, for the year, was a minus 22. From January 2nd to the end of the year he was a zero. So he was a minus 22 the first 40 games of the season and he was even the rest of it 22, the first 40 games of the season and he was even the rest of it. Until I see a difference.
Speaker 1:Sean, this is not. I don't like what I saw from these guys and Lafreniere's on the same boat. I would shoot him into the sun tomorrow if I could. I think he is a nice complimentary player that plays with good players. He cannot drive a line himself. He cannot drive a line himself. He's not a line driver, he's a good player.
Speaker 1:He's Glenn Anderson. He is, that's who he is. Wait, glenn Anderson scored 500 goals. Let me ask you a question Was Glenn Anderson a great player? I didn't see Glenn Anderson's heyday. I didn't see him with Edmonton. I'm too young for that. Okay, how about you've seen Kevin Stevens play? Right, kevin Stevens was like a John LeClair. He stood in front of the net and he played with Lemieux when he scored 40 points. How about Rob Brown? How many 40-goal seasons did he have playing with Lemieux?
Speaker 1:We don't have Lemieux, we have Panarin. Panarin is our Lemieux, panarin is our Lemieux. We have a great player that makes everyone. That is the makeup of a great player Crosby, mckinnon, kucharov. What is the common denominator? They make every player around them better.
Speaker 1:Brian rust, you know, uh, connor sherry, when they play with crosby, they were money gensel, I told you I give cancel. I take back everything I said about him. I take back everything I say about that guy. Same, but I believe Lafreniere is a nice player who can play with great players and put up points, but he's not a guy you take. We saw him away from Panarin this year. He was a ghost. You didn't see him on the ice. He was nowhere to be found and we'll see.
Speaker 1:If he doesn't play Panarin this year, we're going to see. This is going to be the test. But here's the problem, sean, here's the caveat. He's done on year one of this contract. He falls off a cliff again this year and you look at another season with 40 points. You won't be able to give this guy away. I'm telling you now.
Speaker 1:Tell us how you really feel this season has soured me so much. Even Fox, I would get rid of him tomorrow too, but at least Fox was hurt. At least Fox has an excuse. He gets the excuse, but he has a legitimate excuse. He got hurt. We know he was hurt. So because of Benajad and Kreider played through their injuries and Fox, you know they were fucking wrong too. Why are you playing through injuries? The season was over. Why is Kreider still playing? Why is the? They're injured? Why are you playing?
Speaker 1:Wanted to get everything he could as a Ranger man, he knew he was done. Play. If you're injured, don't fucking play. See, I disagree. I respect when someone plays hurt. It's a playoff series, play, play, I get it. But a regular season game, what do you care? In march against the seattle kraken, I don't need you to play. If you can't beat them. Without the guy, there's no business.
Speaker 1:We gave away the draft pick. Who cares? None of this hurt us. We gave away the pick. It's not the point. It's not the point. Maybe that you don't. Maybe they would have had the first overall pick. And then what are you doing? I'm None of this hurt us. We gave away the pick. That's not the point. That's not the point. Maybe they would have had the first overall pick. And then what are you doing? I'm just not throwing it out there. They lose those last two games. How do you know they're not fucking trapped in first overall? What would we do with it? We'd squander the player anyway. So what's the difference? They probably would. Again, this season has completely, completely what.
Speaker 1:Let me ask you a question what for some, for someone who plays on a top power play unit? Give me a guy around the league, a wing, that plays on a top power play unit. How many power play points you think they get a year? Who? Oh God, that's a great question. I'm not talking about the Kucharovs 20? 20. That's what I was thinking also. Okay, but Lafreniere, when they tried Lafreniere on the power play, it was fucking terrible. The whole power play in general was terrible. Well, maybe now David Quinn's back, all the problems will be solved. Maybe you never know all the problems will be solved. Maybe you never know. Apparently, mika was a big component to Quinn coming back. He trumpeted for Quinn to come back.
Speaker 1:I forgot where I heard it, but I'm going to find out and I'm going to let you know I've heard it. I listen to so many podcasts and read so much stuff that I don't know where I hear stuff. Sometimes and I apologize if I'm not giving somebody credit and it's not intentional, but I listen to everything Because I'm a glutton for punishment. Lafreniere had 41 points, five on five, this year. You know what Pierre Maguire had the audacity to say Lafreniere reminds me of Jerome McGinley. I was like you have some. Lafreniere isn't a speck on Jerome McGinley's rear end.
Speaker 1:As far as talent goes, look at Jerome McGinley's first three seasons. He was a beast His first three seasons. Look at his first three seasons. I believe he put up 60 points in his first or second season. 50, 32, 51. 28 goals was his high. What was I looking at? 28 goals was his high, which is what Lafreniere's high is. Maybe I was looking at his years. The fuck was I looking at? What the hell was I looking at? He was great. So there you go.
Speaker 1:Jerome McGinley's first year of greatness like pure, pure greatness was 24 years old. He had 52 goals. That's leading up to that. He was building towards that, yeah, and Lafreniere, up until last year, was improving every year too. And then last year the wheels fell off. No one's saying they didn't, they did.
Speaker 1:And I don't know if it was the contract, I don't know if it was the influence in the locker room. Again, I would love for this kid to be able to just be his own man now and not just, you know, ride the train of the of of these veterans. Unless he's going to ride the, unless he's going to ride the JT military, then he can, because at least that guy's got his priorities in the right spot. I don't know, I just I don't know what to expect. Yeah, I don't, and I don't think Lafreniere is not the player Jerome McGinley was At least not the player I saw. And again, I didn't watch a lot of Calgary Flame games. But but I think he's I don't think the comparison is fair Very similar.
Speaker 1:I think there's a lot of similarity. Again, jerome mcginn was a hall of famer, so, but a kid's taken first overall, he should be also. So we will see. I mean there's a lot. I mean he dom the back-to-back champion. Florida panthers had no answer for him in an eastern conference final. He was our best player. Now goudreau was our best player.
Speaker 1:But I get what you're saying. I get what you're saying. No, I get what you're saying. Um, but that what you're saying? No, I get what you're saying. But that was Panarin too. I thought Panarin was very good in that Florida series. He was good. You know again. You know just because Panarin, you read it as that and it was a good. It was a very good and well put out statistical thing that you did about Panarin's points and Lafreniere's points in the 120-point season.
Speaker 1:But Panarin does little things that don't show up on the score sheet. He attracts players, he opens up space for everybody. He opens up space, he does things. It's just a shame that if he was bigger he'd be. I don't know how much better he could be. I mean he'd probably be Kucherov. In a lot of ways Kucherov's a bigger, just a bigger guy, right. But you know he's not small.
Speaker 1:To open air, people make it seem like he's he's wiry, but he's not. He's six foot but he's strong as shit. The games get tight in a lot of times, like you see, he struggles against, like LA Right and those bigger teams that he just can't. You know the Devils in 2000,. You know the year they got the seven-game series. You know he just struggled against those physical teams but a lot of guys do and that's why you see it a lot of the time it's great players that score, but great players figure it out. So Sam Reinhardt is a great player.
Speaker 1:Now we're putting him in the class of and I'm not saying that we're not Based off of what we've seen the last four years. He's a very he's. I don't know if he's, I don't think he's a Hall of Famer, but as far as a playoff performer, you know, I mean, like they said, you make your money in the regular season, you make your name in the playoffs and he's making his name in the playoffs, there are just guys that are just playoff performers and there are guys that wilt under the pressure of the spotlight and and and. Unfortunately the Rangers have a lot of guys that have wilted in the big moments. And unfortunately the Rangers have a lot of guys that have wilted in the big moments.
Speaker 1:Now, kreider, unfortunately Kreider was the one guy that you knew you could count on in the playoffs. You knew for sure. You know, mika, you're talking how many years ago was that overtime winner? You know you're talking 10 years ago that that goal was scored. What was the last big goal he scored in the playoffs? You know you can count on. You can say, oh, trochek has a big goal, panarin has two big goals. You know you've got Kreider has a hat trick. I mean, you've got guys that you can say, all right, these guys have had this. Carl Hagelin had a big moment in the playoffs. Mark Stoll had a big moment in the playoffs. You can go back in time.
Speaker 1:Mika has not had a signature moment in the playoffs. So Mika's big thing was scoring early in games. Truthfully, I mean, how many times did Mika score the first goal? I thought Mika was good in the Tampa series in the first two games and then after that he was going, and the Pittsburgh series before that, that whole playoffs he was very good. I don't remember him as much. Sasha Barkov stopped him and again, third best center in the league. Sasha Barkov stopped him. But he also did a great job on Barkov. In return, barkov did nothing in that series either. Barkov doesn't worry about it, he's still a point-of-game guy. He didn't put up a lot of points against Edmonton either, did he Barkov? Yeah, I don't think he even scored a goal in that series. He had five assists in the series. So it's less five games. Let me see Playoffs. Still had 22 points in 23 games in the playoffs, barkov.
Speaker 1:The way Florida beat these teams was with their depth. That's how they won these games. I mean, I know Kachuk had a couple of goals. You know Bennett. You know Bennett was the best player. Bennett was the best player 15 goals. And then Marshawn was the best player 15 goals. And then and then Marchant was on the third line. Right, didn't? Didn't Marchant play on the third line? Pretty sure he did.
Speaker 1:Second, I thought it was on the second line. I don't remember, it doesn't matter. But you know Lindell, you know I mean, you're talking, you're talking. Look at those, look at them down the middle. Lindell's your third line center. No, they're insane. It's just a perfectly.
Speaker 1:And they lost Ekman Larson, they lost Montador and they didn't skip a beat. Sean Barkov played 23 and a half minutes a game in the finals. Yeah For a center. Reinhardt played almost 25 minutes a game as a center in the playoffs. Reinhardt's a center. Yeah For a center. Reinhardt played almost 25 minutes a game as a center in the playoffs. Reinhardt's a center. Yeah, I thought Bennett played center. I thought Bennett was a center on the second line. Reinhardt no, reinhardt's a winger, isn't he? He took 500 face-offs this year, did he so? Did he so he played some center? You know Reinhardt finished second in the Selkie. Let's either go into either Utah or Dallas as possibilities.
Speaker 1:Did you know Sam Reinhardt finished second in the Selkie voting this year? Did he Second? I didn't know that. So the top two guys were Barkov and Reinhardt. Wow, that's crazy Teammates. That tells you everything you need to know right there. How do you win, how do you beat a team where their two top centers are also the two best defensive centers in the league? It's just an absolutely. I can't think Other than the word stellar. I want to use a different word. It's just an absolute clinic. Hey, joe, benninger. Clinic, I know Clinic of GMing by Zito Trochek with votes. I saw that 18th. He was awful this year, but I don't expect him.
Speaker 1:Listen, I'm happy with him winning face-offs and playing good defense and being a pest. I don't even have to put up points, play on my third line and just be a pest, not play 22 minutes a night. Well, I mean, if he's killing penalties, he might have to, because they might have to now, because now, with Kreider not there, that's a huge penalty killer. They're losing, and he was a threat on the ice on shorthand. I'd like to see Edstrom get a chance at killing penalties. I know me too, with that length and his speed. Block a shot, poke, check a puck. He's gone. I'll tell you, though, that would save some of these other guys' bodies too, right, because then you got Miller and Zbigniew and Trocek all playing in every facet, and I honestly Fox shouldn't be killing penalties either. No, I've said that for two years he shouldn't be, but he might. You know, I don't know what they're.
Speaker 1:Listen, this defense is a disaster, and I'll tell you, sean, get ready. I hate to say this to you. I think Carson Susie is on this opening, not on this opening night roster. I'm telling you that'll be another wager. I'm telling you right now what's the wager. So again, I'm just going by what I heard. I know you don't want to hear this and from the source I heard it from, which is obviously no secret Vince's podcast I listened to the other night.
Speaker 1:His understanding no, I shouldn't say that His opinion, so let's leave it there. His opinion, let me rephrase that His opinion that he felt that it would be bad optics on a team that's already had so much drama and so much circulating around the team that if they brought back Soucy if they didn't bring back Soucy, they traded him and took a loss on him that it would make the franchise look bad. I'm paraphrasing. I don't know exactly how we worded it. That is so dumb.
Speaker 1:The guy was here for 18 games. He was not part of the fabric of this team. They had to freaking massage. I mean, that's the other thing. You had to beg this guy to come here. Who ever said that? They had to ask him to no movement clause? Yeah, and he waved it. He had a phone call with JT Miller and that was it. He didn't unwave it right away. They had to kind of convince him to come here. Apparently.
Speaker 1:I don't, I, I, I, I'm saying that that sounds very overblown. I don't know if it is overblown or not. Yeah, but what they could do is on July 1st, when his no trade kicks in, you throw the guy on waivers and you say see ya, because if they need the cap space which I don't know, listen, this team has shot themselves in the foot again. I don't know if it's on purpose, who's leaking shit out, but I also wonder if this whole Miller trade holdup thing is. Teams are now holding them up because they know they're trying to get Gavrikov. So they're like well, you need to trade Miller, so we'll give you whatever we want, because we know you don't want him. So we know you want a Gavrikov, so we're going to give you less because we know you don't want him on the team. So again they shot themselves completely in the foot all over again because miller was white hot, white hot. 12, 15 teams interested.
Speaker 1:You haven't heard shit since larry brooks's article. You have not heard a pin drop on on keandre miller, anything from nobody, not even ecklund. Or the the obscure freaking you know national inquirer type that's what jim, jim schmiederberg, his credit for that in Eklund. Or the obscure, friggin National Enquirer type. That's what Jim Schmiederberg gets credit for, that. He's the one that called him that the National Enquirer insiders.
Speaker 1:Nobody has anything on this guy. It's gone quiet and you're like what the fuck is going on. What do they want? Every year they can't get anything for these guys. They give Kako away for a third-round pick and a bottom-four defenseman. They give Kratsov away for a seventh-round pick in 2030 and Will Lockwood I mean it's just the only one they got anything for was fucking. Nils Lundqvist and Leo Sanderson.
Speaker 1:We got the draft pick for Will Cooley they did. Hino was essentially the throw-in because they needed to give him back his center in the Miller trade. Well, that was a salary dump. I'm saying you know what guys, you know what guy might come back to kind of bite them in the ass. He may not be a superstar, emerson, no, mancini, nah, I think he's going to play 15 years in this league. Sean, you watch, I'm not saying he won't, but he's going to play at least 35, that guy, okay, we had Ty Emerson here and he's good enough to play on the team that's gone to the back-to-back finals.
Speaker 1:They lost them on waivers, right, was it waivers? No, they lost them on waivers, so all the defensive issues that we have, and let the guy walk out the door. Well, they had no choice. Can't win them all Because Zach Jones is still on the damn team. Yeah, I mean, could you sit here, right? It's presently constituted, you and I may be doing a show next Wednesday or Thursday and we might be sitting here and there might be nothing done. We might be sitting here with Keonji Miller and Zach Jones still on this team. So, zach Jones it's funny, he's starting to almost remind me of what's his name Lee Moore Hayek. Yeah, where, like you have no role, but we're just not getting. They just don't want to get rid of him. We're not going to get rid of you, they just don't want to.
Speaker 1:That's again another example of a prospect that just gets held on and held on, and held on. Not that there was ever a market for Lebor Hayek. He's not the one that got hurt and was never the same it. It just goes to show you him. We saw it happen to Lundmark, pruka, daniel Thomas Klocek. It's like these guys get hurt and they never recover. They're never the same. They're never the same. It's like they're hurt. You might as well just give them away because they're never the same player.
Speaker 1:It's so frustrating with these prospects, but don't you do you kind of agree with you, kind of understand what I'm getting at, where these guys go from being like these stud prospects to being garbage, to being essentially garbage that nobody wants. Oh, that's why you have to. You have to. You have to shitter, get off the pot and be one team or be the other, like. You can't do both. No, you need to. You need to have a set of fucking balls. When a guy on a good player becomes available, you got to say you know what, I'm rolling the dice, I'm rolling the dice. They did it with those I know question. Let me ask you a question.
Speaker 1:So and so jeff Fortgang brought this up to me, I think three years ago now, three or four years ago. Right, where he goes, listen, these GMs, it's a club. These guys are all part of a club, right, you know what I mean. And Drury might be on the outside of that club, so there might just be other GMs that just don't want to deal with him, they may not want to deal with the Rangers, but when Sather was here, sather just had enough respect that it was all right we're. You know what about Jeff Gordon? I think he was very well liked by everybody, so, and then John Davidson came here, and he's very well liked by everybody, by everybody. Then John Davidson came here and he's very well liked by everybody. I think it took a little bit of that fuck the Rangers thing away from dealing with us. Drury is just who he is, I don't know. He's got a few guys that'll work with him. Billy Garrett will probably work with him.
Speaker 1:Seattle, ron Francis, seattle, well, ron Francis, seattle. Well, ron Francis, is he still there? Don't they have a new GM? Don't they have Bissombato there? Now, I don't know? Seattle's one. Mike Rear was his assistant in San Jose, so Mike Rear works with him.
Speaker 1:That's another guy. Rabik seems to work with him. Well, rabik, yeah, rabik's taking all his crap. Yeah, yeah, rabik's taking all his crap, yeah. So it seems like you know. But like, are the Doug Armstrongs going to work with him? Yeah, when they give away Bucinevich for nothing? Yeah, I'll work with you. Oh, you want. Well, you want to set her up. Oh, sure, sure, chris, jory Sean has been here. But Jim Neal, he got a first round pick for Neal Zonquist out. Jim Neal, he got a first round pick for Nils Lundqvist out of Jim Neal, who never traded a first round pick before that. He did 10 years. That's probably his best trade. It's one of them. As Ranger GM, that's probably his best trade. His best non-trade deadline for draft pick nonsense, right?
Speaker 1:Chris Drury has not made a signature trade as the Rangers GM yet. You mention it on every show. I can't help it. I'm still waiting. I'm still waiting. I'm waiting for him to make a trade where you say you know what you need. Wow, here we go. You know what you need. You need to have like a whiteboard behind you. I know sure, with how many days it's been since he's made a hockey trade. It's not even a hockey trade. How about a signature trade, signature trade, and then you just count how many days it's been the GM of the team. You know, no GM is perfect, other than maybe Sather with trades. I don't know another GM that never lost a trade other than Sather.
Speaker 1:Zito seems to be just doing just fine Right now. Yeah, and I'm sure we'll find one down the road. But every GM has that. What are you doing? But every GM also, every good GM was like okay, we got one, we got one over on them. We did it. We got what we wanted. He has not had that. He has not. And you want to say, well, they got JT Miller. No, jt Miller forced his way here, had nothing to do with Drury. They wanted to trade JT Miller to Colorado and he said no. So I have zero. I'm sure I have. I hate to. I say this every show.
Speaker 1:I have zero, zero, zero trust in this guy, correct, and you made a great point. I don't think he's liked. Why else would that memo have gotten leaked? You mean to tell me that that doesn't happen in the NHL all the time that memo got leaked to that extent? Yeah, I mean that that's a great. Tell Jeff, when you talk to him, that that was absolutely true. That was a great point by him. I do not think that. I don't think it's not. I'll rephrase it I don't think that it's necessarily he's not liked. I don't think that it's necessarily he's not liked. I don't think he's one of them. I don't think he's one of the club. I think he's too much his own guy to be an elbow rubber and be one of those guys.
Speaker 1:Think of Chris Drury and then think of Doug McClain. Think of the personality differences there. Well, I mean different generations, but think of all these GMs. They all have a little bit of a personality. There's a lot of young guys in the GMs though, now I know. But I mean Verbeek has a personality, but I've heard a lot of you know, maybe that's why him and Drury get along so well, because maybe they're both on the outside, they might both be on the outside. I mean, let's just sit back and think of the GMs that. You said it. I mean Seattle, anaheim, these are all new guys. I mean I'm trying to think of other GMs.
Speaker 1:He's dealt with. It's all Western Conference teams Colorado, joe Sackick, no teammates, they were teammates, right. So there's at least something there. You know Dallas is they made the one trade with Dallas, right, you know? I mean you know Florida. They did make the Toronto trade, I mean. You know, cop, I mean, but those were all draft picks. So I don't know, we're going to see. We're going to see. I mean, I don't know.
Speaker 1:People don't like to get screwed by the Rangers, because people see it. When the Minnesota Wild get one over on you, no one notices. Maybe in the hockey community, sure, but publicly no one's talking about it. Well, we know for sure that Buffalo was never making a trade. They're not, they're not. So everyone who's butthurt about the Paterka thing they couldn't afford him anyway, sean, it doesn't matter, he was never coming here. They couldn't have afforded him anyway. And giving $7 million to another wing they couldn't do it Made no sense. They couldn't do it, not unless you trade a lot, a lot of less. You trade a lot for a year.
Speaker 1:Defense and centers is where they need to invest their resources, resources right now. And I'll tell you, I you know the thing I don't understand and and don lorque record brought this up and it's, it's a fair point why were they in such a rush to extend? Like, what was the hurry? Was he a ufa? Yeah, and, but you're not, I'm just. I'm just, I'm just saying, like, what was the big rush to sign him, to have have people under contract, so you didn't have your feet held to the fire, trying to scramble and get all these different things done. It takes time, you understand. It takes time to get people under contract, right, it's not a video game.
Speaker 1:Again, instead of bringing in the right guys, they're bringing in guys to justice for the sake of bringing guys back. I like him, though he's nice. As a bottom pair defenseman he's fine, I'm just so. Over last year he was able to get rid of Trouba's contract without holding a penny and got an asset back that can play here. He's young. Can you win a cup with him as your third pair defenseman? I'm just throwing it out there. Can you win a cup with him? Absolutely, absolutely. We'll see. I don't think they're going anywhere this year. I think they're punted this season. But that's me. There's no way he's going to be allowed to punt two seasons. He'll be out of a job. Well, they're not. Maybe not punting? You tell me how.
Speaker 1:So again we're going into our fourth coach with the same court, with the majority of the same core players, the majority of the same core. Half the team is different from opening night, from the Eastern Conference Finals, from game six of the Eastern Conference Finals to today, half the team has changed. Okay, but it's still the same roster that ended last season. It's been two months. The same roster that ended last season. It's been two months. The same roster at the end of last season. It's been two months. You can't change anything because you can't trade anybody. So they're going to bring if they bring in Gavrikov or a replacement for Miller in 10 months. They've changed half the roster over in 10 months.
Speaker 1:How do they end the season? They haven't played the offseason. How did they end the season? They haven't played the seat the off. How did they? And they've already traded one of their guys.
Speaker 1:My point, you're missing my point how did the season end when they, from the time they got miller till this way, the season ended? Okay, how did they play during that time frame? How? How would you suggest that they played it? I would suggest that they played it. And Kreider was hurt. And Kreider was hurt. You can't say well, he was in the lineup for the majority of the time. He wasn't. They didn't put him back in the lineup after the trade deadline, so you can't blame him. And Lindgren was traded a week before the trade deadline. So they're fighting for their playoff lives. And what did they do? How did they play? That's my point.
Speaker 1:15, 14, and 3, since JT Miller got there. 15, 14, and 3. So some good, some bad, as I said. So a 500 team, yeah, with terrible defense, terrible defense, and we're acknowledging that they need to redo the defense, do we not? Okay? So I'm asking you this question? I'm asking you this question.
Speaker 1:They get rid of Miller, they bring in Garikov and they do nothing else. Is team making the playoffs? Well, susie's going to be gone. I'm telling you You're going to get it. I'm telling you you want to make that a bet too? I said, yes, what are we betting? We didn't decide what we're betting, so what's the bet? We're not going to do it for money, because I expect you to pay me. What can we do? Let's let the fans decide. Okay, we'll let the fans decide Within reason. Gentlemen, it's going to be something ridiculous. No one's blowing anybody else, so shut up. Yeah, nothing stupid, nothing dumb.
Speaker 1:If you want me to wear a Trochek jersey or a Mika jersey, I have a Mika jersey. Do you have a Fox jersey? I have a Mika jersey. So who do I? Do you have a Fox jersey? I don't. I don't really buy jerseys anymore. I'll have to see if I can borrow a Fox jersey from someone or something like that. To me, even wearing a Trochek jersey, I wouldn't care, because it's still a Ranger jersey.
Speaker 1:I think you really have to do something bad, but I guess it's fair. I mean, we'll think of something. I don't think. I think Susie's on this Lester. I think the only, the only, the only way he's not is if, for whatever reason, they can't trade Miller. But then again, I don't think you can afford to bring back Miller. We can do one. The other one takes the other one.
Speaker 1:You and I, we're going to do a candlelight dinner, just the two of us. We have to go to a steakhouse, a steakhouse of our choice. Oh man, that would be funny, though that would be freaking hilarious to see you and me at a candlelight dinner, steakhouse dinner, somewhere, with the loser wearing, with the loser wearing, the jersey of the guy. They. Well, we gotta wear like, like I'm gonna wear like a, like a leisure suit from the 70s to dinner, like a, like a, like a light blue, like dumb and dumber, like leisure suit. That would be funny, sitting there bright, sitting there bright and cooper, yeah, yeah, but we'd have to figure that out because we have two bets going.
Speaker 1:So we have the, the mika bet. We'd have to do three. We'd have to do three different three bets, yeah, and then we'd have to do two out of three. Yeah, one will be Susie being on the roster. I have a pride of Jersey, so do I Take out the Patreon viewers.
Speaker 1:Are you in New York, mike? Take you out for a beer, that would be funny. It's, susie, being on the roster Advantage adds 70 points. So we'll need a third. We don't need to know right now, but we'll need a third wager. So if you guys could think of a third wager so that Sean and I could do the best that you know we'll be adversaries on yeah, yeah, you know what I mean. I mean we could do another Trocheck one if you want. I mean that would probably an easy one, I guess, if we can't think of anything else as a fail, so yeah, but I'll say I don't know what the team's going to look like this year to really make that, if you know, is he going to center panarin and lafreniere? You know it's fun, it's funny. It's funny you say that.
Speaker 1:So I I submitted a question for vince two weeks. He read it on his podcast. I said to him about the possibility of running it back with the same top six that ended the season. He says I can't see that happening. They're not running it back with the same top six. They definitely want to add a top six forward, a defenseman. Where's the money coming from? But it's funny because then he backtracked Not the next show.
Speaker 1:He said to them well, they have about five holes, but they'd be lucky if they could fill two or three of them. I mean, they're not, they're not replaced. If anything, they're bringing in a Nick Bonino type guy to play to fight with Parsons for a third center spot. That's what I'm bringing in, a Connor. That's what Florida does. That's what Florida does Buy low.
Speaker 1:Here's the problem. Find the next guy, stop paying. The only problem, sean, now, is the cap is so high that you're not finding that guy for you. Cap is so high that you're not finding that guy for you're not finding 800 grand. You can yeah, not for 800 000 necessarily, but the same way, vegas was able to find these guys when they did their, their expansion draft. They they looked for undervalued guys around the league, well, like oscar, and gave him a shot. Well, you gave william carlson, jonathan marches. So they found under by undervalued guys and gave them a shot. Right, that's what you need to find. You need to go find that guy. A perfect example, right today.
Speaker 1:And it pisses me off people see, here's the thing people are pissed off about. We didn't oh, jury was sleeping, you know for jj peterka today. Well, I said that. I said that because, no, not you, I'm. The trade happened. I literally saw someone say something about sleeping I don't think it was you, though that if you posted it, okay, I posted a jury sleeping. He's all tucked in. I just said it because it was happened at 10 30 at night.
Speaker 1:Frederick grudro, that was going to seattle for a fourth round pick. That is the guy I would have loved. Yeah, no, I agree with you. I agree with you. That pisses me off way more than JJ Pitter. I meant to text you that and I was like man, he'd be great on the third line, big fast. He'll score 20 goals. He'll knock you. I don't understand. I don't understand why they Does. He have a bad contract. No, $2.1 million over the next three years. I looked at it, great contract, trust me, I looked at it. I didn't give it a third $2.1 million. If they give the third rounder for him, I would have been, and the range is eight draft picks in this draft. They don't need another freaking fourth-round pick. No, I agree with you. That's why, to me, like again, I don't.
Speaker 1:I'm trying, I'm trying to be, I'm trying to use kind of reverse psychology, and maybe, by saying this, I'm not thinking the Rangers are going to do nothing, so I don't get upset, but you got to think that something's got to be, bro. I mean, it has been fucking crazy quiet, like scary quiet, like you hear nothing out of them. But, to be fair, I haven't heard anything out of the Devils. I haven't heard anything out of. I'm trying to think of some other teams. Carolina I haven't heard much out of them. There's been a few teams. Carolina has $25 million in cap space. I heard much out of them. There's been a few teams. Carolina has $25 million in cap space. I heard nothing out of them though. Yeah, you know what, mitch Marner won't go there.
Speaker 1:No, but my point, though, is it's what the Rangers always do. It's not happening because he's going to stay in Florida, but everyone's like, oh, sam Bennett on this team would be great. Yeah, once upon a time, sam Bennett was available for nothing. I know, go find the next Sam Bennett for nothing. Tampa brought in Blake Coleman. Tampa brought in Barclay Goudreau. They brought in these guys. They overpaid with first-round picks to bring in these guys that were undervalued on their current teams and turned them into champions. Wouldn't you love to have known what I know. They weren't trading D'Angelo for Bennett. You knew that trade wasn't happening for multiple reasons.
Speaker 1:I want to know who in God's name Calgary wanted for Bennett from the Rangers? Right, because we? We saw the diets that were traded. Right, they didn't even get a first round pick for him. They got a third second, a third second. What are we doing? Mind blowing. But again, but here we are in 2025. Now there's just there is a Sam Bennett on someone's roster right now that's struggling to get ice time. We'll find him and he'll go to florida next year.
Speaker 1:But that's my point is be pro, act, go find the underutilized guy and give him, give him a shot. Thing too, sean, is you need to have cap space and you need to have some kind of asset. Not with that, we're, not with a guy making a million dollars. No, was sam better making a million dollars when he was traded? No, he's probably making two and a half back then, costa adam fit. Could you imagine if we offer sheet adam fantilli? Oh, I'll tell you right now. If they offer sheet adam fantilli, this would be the year to do it, because the bonus thing I don't know if columbus can can afford that. Well, they're putting. They're putting a stop to that. That was a comment today. But they won't put a stop to the no state tax thing, only a big market thing.
Speaker 1:When is Gary Bettman retiring? I mean, seriously, I've had enough of this guy. I really have Him and his fucking small market bullshit. The devil, I know, is better than the devil. I don't. I'm a petri-part of it. Hopefully it's Bill Daley. I like Bill Daley. I don't mind that. I don't want this to. I don't want this league to go. Adam Silver Even Twitter right now, like there's nothing going on. Yeah, it is like really quiet.
Speaker 1:Who were we just asking about? Bennett, right? What was Bennett's contract when he was trading? Yeah, I have fuck PDO. Yeah, I'm still trying to figure out how to use that site sometimes. So I was looking at I'm better trying to figure out how to use that site sometimes. So I was looking at, um, better at it, the Rangers.
Speaker 1:So what year was this? Uh, so, uh, god, let me see what year you so? 21 or signed by Florida? Was that okay? So can you go back on that? Yeah, 2.5. So 2.5. So Florida signed him for 4.4. They signed him for 4.4? Yeah, okay, and that was what year 17? Oh my God, you're so off on your years. I'm sorry I'm wrong. I'm sorry, 21-22. All right, yeah, yeah, really, I'm sorry I'm wrong. I'm sorry, 21-22. All right, yeah, yeah, really I'm losing it. The 19-20 season and the 20-21 season. He was making 2.5 with Calgary.
Speaker 1:I can't believe they didn't trade for him. I wonder, because I remember the trade deadline. I believe it was the trade deadline where he got traded, where Bennett got traded, gordonordon supposedly they made no moves and that's why gordon wound up getting fired, because because dolan wanted them to make a move, right. I'm wondering if that was the guy that we're trying to get, because he said he was trying to make a hockey trade. You remember that. I'm wondering because that's not really a hockey trade for a second round pick. No, but he probably wasn't trying to trade draft picks. He was probably trying to trade someone off the roster. I guess Maybe they're trying to trade Kraftstop for him. Who knows? Who knows what it was. I don't think they were trading Trasov at that point In 2021?
Speaker 1:He was already four years deep. He'd already gone back to Russia the first time before he came back. Are you sure? No, kratsov wasn't four years deep. Kratsov was in the 18th draft. So three years deep, three years deep, jury had already kicked them off the Wolfpack.
Speaker 1:By then it was between him going back to Russia and coming back again. I'm surprised they wouldn't have taken that trade then. But again, it's find the next guy. That's why I loved hearing the talk about Columbus with us trying to get Voronkov. That's a guy that I would love to have on this team. Yeah, good, third line guy. That guy mashes 6'5". He can score. Yeah. So find the guys that are underutilized in other areas. That's how you build a winner. That's how Florida's done it. Right, because if you have to go out there and buy your Sam Bennett, buy your Barkley Goodrow, you're going to overpay. Well, they were joking around that.
Speaker 1:The Rangers' fourth line is now still less than Barkley Goodrow played. Yeah, it is, and that's how you have to build a roster. You can't have a third. First of all, I'm not really 100% sure if Goodreau was brought in to be on the fourth line. He might have been brought in originally to be on the third line, which is what he was when he played with Tampa, right? So you know how do you feel about giving him. He was on the fourth line with Tampa. No, it was third line with Gordon and Blake Coleman. They were on the third line. Oh, that thought there was a fourth. All right, no, yeah, but darn.
Speaker 1:Um, what do you think of this? Get this possible. Gavrikov's contract of almost 8 million. You think that's legit or do you think that's high? Um, I think it's a little high. I think that's what he's trying to get. I don't think he gives enough offense to warrant that type of deal.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you, la has a lot of cap space and I know they're trying to get. They're in for Mitch Marner, right, I think Mitch Marner's going to go to Vegas personally, more like here. But Vegas or Anaheim are the two spots I think for Marner. But you know, I looked at LA's salary cap and they have a lot of guys under contract. They got like 20 or 21 guys Under contract and they have $20 million. So I'm not really sure why they're not. And Dowdy I mean Kopitar's coming off next year. Dowdy only has two years left.
Speaker 1:It's a little misleading Because some of these guys are not really Like NHL players when it says that they're under contract. Oh, really Like who? Jeff Mallett, andre Lee, akil Thomas, these are all guys that are being counted toward that number. So they need guys. Still, they need players. Samuel Helanus hasn't played yet. Honestly, to be fair, I don't know enough about their roster. So they still have to sign. Trevor Lewis I didn't even know who Mikey Anderson was.
Speaker 1:Really, you didn't know Mikey. Oh, he's very good, I know him now. I know you said he's Arlingren. Yes, better. He's better than Linger, but better. You did say that. Alex Ferrier, they got him re-signed. I know about him.
Speaker 1:Taylor Ward Kuzmenko If they're going to keep Kuzmenko, he's a free agent now. Tanner Jeannot, I'm sure they're going to let go. That's a guy that I would sign. Tanner Jeannot, I saw that. But is he a third-line guy or is he a fourth-line guy, didn't he have? He scored 24 goals in a year.
Speaker 1:He had a 41-point season with Nashville this year, 21-22. Yeah, and then he went to Tampa and LA and he did nothing right, correct? So how do you score 41 points? Ryan Boyle had a 20 goal season. Sean, anyone can score 20 goals. Once it's following it up might be an outlier. Bob Kudelski scored 20 goals. You know it happens. I mean, sometimes everything goes in. I'm not saying I hate it Again, but how much is he going to possibly get paid?
Speaker 1:One and a half One. Is he going to get a PTO? Is he a third-line guy or is he a fourth-line guy? That's really what you need to know. Let me look at his minutes so I can tell you where he played what you need to know. Let me look at his minutes so I can tell you where he played. So with Nashville he was playing either second or third line.
Speaker 1:He's young, still right. Was he 28?, 27? He'll be 28. He will be 28. He just turned 28 last month. I saw him on the sheet when I was yeah, so his usage has a lot to do with it.
Speaker 1:So in Nashville he was playing 15 minutes a night and 16 minutes a night. His big season. He played 16 minutes a night. Everything was even strength. He had three power play points out of the 41. So all even strength. As a rookie, 16 minutes a night. He goes to Tampa and plays 11.
Speaker 1:So you took him out of playing the role he played in Nashville and that's possible, much better team, right. But then you weren't asking for him to do anything. You weren't asking for him to play his game. You know what guy shocked me when he got traded and exploded even more. Brandon Hagel, when they traded two first-round picks for him.
Speaker 1:I was like that guy and he's another guy that just went down there and was like he just blew up I'm like, is he that guy? I don't think anyone saw him scoring 40 goals. No, I didn't see that. No one saw that. To me, I thought he was like Andrew Shaw. I thought he was that type of player. That's who he reminded me of. Good count, but he's much better than him.
Speaker 1:So Gavrikov, this was. So he had 33 points four years ago. So he had 33 points four years ago. He got 30 points this year, didn't he? Yeah, playing 22 minutes a night for Columbus this year was 30 points. Playing 23 minutes a night for the Kings.
Speaker 1:He is 6'3", 220. He'll be 30, basically, when the season starts. So you're going to sign him for ages 30 through whenever. It's tough to give that guy seven years, it is. But he could be like Brett Burns, sean, and play until he's 38 years old. I mean, he didn't come up until he was 24. So you got to do a lot of homework on his skating and his training. He's never been fast, just like Brett Burns has never been fast. So if he's defensively sound and positionally sound, then I'm okay with it. Yeah, but I don't want Jack Johnson three years from now.
Speaker 1:Well, I don't know how do you think Brett Burns every time I saw brett burns he was blocked. Burns is a freak. Well, you saw the body issue. The guy is a physical freak. I know he is. Yeah, that's not everyone's like that. No, no, we also. Chris cried. I'll be 42 years old and be able to skate 26 miles an hour. I think chris cried. I was back in and scored 35 goals. His next contract he comes back. He comes back to the rangers there's, he comes back. If he comes back to the Rangers, there's no chance in the world he comes back to the Rangers ever. You don't think so. No, I think the bridge is burned. Maybe if Drury's gone, maybe if someone else is here and not Drury, sullivan might still be here. Drury might be gone. I think Drury's here, I think Drury's going to be and we'll be still waiting for a Stanley Cup, because nobody likes the guy.
Speaker 1:I had a point, I had a point. Sometimes I apologize. That's kind of why I cut you off. Sometimes because I'm afraid I'm going to lose my thought, because my brain only is wired a certain way. Keep a pen and paper next to you. I know I should do that.
Speaker 1:Was it about Gavrikov? Oh, this is what it was. I had a crazy thought, and I don't know how this would fly with the fan base. I would get rid of Miller, get rid of Soucy, sign Gavrikov or someone along those lines. Sign Gavrikov or someone along those lines, and instead of signing another defenseman, I would sink or swim with Matthew Robertson to start the season and Vakhanidin on the left side See what you got. See who shakes loose Guys always shake loose in training camp and on waivers and sign another forward.
Speaker 1:See, this is why I would go for Provorov, though Provorov's younger Provorov's still only 28. He's two years younger than Gavrikov. Well, when did he turn 28? Give me his birthday on here Kravikov's 29. January. Kravikov will be 30 in November. Yeah, and Provorov will be 29 three months later. It's half a season. It's a year difference. That's half a season. How old was Provorov when he came into the league? How many more years he's never missed games?
Speaker 1:I'm not opposed to it, sean. I don't want to sit here and tell you I'm opposed to it, but does Probroff need to play the power play. Does he need to to be effective? Let me see, because you know as much as you want to shoot Fox. No, fox only needs to play on the power play and listen, unless they trade Schneider and they sign D'Angelo. That's another thing. That's another point I want to talk to you about. What are they doing with this guy? He's untradeable. No, excuse me, he's untouchable. Yet he's on your third pair. So Provorov had 33 points this year and 30 of them were 5-on-5. Okay, so he's not a power play guy. No, wierenski ran the power play. Oh, that's right. Listen, I'm good with either one.
Speaker 1:What are their underlining numbers, like what's proverob's defensive metrics? I don't know these things, nor will I pretend to. No, I don't even know what. I wouldn't even know which ones to look at. I know nothing about analytics. I don't agree with analytics. I heard I I heard again this is through a podcast that gavrikov's defensive metrics were outstanding with laA, but they were not as great with Columbus on a worse team. So take that for what it is, but I do think that goaltending plays a factor. Maybe Rangers have a better goaltending than Columbus and in LA, right, even though I know Kemper had a good year this year.
Speaker 1:You, you, you're the one that brought brought that to my attention. I didn't know. No, he was having that great season that's in a finalist, um and uh, um, I was trying to thought again. I think he's a type of defenseman that you could win a cup with, like, I think he's, he's the type of defenseman that, guys, that you, you could win championships with. That's my opinion. Then you're, you're, you're banking on him. Again.
Speaker 1:This is, if you're signing him for seven, what's the window? What's the window to win? What's honestly, right now, what is what would? So let me ask you this, okay, let me ask you this point. Let me ask you this question three years is their window to win? Why? Why is it three years? Panarin's going to be gone after the next season, so why is it three years? Because of Miller, because of Miller and Shosturkin, I mean, at 33, that's what I'm saying.
Speaker 1:After 33, that's when Hank started to go downhill. Not everyone's Bobrovsky, I mean, he might be, I don't know, but after 33, hank wasn't the same and to me, hank was as prepared and committed as there was. Do you need to be? See? That also is my other point. You don't need to be all worldly, you just need to make the timely save. You've seen inferior goaltenders up until the last two years win championships. Up until the last five years, only one in the last five cups Aiden Hill. Yeah, vasilevsky won two who's all-world and now Bobrovsky's won two who's all-world and Kemper I forgot about Aiden Hill, and Kemper wasn't good, and Aiden Hill but three years.
Speaker 1:Well then, I think you just if that's your game plan, then I think you need to get who's available when they're available, right. So I don't know, I wouldn't feel comfortable at $8 million, but so the money, the AAV, is less important to me right now with a guy like Yadav Rakov than the term. Well, I heard the term is that they said apparently LA was he wants seven years and from LA he's going to want eight. He's going to want the most that he can get right now. There's no reason for him to sign a contract with LA right now unless they're going to offer him eight years, because that's the only advantage la has that other teams don't. Well, I heard the term wasn't the problem with la, it was the uh, the aav. Okay, I mean that that's what the last, that last, I heard on him.
Speaker 1:I just think you know, if, if you're, my personal opinion was, I understand the defense hasn't been great. I'd rather see what robertson can give you. And you got robertson. You can spot in if you have to, if another veteran type guy making a million bucks and you, you and you see who shakes loose instead of throwing money at somebody. I'm not going into a season with robertson, but then you're going, as we are going in a million dollar guy.
Speaker 1:Well, let me ask you this thing they're not trading Carson Soucy to bring in another $5 million defenseman. They're not. Yeah, they are. They're going to ride out with Soucy. They're going to reapply his $3 million to somebody? I don't think they are. You think they're going to bring in two brand-new defensemen? Why wouldn't they just keep Suse?
Speaker 1:I think Robertson has a chance of being here. Oh no, he's going to be here. I think he's going to be. Oh no, I know that. Yeah, but the question is where they're slotted. Is it 6-7 or is it 5-6? Or yeah, or 4-6. You know what I'm saying? The left side, yeah, just 1, 2, and three on the left side. So they don't have a one on this roster right now. I mean, unless they're going to sign Miller to a two-year deal. I wouldn't even give Miller two years, I'd give him a one-year deal, whatever it is, and ride it out. I'm just saying, whatever it is, if Miller's still here, then he's going to be your top pair of defensemen.
Speaker 1:Has it ever happened I'm trying, I was trying to rack my brain about this and maybe you can remember has it ever happened where the Rangers wanted to get rid of somebody, like a RFA specifically, where they had to bring him back? They had no choice. And and Jacob Truba? No, it wasn't, but it'll be a similar circumstance the guy was all betrayed publicly. And next thing, I know he's there, he is in training camp. Yeah, I don't think. Yeah, I don't think that's good, I don't think they're gonna want that, and that's why you, that's, that's why you almost can't do it at this point, because you can't have, they can't take a chance of there being one negative vibe in September for training camp. No, that needs to be the most positive training camp that anyone's ever been to. Plus, it's already been put out there that Sullivan is not a Miller fan, right, so that that. So he's gone. So that's not even considered that, right. So Miller's gone, susie's gone.
Speaker 1:You have back in nine, and Jones and Robertson are the three left-handed shot defensemen that are under contract. Braden Schneider can play the left side. I think he should at this point, because it's time that he plays for you tonight. Why did Borgen have to be your second pair defenseman? Why can't he be on your third pair? He was for LaViolette. We don't know what order that's going to be. Well, that's my other point. Everyone keeps crying, and that made me think about this. Why is it automatically assumed that Will Borgen is your second-pairing defenseman? Because he played that under, because he played that under La Violette, right? But that's why Let me get back to Vince for a second, because I didn't want to cut you off before.
Speaker 1:Right, you're not a fan. I know. I am a fan, but I'm also not. I give the guy credit. I mean, he does his podcast every week. He never takes a fucking week off, unless he's having a kid. Unless he's having a kid, then he takes six months off, but other than that, he's got to breastfeed himself. There's a lot of things. He's got to breastfeed himself. You know, there's a lot of things he's got to do. You know, fraternity leave 2025. Anyway, believable good for him.
Speaker 1:I don't think that the chris jurors of the world have an ounce of hockey respect for anyone that covers his team besides brooks not professional respect. I think they have professional respect. So when they have to speak they will be courteous, they will answer the questions, they won't be dismissive in a professional sense. But this is the offseason. Drury doesn't have to speak to anybody. There is not one ounce of information that Vince Mercogliano, that Arthur staple, that anybody else who covers this team besides Larry Brooks unless Larry Brooks is being fed something, cause that's the only outlet that they will give any information to Molly Walker. There's not one ounce of of them giving any information or any inkling of thoughts to those people in the off season. So when any of them come up with something, it's just their own, their own thoughts, any information or any inkling of thoughts to those people in the off season. So when any of them come up with something, it's just their own, their own thoughts, the same way me and you were giving our own thoughts. We're not tied into anything Games. Listen, the minute that training camp starts. You don't think they have some kind of sources though? Zero, none, zero, zero, zero. I think that that None, zero, zero.
Speaker 1:I think that Drury is Fort Knox when it comes to information. He's Fort Knox during the season with information. That's terrible. You think during the offseason, when he doesn't have to be around, these guys Just like say they used to address Gordon was better, say they used to address the second day of the draft, and then he would do a press conference if they signed somebody, like on July 1st. Jory does one or the other. I don't think he does both. And no first round pick this year he's not going to be inclined to talk during the draft. Well, he might talk on day two. Sometimes they talk on, sometimes at the end of the draft they do talk, but again he might not say anything until something shakes loose.
Speaker 1:From the second training camp starts, from the second that the beat writers are given their access. He works his ass off and I'm sure he's very likable and so he gets his information there and the players like him, the players, I think, trustable. He gets his information there. The players like him, the players, I think, trust him. They can relate to him. I'm sure they go to him before they go to Brooks with anything. You know what I mean the players. I'm sure they're more comfortable talking to Vince than they are talking to Brooks. Yeah, because Brooks bashes the players too. But Drury, I think he knows Brooks has been around for almost 50 years. Well, he knows Brooks has been the captain of the Rangers, right, that could be a good thing or a bad thing, I don't know. It's true, I got to remember. Yeah, I don't remember if he crushed Drury. I'm sure he did. He probably definitely did, maybe not as bad as Dan Boyle, yeah, but that's why things are being broken by the Dave Paniotas and the Elliott Freed. You're getting more from them because they're tied into the rest of the league where they're hearing it from everyone else.
Speaker 1:Frank Cerebelli was the first guy. That's what I think of. Frank Cerebelli was the first guy that had the credit trade. He's the only one that had Panarin back in the day that the Rangers reached in on Panarin. The only one, not McKenzie back in the day that the rangers were in on panarin. The only one, not mckenzie at the time, not dregger, who? Dregger was the one that broke it, though. Uh-huh, dregger's is good with the rangers too, right? Um, and then, uh, he was the one that had the teresanko trade. Cerebelli, he was the first one that had the teresanko trade. See now elliot friedman. On the flip side he works for 590 with with Vancouver he had the JT Miller trade. So you're kind of starting to see where all these connections are.
Speaker 1:So I connect the dots with whose sources are, where Our beat writers don't know a goddamn thing, they're retweeting what the national guys are doing. No, brooks gets fed. Brooks has broken stuff Because he gets fed. When Jory wants you to know something, he goes to Brooks. So I'm wondering if that's where that story came, that Keiondre Miller story that was played. Of course it is.
Speaker 1:It's posturing, though. Right, there's no way he could be back here If it's already been public that the coach isn't a fan of him, if it's already been public that we're shopping him after what happened last year, you cannot have somebody come back that you've already openly admitted you're shopping, can't? Here's the other flip side of this. Then, could they? Could they commit to a contract with gabber cop without already having militrated if they have coolly already signed? Yes, see, where I struggle with this is if you don't have Cooley signed and you signed Gavrik out to the long-term deal and you still also have Miller, you leave yourself open to an offer sheet for Cooley that you can't match, because then what are you going to do with Miller? He's still a prime asset. You can't just let him, like, walk for nothing. No, yeah, I don't know, they're in a tough spot. It's a very tough spot. Well, that's where, at that point, then, you probably have to, would have to put Susie on waivers. This is why I'm hoping, this is why I'm hoping Cooley gets signed sooner than later.
Speaker 1:I'm waiting for this Matthew Nyes thing to get done. I saw them posting about that. How much do they think he's gotten? It depends on the term. I saw that $7 million for five years. He might God, they can't afford that. Well, I don't think Cooley's earned that.
Speaker 1:But Nyes had a better season, didn't he? Yeah, I think he's had multiple better seasons and now he's going to step into. You know, mitch Marner's role. Yeah, he had Nye's at 58 points this year and 35 last year. Yeah, he had almost 30 goals. So not, he went up to playing 18 and a half minutes. Yeah, what a cool he had. This year he had 20 goals. I know that, right, right, yeah, great podcasting. 45 points, yeah, so what did Niles have? 58? 58. Yeah, and he had 30 last year, whereas Cooley had 21 last year, mm-hmm, yeah, and the season before that doesn't matter. He's like a year behind him in that progression. Mm-hmm.
Speaker 1:Listen, if I'm Cooley, maybe I only sign a one-year deal. It'll either be two or it'll be long-term, I don't know two, five or eight, but you're gonna have to pay him a lot more money on an aav the longer you want to go. Yeah, I don't know what they're gonna do. It seemed like they were starting to lock up everybody quick, I mean, I think. I think it's just, they only have three RFAs left and one of them is Kaliev, and if they do, if they do qualify him, he's going to probably be, you know, the minimum anyway, right? So I don't think he's coming back for a big deal. No, he's not going to get more than a million. He'll get nine. I don't even know if he's going to get that. That's what I'm saying. He'll get like nine to five or something like that he was. He was waived last year. He might get the league minimum they might give him, whatever his qualifying offer was.
Speaker 1:Yeah, but there's there's. There's an example of utilized asset that has some upside. You need to work on that skating, though, but you see what it is. They need to get him to be physical. I don't know if they can. I don't mean physical like to fourth line player, physical, just someone who's willing to go forward and battle in the corners. I'm wondering if what I can tell.
Speaker 1:I think they're going to leave one spot for sure on that third line and say, okay, perot Hoffman, berard Kaliev, which one of you are taking it? I don't think they're leaving both wings open. I think they're going to sign some other fringe veteran. I can see them going for the center. I don't know if they can get the center.
Speaker 1:What free Asian centers are out there? You want Charlie Coyle? I would love Charlie Coyle. No, seriously, I would love Charlie Coyle. I know Fucking kills us too. That's the only thing nice about Paterka going to Utah, we about Paterka going to Utah. We don't have to fucking face him anymore. He can't fuck us anymore. He's Charlie Coyle out there.
Speaker 1:The guys that I would be interested in seeing is Pia Suter. Who's the other one? Christian Dvorak. I'm not asking him to play top six roles here, I'm asking him to play a third line. Dvorak's been hurt, though. What's his? Andrew Mangiapane, that's a guy that I would bring in. I heard a lot of teams ran on him. Right, I'd kick the tires on Mason Appleton, I'd see what he wants. He's someone that I wouldn't have minded. I think he's going to get a couple of million too. They need a guy like around a million, maybe two, the max, two, the max. Sean Corrali I think he's more of a fourth line guy at this point, though. Frederick's going to get signed. Nico Sturm Any chance, is there, any way possible, that Johnny Brzezinski is penciled in for the third line center spot?
Speaker 1:No, different regime. That's another thing. Johnny Brudzinski found a role. Well, they needed a center. That's the problem. They needed a guy that could play center, yeah. But now look at how many centers they have in Hartford, young ones. Well, they got the guy Terrance. They got Terrance. You have McConnell Barker, you have Todd. He just signed. What's his name? Your draft pick? Noah Laba is going to be another guy. They have centers in Hartford now, brandon Brisson. Brandon Brisson, he's an RFA also, I believe. Yes, or God forbid, you find by trade. You find an underutilized center somewhere.
Speaker 1:I'm wondering if they would use Parson as the 13th forward. Maybe that's the plan, maybe, maybe that's the plan. He's a younger version of Brzezinski. I'll tell you right now Brzezinski, I'll give that one guy some credit. He fucking makes it very hard for them every year to get rid of him, because he's a Swiss Army man. He does a little bit Because you can skate. If you can skate and play hard, you can play in the league. And he plays center. That's a big thing.
Speaker 1:Suter had such a nice year last year. Yeah, I heard they're not bringing him back to Vancouver, so he's going to be 30. He just turned 29, so it'll be his age 29 season. But 25 goals for Vancouver, 46 points, that'd be a nice third line. He's a little small, but he's 5'11, 175, so it's a little small for what we want. I guess we already have Trochek too, who's small, right similar.
Speaker 1:No, I don't think Brzezinski's going to be the. He may not even be on the team, I don't know. He might be the 13th forward or he may not make the team. Every time I think that guy's gone. He just crawls. He's like a cockroach, he crawls right back in. He does.
Speaker 1:But he wasn't a Gallant guy necessarily. He really found playing time, playing time on the La Violette. Well, they couldn't send him down anymore because they had no center depth. They had no choice. They had to play him Right. We'll see, we'll definitely see. But to be fair, if they desperately do need a center, they could move Mika back to center If they had to for a couple of games. They would. I mean, one of those wings would need to show you, bang on the door to play top six.
Speaker 1:Then, whether it's Othman, berard or Perrault which I don't want to rush Perrault, I want him to play in Hartford. I'll be honest with you. Berard, to me, was the most impressive of the two. So was I. I agree. I don't think Perrault was ready at all. I don't think Othman was ready. I loved what I saw from him. I know he didn't score, I get it, I get it, but I loved what I saw. He went to the places you want to see him go on the ice. Maybe it gets better. It's a very big season for him.
Speaker 1:Real quick before we wrap up. So obviously, steve Corneano the longest show we've ever done, two hours and ten minutes. We've gone longer than this. We have gone longer. We've gone two and a half before. Friend of the show.
Speaker 1:Steve Corneano put out his off-season draft, his whole draft thing, here, state of the franchise and all that fun stuff. So here's the list of all of our prospects and he lists them in order. This is order of age. I think it's just like a depth chart. So, left D we got Robertson Scanlon, jackson Dorrington, drew Fortescue and Rasmus Larson. Where's the right defense? Just EJ Emery. That's it only right defenseman we have in our system wow centers this is how deep the centers he has Edstrom here. So forget Edstrom.
Speaker 1:But Jake Placision will say he's an RFA, whether they keep him or not. I don't know how much room he got for all these guys. Bo Gruhl, dylan Rubrick he led Hartford in scoring. Isn't Bo Gruhl a UFA RFA? Him and LeCision are both RFA. I thought he had to pay a certain amount of games for him not to be an RFA anymore. He shows him here as an RFA. Okay. But Dylan Rubrick led Hartford in goals last year. He was up there.
Speaker 1:This is another guy. That's I like him. He's 6'6" Big body. He won't be physically intimidated coming to the NHL. And if he can score, yeah, he's 20 years old. But if he's that big, you can score. Yeah, he's 20 years old, but if. But if he's that big and can score both rules of UFA corner group six. Okay, he didn't play. He didn't play enough and he said Steve Corneanos doesn't know what goddamn thing he might have, just rubric McConnell, barker person, noah Lava, carrie terrence, zachary carpa, who they haven't signed yet. Uh, rule bullyard, the third round pick from uh last year, they haven't signed. And we have carl henry season's rights till uh 2028. Nice, cool to say. But yeah, I was just.
Speaker 1:I'll read the what he has to say about Gabriel Perot, and don't confuse me with being who's the guy that reads all the books on tape. Is that Liev Schreiber? Oh, yeah, confuse me with him when I read this terrible shit. The loss of Will Smith didn't prevent the crafty playmaker from delivering a standout Sophomore season for the top ranked Boston College Eagles, who relied on Perot's creativity and vision to help guide an offense that lost key pieces to the NHL. Although his NCAA title hopes Were dashed by Denver, the 2023 first rounder joined the Blue Shirts toward the end of the campaign and is expected to propel Hartford's attack to begin next season. So Steve even thinks that Burrow will be in Hartford to start the year.
Speaker 1:I also asked both Russ and Corneanos both about EJ Emery. Is he an NHL player? They both still think so. So good to know that our first. He's probably going to play about EJ Emery. Is he an NHL player? They both still think so Good to know that our first. He's probably going to play Like they said.
Speaker 1:He's just not going to put up any points. He's going to play strong defense, he's just not going to put up any points. Listen, jacob Slavin doesn't put up any points. Might be the second best defenseman in the league. Right, not to put that on Emery, but right, no, I know a guy could literally just be a shut down guy.
Speaker 1:You get, you got a role. It's the 30th pick in the draft. Yeah, it's. Yeah, there's no difference, usually from 22, 23 to like 50. So whoever you took at 30, you probably interchangeable someone. You could have gotten at 50. Right, so is what it is.
Speaker 1:Uh, rubric edstrom rempe, fourth line, not this season, but I don't. We'll see if Rubrik's a center. That's what we got to find out. Well, he's played a lot of center in Hartford. Yeah, I don't want to have three guys that are all that big. We should try to get to Hartford this year, but, yes, like a road trip, let me do, like a Sunday afternoon game or something like that, yeah good, good luck at my wife to agree to that one. Yeah well, yeah, all right, I feel the pain. Anything else you want to do before? No, this was this was really good man. If, like I said, we tell everybody um, if something pops up before we do our next show, we'll, we'll definitely, it'll be in the patreon, it'll be in the patreon group. So, yep, join patreon, help us out. This way we can continue to. You know, add the uh, the fun stuff to the uh, to the show. All right, yep, talk to you guys later, later.