Hockey Free For All

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.

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 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 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 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.

Episode 62 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast topics include-
#1. The Montreal Canadiens have signed their last unsigned player Jesse Ylonen to a new 1-year contract.
#2. The Washington Capitals have signed Tom Wilson to a new 7 year 45-million-dollar contract.
#3. Tom Wilson’s new contract should be speaking volumes to the Montreal Canadiens management and catching their attention regarding Arber Xhekaj and the rare skill set he brings to the team.
#4. If there is anyone who thinks that Arber Xhekaj is just a goon or an enforcer please stop watching hockey with your eyes closed. Arber Xhekaj is an excellent skater, he’s an agile and fluid skater, he has excellent lateral movement, he has a solid first step that was apparently unknown previously and not expected, he has an excellent first pass, he’s solid in the transition game, he’s got a canon for a shot not only from the point, he can head fake and skate right in on a goalie and score, he is very effective at not only clearing the front of his own net so that the goalie can see, but he also very effective at causing chaos in the oppositions end, he can get back quickly, he’s already very rarely caught out of position, and when he has been it’s because he is trying to bail out someone else who’s out of position.
#5. If you like watching and want to continue to watch Cole Caufield, Nick Suzuki, Sean Ferrall, Rafael Harvey-Pinard, Alex Newhook, Owen Beck, Emil Heineman, Riley Kidney, Filip Mesar, Joshua Roy, Adam Engstrom, Jordan Harris, Lane Hutson or Montreal Goaltenders have very long and successful careers in Montreal, you understand that Arber Xhekaj plays a very key role in order for that to happen.
#6. Ask Mat’s Naslund and Saku Koivu if they appreciated Chris Nilan and Larry Robinson.
#7Alexander Ovechkin if he appreciates Tom Wilson.
#8. There is no talent shortage in Montreal on the right side of the defense as they already have David Savard, Jonathan Kovacevic, Justin Barron, and Chris Wideman, not to mention Jordan Harris, Jayden Struble and Mattias Norlinder who can play either side of the defense fluidly. In addition to those players Montreal also has Logan Mailloux, Miguel Tourigny, Danill Sobolev, Dmitri Kostenko and Bogdan Konyushkov who are all natural right defensemen. Adam Engstrom can play both his natural left as well as the right side, where’s the shortage?
#9.  Alex Newhook will be sporting the number 15 on his Montreal Jersey.

Episode 61 Of the Hockey Free For All Podcast Topics Include-
#1. The Arizona Coyotes are looking to extend the contract of head coach Andre Tourigny.
#2. The arbitration process has now kicked into full gear as Toronto Maple Leaf’s goaltender Ilya Samsonov has been awarded a one-year contract worth $3.55 million, after significantly being apart with the club who was offering 2.4 million and the play side wanting 4.9 million. This at least gives stability to the goal tending position this upcoming season. However, one has to wonder if Samsonov will decide to move on from Toronto after the 2023/2024 season has concluded.
#3. It’s been confirmed that defenseman Erik Karlsson’s agent has had contact with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Seattle Kraken, Carolina Hurricanes and the Toronto Maple Leaf’s. In the case of the Carolina Hurricanes, it just doesn’t seem like a good fit. In the case of the Pittsburgh Penguins, it would seem to an all for one, one for all send off for Crosby, Malkin and Latang to win one more Stanley Cup before ripping the team apart and down to its foundation in an all-out rebuild. which can clearly be seen coming very soon in Pittsburgh. Salery cap issues in Toronto would have to kill that option, so in the end Seattle might be his best option as he could a young teams defense and have a lot more freedom than anywhere else, or he stays put in San Jose and is untradable.
#4. Kyle Dubas must love pressure. Although there was always a lot in Toronto, wait until the Sydney Crosby era officially ends. From that day forward, the weight of the world will be upon his shoulders, as both the Lemieux and Crosby era’s will both be in the rearview mirror, and there is no one in the waiting unless Pittsburgh gets extremely lucky again like they did in in 2005 when they drafted Crosby.
#5. It’s been a very interesting offseason for the Toronto Maple Leaf’s starting with the very emotional end of year conference held by Kyle Dubas and his dispatching, followed by the hiring of Brad Treliving as the new G.M., A New Assistant G.M. in Derek Clancy newly added assistant coaches Guy Boucher and Mike Van Ryn, the addition of Max Domi Coming, Tyler Bertuzzi, John Klingberg, Dylan Gambrell, Ryan Reeves, William Lagesson, Max Lajoie, Marshall Rifai w and Goalie prospect Artur Akhtyamov who has been playing in Russia and was a 4th round pick in the 2020 draft by the Maple Leaf’s all being added to the roster and the contracts of Austin Matthews and William Nylander that still remain.
#6. Jim Nill, general Manager of the Dallas Stars, has signed a 2-year contract extension.

Episode 60 Of the Hockey Free For All Content Page
#1. David Reinbacher has been diagnosed with Osgood Schlatter Disease which results in cartilage and Bone fragmentation in knees, and in the case of David Reinbacher with both knees.
#2. How will it, or will affect David Reinbachers career?
#3. What’s the effect on the future of the right side of the Canadiens defense?
#4. Suddenly the concern of how will Montreal keep and sign all of their prospects, might be answered from an organizational perspective by these types of career threats.
#5. That old saying of there is strength in numbers may be put to it true test.
#6. Guy Boucher is back to the NHL, as Toronto has added Guy Boucher to their coaching staff for the upcoming season.

Topics of Episode 59 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast include-
#1. What is star power, What’s the actual definition and who actually falls into this classification? Is it based on the number of Stanley Cups you win? Is it a player who every time steps on the playing surface of their sport and single handedly changes the game and elevates the skill sets of everyone else on their line to levels that others do not possess without that players presentence and abilities and skill set or is it something else.
#2. Are the only true stars of their games Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, Mark Messier, Bill Russell, Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Tom Brady. Back to hockey, If the number of Championships is the determining factor. If Stanley Cups are the determining Criteria, then regarding Hockey at least, there is no one else other than Henri Richard who won 11, Jean Beliveau and Yvan Cournoyer who won 10, Claude Provost who won 9 and Maurice Richard, Red Kelly, Jacques Lemaire and Serge Savard who all won eight.
#3. Would Jaromir Jagr have put up the numbers that he did because he played with Lemieux, what would have Jagr’s numbers looked like had he not played with Lemieux or if he played on another team? I have no idea, I’m just posing the question.
#4. Let’s talk about prospects, Nick Suzuki has the ability to be a 96 point if not 100-point player moving forward, Cole Caufield is a legit 50/50/100 plus player. Meaning 50 goals, 50 assists and 100 plus point season’s consistently, Kirby Dach is at least a point per game player The newly acquired Alex Newhook could quickly develop into a legit point per game player with the proper linemates. Why aren’t players such as Juraj Slafkovsky, Sean Farrell, Owen Beck or Filip Mesar who have high skill sets and high hockey I’Q’s, who if are not stuck on a line with the wrong linemates with the wrong skill sets being discussed as legit point per game players.
#5. Why aren’t players such as Emil Heineman, once again Owen Beck or Jared Davidson being looked at as future Frank Silk Trophy candidates.
#6. Regarding the defensive side Unless Lane Hutson for some unforeseen reason fall apart at the NHL level, there is no reason not to look at in any other way than a legit Norris Trophy winning defenseman. Where’s the support for Kaiden Guhle, Logan Mailloux or Adam Engstrom as legit trophy level players.
#7. What’s with the ridiculous Alexis Lafreniere offer sheet rumors. The Canadiens already have 16 forwards heading into training camp.
#8. Retiring Carey Prices Jersey number? Guy Carbonneau’s number 21 has not been retired and was a winner of the Stanley cup on multiple teams, multiple frank silk trophies as leagues best defensive forward, an outstanding team captain.

Episode 58 of the Hockey Free For All Podcast Topics include-
#1. Alex DeBrincat is going to Detroit for what? Left Winger Dominik Kubalik, who was a 7th round pick 191st overall in the 2013 NHL Entry Draft by the L.A./ Kings, Left-Handed Defenseman Donovan Sebrango who was Detroit’s 3rd round pick 63rd overall in the 2020 NHL Draft and conditional 1st and 4th round picks from Detroit in the 2024 NHL draft. Does anyone else think that Steve Yzerman is a Genius Criminal here and that he just stole Alex Debrincat from the Ottawa Senators?
#2. How does Vladimir Tarasenko signing with the Ottawa Senators make any sense to anyone?
#3. Why is Filip Zadina’s release and subsequent availability major league news?
#4. A wakey, wakey, Light Bulb moment and reality check, regarding the selection of David Reinbacher. No such privileges exist period.
#5. Good for him: Denis Gurianov does not end up in the KHL, surprisingly signs a 1-year contract with the Nashville Predators. Hopefully, Gurianov will find the missing consistency within his game, a chemistry with line mates that he has yet find with any consistency, and his game will be able to flourish in Nashville.
#6. Free agency update: The New York Rangers have signed defenseman K’Andre Miller, the Carolina Hurricanes have signed forward Brendan Lemieux, the Philadelphia Flyers have signed right winger Garnet Hathaway, the Montreal Canadiens have signed RFA Alex Newhook, UFA defenseman Nicolas Beaudin and UFA forward Lucas Condotta.
#7. Take a deep breath, training camps are months away.
#8. The Las Vegas Golden Knights have hired former Montreal Canadiens Head Coach Dominic Ducharme to their coaching staff.
#9. After signing him less than 2-weeks ago on July 1st, the Arizona Coyotes have already placed former Canadiens 1st round pick Alex Galchenyuk on unconditional waivers for the purposes of terminating his contract.