Hockey Free For All

Episode 150 of the Hockey For All Podcast 03-28-2025

Hello Hockey Fan’s, out there. Take a listen to Episode 150 of the Hockey free For all Podcast to get your hockey fix. This week’s topics include-
#1. Montreal did not need Dylan Cozens!
#2. Montreal Doesn’t need to acquire Trevor Zegras.
#3. Montreal does not need to acquire Matthew Barzal, unless its straight up for Patrik Laine and Kirby Dach, and at the end of Barzals current contract in the 2026/2027 season, that carries a 9.15 annual cap hit, Montreal trades Barzal for multiple 1st round picks.
#4. Montreal is far better off platooning Owen Beck, Oliver Kapanen and Alex Newhook for the remainder of his current contract, rather than acquiring someone over paid and underperforming from another NHL club.
#5. Ivan Demidov, hasn’t even arrived yet, what is wrong with you people?
#6. Yes, Michael Hage has announced that he will be returning to the University of Michigan for his sophomore season, that doesn’t translate to Montreal taking on a bloated contract of an underperforming player to just say they filled a roster spot.#7. There is no player in the NHL worthy of Montreal Trading Michael Hage, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck, Tyler Thorp, Owen Protz, Jacob Fowler, Florian Xhekaj, Jaruj Slafkovsky Jakob Dobes, Cole Caufield, Sean Farrell, Luke Tuch or Jared Davidson for. They are all important pieces to the rebuild, that they will not nearly receive anything remotely in equal value for any of those prospects, from any club in the league, which is why every team would absolutely love to obtain any or all of them.
#8. Kent Hughes and Jeff Gorton are doing an exceptional job. Montreal has done exceptional drafting.
#9. Carter Bear and Justin Carbonneau are exactly the types of wingers Montreal to round out their talented prospect pool with.
#10. I hope David Savard retires and takes a defensive coaching or player/prospect developmental position at the NHL/AHL and ECHL levels.
#11. Christian Dvorak, Joel Armia and Michael Pezzetta need to be allowed to walk away the completion of the 2024/2025, or as soon as the season end’s, trade their rights to a team and if that team signs them, Montreal receives agreed to draft compensation.
#12. Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Joshua Roy, all need to be traded. They do not fit into Montreal’s rebuild and are not the right types of players.
#13. Definitely hold onto Left Defensive Prospect Adam Engstrom. If Kaiden Guhle’s history of injuries does not stop with the conclusion of the 2024/2025 season, it’s time to trade Kaiden Guhle and replace him with Adam Engstrom. Nearly identical height and weight. At the moment Guhle is better defensively, Engstrom is better offensively, both are excellent skaters, and excellent in the transition game.
https://Hockeyfreeforall.podbean.com/e/episode-150-of-the-hockey-for-all-podcast-03-28-2025/

Episode 149 of the Hockey Free For All 03-21-2025

Hello Hockey fan’s out there. Here is Episode 149 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast to listen to and get your hockey fix, topics of discussion include-
#1. Sean Farrell has arrived and is having a tremendous 2nd half in Laval.
#2. Joshua Roy is on his way out, unless he does a complete180.
#3. Lucas Conndotta signs a new 2-year contract extension with the Montreal Canadiens.
#4. Josh Andersson has found the right spot this season.
#5. Josh Anderson chose the perfect time to wear the new cut protections clothing.
#6. Montreal Does not need to resign David Savard.
#7. Montreal Does not need to resign Christian Dvorak, with only exception being?
#8. Montreal Does not need to resign Joel Armia.
#9. Montreal can let Michael Pezzetta go.
#10. Nick Suzuki is Patrice Bergeron 2.0
#11. Nick Suzuki is an Elite NHL center.
#12. Who are the 24 NHL centers supposedly in front or/better than Nick Suzuki?
#13. Are there 24 Mario Lemieux’s in the NHL, I think not!
#14. There’s no better team captain in the NHL better, than Nick Suzuki!
#15. I wouldn’t trade Michael Hage, Ivan Demidov, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, Owen Beck, Arber Xhekaj, Florian Xhekaj, Jacob Fowler or Jakub Dobes straight up for Connor McDavid or Leon Draisaitl!
#16. Before calling me clueless, take a deep look into the mirror.
#17. Yes, Connor McDavid is one of the fastest, purest gifted skaters and puck handlers in the entire world.
#18. Yes, Leon Draisaitl one of the best goal scorers and there’s room for the argument of he is one of the best 2-way center in the NHL. Yes, that argument can certainly be made.
#19. Michael Hage, Ivan Demidov, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux, Owen Beck, Arber Xhekaj, Florian Xhekaj, Jacob Fowler or Jakub Dobes are all future top level/elite NHL players.
#20. Want proof? Patrik Laine is the perfect current example.
#21. It’s a locust market that invades and infringes on alone time, family time, get away time, recovery time, rejuvenation time or any other kind of time of players or their families.
#22. Family members of a player on social media platforms even get trolled!
#23. Connor McDavid is extremely private and is not particularly fond of the media. Want proof, recall his response to the media member of 2-years ago
#24. Not so long ago the Montreal Canadiens entered a season with 5 rookie defenseman and nearly everyone blew a gasket. Opps, it thrived.
#25. Why can’t Alex Newhook fill in as the number 2 center for the 2025/2026 season?
#26. Why can’t Alex Newhook, Owen beck or Oliver Kapanen platoon in the 2nd center roll in the 2025/2026 season, If Michael Hage was to return to the University of Michigan?
#27. Montreal has no need for unproven, underachieving players like Trevor Zegras, Dylon Cozens and countless others with bloated contracts.
#28. Too bad the KHL doesn’t like the fact that Ivan Demidov doesn’t want to sign another KHL contract.

Episode 148 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 03-14-2025

Hello hockey fans. Take a listen to Episode 148 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast and get your hockey fix this week. Topics include-
#1. Why would anyone think Mitch Marner should have waved his no trade clause for the Toronto Maple Leaf’s?
#2. Mitch Marner has more than earned the privilege to determine where he wants to go.
#3. Mitch Marner is the Number one player on the Toronto Maple Leaf’s Roster.
#4. Mitch Marner is the Swiss army knife of the Toronto Maple Leaf’s and bring more to the table than any other player on the Toronto Maple Leaf’s Roster by far.
#5. William Nylander is the number 2 and 2nd most important player on the Toronto Maple Leaf’s roster.
#6. Austin Matthews is the number 3 player of importance on the Toronto maple Leaf’s roster, has a concerning injury history and is a one trick pony.
#7. Hockey is a business. Organizations understand that, and the players understand that.
#8. What is wrong with those in Montreal, that want the Canadiens Organization to mortgage away all of its prospects for overpaid, underperforming, overrated and yet to do anything at the NHL level players with bloated long-term contracts, that will negatively saddle the club financially for the better part of a decade?
 #9. Kent Hughs and Jeff Gorton are doing it right.
#10. If I had been offered a 2nd round draft pick for Joel Armia, I don’t know if I could have passed that up, but Kent Hugh’s stood his ground and has given his players a chance to prove it and made no additions or deletions to his roster.
#11. It’s going to be very interesting to see where the Montreal Canadiens finish in the standing and to see if they can make and take a playoff spot?
#12. At a minimum, the players have to know that Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Michael Pezzetta and David Savard won’t return next season and that there is a better than average chance that Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook and Josh Anderson could not return as well, in 2025/2026 season.
#13. No one has drafted better than the Montreal Canadiens for the last 5-years and the 2025 NHL entry could be extremely interesting as Joel Armia, Christian Dvorak, Michael Pezzetta and David Savard could just end up walking away. But, what if Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Filip Mesar and Logan Mailloux were moved for 1st round picks, and Josh Anderson and Joshua Roy were moved for 2nd round picks in the 2025 NHL entry draft?
 

Episode 147 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 03-07-2025

Hello Hockey Fans out there, take a listen to Episode 147 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast to get your hockey fix, and catch up the annual NHL trade deadline that expired at 3pm eastern time today.
#1. The Kirby Dach experiment in Montreal is over.
#2. Moving forward at best, Dack is the 1st or 2nd line right winger or will be no longer be with the organization at the end of his current contract.
 #3. The Montreal Canadiens do not need to acquire a 2nd line center. They already have the 1st, 2nd & 3rd lines centers in Nick Suzuki, Michael Hage and Owen Beck moving forward, and Can finish the 2024/2025 season with Nick Suzuki, Alex Newhook, Jake Evans and Christian Dvorak.
#4. It’s time for Alex Newhook to prove to the organization he belongs there or its time to move on.
#5. Jake Evans signs a new 4-year contract with an annual cap hit of 2.85 million dollars per season, rather than the insane numbers of 4 or 5 million dollars that were being thrown around.
#6. The Montreal Canadiens have so many centers, that Oliver Kapanen, Florian Xhekaj and Jared Davidson will be vying for 4th line center minutes, that is stiff roster competition right there.
#7. The Montreal Canadiens do not need to and have no need to acquire Simon Nemec, Trevor Zegras, Casey Mittelstadt, Mavrik Bourque or Dylan Cozens and give away far more talented prospects in Logan Mailloux, Joshua Roy or Future 1st round draft picks for unproven severely over paid players, who have all done absolutely nothing to this point of their careers.
#8. How did the Ryan McDonagh trade work out?
#9. How did the Mikhail Sergachev trade work out?
#10. Jonathan Kovocevic for the first day he landed in New Jersey, has been the lock down, lights out number one defenseman for the New Jersey Devils all season long.
                                                          Trade deadline Highlights
#11. Thankfully, the Ottawa Senators have acquired Center Dylan Cozen from the Buffalo Sabres.
#12. The Philadelphia Flyers traded forward Scott Laughton along with 4th and 6th round 2025 draft picks to the Toronto Maple Leaf’s for forward Nikkita Grebenkin and a 2027 top 10 protected 1st round draft pick.
#13. Carolina Hurricanes Trade RW Mikko Rantanen to The Dallas Stars for Center Logan Stankoven, and 2 first round picks.
#14. The Dallas stars have signed the newly acquired RW Mikko Rantanen to a new 8-year 96-million-dollar contract, with an annual cap hit of 12-million per season.
#15. The New Jersey Devils have signed defenseman Jonathan Kovacevic to a new 5-year, 20-million-dollar extension with a 4 million per season annual cap hit.
#16. The Boston Bruins have sent their team Captain Brad Marchand to the Florida Panthers for pending Compensation, TDB.
#17. It looks like the Boston Bruins are in full reload mode.

Episode 146 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 02-28-2025

It’s time for Episode 146 pf the Hockey Free For All Podcast, Topics include-
#1. Whinny Patrik Laine is back. The honeymoon in Montreal Canadiens is over.
#2. Montreal needs to trade Patrik Laine to the Vancouver Canucks, so Laine can line up with Elias Pettersson. The Vancouver Canuck can then concentrate on acquiring Mikko Rantanen to complete the line.
#3. What is up with the continued and relentless trade rumors with every possible trade that the Montreal Canadiens could will start with or include Logan Mailloux?
#4. Is there just an abysmal lack of understanding in talent level and excellence of this Montreal Canadiens prospect?
#5. Unless Montreal Canadiens obtains Cale Makar straight up for Logan Mailloux, by the Colorado Avalanche, no one else is worthy of trading for!
#6. Its time to move Patrik Laine’s, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Josh Andersson, Christian Dvorak, Jake Evan, Michael Pezzetta, David Savard, Joel Armia and Cayden Primeau to move on, the organization has the replacements on hand
#7. This just in, Kirby Dach will miss the remainder of yet another regular season. This is ala Jonathan Drouin all over again.
#8. Kirby Dach is far too fragile.
#9. Florian Xhekaj was a 4th round steel in the 2023 draft, hab’s fans will love him.
#10. Tyler Thorp and Luke Tuch will make excellent linemates for Florian Xhekaj.
#11. The Montreal Canadiens have their top 3 centers  for the next decade plus.
#12. Samual Montembeau returned from the 4-nations tournament a very different player
#13. The Montreal Canadiens do not need to focus on the QMJHL in the 2025 draft, they need to focus on the best player/players for the organization.
#14. The Montreal Canadiens finally started drafting the organization needs in 2019 after decades of bad drafting.
#15. Kaidin Guhle’s injury though not a Knee or Shoulder injury, should be extremely concerning.
#16. Kaiden Guhle needs to spend the rest of his recovery time, and all of the off season focused on protecting himself.
#17. Arber Xhekaj’s greatest skill above all else is to be told he can’t succeed at something.
#18. A line consisting of Brendan Gallagher, Sean Farrell and Raphael Harvey-Pinard for the rest of the 2024/2025 season would be great to watch.
#19. Can’t wait to see Alexander Ovechkin break Wayne Gretzky’s all time most goals scored record.
#20. I want to see Alexander Ovechkin notch 900 career goals by the end of the 2024/2025 regular season.
#21. What’s with these morons that keep calling into question Martin St. Louis coaching?
#22. The Montreal Canadiens do not need to trade Brendan Gallagher to the New Jersey Devils and the Montreal Canadiens do not need to acquire any more players on the smaller side.
#23. The Montreal Canadiens need to net a 1st round draft pick for Jake Evans.

Episode 145 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 02-21-2025

Hello Hockey Fans out there. Here is Episode 145 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast to take a listen to and get your hockey fix, topics this week include-
#1. The fights at the beginning of the game were an unexceptionable disgrace.
#2. Matthew Tkachuk and Brady Tkachuk should have been ejected from the game
#3. Canada had injuries too, Cale Makar, Shea Theodore and Alex Pietrangelo.
#4. Cale Makar is the undisputed best defensemen in the NHL
#5. Fighting is not part of the game, it’s been allowed. There’s an enormous difference and distinction there.
#6. Policing, protecting and retaliation to intent to hurt a player on purpose dose justify the permanent elimination of the offender, and sends a message, it will not be tolerated in any way, shape or form, or at any time.
#7. Canada looked old in the first game against the United States
#8. Canada looked flat in the first game against the United States
#9. Canada was clearly relying on its history and past reputation, and didn't show up in the first game against the United States
#10. Sidney Crosby was a non-factor in the first game against the United States
#11. Connor McDavid was taken out of the remainder of the first game against the United States after scoring. 
#12. Team Finland and Sweden clearly outmatched in the 4 nations tournament by the United States and Canada, it wasn’t even close.
#13. The 4 Nations Tournament was an enormous success for the NHL and far better than any traditional all-star game format.
#14. Sidney Crosby and Connor McDavid showed up and were engaged in the 4 Nation’s final game, there was a clear difference in their level of intensity, and everyone else fed off of it.
#15. NHL All-star games should be replaced with tournaments like the 4 nations tournament, Rendezvous 87 where the best of the NHL lined up in a 2-game contest with the Soviet Selects or go to a different international city, every year and play that countries top team/teams. It would be far more interesting, result in far more viewership, and would be the best possible marketing for the NHL.
#16. The 4 Nations Tournament would have been even better if Czechoslovakia, Russia, Slovenia and Germany were part of it.
#17. It’s time to stop punishing Russian athletes. They are responsible in any way for the Ukraine war against Russia. The Athletes are being used as Pawns in a geo-political game. The athletes have dedicated their lives to and trained for tournaments, the Olympics and international contests, they have nothing to do with the war, and yet are being punished for it.

Episode 144 of the Hocket Free For All Podcast 02-14-2025

Hello Hockey fan’s, take a listen to episode 144 of the Hockey Free For All Podacst as Rumors and behaviors are running rampant.
#1. The only way it makes sense for Jakub Dobes to be returned to Laval is?
#2. The unacceptable behaviors of Montreal Canadiens fan’s after the the completion of the 4 to nothing shut out by the New Devils.
#3. The Unprofessional conduct and treatment of Samual Montembeau at the 4 Nations Tournament?
#4. The insanity of acquiring center Dylan Cozens from the Buffalo Sabres, who carries 7.1 million dollar annual cap hit until the 2029/2030 season, are you kidding me? That makes sense on what or who’s planet?
#5. Its time for Patrik Laine, Kirby Dach, Alex Newhook, Josh Anderson, Christian Devorak, Joel Armia, Jake Evens, Dave Savard, Mike Matheson, Michael Pezzetta, Rapheal Harvey-Pinard and with the resent treatment of Samual Montembeau to all move on
#6. The honeymoon ends with the completion of the 2024/2025 season.
#7. The Injury to Kaiden Guhle has clearly shows how far away the Montreal Canadiens are from an actual playoff contending team. The loss of this player should not have affected the Canadiens to the level that is has.
The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin, The Edmonton Oilers have lost Connor McDavid and the Colorado Avalanche have lost their captain Gabriel Landeskog for 277 games and counting and it remained game on, next man up and none of the 3 teams have so much missed a step, let alone catastrophically fallen into despair, like the Montreal Canadiens have since Kaiden Guhle’s injury.
If that happens with an injury to Kaiden Guhle, what would happen if Nick Suzuki or Ivan Demidov got hurt? It should be business as usual next man up, but will it be?
#8. The expectations increase exponentially on day one of training camp and the regular season of 2025/2026 with the full time arrivals of Ivan Demidov, Michael Hage, Owen Beck, Joshua Roy, David Reinbacher, Logan Mailloux , Adam Engstrom, Jakub Dobes, Oliver Kapanen, Jacob Fowler and maybe even Tyler Thorpe, along with sandpaper/grit players  Florian Xhekaj, Luke Tuch and Jared Davidson.

Episode143 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 02-07-2025

Hello Hockey Fans Episode 143 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast is ready to listen to, topics include-
#1. Everyone should be ready for another inevitable bottom 5 finish in the league for the Montreal Canadiens for a 3rd year in a row?
#2. Why is has Kaiden Guhle’s injury effected the Montreal Canadiens to the degree that it has?
#3. The Pittsburgh Penguins have lost and survived without Sidney Crosby, Kris LaTang and Evgeni Malkin.  
#4. The Colorado Avalanche traded an elite level roster and star player in Mikko Rantanen and have been without their captain Gabrial Landeskog who if he misses the 2024/2025 season, has not played since game 51 of the 2021/2022 season and let’s do the math on that for a moment. That is 271 games consecutively missed, or 3 and 1/3 seasons without their captain, a key player, a cornerstone, and league star, and have remained a top level club?
 #5. The Montreal Canadiens loose Kainden Guhle and go into a nose dive and completely fall apart?
#6. Kaiden Guhle is a good, solid, but he is Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, Kris LaTang, Mikko Rantanen’s or Gabrial Landeskog. Nor is he on that level of importance or impact to his team, sorry, let’s be brutally honest here.
#6. The Montreal Canadiens do not have a team wolf pack mentality, clearly, as the St. Louis Blus, Dallas Stars and Boston Bruins do.
#7 The Montreal Canadiens lack team resolve.
#8. The Montreal Canadiens have no sandpaper element on their roster outside of Arber Xhekaj and Michael Pezzetta, and it’s very obvious.
#9.  Kaiden Guhle’s injuries and injury history should be a major concern to the Montreal Canadiens, both in the short and long terms.
#10. Kaiden Guhle’s Injury should have been simply mitigated by moving Mike Matheson back to his natural left side, so that the left side of the Canadiens defense would then consist of Mike Matheson, Lane Hutson and Arber Xhekaj.
The right side of the defense has Alexandre Carrier, David Savard and Jayden Struble, that’s it. Nothing more radical than that. Not wholesale changes of any kind.
#11. Why do the Montreal Canadiens have an entire team meltdown when any player on their roster gets hurt?
#12. Why have the Montreal Canadiens remained such and extremely fragile team since the end of the 70’s?
#13. Chris Nilan is 100% correct, the Montreal Canadiens severely lack bite, fight and unity on their team.
#14. Why does an overwhelming amount of people want to make endless ridiculous amounts of trades and pay ridiculous amounts of contract money, when highly skilled players, such as David Reinbacher, Ivan Demidov, Logan Mailloux, Michael Hage, Adam Engstrom, Owen Beck and Jacob Fowler haven’t even arrived yet, or the sandpaper grit players, such Florian Xhakaj, Tyler Thorpe, Luke Tuch and Owen Protz have no even arrived yet?

Episode 142 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 01-31-2025

Hello Hockey Fans out there. Hear is episode 142 topics to take a listen to, to get your hockey fix for the week. Topics include-
#1. The Colorado Avalanche decided it was time to change things up and refresh the team.
#2. Why is head coach Martin St. Louis being questioned about given the team day’s off. The reasons are obvious and he’s right, and doesn’t need to answer to anyone.
#3. Are Mike Matheson, David Savard, Jake Evans, Christian Dvorak, Josh Anderson, Joel Armia, Michael Pezzetta and Cayden Primeau the most likely if anyone to be traded?
#4. Wake up, how has Mike Matheson, one of the most important players and leader on the team, become a scapegoat in the eyes of the significantly incompetent?
#5. The Kaiden Guhle injury could not only drastically alter the Montreal Canadiens 2024/2025 regular season but significantly change what the Montreal Canadiens do at the 2025 trade deadline and who is or is not available.
#6. Really, after an offseason and playing through a continuing regular season, the best 3 names that the NHL’s newest franchise in Utah could come with, are the Mammoth, the current name of the Utah Hockey Club and the Wasatch, seriously! Thankfully the option of the Wasatch has been replaced with the Outlaws today, as its always been the extremely obvious choice from day one, with maybe a distant 2nd option of either the Venom or the Blizzard.
#7. Why, and for what possible reason is the NHL even remotely still interested in Atlanta as a franchise location after not 1, but 2 extreme failures. Why would Atlanta or Phoenix even be a discussion anymore. Why is the focus not on Houston TX, Portland OR or Kansas which are all far better options in the United states, or on Quebec City, Hamilton ONT or a New Brunswick Team In Canada that could not only pull from the entire Maritime region of Canada, but from Vermont and Maine of the United States as well being focused on.

Episode 141 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 01-24-2025

Hello hockey fans. Here is Episode 141 of the Hockey Free For all Podcast to take a listen too. It’s a grab bag episode that  Discusses-
#1. Kirby Dach’s season has finally turned around and it would seem patients has paid off, and he has found his game.
#2. Kaiden Guhle is quietly having a very solid season.
#3. Yes, the Lane Hutson hype has not only gotten of hand.
#4. Jake Evans is having a career season.
#5. The Montreal Canadiens do not need to acquire Nikolaj Ehlers from the Winnipeg Jets  during the season or sign in the offseason as a free agent center.
#6. The Montreal Canadiens are doing a fantastic job at developing and cultivating their own internal prospects and talent.
#7. Hat’s off to Arber Xhekaj. Xhekaj who has evolved a lot as a player this season.
#8 The Montreal Canadiens do not even remotely need to or have a need to acquire Right-Handed Defenseman Simon Nemec from the New Jersey Devils.
#9. Could Jakub Dobes establish himself as the Montreal Canadiens number 1 goaltender by the end of the 2024/2025 season?
#!0. Could Jakub Dobes, who currently has a 1.55 goals-against and a 941 save percentage  cause the Canadiens to consider trading Samual Montembeau, if the right team came calling with a can’t refuse offer?
#11. Congratulations to Brendan Gallagher for playing in his  800 NHL game given all of the injuries he has incurred , is very impressive.
#12. Ivan Demidov is excelling, and once again Canadiens Management made the right decision in keeping Ivan Demidov in the KHL, as the coaching and development have been not only outstanding, but better for the prospect.
#13. Michael Hage and Jacob Fowler could both be Hobey Baker award nominees.