Hockey Free For All

Hello hockey fans out there. Episode 222 of the hockey free for all has arrived for you. This episode’s topics include-
#1. Hayley Wickenheiser dismissed by the Toronto Maple Leaf’s
#2. Apparently G.M. John Chayka has different plans and a different vision.
#3. The Toronto Maple Leaf’s are cleaning house administratively.
#4. The Toronto Maple Leaf’s are leaving no stone unturned.
#5. The Montreal Canadiens sign defensive prospect Bogdan Konyushkov.
#6. Bogdan Konyushkov will play in the KHL with the Torpedo Nizhny Novgorod in 2026-27.
#7. The right and left sides of the defense are equally as strong in Montreal.
#8. With signings and arrivals of Bryce Pickford and Bogdan Konyushkov, David Reinbacker has some serious and very real competition, and his clock is now ticking.
#9. First round draft pick are not the only prospects that have real opportunity to make it in the NHL.
#10. David Reinbacker is 6’ 03 207lbs, that’s not enough. Pickford and Konyushkov bring a lot more.
#11. In Addition to Bryce Pickford and Bogdan Konyushkov, Montreal selected Right-Handed defensemen Timofei Runtso and Cooper Cleaves in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
#12. Of the top 17 picks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, David Reinbacher has played the least amount of games in the NHL.
#13. Bogdan Konyushkov and Owen Protz would be a scary pairing on the Montreal defense.
#14. The battle of Reinbacher Vs. Engstrom. Which one or do both make the 2026/2027  roster?
#15. The Canuck’s new coaching staff is now filled out.
#16. Dylan Larkin is not the perfect match for the Montreal Canadiens and why.
#17, The Montreal Canadiens biggest need is grit. Not a 2nd-line center, not another defenseman.
#18. Ivan Demidov and Jakub Dobes were important contracts. Kirby Dach, not so much.
#19. Stop! The Montreal Canadiens do not need and not have any need for Mikeal Granlund at all.
#20. Anaheim would make extremely excessive compensation demands for Mikael Granlund.
#21. Anaheim matches Philadelphia’s offer-sheet to Leo Carlsson.
#22. Philadelphia has destroyed Anaheim’s cap management.
#23. The Montreal Canadiens have replaced Trevor Letowski with Derek Lalonde and what he brings.
#24. Martin St. Louis, Rod Brind’ Amour and Andre Tourigny are the top 3 coaches in the NHL.
#25. So many have forgotten Oliver Kapanens’ excellent regular season that far exceed expectations, why?
#26. The Montreal Canadiens have 8 centers; how many do they need? That’s 2 sets of starting 4 centers that they can ice.
#27. The Montreal Canadiens do not need Kirill Marchenko either, Stop!
#28. John Davidson is back in hockey.
#29. Steve Yzerman is out in Detroit.
#30. Does Detroit step outside the box or go traditional with their G.M. hiring?
#31. Thankfully, Anthony Mantha signed a 2-year contract with the New Jersey Devils.
 #32. You really don’t want to trade Arber Xhekaj and here’s why.

Hello hockey fans welcome to episode 221 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast, this week’s topics include-
#1. Montreal did not miss out on any kind of upgrade by not signing defenseman John Carlson.
#2. John Carlson made it clear he wanted to return to the east Coast of the U.S. How was this a miss by Montreal?
#3. John Carlson has earned the right to do what he wants.
#4. Montreal 11 NHL caliber and ready defenseman.
#5. Montreal is loaded at defense like know other club.
 #6. Montreal Canadiens have signed goaltender Jakub Dobes to a 3-year contract worth?
#7. Jakub Dobes is clearly the starting goaltender in Montreal.
#8. The Philadelphia Flyers offer-sheet’s Anaheim Ducks center Leo Carlsson showing pure stupidity.
#9. The Philadelphia Flyers apparently has a very deep rift with Anaheim.
#10. I have absolutely nothing against Leo Carlsson at all. However, he’s done absolutely nothing in his career to this point to warrant an offer sheet or contract of that magnitude.
#11. Leo Carlsson is coming off a 3-year entry level deal that paid him $925,000.00 are you kidding me.
#12. Do not confuse Leo Carlsson in any wat with?
#13. No Montreal Does not need to jump into the RFA market because of anything.
#14. Anaheim signs Pavel Mintyukov, avoiding another possible offer-sheet.
#15. The Utah Mammoth have matches New Jersey’s offer sheet.
#16. Arber Xhekaj has decided to not file for salary arbitration in a classy move.
#17. Kirby Dach had filed for arbitration.
#18. Kirby Dach is not even worth the 4-million dollar qualifying offer that the Montreal Canadiens made to him.
#19. Kirby Dach has been completely unreliable.
#20. Kirby Dach’s decision to file for arbitration says a tremendous amount about his character.
#21. Shane Wright has proven Montreal Management correct.
#22. Claude Giroux signs a new1-year contract with the Ottawa Senators.
#23. The Calgary Flames have locked up recently acquired Simon Nemic to a new 5-year contract.
 #24. Daniel Alfredsson signs with the Toronto Maple Leaf’s as an assistant coach, along with former Toronto Marlies head coach John Gruden and Brad Werenka.
#25. One must wonder what Ottawa Senator fans think about Daniel Alfredsson going to the Toronto Maple Leaf’s of all teams?
#26. Toronto releases previous assistant coaches Mike Van Ryn and Derek Lalonde. will not be returning for next season.
#27. The news of Connor Beard must be a significant concern to the Chicago Blackhawks.
#28. Montreal does not need to acquire Elias Pettersson from the Vancouver Canucks.
#29. Montreal does not need to acquire Rickard Rakell and Bryan Rust from the Pittsburgh Penguins.
#30. There is a plethora of talent in Europe that could be signed, that would do a far better job than any of these must-have options would do, and cost Montreal nothing in assets or players.

Hello Hockey Fans, episode 220 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived and it’s just been a trading and free agent frenzy.
 
#1. An insane number of trades to talk about and catch up on
#2. The free agent frenzy begins
#3. Montreal does right by Brendan Gallagher
#4. With Bredan Gallagher trade, does that open-up a roster spot for Florian Xhekaj to win or lose in the 2026/2027 training camp?
#5. Where will the remaining big names get traded to, will they get traded?
#6. The Montreal Canadiens make a series of AHL trades.
#7. The New Jersey Devils fire the first shot with an offer-sheet to an RFA.
#8. The San Jose Sharks and the Utah Mammoth made statements in the draft, and now in the insane trade and free agent markets.
#9. The Montreal Canadiens have submitted qualifying offers restricted free agents: Arber Xjekaj, Zachary Bolduc, Jarred Davidson, Sean Farrell, Kirby Dach, Hunter McKnown, Brett Berard and Maksymillian Szuber.
#10. Will Kirby Dach, Zach Bolduc and Samuel Montembeau be a part of the Montreal Canadiens moving forward?
#11. The Florida Panthers are doing more than a few tweaks to their roster.
#12. The Montreal Canadiens have signed another long-term/cornerstone piece of their franchise, as right winger Ivan Demidov signed an 8-year 73 million extension with an annual cap hit of 9.125 million dollars.
#13. The Ottawa Senators have signed group 6 free agent Ryan Suzuki to a contract, so there will be no reuniting of the Suzuki brothers in Montreal to join the Xhekaj brothers.
#14. The Montreal Canadiens walked away the biggest winners in the trade and free agent frenzy for 2-reasons, find out why.
#15. Michael Hage has left the door open, just a little bit for the 2026/2027 season. The really good news is that Jeff Gorton and Kent Hughes will do what’s right for both Michael Hage, as well as the organization, and will not be affected, derailed or influenced by what anyone else thinks, nor should they be. It’s about the prospect and organization not what anyone wants.
#16. The Montreal Canadiens did not event remotely miss the mark in the 2026 Draft and allowed talent to go elsewhere or be drafted by other clubs. Again, a true statement of ignorance by those who said and believe that. The Montreal Canadiens not only hit the mark dead-on, Montreal nailed the 2026 draft, and addressed exactly what the organization wanted in every round, sandpaper, grit, size for their roster and long-term Right-handed defenseman options.
#17. In yet the dumbest remark yet, are there really people that believe that the Montreal Canadiens should replace Martin St. Louis with Bruce Cassidy.  Does ignorance have no limits?
#18. Martin St. Louis is the best coach in Montreal since Scotty Bowman.
#19. Alexander Ovechkin will return for his 22nd season.

Hello Hockey Fan’s. Episode 219 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast, the 2026 NHL Entry Draft episode has arrived. The Topics include-
 
#1. More pre-draft trades.
 
#2. Draft Day Trades.
 
#3. Few NHL Clubs make the number of trades that the Las Vegas Golden Knights do.
 
#4. The Anaheim Ducks, St. Louis Blues, Utah Mammoth and Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes were no slouch either, when it came to trades at the 2026 NHL Entry Draft. They were all very active.
 
#5. Teams moving up and down the draft board in a way and with a frequency seen on very few occasions in the NHL.
 
#6. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft set a new record as to the greatest number of goalies ever selected in an NHL Entry Draft with 34, selected in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
 
#7. The Montreal Canadiens made 2 minor AHL trades to enhance the AHL roster in the 2026/2027 season.
 
#8. Kent Hughes was actively moving around on the draft board targeting very specific players that the Montreal Canadiens wanted in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
 
#9. Fortunately, the Montreal Canadiens were not involved in any of the major trades and did not mortgage their team, prospects of future away, by paying the excessively ridicules compensations that clubs were demanding for underachieving and overpaid players. 
 
#10. The 2026 NHL Entry Draft focused on sandpaper, grit, in your face physicality for the Montreal Canadiens, which was clearly the biggest need that the Montreal Canadiens had in the regular season and was a very obvious need in the playoffs, especially against the Carolina Hurricanes.
 
#11. As much movement and transactions have already been completed, there are still optionally many other trades the could occur on July 1st/Canada Day as Dylan Larkin, Zach Werenski, Kirill Marchenko, Vincent Trocheck, Connor Hellebuych or is Michael Knies still available? The Montreal Canadiens should grab group 6 free Agent Ryan Suzuki on July 1st, walk away from everything else. Have a nice quiet summer, heal up and wait for the 2026/2027 training camp.
 
#12. The San Jose Sharks, The Toronto Maple Leaf’s, Anaheim Ducks and the Seattle Kraken had the best drafts, but the Calgary Flames, Nashville Predators, St. Louis Blues and Utah Mammoth also had really a really good draft and should not be left out either.

Hello Hockey Fan’s. Episode 218 the pre-draft episode has arrived for your listening enjoyment, and right on the heels of episode 217 that was posted earlier this week. Episode 218 is all about the significant pre-draft trade frensy action and other club activities that has reshaped teams as well as the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
The topics are-
#1. Trades, trades and more trades!
#2. Club interest in other players. Are they available or not, and what is or would be the cost to acquire them?
#3. Protentional pre or draft day trades that could reshuffle the 2026 NHL Entry Draft entirely, changing what teams are actually drafting in the top 10 selections, who they will take, could both significantly alter the draft and the clubs.

Episode 217 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast is early.
#1. Penguins and Ron Francis reunite.
#2. 3-time Stanley Cup Champion Jonathan Towes retires.
#3. Montreal does not need Mark Scheifele.
#4. Compensation expected in return is off the chart’s nuts in the NHL.
#5. Mark Scheifele for Brendan Gallagher, Samuel Montembeau and Jayden Struble?
#6. The center market is not shrinking for Montreal.
#7. Dylan Larkin, Mason McTavish, Robert Thomas and Vincent Trocheck would not work out in Montreal.
#8. No more bloated contracts and underperforming players in Montreal.
#9. Montreal has 7 centers on their NHL roster right now!
#10. Montreal has 13 legit center to fill 4 spots.
#11. Try Fillip Mesar at center before making a no-win trade that destroys and haunts the club for another decade plus.
#12. That doesn’t even include Michael Hage, L.J. Mooney, Ben Merill and Logan Sawyer who have college commitments.
#13. Montreal has 13 ligament center options right now.
#14. Hasn’t Alex Newhook earned the opportunity to be the clubs 2nd line center after the playoffs he just had?
#15. Jeff Gorton Kent Hughes and the scouting department have done amazing job at drafting prospects.
#16. Montreal should grab Ryan Suzuki.
#17. Martin St. Louis would love Ryan Suzuki.
#18. Ryan Suzuki would be a far greater addition in Montreal’s than any of the other got-to-have options would be by far.
#19. Alexis Lafreniere is not a player Montreal needs.
#20. What would Florian Xhekaj look like on a line with Nick Suzkuki and Cole Caufield?
#21. How much more space and time and protection would Nick Suzuki and Cole Caufield have with Florian Xhekaj on their line?
#22. Why does Montreal suddenly have a need for a second line left winger according to many?
#23. Oliver Kapanen, anyone?
#24. The Toronto Maple Leaf’s sign free agent defenseman Darren Raddysh to an 8-year contract?
#25. The Seattle Kraken acquire forward Mackie Samoskevich for the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
#26. The Florida Panthers acquire Leftwinger Brady Tkachuk from the Ottawa Senators for a pile of draft picks.
#27. What’s Ottawa do with acquired draft capital?
#28. If the Tkachuk brothers play like they did in the 4-nations tournament?
#29. The Seattle Kraken have signed forward Bobbie McMann to a 6-year contract extension at a cost of 5.75 million dollars per season.
#30. Ron Francis departs the Seattle Kraken.
#31. Pascal Vincent joins Seattle, as an assistant coach
#32. How about Detroit trades Dylan Larkin to Anaheim for Mason McTavish straight up. Done. Problems solved.
#33. Boston Bruins to retire number 37.
#34. Rod Brind’Amour, a great player and a top 5 coach.
#35. Rod Brind’Amour should have been amongst the 2026 Hockey Hall of Fame inductees.
#36. New multi-year contracts in Utah and adds Adam Foote added to coaching staff.

Hi fans, episode 216 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived, the topics include-
#1. So much for the 2025/2026 NHL season.
#2. The Stanley Cup has been claimed by the Carolina Hurricanes.
#3. Really wanted to see NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman have to hand the Stanley Cup to either Las Vegas Golden Knights Owner Bill Foley or Head Coach John Tortarella.
#4. The Las Vegas Golden Knight should call for a no confidence vote to Gary Bettman as Commissioner.
#5 Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier or Wayne Gretzky should be the Commissioner of the NHL.
#6. The Buffalo Sabres and the San Jose Sharks have exchanged mid/late first round draft picks, as each team holds multiple first round picks and a prospect.
#7.  Montreal does not need Dylan Larkin or Mason McTavish unless the Detroit Red Wings or the Anaheim Ducks will except Patrik Laine’s remaining rights for Dylan Larkin, Brendan Gallagher or Samual Montembeau Straight up for Dylan Larkin or Mason McTavish. At most Mike Matheson straight up for Dylin Larkin or Kaiden Guhle for Mason McTavish straight up?
#8. The Red Wings and the Ducks in either or both cases would still end up with the far better player.
#9. I still have no idea what people see in Dylan Larkin or Mason McTavish?
#10. Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes and Martin St. Louis are doing it right.
#11. The Montreal Canadiens would be haunted for nearly a decade at least.
#12. Untouchable NHL roster players should at a minimum include: Nick Suzuki, Cole Caufield, Juraj Slafkovsky, Ivan Demidov, Alex Newhook, Noah Dobson, Lane Huston, Arber Xhekaj and Jakub Dobes should be non-touchable for any other player in the league.
#13. The list of prospect untouchables should include: Michael Hage, Alexandre Zharovsky, Adam Engstrom, Bryce Pickford, David Reinbacher, Jacob Fowler, Florian Xhekaj, Owen Protz, Owen Beck, L.J. Mooney, Sam Harris, Bogdan Konyushkov, Yevgeni Volokhin and Alexis Cournoyer and this is just the primary group and minimum, there are others that should also be include.
#14. The Nashville Predators add Jamie Langenbrunner as a special assistant to new team President and General Manager Chris MacFarland’s staff.
#15.  John Tortarella out as Head Coach of the Las Vegas Golden Knights.
 #16. The Las Vegas Golden Knight hire Ryan Craig as their next Head Coach.
#17. Is Mike Babcock the right choice in Edmonton?
#18. Connor McDavid just wants to win!
#19. Edmonton has 2-years to win the cup, or Connor McDavid likely moves on.
#20. The L.A. Kings hire Peter Lovilette as their next Head Coach.
#21. Not to be left out, the Toronto Maple Leaf’s have named Jim Hiller as their next head coach.
#22. John Chayka has an immense amount of work to do with the player roster in order for new Head Coach Jim Hiller to be even remotely successful.

Hello Hockey Fan’s, episode 215 of the hockey free for all podcast has arrived. This episode’s topics include-
#1. Nick Suzuki win’s the Frank Silk Trophy as the NHL’s best defensive forward
#2. Cole Caufield wins the Lady Bing Trophy as the NHL’s most gentlemanly player
#3. The Canadiens would regret trading top end prospects Alexandre Zharovsky, Michael Hage, Adam Engstrom, Jacob Fowler or Bryce Pickford and many others.
#4. It would have been a mistake to acquire Michael Knies.
#5. Trading for Mason McTavish would be an enormous mistake by Montreal.
#6. Dylan Larkin is not what Montreal needs.
#7. Why would Montreal want Alexis Lafreniere?
#8. Thankfully, Patrik Laine’s contract is running out very shortly.
#9. The focus needs to remain on Adam Enstrom, Michael Hage, Jacob Fowler, Alexandre Zharovsky, Bryce Pickford, Owen Protz, David Reinbacher, Owen Beck, Florian Xhekaj, Luke Tuch and Tyler Thorp. Don’t forget, doubt or overlook Sam Harris, Bogden Konyushkov, Yevgeni Volokhin, L.J. Mooney, Alexis Cournoyer, Quentin Miller, Sean Farrell, Logan Sawyer or Luke Mittelstadt. None of these players have even arrived in Montreal yet?
#10. Of course, everyone else wants to make trades with Montreal, to get their hands on the best talent pool in the entire league.
#11. It will be sad to see Bredan Gallagher depart Montreal, he has been the modern-day Bob Gainey and Guy Carbonneau and is the definition of the true heart and soul of an NHL Hockey Club.
#12. The Nashville Predators have hired Colorado Avalanche General Manager Chris McFarland as their new President of Hockey Operations and their new General Manager.
#13. The Nashville Predators have hired former L.A. Kings Vice President of Hockey Operations and General Manager Rob Blake as the team’s new Executive Vice President of Hockey Operations.
#14. Look at Mitch Marner now. Leading all players in points in the playoffs, is the odds on to win the Conn Smyth Trophy as the playoff MVP and broke the fastest time to score a hat trick in a playoff games, that was held by Maurice Richard for 69 years. The problem was the organization, the city and the fans, not the player. OPP’s!
#15. So much for the core 4. It’s the unproductive three and the one that got away.

Hello hockey fans Episode 214 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived and topics this week include-
#1, It took no time at for the diarrhea to start after the Canadiens loss the series with the Hurricanes
#2. No the Canadiens do need a 2nd line center
#3. No the Canadiens do need a or any veteran defenseman
#4. If the Canadiens signa player with 1 or 2 years left in his career who is still playing at a #5. very high level in free agency or it would cost the Canadiens nothing more than?
#6. Montreal Management smartly has their current young stars all locked up. That still leaves Demidov, Dobes, Fowler, Hage, Zharovsky, Pickford, Mooney, Protz, Reinbacher and many others.
#7. It’s very likely Patrik Laine, Samuel Montembeau and Brendan Gallagher done.
#8. Alexandre Carrier and Jayden Struble are the odd men out on the defense.
#9. Montreal has a treasure chest of ready defensive prospects.
#10. Don’t trade Arber or Florian or both Xhekaj’s unless?
#11. Make no mistake Montreal regret trading Arber or Florian or both for at least a decade.
#12. Trading Arber or Florian Xhekaj would go down as the worst trade in at least modern history by Montreal.
#13. Arber Xhekaj is the MVP of the Montreal Canadiens. Don’t trade him or his brother if you ever want to win a Stanley Cup.
#14. Before moving Arber or Florian Xhekaj, there are many others to move first.
#15. The St. Louis Blues have won the Zachery Bolduc for Logan Mailloux trade hands down.
#16. Logan Mailloux at the end of the regular season was firmly establishing himself as their number one right-handed defenseman for the next decade plus.
#17.Montreal’s number one need is Sandpaper, grit and attitude throughout the team. Not a 2nd line center.
#18. Arber Xhekaj is the only NHL roster player in Montreal that has Sandpaper, grit and attitude.
#19. Florian Xhekaj and Owen Protz are the only 2-plyers for sure in the entire organization at any level that offers Sandpaper, grit and attitude and maybe Tyler Thorp and Luke Tuch, but that’s it.
#20. The Montreal Canadiens are where they are at because of Jeff Gorton, Kent Hughes, their scouting department, their player development department, the selection of Martin St. Louis as their Head Coach and the exceptional drafting that the organization has does in repeated drafts is what has brought them to where they are now.
#21. Montreal needs to pick a defensive style and get Sandpaper, grit and attitude throughout the entire team. That is what Montreal needs.
#22. It would be hilarious to watch Gary Bettmen have to present the Stanley Cup Las Vegas Head Coach John Tortarella or to the team’s Owner Bill Folley.
 

Hello hockey fans, episode 213 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast has arrived for you enjoyment. This episode’s topics include-
#1. Montreal’s rebuild is its final stages.
#2. Tampa or Buffalo was not Montreal’s biggest challenge. The Carolina Hurricanes are the real Challenge.
#3. Prospects Alexander Zharovsky and Michael Hage are returning to the KHL and Big-10, so they are now non factors for the 2026/2027 season.
#4.  Are David Reinbacher, Florian Xhekaj, Luke Tuch, Tyler Thorpe, Owen Beck and Sean Farrell ready or not?
#5. The Montreal Canadiens need Florian Xhekaj, Luke Tuch, Tyler Thorpe. The playoffs have proved that.
#6. The Montreal Canadiens do not need to acquire anyone from outside its organization, they have everything they need within it!
#7. The 2025/2026 playoffs have served notice to the Canadiens defense and style.
#8. Adam Engstrom is ready to take a regular roster spot.
#9. Is OHL of the year player right-handed defensive prospect Bryce Pickford ready?
#10. Where does Bogden Konyushkov fit in?
#11. The two issues that need to be answered in Montreal, are defensive style and grit!
#12. What about Yevgeni Volokhin?
#13. Jakub Dobes has been lights out.
#14. With the evolution of Jakub Dober, what change for Jacob Fowlers?
#15. The Las Vegas Golden Knights sweep the Colorado Avalanche in 4 straight!
#19. The Las Vegas Golden Knights have been like no other expansion team in any sports.
#20. It’s been 22 years since John Tortarella went to the Stanley Cup Finals.
#21. What happened to the Colorado avalanche?
#22. How bad is Cale Makar’s injury really?
#23. The Carolina Hurricanes looked out of sync in game 1, but have been in sync in games 2, 3 and 4 to perfection.
#24. If Caolina does eliminate Montreal, I really want to see Las Vegas win the Cup.
#25. Does anyone else want to see NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman have to present the Stanley Cup to H.C. John Tortarella or to Owner Bill Foley as badly as I do? That’s Karma in its truest sense.
#25. If Las Vegas wins the cup, it be like watching a replay of the Patriots coming back against Atlanta.
 #25. Las Vegas Golden Knights Owner Bill Folley should call for a no confidence vote.
#26. Bill Folley should take the NHL to court, in the same manner that Al Davis took the NFL to court. The penalties levied by the NHL against the Las Vegas Golden Knights were unjustified, excessive, an overreach of power and an abuse of power.
#27. Don’t agree, a quote from A.I./Google. League commissioners in professional sports are employees of the team owners, hired to act as the chief executives of the league. The commissioner serves at the pleasure of the owners and is tasked with executing their shared business interests, meaning the ultimate power rests with the ownership.