Episode 89 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast02-18-2024

Hello Hockey Fan’s. Take a listen to episode 89 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast

#1. What is the big concern with the Montreal Canadiens having 3 goalies in Montreal all season long. Not only is there no issue with it, it’s completely fair to all involved based on where the team is at in its process.

#2. What’s with the extreme overwhelming amount obsessive compulsive behavior regarding Montreal needs to mortgage all of its draft capital, prospects and top roster players to acquire a top center? For what possible rational reason or for what positive purpose would Montreal acquire Casey Middelstadt for?

#3. Unless a trade with Josh Anderson or Justin Barron as the center piece of the trade, with either Oliver Kapanen, Jacob Olofsson or Jan Mysak as the 2^nd piece of the trade and Ty Smilanic as the 3^rd and last piece of the trade can be completed, the compensation demands of Buffalo would be way too high, for a player that has not even remotely lived up to their skill set to date.

#4. The Montreal Canadiens have centers Nick Suzuki, Jake Evans, Brendan Gignac, Lias Andersson, Owen Beck, Lucas Condotta, Jared Davidson, Sean Farrell, Phillippe Maillet and Xavier Simoneau all available within their organization.

#5. What is wrong with all of these people that want to purposely ruin Arber Xhekaj’s career by being unprofessional, intentionally trying to start chaos, spread total B.S. creating completely unfounded doubts, and questioning of defenseman Arber Xhekaj? If anyone is looking for the definition of disgrace, look no further. Arber Xhekaj is that extremely rare physical talent that can actually play and not just enforce. That’s why so many teams want him on their rosters. If for some reason he’s traded, I hope it haunts Montreal forever. I hope Montreal never wins another Stanley Cup again, and I would never follow the franchise again.

#6. For anyone who thought Jaraj Slafkovsky from the first game he played was going to hit the ice like Conner McDavid, Sidney Crosby, Steven Stamkos or Alexandre Ovechkin, pull your head out of the sand. Slafkovsky wasn’t going to immediately step on the ice and replicate Jaromir Jager either, it takes time, and even more so on a rebuilding team.

He was 18-years of age when drafted, he’s just 19 years of age now. Prior to being drafted he played in 7 international games and a tournament before coming to the NHL. Is there actually a single living, mentally functioning human being that thought he would hit the ice like the afore mentioned, they need their head examined.

In case anyone has forgotten, not all 1^st overall picks excel. How did Alexandre Daigle, Patrik Stefan, Rick DiPietro, Nail Yakupov and Alexis Lafreniere turn out. The jury is still out on Lafreniere It took Jack Hughes 4-years in the NHL before he lit it up, and his team had talent around him all the time.