Hockey Free For All

Episode 72 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 10-18-2023

Hello Hockey fans, here is episode 72 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast to take a listen to, topics include-
#1. Alex Newhook looks like a fantastic fit and has had an excellent start.
#2. It’s a new season and looks like the injury issues will continue in Montreal. Kirby Dach is gone for the season, Kaiden Guhle is day to day. 2023 1st round pick 5th overall defenseman David Reinbacher is injured in Austria, and just to top it off, high-end Prospect winger Emil Heineman is gone for a significant period of time with a concussion, and captain Gabriel Bourque is likely gone for the season in Laval.
#3. Kent Hughes Is once again a genius in not only the Alex NewHook Trade,  but the trade with Vancouver that Sent Goalie Casey DeSmith to the Canucks for Tanner Pearson and a 3rd round pick has also turned out to be a success, contrary to the many that are obsessed with questioning every transaction that’s completed by the Canadiens management, they have been nothing other than spectacular, since day 1.
#4. The Montreal Canadiens beat the Chicago Blackhawks in the first meeting at the Bell Center involving Connor Bedard.
#5. Goaltending and special teams are unquestionably the 2 main problems in Montreal for the 2023/2024 season.
#6. The Columbus Bluejackets look lost
#7. Changes could be coming in Ottawa very soon as expectations of team for the 2023/2024 season and the overall organizational progress that’s expected are much higher and the new owner or new team president won’t stand for another inconsistent or lost season.
#8. The Calder trophy race will be a 2-man race in the 2023/2024 season between Logan Cooley and Conner Bedard.
#9. Injuries and player durability, or the lack there of, may end up providing a significant part of the answer to question of how will Montreal find a roster spot for all of it’s arriving, yet to arrive and yet to be drafted additional talent that’s coming, and it may be because of tremendous player durability issue’s.

Episode 71 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 10-13-2023

Hello Hockey Fans out there. Take a listen to Episode 71 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast, topics include-
#1. The passing of Calgary Flames assistant general manager Chris Snow is beyond words
#2. Austin Mathews has not in any way, overtaken Alexander Ovechkin as the best goal scorer in the NHL. It’s not even close. Alexander Ovechkin is 73 goals away from breaking Wayne Gretzky’s NHL record of 892 goals in his career.
Baring injuries, Ovechkin suddenly falling off the grid and never being seen or heard from again, the world unexpectedly ends, Ovechkin will break Gretzky’s record, and set a new record next year at some point based on his yearly statistical production.
Austin Mathews has had single 60 goal season in his career, and it’s extremely unlikely that he will ever get close to Wayne Gretzky’s goal total, let alone Alexander Ovechkin’s career goal total.
#3. It’s fantastic to see the NHL is not going to allow social issues of any kind to permeate and destroy its league or sport, as the issues have no place in sports or TV Programs, series or shows.
#4. The Montreal Canadiens continue to do things right. If you have earned a roster spot, you will have a roster, there are no automatics, and there are no exceptions.

Episode 70 of the Hockey Fee For All Podcast 10-06-2023

Hello to all the Hockey Fans out there, here is episode 70 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast to listen to. Topics include-
#1. Logan Mailloux has been loaned to Laval of the AHL
#2. Justin Barrons has yet to put it all together.
#3. Would Justin Barron make a better forward, than a defenseman? He skates and passes like one.
#4. Logan Mailloux and David Reinbacher are clearly in front of Justin Barron and have the top 2 right hand defensive positions locked up.
#5. Justin Barron is at best the 3rd pairing right-handed defenseman for the team, which will is not going to make him happy at all.
#6. Mattias Norlander has apparently decided to bring it this year and has had his best training yet and opened up a lot of eyes in the process.
#7 The Canadiens have made the right decision by returning David Reinbacher back to Swiss league to play, finish up school and develop properly.
#8. The Montreal Canadiens have more than enough players to fill spots rather than rushing anyone.
#9. Filip Mesar, Jan Mysak and Jakov Novak would make a fantastic line in Laval as will Joshua Roy, Sean Farrell and Riley Kidney. These 2 lines would make for a great top 6 in Laval.
#10. It certainly looks like the top pairing in Laval will be Logan Mailloux and Jayden Struble for sure. However, where does that leave William Trudeau who has been exceptional.
#11. Regarding the position of goal this year in Laval. It’s Jakob Dobes to lose. Unless Dobes proves he is not ready, the starting job seems his to lose.
#12. So much for Mid and late round draft picks not mattering.
#13. This of prospects doesn’t even include, C Owen Beck, Left Defensive prospect Lane Hutson, Right Defensive prospect David Reinbacher, Adam Engstrom who can play Left or Right Defenseman, C Jared Davidson, G Jacob Fowler, LW Florian Xhekaj, RD Bogdan Konyushkov “who’s already been named captain of his team in Russia at 20 years of age, which is virtually unheard of, G Yevgeni Volokhin or G Quentin Miller. That is insane talent.
#14. The jury is still out on 2022 1st round and 1st overall pick Juraj Slafkovsky, let him develop. The 3 most recent 1st overall picks at 18-years of age who came in and took the NHL by storm and lit it up in their rookie season are Wayne Gretzky Mario Lemieux and Sidney Crosby, enough said.

Episode 69 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 9-27-2023

Hey Hockey Fans, here is Episode 69 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics
#1. Who’s complaining now about the 1st round selection of right-handed defensive prospect David Reinbacher with the 5th selection overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft?
#2. Guess Logan Mailloux was the right pick with the 31st selection overall in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft by Marc Bergevin! For all of the wrong reasons, Logan Mailloux dropped into Montreal laps.
#3. The Canadiens now have 2 young top pairing right-handed defensemen like no other organization does in the league.
#4. Where are all of the self-proclaimed experts and geniuses now that had nothing good at all to say about these 1st round selections? Talk about egg all over the face, wow. That has got to sting a lot.
#5. Marc Bergevin and Kent Hughes stood their ground and made the proper selections, and they were right!
#6. At what point in history did anyone start thinking that the term sexy pick was appropriate for anything or than the clothing industry or perhaps for the perfume or makeup industries? It has absolutely no place, or viable reference in sports, automotive, food or just about anything else one can think of.
But this is where it all began for draft pick David Reinbacher, he wasn’t the sexy pick, as apparently there was great disappointment and resentment that the Montreal Canadiens did not select Russian Right Winger Matvie Mitchkov, who was considered the “sexy pick”. What?
Mitchkov, who by the way continues to have consistency issues, hasn’t played well, is apparently not much of a a team player, is apparently not easy to coach, and may never make it to the NHL if things do not turn around soon, was the preferred choice of these disgraceful individuals, who went on to personally attack David Reinbacher via social media, and are now demanding justification and answers, as if they are somehow owed any, as to how he has gained 15lbs from the day he was drafted to train camp.
No one is owed or entitled to anything. Has even of these people stopped to consider he’s very likely on an all-inclusive customized training regiment personally designed for him. Hello, anyone out there!
#7. For anyone who thinks it’s an absolute waste of a pick to select a defenseman with a pick that high, how many less Stanley Cups would have been won by the great Canadien dynasty teams of the 50’s, 60’s and 70’s without Butch Bouchard, Doug Harvey, Tom Johnson, Jean-Guy Talbot, J.C. Tremblay, Jacques Laperriere, Noel Picard, Serge Savard, Carol Vadnais, Guy Lapointe, Pierre Bouchard, Terry Harper, Larry Robinson, John Van Boxmeer, Rick Chartraw, Bill Nyrop, Brian Engblom, Gilles Lupien and Rod Langway? A lot less!
#8. Has anyone stopped to think about the defense that Montreal can now ice in the very near future? Consider this for a moment as the starting 6 defensemen on the Montreal Canadiens roster. David Reinbacher with Lane Hutson, Logan Mailloux with Arber Xhekaj, Adam Engstrom with Kaiden Guhle and that starting 6 did not include Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble, William Trudeau or Bogden Konyushkov. Montreal has an embarrassing amount of defensive riches, that no other team in the league even remotely comes close to. That is nothing short of amazing defensive prospect depth.
#9. Defense and the quality of it, determines champions of all sports with very few exceptions.
#10. Montreal’s starting 6 defensemen of the future possess the skills to be the best starting 6 defensemen on one team at the same time that the NHL has seen in at least 4 decades. How about everyone allows them to develop, and watches excellence unfold before their eyes.

Episode 68 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 09-23-2023

Episode 68 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics include
#1. What is the obsession with the caliber of goaltending in Montreal?
#2. Carter Hart is not the answer in goal for Montreal in any way.  Cater Hart is unproven and inconsistent. Sam Montembeau is a better goalie than Hart is already. Carter Hart is way over paid!
#3. What’s up with the ridiculous questioning if not outright interrogation tactics regarding the 15 pounds that Prospect David Reinbacher has added this off season, He’s an 18-year-old prospect who’s training for the NHL Hello!
#4. Carey Price said Baring a Miracle, I’m done” does that leave any guessing in anyone’s mind still somehow? It’s a time of change, it’s time to move on!
#5. Mike Matheson and 4 rookies Xhekaj, Guhle, Harris and Kovacevic claimed their spots on the Defense in the 2022/2023 season. None should be sent to Laval. It would ruin careers.
#6. Regarding offense, try these line combinations! Line #1. RW, Alex Newhook, C, Suzuki, LW, Cole Caulfield. Line #2. RW, Josh Anderson, C, Kiby Dach, LW, Juraj Slafkovsky. Line #3. RW, Brendan Gallagher, C, Sean Monahan, LW Raphael Harvey-Pinard. Line #4. LW, Michael Pezzetta, C, Jake Evans or Christian Dvorak if healthy and if he is either have Jake Evans or Tanner Pearson play right wing and Joel Armia is the extra forward all the time.
#7. Unfortunately, it leaves no room for Emil Heineman, Owen Beck, Sean Farrell or Jesse Ylonen until at least Christian Dvorak, Tanner Pearson and Joel Armia are traded. These 3 players as well as Cener Sean Monahan and RW Brendan Gallagher can be traded if the right situations present themselves.
#8. The current goalies including Cayden Primeau are place holders.
#9. Why is everyone, or why do so many want to write off Jakub Dobes, Emmett Croteau, Jacob Fowler, Yevgeni Volokhin and Quentin Miller already?
#10. Henrik Lundqvist-round 7, Joe Pavelsky round 7, Vladimir Konstantinov round 11, Sergei Fedorov round 4, Pavel Datsyuk round 6, Henrik Zetterberg round 7, Brendan Gallagher round 5, Paul Byron round 6 and Nicklas Lidstrom wasn’t even a 1st or 2nd round pick, he was a 3rd round pick! Here’s the best part of all Martin St. Louis and Arber Xhekaj were undrafted walk on's! Opp’s, time to wake up from your coma!
#11. Casey DeSmith to the Vancouver Canuck's for LW Tanner Pearson and a 3rd round pick in the 2025 NHL Entry Draft.
#12. Christian Dvorak will miss the first month of the 2023/2024 season.
#13. Head team physician Dr. David Mulder retires after 60 years with the Montreal Canadien's. An amazing career, well done and may your retirement be as amazing!
 
 

Episode 67 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast

Episode 67 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics include-
#1. The Ottawa Senators have signed defenseman Jake Sanderson to an 8-year 64.4-million-dollar contract.
#2. The Philadelphia Flyers have resigned center Morgan Frost to a new 2-year contract at 2 million dollars per season.
#3. Former NHL Coach Bruce Boudreau has signed on with OHL’s Niagara Ice Dogs as a senior adviser.
#4. Kyle Dubas has wasted no time in Pittsburgh in his position as President and General Manager by continuing build a solid management team. Former San Jose Sharks General Manager Doug Wilson has been hired as a Senior Advisor of Hockey Operations.
#5. The Arizona Coyotes continue to retain and solidify the Management team by resigning General Manager Bill Armstrong to a new multi-year contract which is fantastic news for the franchise as they have already signed their head coach Andre Tourigny to a new 3-year contract.
#6. NHL Defenseman Michael Del Zotto has called it a career and announced his retirement after 14 seasons in the NHL.
#7. Mattew Knies calls Toronto teammate Austin Matthews the best player in the NHL. Sorry Austin Matthews is no Conner McDavid. It’s not even close.
#8. Let’s run the numbers Austin Matthews has had one 60 goal season, and in that same season had his only 100-point season. Conner McDavid has one 60 goal season and six of his 8 NHL season have been 100 points or more, and in one of the two seasons that Conner McDavid did not reach 100 points, McDavid ended up with 97 points.
#9. If you could pick only one player in the NHL to take that all important/decisive shot, that choice is Conner McDavid, and this will really blow some peoples minds, if for some reason Conner McDavid was unavailable, fill in the blank as to why, and I could not select him, my next selection after McDavid is Cole Caufield or Leon Draisaitl.
#10. Speaking of Leon Draisaitl, who I think is only 2nd to McDavid in the entire NHL, Draisaitl has 4 100 point plus seasons, Austin Mathews has one 100 point season and Draisaitl done something that neither McDavid or Mathews has done and has three 50 goal plus seasons to go with his 4 100 point plus seasons. Loen Draisaitl is a Mark Messier clone.
#11. From a two way, durable, hard to play against scoring threat, Draisaitl is the most complete player in the league.
#12. From a pure talent perspective, McDavid walks his own road alone.
#13. Let’s talk trophies, Conner McDavid has won 3 Hart Memorial Trophies, 5 Art Ross Trophies, 1 Maurice “ROCKET” Richard Trophies, 4 Ted Lindsay Awards. Austin Matthews has won 1 Hart Memorial Trophy, 2 Maurice “ROCKET” Richard Trophies, 1 Ted Lindsay Award, and the Calder Memorial Trophy Leon Draisaitl has won 1 Art Ross Trophy and 1 Ted Lindsay Award.
#14. Logan Mailloux has had his meeting with NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. Montreal Canadiens Executive Vice President, Jeff Gorton said its expected that Logan Mailloux will be cleared to play in the NHL.
#15. The Montreal Canadiens have named Defenseman Mike Matheson as the new alternate captain replacing Joel Edmundson who was traded to the Washington Capitals. Matheson was not only the right choice, but the perfect choice for a litany of reasons.

Episode 66 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 9-7-2023

If your a hockey fan, don't miss Episode 66 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast.
#1. The Toronto Maple Leaf’s have signed coach Sheldon Keefe to a multiyear contract.
#2. The Lethbridge Hurricanes of the WHL have signed former NHL coach Bill Peters as their new head coach.
#3. Left Winger Carl Hagelin has announced his retirement due to an eye injury.
#4. Get off Jonathan Drouin’s back. He’s gone, it’s time to move on and get over it.
#5. What’s with the naysayers that just can’t except sophomore players succeeding, is it jealousy?
#6. Arber Xhekaj is far more than the resident tough guy. He was the MVP of the team last season from the 1st game he played right up to the point of his injury, it would be catastrophic to send him down to Laval. Cole Caufield better have a heck of a career insurance policy in place!
#7. The definition of a role model. Arber Xhekaj was an undrafted and unsigned walk both at the OHL and NHL levels, he has a perseverance, drive, desire, commitment, expectation, and demand within him that can not be taught or instilled, it’s innate.
#8. What is with the insane critiquing of prospects Juraj Slafkovsky who has only played 39 NHL games and 7 international games and David Reinbacher who was just drafted in June 2023 NHL draft. They are 19- and 18-year kids respectively.
#9. Juraj Slafkovsky, David Jiricek Simon Nemec and Logan Cooley from the 2022 draft, and David Reinbacher amongst others from the 2023 draft are all elite level talents, unless injuries alter their careers.
#10. Jack Hughes and Jack Eichel are solid players, BUT THEY ARE NOT Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Sidney Crosby or Conner McDavid.
#11. There are 2 options regarding Josh Anderson. Option #1 is to leverage and trade him to a team that he fits exactly into to maximize the return for Montreal. Option #2 is the exact roster spot with the perfect linemates from the moment the puck drops in pre-season, then into the 2023/2024 regular season and right up to the week before the 2023/2024 trade deadline and see how he does lining up with Kirby Dach at Center and Juraj Slafkovsky on left wing every single shift in every game. If Anderson can’t hit 30 plus goals and 70 or more points per season at that point, the time has arrived too him and his 5.5 million per season contract.
#12. 2023/2024 offensive line combinations for the Montreal Canadiens Line #1 Alex Newhook at RW, Nick Suzuki at C and Cole Caufield at LW. Line #2. Josh Anderson at RW, Kirby Dach at C and Juraj Slafkovsky at LW. Line #3. Brendan Gallagher at RW, Sean Monahan at C and Rapheal Harvey-Pinard at LW. Line #4. Jake Evans at RW, Christian Dvorak at C and Michael Pezzetta at LW, and Joel Armia is the 13th forward. Unfortunately, that doesn’t leave any open offensive roster spots for any other rookies to fight for, but it also sets up Laval with a great roster for an excellent season.
 

Episode 65 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 09-03-2023

Episode 65 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast Content
#1. NHL player signings and contract news
#2. The Arizona Coyotes sign head coach Andre Tourigny to a new 3-year contract.
#3. Thankfully, the N.Y. Rangers have resigned left wing Alexis Lafreiere to a 2-year, which puts an end to yet another insane and relentless rumor of how the Montreal Canadiens should give away a ridiculous amount of prospects and draft capital and trade for him, or offer sheet him, like the Carolina Hurricane did with Jesperi Kotkaniemi.
#4. Austin Matthews signs 4-year 53-million-dollar contract to stay in Toronto. Hats off to the agent of Austin Matthews for negotiating that contract, but there is absolutely no way Austin Mattews is worth more than Conner McDavid. Sorry. Season by season statistics, individual value to their team, and who makes the players on the ice better just because of their presence are not even close, Conner McDavid wins hands down.
#5. The short term contracts that free agents are signing this off-season are a direct bi-product of no cap space. There’s nothing more to it than that.
#6. The NHL does not have anywhere near the TV or other revenue streams that the NFL, NBA, Major League Baseball or the premier and other leagues in soccer do. If it’s believed that player contracts in the NHL should in any way approach, let alone equal contract values of the other mentioned leagues, everyone should prepare themselves to watch the bankruptcy of the entire sport of hockey.
#7. Michael Andlauer’s bid to buy the Ottawa Senators has been approved by the league and its committee according to reports. The future of the Ottawa Senators is the brightest it’s ever been in the history of the team.
#8. Rookie and full team training camps are right around the corner.

Episode 64 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast 08-25-2023

Episode 64 Topics of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics include-
#1. Who are these people who believe that Kent Hughes in any way owes them a press conference regarding the team’s involvement in the Erik Karlsson trade, or that he has to explain anything about the players acquired or that have departed, or where they fit in any way? Help me understand this need or belief by people who believe that they are owed explanations, no one is owed anything.
#2. What’s with the questioning and doubt regarding the Alex Newhook trade?
#3. Someone, anyone please name a single transaction that Kent Hughes has made that has not resulted in a gain or exceptional addition to the organization?
#4. Who are these people that believe that they either have innately, or have been bestowed with some magical, mystical, special ability or power to grade the off-season of Kent Hughes in any way?
#5. Total class move by Kent Hughes trading Jeff Petry to Detroit.
#6. Yes, Sam Montembeau’s game has shown a positive trajectory, However?
#7, What’s with the ludicrous anointing of Jacob Fowler who was selected in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft with the 69th overall pick as the next great goaltending savior in Montreal? He has not even started his college career at Boston College yet.
#8. Jakub Dobes is far and away the best goaltending prospect in the organization drafted in the 5th round of the 2020 draft, don’t underestimate Yevgeni Volokhin drafted in the 5th round of the 2023 draft, and don’t close the door on Emmett Croteau drafted in the 6th round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft
#9. Who was that goalie that the N.Y. Rangers drafted in the 7th round of the 2000 NHL entry draft? What was his name? Oh ya Henrik Lundqvist. Make no mistake, late round draft picks matter, and can be franchise cornerstone players, which is exactly what Henrik Lundqvist was his entire career.

Episode 63 of the Hockey Free For All Podacst 08-18-2023

Episode 63 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics include-
#1. What is with the continued doubt of coach Martin St. Louis, and that he needs a veteran addition on his coaching staff, STOP!
#2. Carey Price would be a fantastic development coach or a tremendous addition to the scouting department of the Montreal Canadiens.
#3. Upon retiring, Paul Byron would be an excellent development coach, amateur scout, pro-scout or possibly an Assistant G.M. addition in Montreal.
#4. What’s with the discussions of how Carey Prices Jersey number must be retired? He’s not even retiring until the end of his current contract that has multiple years still remaining on it.
#5. Montreal unequalled list of great goaltenders, Georges Vezina, the man who the very trophy itself is named after for the best goalie of every NHL season and won it twice, enough said, George Hainsworth who during one season that he played 44 games in had 22 shutouts and a .92 goals against average with a career goals against average of 1.93 and oh, by the way won 6 Vezina Trophies and 2 Stanley Cups, Bill Durnan who one 6 Vezina trophy’s and 2 Stanley Cups, Jacques Plante who won 7 Vezina trophy’s, a heart trophy was the inventor and reason that goalies today have masks oh and won 6 Stanley Cups, and Ken Dryden who won a Conn Smyth Trophy, a Calder Memorial Trophy, 5 Vezina Trophy’s, 6 Stanley Cups in the 8 years he played.
#6. Patrick Roy not included.
#7. A very common believe, if one doesn’t win a Stanely Cup, they are not a hall of fame inductee?
#8. Defenseman Erik Karlsson has been traded in a 3-team trade involving the San Jose Sharks, Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens. San Jose gets cap space! Pittsburgh gets Erik Karlsson Does that move the needle for Pittsburgh? And Montreal clears congestion, gain assets and obtains more draft capital.
#9 No way Jeff Petry remains in Montreal.
#10. It will ruin the careers of Kaiden Guhle, Arber Xhekaj, Jordan Harris, or Jonathan Kovacevic if any of them are sent down to Laval, as they have all earned regular NHL roster spots without question. Mike Matheson is the only veteran needed on the defense.
#11. Wideman, Petry, Savard and Barron should be trade bait.
#12. Out of the 4 goaltenders in Montreal currently Sam Montembeau, Jake Allen, Casey DeSmith, and Cayden Primeau’s it sure looks like 2 out of the 4 will be traded before the start of the 2023/2024 season in a combination of Jake Allen and Casey DeSmith or a combination of Casey DeSmith and Cayden Primeau. If I was betting on it would be the combination of Casey DeSmith and Cayden Primeau getting traded.
#12. Jakub Dobes’s is the number one goaltender prospect in Montreal by far.