Hockey Free For All
Weekly content regarding what’s going on in hockey
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Episodes
Friday Jun 16, 2023
Friday Jun 16, 2023
Episode 50 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast discussion topics include-
#1. Calgary names Ryan Huska head coach. Sounds like the roster players love the hiring, my only question is what took so long to name an in-house candidate that Calgary could have named the day after the dispatching of Darrell Sutter?
#2. Best of luck to both Craig Conroy and Ryan Huska in their new positions, reviving the career of Jonathan Huberdeau, has to be at the top of their to do list?
#3. Not a surprising at all that the N.Y. Rangers have selected Peter Laviolette as the club’s new head coach, he is the right coach for the N.Y. Rangers.
#4. In other coaching related news, it would seem to be a very big day and time of change in Patrick Roy’s life, as not only has he officially stepped down as general manager and head Coach of the Quebec Remparts of the QMJHL, but that there was not even the sound of a single cricket regarding any opportunity within the NHL of any kind, anywhere. It seems as though the only possible way that Patrick Roy ever gets back into the NHL in a management, or coaching role, is if the NHL puts a future expansion team back in Quebec City.
#5. After a very long, exhaustive, grueling, and thorough process Toronto Businessman Michael Andlauer has come out on top and is the new owner of the Ottawa Senators. Michael Andlauer will now have to sell his 10% ownership of the Montreal Canadiens which should contribute a sizable dollar amount to his purchase of the Ottawa Senators. The big question now is where does leave Pierre Dorian and everyone else moving forward? One has to wonder if changes are on the way after the draft completes or after the initial free agent frenzy ends?
#6. Regarding the playoffs. Let me begin by saying, I have no skin in the game as they say. I am not a fan of either team in the cup final. However, someone please try to convince me that the hit on Matthew Tkachuck wasn’t a targeted, calculated and most of all excessively over the top hit with intent to have the exact outcome that it did. Please, I’m begging for anyone to attempt to even remotely justify or explain that hit with even a drop of ethics, integrity, professionalism, or sportsmanship attached to the argument. Make no mistake it was a calculated targeted hit 100% without question. Anyone and everyone has clearly seen the effects of the hit on Matthew Tkachuk’s game, even if there are some who have chosen to turn a blind eye to it, the effects have been that obvious. Come on, his own brother Brady had to help him out of bed prior to games 3 and 4. His own teammates had to dress him for games 3 and 4, because of the level of pain he was in!
It doesn’t require anyone with an IQ higher than plant life to have taken note of the effects and obvious laboring of every shift Tkachuck has taken since. Though Las Vegas has won the Cup, they will never know if they were capable of beating Florida’s best. One can’t help but wonder what type of tone there might be in future games between these 2 teams, once the injured have recovered. So much for integrity, ethics, professionalism and sportsmanship, it would seem that these things in reality just fall into the 100% B.S. category and are nothing more than that.
If this strikes anyone as overreaching or over dramatic, consider this in your uncaring thoughts for a moment. If Matthew Tkachuck was your brother, friend of the family, or a friend of yours specifically, what would be your reaction then? Just the fact that he’s another human being should be enough for a society who claims to supposedly care such much with all of the social issues that are now front and center. Society is now on trial, let’s find out if there is even the tiniest remote amount of truth, ethics or integrity, or if it’s all for show, me, me, me, I just want my way, and nothing or no one else matters in the least. Let’s find out, for real, once and for all.
This speaks to words that used to mean something, and now are nothing more than buzz words. Accountability, Responsibility, Respect, Ethics, Integrity, Honor and Professionalism. So much for progress. I am willing to bet that absolutely nothing is even addressed regarding this, which speaks volumes. If it had to be summed up in a single word, that word is DISCRACE.
#7 Adam Boqvist to Montreal rumors. I would be willing to send prospects Jacob Olofsson and Ty Smilanic to acquire him or fellow Swedish defensemen Mattias Norlinder straight up, Boqvist, but absolutely nothing more than that.
#8. The 2023 draft.
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
Saturday Jun 10, 2023
Episode 49 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast
#1. Outrageous trace acquisitions for Pierre Luc Dubos, Carter Hart and Alexi Lafrenier. NO, NO, NO!
#2. The insanity of Montreal trading draft picks for any reason
#3. Very apparent short-term memory, as it will completely destroy the team’s salary cap structure again.
#4. The Montreal Canadiens would lose great young talent.
#5. Stop ignoring Jakub Dobes and draft Goalies with the Florida pick, along with the 2nd and 3rd picks in the 2023 draft, problem solved the right way
#6. Sam Montembeault had an outstanding world cup, Show cased his abilities on a very average, non-star studded roster, that the so called great goalies of past world cup had in front of them and has earned the starting goaltending job in Montreal for the 2023/2024 season.
#7. Montreal in the last 3 drafts has done a phenomenal job drafting and filling the organization with excellent prospects, stop trying to mortgage it all away people.
#8. Management and coaching updates from around the NHL
#9. Marner traded straight up to San Jose for Erik Karlsson?
#10. Does Toronto take a page out of the Vancouver Canucks past history, when Brian Burk was the GM and trade 2 out of the core 4, as they are being called, in separate trades to Columbus and San Jose, so that Toronto would then have back-to-back picks at 3 and 4 in the 2023 NHL draft similar to what Vancouver did when they drafted the Sedin Brothers back to back at 2nd and 3rd overall in their draft? I’m just asking the question and posing a scenario here.
#11. All of the ridiculous rumors and attempts to create chaos can stop. Michael Pazzetta signs a new 2-year deal at a very team cap hit and Cole Caufeild has signed a new 8-year contract. Another amazing job by G.M. Kent Hughes.
#12. Patrick Roy thought he was more important the franchises themselves, how did that work out? No player ever has been or ever will be bigger than or more important than any franchise. Montreal does not need him within the organization at all. Best of luck, enjoy endless golf.
Wednesday May 31, 2023
Wednesday May 31, 2023
To all the Hockey fans out there, here is episode 48 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast to listen to. Episode 48 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics include-
#1. Let’s take a look at management and coaching opening around the league.
#2. Record amount of NHL coaching vacancies.
#3. The pending sale of the Ottawa Senators
#4. Is Lou Lamoriello staying with the N.Y. Islanders.
#5. The complete in Arizona.
#6. Will Brendan Shanahan remains president of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Is George McPhee hired as the new General Manager? Will the existing coaching staff Remain in Toronto?
#7. Will the Toronto ownership group wipe the board completely clean, sweeping out everyone and install either Gina Kingsbury or Emilie Castonguay as President, followed by selecting Cammi Granato as their General Manager and turn this chaos into being viewed as one of its model franchises of the NHL?
#8. What is with the obsession that Patrick Roy has to rejoin the Montreal Canadiens in some capacity?
#9. The Pierre Luc Dubois dribble continuous. Now there are individual’s stating how that Canadiens should trade Kirby Dach for Pierre Luc Dubois, are you insane?
#10. The Montreal Canadiens have been looking for a big rangy center since the drafting of Doug Wickenheiser number 1 overall in the 1980 entry draft.
#11. The Johnathan Drouin experiment was a complete mess, do people love misery?
#12. Let’s talk playoffs, how can anyone call these playoffs boring?
#13. The league must be very, very proud of the success of their new markets.
#14. Let’s wrap up with the 2023 draft with a trade proposal that will blow your mind.
Friday May 26, 2023
Friday May 26, 2023
Episode 47 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast discussions.
#1. As much as just about everyone is going to want to blame and hang this on the league, I commend the league for trying to grow and spread the game into new markets. Let’s remember that first and foremost, that’s the job of the commissioners and the responsibility of the league to do so, for both the survival of the league and for the sake of the sport itself.
#2. Let’s continue to chart new ground and stray from the regular episode theme with a mind-blowing expansion team concept. Let’s address multiple discussion, desires and badly wanted changes that have been bouncing around for at least the last 15 years. Expand to a 42 teams league, that’s right I said a 42-team league. Let’s knock it down to 2 conferences, no more divisions. You have (2) 21 team conferences, an Eastern Conference and a Western Conference, with a very cut and dry and concise geographical split that leaves no team at a travel disadvantage.
All the political jockeying and leveraging gone.
The 21 Eastern conference teams are as follows-
Montreal Canadiens
New Expansion Quebec Nordiques
Toronto Maple Leaf’s
New Hamilton ONT Expansion Team
Ottawa Senator
Buffalo Sabers
Boston Bruins
N.Y. Rangers
N.Y. Islanders
New Jersey Devils
Philadelphia Flyers
Pittsburgh Penguins
Columbus Blue Jackets
Detroit Red Wings
Chicago Blackhawks
New Milwaukee Expansion Team
Washington Capitals
Carolina Hurricanes
Nashville Predators
Tampa Bay Lightning
Florida Panthers
The 21 Western Conference teams are the-
Vancouver Canucks
Calgary Flames
Edmonton Oilers
Winnipeg Jets
New Saskatoon S.K. Expansion Team. This gives Canada just about an across the province representation. But if too radical or unthinkable, New, New Orleans
Seattle Kracken
New Portland Oregon Expansion team
New Salt Lake City UT Expansion Team
San Jose Sharks
New Sacramento C.A. Expansion Team
L.A. Kings
Anaheim Ducks
Las Vegas Golden Knights
Dallas Stars
New Houston TX Expansion Team
New Austin TX Expansion Team
Minnesota Wild
St. Louis Blues
New Des Moins IA Expansion Team
New Kansas City MO Expansion Team
New Oklahoma City OK Expansion Team
And this addresses something that the vast majority has repeatedly asked for. The top 16 teams for each of the 2 conferences make the playoff, thereby leaving only least 5 with the least amount of points from each conference not making the playoffs, which exponentially enhances the playoffs for the league and its owners, greatly enhances revenue for the league, its owners and its players, and allows the majority of the league a viable chance to make the playoffs. Its league balanced, fair, opportunistic, levels the playing field, and creates both a rabis and exciting playoffs for the fans and league with no downside.
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Wednesday May 24, 2023
Topics for episode #46 of the hockey free for all podcast include-
#1. How about the Toronto Maple Leaf completely clean house from the president on down and Appoint Emilie Castonguay as their new President and Cammie Granato as their new G.M. How’s that for impact, Professionalism, Quality, and leadership. Yes, it would create an enormous reaction, but more importantly it shut down all the chaos, power struggles and all other noise immediately, as well as aligning everyone in the organization on the same page from the moment of announcing it.
#2. What’s with the people thinking that Edmonton in any way needs to or has to make any management or coaching changes of any kind? The issues in Edmonton are specifically they need to change out their defense and goaltending, and a trade with the Montreal Canadiens might answer everyone one of their needs.
#3. What would be Going back to Montreal, 2nd, 3rd & 4th round picks in either the 2023 & 2024 NHL Entry Drafts or in the 2024 & 2025 NHL Entry Drafts.
#4. Who are these people thinking that Lindy Ruff should not or will not return as the head coach after the amazing job he very apparently did in the 2022/2023 season.
#5. Mike Babcock would be a perfect fit for and in Columbus. Babcock is exactly what that team needs. They have missed John Tortorella in many ways since the moment of his departure without question.
#6. Stop with the Pierre Luc Dubois obsession. Dubois is not what Montreal needs in any way. Montreal already has better and ready prospects to step in next season, starting with Owen Beck who is having an exception 2nd junior season, who’s a top 6 forward, solid 2 way center that can play it anyway you want to. Is a high face off percentage winning center, who could have made the Montreal roster out of training camp last year, after being the 33rd pick overall in the 2022 draft.
#7. What is with all of the ridiculous trade package rumors out there that are involve Arber Xhekaj and Jordan Harris. Are there really people out there that are absolutely 100% against Montreal having any success ever again?
#8. You want to trade defenseman, trade Mattias Norlander, Dmitri Kostenko, Daniil Sobolev, Joel Edmundson, David Savard, Corey Schueneman, Madison Bowey, Gianni Fairbrother, Chris Wideman, Frederic Allard, Nicholas Beaudin, Petteri Nurmi, Miguel Tourigny, and being quite frank here I wouldn’t even trade Sobolev, Nurmi or Tourigny either.
Sunday May 21, 2023
Sunday May 21, 2023
Topics discussed in episode 45 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast include-
#1. Management or more Imploding.
#2. Dubis and others are out.
#3. What’s the direction of the Toronto Organization Now?
#4. How about Cammie Granato as the new GM? She has more than proven herself with countless achievements. Does Toronto have the courage to do that?
#5. Or is the Toronto Organizations belief that they must go with a veteran G.M. like George McPhee to give a swift kick in the butt to roster, and that’s the only way to do that?
#6. After all of these changes, where does that leave Brandon Shanahan? Is he staying or after 10 years the ownership says, didn’t see enough, you’re out too?
#7, What do you do with the core 4?
#8. Now that the 2.3 billion dollar referendum has been voted down, what’s next, where do they go. The NHL’s dream and desire to keep the franchise in Arizona has got be over.
#9 Does the NHL relocate Arizona to Quebec? Even though Quebec V.s Montreal is the greatest rivalry in pro sports other than the Canadiens Vs. The Boston Bruins, Arizona probably does not get relocated to Quebec unfortunately, even though they have an NHL ready to arena, fantastic fans and solid ownership options.
#10. Does the NHL select Kansas City M.O. Again, it has an NHL ready to go arena and logistically would be by far the easiest relocation.
#11. Or does the NHL select Salt Lake City Utah? Why? Brand new market, hasn’t had teams before like Quebec and Kansas City, has a ready to go NHL arena, A solid ownership group in the entertainment group that also owns the Utah Jazz of the NBA and the Delta Arena, has equally and very hungry fans like Quebec and Kansas City, and can draw from not only its local and very rabid fan-base, but by nearby exploding markets giving very broad exposure to the league and long term stability.
Sunday May 14, 2023
Sunday May 14, 2023
Episode 44 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics discussed are-
#1. Boston and Toronto now gone.
#2. How far will Florida pick drop?
#3. If Florida does win the Stanley up and the pick turns out to be the 32nd pick in the first round. Keep the pick and take a goalie prospect with it.
#4. At the beginning of the 2022/2023 season, did anyone think there would be a Florida Vs. Carolina Eastern Conference final.
#5. Expiring contracts. Time to say goodbye and time to let them walk away.
#6. Trades involving Joel Edmundson, David Savard, Chris Wideman and Mike Hoffman can’t happen soon enough.
#7. In Philadelphia, Keith Jones is in as the New President, the interim tag has been removed from Daniel Briere’s title, Briere has said the Philadelphia fans do not deserve to go through a full rebuild they deserve better, and John Tortorella comments earlier in the regular season that he would love to have Josh Anderson in a Flyer Uniform, is the 7th pick in the draft available and could Montreal obtain it in a Josh Anderson trade?
#8. No surprise at all that Carrey Price’s is selling his Montreal home.
#9. In addition to expiring contracts, contracts with only one year left, a possible Josh Anderson to Philadelphia trade, lets hope that Christian Dvorak, Jake Allan, Jake Evans, Joel Armia. Denis Gurianov and Rem Pitlick are traded to teams that they better fit and Montreal continues to stockpile draft picks.
#10. No Pierre Luc Dubois or Alexis Lafreniere please!
Sunday May 07, 2023
Sunday May 07, 2023
The Topics discussed on Episode 43 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast are-
#1. Yes, Sutter is out in Calgary. Does Calgary go retread or do they think outside the box.
#2. The Irony of the Florida Panthers, winners of the president trophy in the 2021/2022 regular season, knocking the Boston Bruins, presidents trouphey winners of the 2022/2023 regular seasonafter an amazing regular season. The curse of the president’s trophy continues.
#3. The sudden collapse of the Boston Bruins in the Playoffs.
#4. Congrat’s to Seattle on a 100-point regular Season.
#5. Congrat’s to Seattle for making the playoffs in only their 2nd NHL season.
#6. It was fantastic to see Seattle take out Colorado. Seattle deserved it. Seattle has been a hard-working team, an all-in and one for all for team just like Las Vegas has been since they entered the NHL.
#7. Las Vegas and Seattle have been great additions to the NHL from their very first day.
#8. I want to see the Seattle Kracken represent the west in the cup finals, but do you not root for Conner McDavid and Leon Draisaitl and the Edmonton Oilers in the west with they playoffs those 2 and the team is having.
#9. I want to see a New Jersey and Florida final in the Eastern Conference, and as much as I don’t want to see Florida’s 1st round pick in the 2023 draft become the 32 and last selection of the 1st round, it would be absolutely poetic if Florida win the Stanley Cup in the 2022/2023 season and Matthew Tkachuk is named the winner of the Conn Smythe Trophy.
#10. Nope. Just like there is absolutely no need to acquire Pierre Luc Dubois from Winnipeg, there is absolutely no need to acquire Alexis Lafreniere or anyone else from the N.Y. Rangers and Montreal does not need to acquire a veteran defencemen from anywhere. Stop, what is wrong with people?
#11. Pierre Luc Dubois and Alexis Lafreniere are both very inconsistent, have done nothing to wow people or bring them out of their seats are not in any way what Montreal needs! Is this nothing more than just what the name on the back of a jersey is, I sure hope not. If it is, remember what Mario Lemieux said at his draft in 1984 and don’t forget what Jonathan Drouin has turned out to be NOW!
#12. Really unfortunate that the Carolina Hurricanes have just spanked the New Jersey devils in the first two games of the 2nd round series.
#13. Alex Galchenyuk, Jesperi Kotkaniemi, Juraj Slafkovsky and 2023?
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Sunday Apr 30, 2023
Episode 42 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast Topics.
#1. House cleaning time for Coaches : Head Coach Dallas Eakins is gone in Anaheim, Head Coach Brad Larsen is gone in Columbus, Head Coach Peter Laviolette is gone in Washington, The St. Louis Blues released all of their assistant coaches and retained only the head coach and Jeff Blashill was let go as coach of Detroit’s AHL club and in a really odd twist joined the Tampa Lightning Organization replacing Derek Lalonde as the Lightnings assistant coach, and here is the really odd part, that opportunity became available, because Derek Lalonde was hired away from Tampa as the new head coach of Detroit’s Grand Rapids AHL club.
#2. It’s also house cleaning for management from President to G.M.’s as well: It’s a clean sweep in Pittsburgh, where the penguins have said good to President Brian Burk, G.M. Ron Hextall and Assistant G.M. Chris Pryor Brad Treliving is out as G.M. in Calgary. However, when he was let go everyone under him from the assistant G.M. and most importantly the entire coaching staff should have been walked out the door at the exact same moment. Perhaps one could make an argument that Brad Traveling needed a change of scenery or was perhaps dealing with mild burn out, but Treviling navigated Matthew Tkachuk/Johnny Gaudreau Vs. Jonathan Huberdeau/Nazem Kadri situation as well as anyone could have.
#3. Bigger problems in Calgary are all coaching: With issues from lack of chemistry, to the wrong style system for them, to close minded people and ego. If Brad Trevling was a problem, he was very small part of it. The bigger problem starts with the head coach Darryl Sutter. The problem with Sutter is an exact carbon copy of what was wrong in Montreal under head coaches Bob Berry, Jacques Lamaire, Mario Tremblay, Alain Vigneault, Michel Therrien “Twice” Guy Carbonneau, Claude Julian “Twice” and Dominque Ducharme. Sutter like all of these Montreal coaches made the same 2 critical mistakes. They were close minded, and it was their way or the highway and they all would not play and cultivate young players, they wanted veteran players and nothing else. The game had passed all of them by, those coaching styles no longer work. Those coaches refused to change with the game, or the players, and that is Calgary’s exact problem now 100%.
#4. It’s just a guess on my part: But I’m betting there are likely more departures coming.
#5. Hat’s off to the Seattle Kracken: In just their 2nd season achieving a 100-point regular season and it would great to see Seattle take out the Colorado Avalanche.
#6. Toronto took out Tampa Because: Vasilevskiy had nothing left, he is completely burned out.
#7. Matheson’s outstanding first season with the Hab’s: It should not have been a surprise at all, there where many things that pointed to it being a highly successful match. What’s been the most fantastic of all, has been the watching all the nay sayers, supposed and self-appointed experts display on a world stage outright inaccuracy across the board of the trade, and daring to even question Jeff Gorton or Kent Hughes for pulling the trigger as everything they have touched has turn to gold. Montreal management clearly did their homework, clearly knew the player and his skill set, clearly new the value that the acquired player would have to the team, its roster, its locker room and the leadership group.
#8. What would you give up to draft Conner Bedard? I sure wouldn’t empty the team or even close for him.
#9. Only 4 players in the entire NHL: Leon Draisaitl, Mitch Marner, Conner McDavid and Cal Makar are the only 4 players in the entire NHL I would trade for with a significant cost.
#10. NHL Officiating has been absolutely horrendous: The player injuries that are resulting from the extremely poor officiating should be resulting in NHL officials losing their jobs.
#11. So much for prospects gaining playoff experience: The Laval’s 2022/2023 playoff lasted 2 games and they are done.
#12. Why are these experiments continuing: Atlanta and Arizona are complete wastes for an NHL team
Fantastic additions to the NHL: Las Vegas and Seattle have been outstanding additions to the NHL.
Instead of: Atlanta and Arizona how about relocating Arizona to Kansas City that already has an NHL size facility in place in with the sprint center, or in Quebec that already has an arena/facility ready to drop the puck in right now. As for trying Atlanta, how about completely untapped market how about these options Houston Texas and Portland Oregon? If the NHL is looking for another success like Las Vegas and Seattle, how about Salt Lake City Utah. I would revive Hartford Whalers franchise long before wasting more time on the Atlanta market again.
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Tuesday Apr 25, 2023
Episode 41 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics that are discussed include-
#1. Cole Caufield’s contract, yes it will get done.
#2. What is this obsession of spending every cap dollar a team has to use must be spent by the organization.
#3. Its show time, what is Cayden Primeau exactly, is he a legit starter, or is he a backup period, where’s he at in his development and thereby what does he actually bring to the table and offer the team, and it’s the perfect time for the organization to find out once and for all.
#4. What is with the chaos that is intentionally trying to be started regarding the defense regarding the right side of the defense and that Montreal needs to draft a right defenseman!
#5. Sean Monahan is the only pending free agent with an expiring contract that I would consider resigning, for the primary reason of, it would create an excellent 3rd line with Brendan Gallagher and Jake Evens.
#6. There is no every year magic move that brings a Kerby Dach to a team, it’s a right place, right time, opportunist, do ones homework scenario, there are no automatics.
#7. This rebuild of the Canadiens organization is working because ownership has brought in the perfect management group, and that management group and its outside the box thinking from hiring Kent Hughes as GM to Martin St. Louis being hired as head coach, as well as the players development and analytics departments are the differences, well being questioned by self-anointed expects that are all nearly clueless in reality.
#8. A Boston Bruins Vs. Dallas Stars or a Boston vs. Seattle final would be outstanding.
#9. Here’s to hoping that the Boston Bruins wrap up their amazing season with a cup win, anything else would be very disappointing after the season they just had