Postgame Show: Hockey Show Offseason Update
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Ladies and gentlemen, this is the Hockey Show. My name is Roy Bellamy and that's David Druka of the Hockey News. I am back from vacation. Vacation, something that I direly needed. This is a, oh my God. You look refreshed. I am. You do. I mean. Very much rested.

It's nice to see that you haven't shaved in a while again. I do like the facial patch hair thing that you got going on. I know it's not a full thing, but I do kind of like that a little better. The clean shave in Royce scares me. Yeah. Does it? A little bit. A little bit. Kind of like Dexter scares me. I'll keep the goatee. So yeah, we're back. We're going to do some off-season stuff. But right now, I just want to talk about the off-season, the draft, and free agency. And we have a guest today. We have...

The big honcho from the hockey news, Ryan Kennedy, who is the editor-in-chief over there at that very much famous publication. Before we get into the draft and free agency, a bit of news happened today regarding the Stanley Cup being stuck in St. Louis, Dave. What happened?

Well, supposedly there's – I never thought I'd be talking about a software issue on a hockey show or in a hockey story, but here we are. A global software outage has caused flights to be a mess globally. And Stanley Cup was in St. Louis for like a little over a day with Matthew Tkachuk and his family. And it's apparently still there. It has not traveled on to Minnesota where Kyle Akposa was supposed to have a day with the Cup. Right now, the last I saw was they're still hoping that it gets there.

Hopefully he can have his day. They don't know. I would think that they're going to figure it out, but I've never heard of something like this happening. It's crazy. Kyle Ocposo, that should not happen to him. Right? Of all the people, of all the guys, Kyle Ocposo, who's waited forever to have his Stanley Cup, his name on the cup, he gets his day with the cup, he gets to take it home. He was the veteran. Like every Stanley Cup team's got their veteran that they rally around. Yeah.

And he rented out an arena for that, too. So his day's been postponed. Today has been whatever events that have happened have been canceled. So hopefully he'll have his day down the line and everybody will revel in it. Now let's get off to the offseason right now. We'll start off with the draft with Ryan. You were at the Spear. So was David. And just go over your time there during the draft.

I was super impressed. And, you know, the sphere was obviously a big deal, especially because this was going to be the last draft under the current format. We're still not really sure what they're going to do next year, but

we know that the teams are largely going to stay at home so it's going to be more like the NFL draft it feels like so this kind of felt like a last hurrah it was in Vegas which is fun for everyone but the show they put on I thought was fantastic they really used the

the sphere well uh the the trade alerts were fun and the the atmosphere was great so and just overall and you know i ran into steve mayor who runs uh all the big productions for the nhl i ran into him on the way out of the draft and i had to stop and tell him i was like that was fantastic like i thought the nhl hit it out of the park with that one who do you think did well during the draft

I really liked Calgary first and foremost. Zane Parekh was their first pick, but I thought they got a lot of value throughout. Kirill Zarubin is a goaltender that I believe could be sort of a hidden gem. Montreal did very well. The Ivan Dimidov pick I thought was great for them, but also getting Michael Hage later in the first round

That really helps their forward depth for the future. So I like Montreal as well. And then, of course, San Jose, sure, they had the advantage of picking first overall. We knew they were going to take Max Celebrini. But then to get Sam Dickinson, one of the best defensemen in the draft, outside the top 10, that was just a major coup for them. Just the way that...

The picks went down. We saw a lot of the elite defensemen fall. Guys like Dickinson and Steve Booyam, who went to Minnesota. And even Anton Ziliev, who I thought could have gone top three. New Jersey got him later on. So San Jose, not just the Celebrini pick, but the Dickinson pick. If just those two work out, which they probably will, San Jose would have had a smashing draft.

But let's say that they do work out at least up to the next season. How much of a point difference do you think is going to be in the standings for them? Well, it's not going to be a huge bump. I mean, the Sharks are still in what I like to call the trough of the rebuild. You know, they're still accumulating assets. And, you know, Will Smith turning pro, that will help.

But this is going to be another learning year for the Sharks. They're still going to be very young. And it's very much going to be about getting Celebrini and Will Smith acclimated because, you know, three, four years down the line, that could be an incredible one-two punch down the middle. Like if Celebrini and Smith are your top centers in a couple of years, you're going to make some progress.

you're going to make some moves. Especially, you know, you have Logan Couture as the veteran. He could very well, again, in a couple of years, just be your shutdown kind of Jordan Stahl guy at that point in his career. So I like...

that the table's being set by GM Mike Greer, but I would still expect the Sharks to struggle most nights. And, you know, whether Dickinson plays for the Sharks or goes back to junior hockey with the OHL's London Knights, either fit works. I think he's the rare teenage defenseman that with his size and his defensive abilities, he could jump straight to the NHL, but it's certainly not necessary.

One of the cool things that we're seeing, Ryan, for I think at least people that are close to our age, we're seeing guys that we grew up watching now their kids are starting to kind of show up in the NHL. One of them was drafted, TJ Agenwa. Obviously, it would be tough to fill his father's footsteps as a Hall of Famer. But what do you think the chances are that he's going to have anything close to a career like his dad?

I mean, it is a high bar, right? The one thing Tiege has is he was drafted higher than his dad, so he can always hold that over Jerome, even though Jerome can show him Olympic gold medals and Hall of Fame induction speeches and whatnot. Tiege Ginla, this is a kid that just kept ascending throughout the year.

You know, I saw him at the CHL top prospects game and he looked very good. And then it just kept going from there. You know, playing for Cologne in the WHL, playing for Canada at the World Under-18s where they won gold over a heavily favored Team USA game.

So this is a kid that, you know, he's got all the makings, right? And the junior team he plays for isn't the strongest. So, you know, when we see him play with more talent as we did on Team Canada, you

You can really see him as that top line forward. And, you know, he's already pretty strong. He's already got a great shot and he's got a great work ethic. So it's all there. It's just a matter of, you know, continuing to develop and put the pieces together. But the potential is certainly there for him to be quite a good NHL-er. Will he be a Hall of Famer like Jerome? That's tough to say right now, but, I mean, he's got the genes.

So before we move on from the draft, I did want to just ask you one more thing about the sphere. I agree with you. I thought it was amazing. I don't see how you couldn't, considering just the way that the building is. It's so unique. But...

The way that everybody's raving about it, this was supposed to be the last year that it was like the centralized draft, right? Everybody's supposed to go their own separate way starting next season. Do you think that since this year went so well and everybody seems to be receiving it so well and it was so awesome and so cool to be there, could the NHL maybe be thinking about changing their minds? Are we still going to be going about the routes like the NFL has gone with everybody kind of in their own studios doing it their way?

Well, I think there's a middle road there, which is they could have it at the Sphere or a similarly famous building, maybe a Madison Square Garden, or maybe they do it in Toronto, where obviously it's a ravenous hockey market. The fact that the scouts wouldn't be in attendance doesn't really impact the

the entertainment value for fans, right? It's more for the teams themselves and the GMs getting trade on the floor and stuff like that. And we did see some of that at the Sphere. The only thing I would say, though, is apparently the Sphere is incredibly expensive to rent out. You don't say. Yeah. You got to pay for all those lights. Yeah, exactly. That might be the only consideration where maybe they don't do it at the Sphere again just because of the

the ticket price for the league, but maybe they continue to do it in Vegas. No shortage of venues where you can get a whole bunch of fans in there and have the players go up on stage and shake hands with Gary Bettman and put the jersey on. So I can see that happening. Well, maybe not in a place where it's 110 degrees out during the draft. Yeah.

Maybe not. Just a suggestion. Just a major AC situation. It's hot outside, dude. I mean, that's where all the money's going to as well. You got to cool things down in the sphere. Let's move on to free agency. We'll start with the Stanley Cup champion, Florida Panthers. So they did what they had to do. They got Sam Reinhardt extended, eight years, $69 million. They also got Anton Lindell, and they kept Dmitry Kulikov, but they also added Nate Smith. They got both Crest and...

They lost Ren and Montour. They lost OEL. They lost Kevin Stinlin and Ryan Lomberg. But it seems like the Panthers still have enough to make themselves a good team in the playoffs. They're going to have a long run. Do you agree? I do agree. You know, they're not as good, obviously. They lost a lot of depth.

But they still know how to win. And I mean, I guess the only thing you could caution against is they have now gone to the final game of the NHL season twice in a row. Right. Lost the final, then won the final. That's a lot of extra hockey. And, you know, we saw it with the rival Tampa Bay Lightning, where they made a few runs in a row and all of a sudden, you know, the wheels kind of fell off.

And it's understandable. You know, that's that's a lot of games to play. I still think Florida will have a very good regular season and I could certainly see them go a couple of rounds again in the playoffs. It's just a matter of, you know, will they remain healthy? Right. Like that's a big reason why Vegas lost.

ran over them in the final two years ago and conversely it's a big reason they beat edmonton is the panthers were remarkably healthy throughout their stanley cup championship can you do that twice in a row it's tough the western conference champion edmonton always also made some moves they kept some of their guys and got some free agents as well how do you grade them

I think they did very well. And, you know, it's an interesting situation at Edmonton where, uh, you know, the president, Jeff Jackson was kind of in charge of things because obviously Ken Holland wasn't returning and they hadn't named a new GM yet. I know a lot of Oilers fans are like, just give the job to Jeff Jackson. He seems to be doing great, you know, getting, uh, Matt Savoy, uh,

the highly acclaimed Buffalo Sabres prospect in exchange for Ryan McLeod. I thought that was a really cool deal for both teams. You know, the Sabres desperately need to make the playoffs this year and the cloud can help them there. And Matt Savoy, you know, I don't know if he makes the Oilers this year because I think you probably want him getting a substantial role. And I don't know if they have that for him right now. And,

you could put him in the bottom six, but he's a skilled guy. I would almost rather see him dominate the American hockey league for a year. But when you look at the Oilers, I mean, they're pretty much ready to run it back. They're going to,

I think they might start slow, you know, just looking at McDavid and dry saddles injuries and maybe they'll be ready. I have McDavid. It sounds like maybe he won't be ready for the beginning of the season, but who knows? I mean, we, we thought the same about Matthew Kachuk. He was there after breaking his entire body. So who knows? But I think, you know, the Oilers are in a spot where it's going to be tough because Dallas and Colorado are,

are still in the west and both those teams are going to want revenge for falling short in the western conference this past year having said that there's not a lot the oilers need right i mean we saw how good they were in the final um i think evan bouchard is going to be even better on the back end than he was this year so yeah beware edmonton they're they're not going anywhere soon so

So another team out West that I thought had a pretty good summer and they were already pretty good is Nashville. I mean, when you add Stamkos, Marcheseau, Brady Shea, you've already got Philip Forsberg who had a great year last year. You've got Roman Yossi. They extended UC Saros, which could make things fun with the Askarov, but we have to save that for another time. But in terms of Nashville, are they now potentially right up there with Edmonton as a cup contending, potentially favorite type team out of the West?

I think they're in the mix, especially because Philip Forsberg basically hasn't played with anyone his whole career, right? Like nobody to the caliber of Stephen Stamkos at center. I guess Ryan Johansson came close, but...

At one point, but maybe you know like Stephen Stamkos. We're looking at a future Hall of Famer We're looking at a number one center. Yeah, and yeah, he's got a lot of miles on the odometer but he's so smart and He's so driven that I think he'll I think he'll be reborn in Nashville I think he'll he'll have that chip on his shoulder that hockey players love to have you know, no one believed in me You know Tampa let me go and he's a super nice guy. So

So I am very excited to see what Nashville can do because Stamkos will be that number one center. Jonathan Marcheseau gives them another threat offensively. And again, another guy who probably is thinking, I'm going to make Vegas pay. They decided that I wasn't in their future plans because of the salary cap.

I'm going to get my revenge and show them what I can do. And also, you mentioned Brady Shea. I think that's an underrated signing where he's not the sexiest defenseman, but he's very effective. And for a national blue line that already has Roman Yossi and traditionally has been very strong,

I think this is finally the year where we might see Nashville win a round. They haven't had a good run since they went to the final against Pittsburgh, and that was a while ago. Let's talk about winners and losers throughout the entire league. Let's go over the entire landscape of the National Hockey League and find out who the winners and losers are in free agency.

Yeah, I mean, one loser that comes to mind for me is Ottawa, because I'm just really not sure what the plan is. And I'll toss Detroit in there as well. Yeah, they got Vladimir Tarasenko, and they re-signed Patrick Kane, but...

Those two teams playing in that Atlantic division with Florida, with Boston, with Toronto, Tampa Bay, I think they're not as good as they were, but they're still going to be pretty good. I just don't see the path for Ottawa trading away Jacob Chikorin. After trading away to Brinkham. Yeah, it's like...

They're going two different directions at the same time. So I don't really understand the plan there. And with Detroit...

They came very close last year. If Dylan Larkin didn't get hurt down the stretch, the Red Wings probably make the playoffs. Agreed. So now you run it back. You're slightly different. No David Perron, but now you bring Tarasenko in. Are they good enough? I look at that defense core in Detroit, and I really wonder. It feels like they are thinking that Simon Edmondson is going to be an impact rookie.

Like a guy that plays substantial minutes. Cause they got more at cider and he already plays way too many tough minutes. And I'm not, they'll probably shelter Simon at Sid, but at least he can take some of the slack there. So yeah,

Those are two teams that I'm a little hesitant about because I'm not really sure of the plan. In terms of winners, you know, I think Utah had a great summer so far, whether it's free agency or trades, you know, getting Mikhail Sergeyev, getting John Marino. I mean, we were kind of joking at the draft at one point.

It's like, who was playing on their defense core? Like we were trying to name guys and it was difficult. Like the final Arizona coyotes blue line, like other than JJ Moser, who was traded. Josh Brown, I think maybe. Yeah. And we were like, oh, Matt Dumbo was there, right? Yeah. I kind of remember that. But now when you look at their blue line, it's like, okay, they got some guys.

And, you know, you figure you get some growth from Logan Cooley up front. And, you know, all of a sudden, Clayton Keller, who's been remarkably consistent, you know, he's got some guys to play with. So I like Utah and and I like New Jersey as well. I think New Jersey got some of the pieces they needed there.

uh brett pesci on the back end is going to be big for them jacob markstrom you know they needed a goaltender yes like in the worst way they they've got him there you know markstrom has had his struggles sure but i think with that new jersey team and a healthy jack hughes up front um they should be like one of the better teams in the metro division

So the last thing I wanted to ask you before we call it a day is over your right shoulder, there is a jersey with what looks like a rhinoceros. Now, I don't know if that's, was it Bebop or Rocksteady? That was the rhino from Ninja Turtles. I think it was Bebop. I don't know if that's Bebop. It could have been Rocksteady because it makes sense. No, you're right. It was Rocksteady because Bebop was the pig one. You see, Ryan knows. Thank you. Man, I'm getting old. All right, so if that's not a Rocksteady, then I just got to know what is it.

That is the El Paso Rhinos. The El Paso? Of the NHL. I love it. Yes. Wow. That is a good jersey. I like that. It's very intimidating. Yeah, you know what? I think they were switching leagues. They were going up. They were in another junior league, so they had like a big flash sale. And a bunch of us at the hockey news were like, oh, we got to jump on that. I need an El Paso Rhinos jersey. So, yeah, that was a...

That was a happy purchase. All right. Before we get out of here, let me just ask, did Bill Zito get screwed in the Jim Gregory Award?

It's tough. I mean, do you just always give it to the Stanley Cup winner? No. No, no, no. I mean, it's not even that. It's three out of four years that he's been nominated. All he's done is take the Panthers franchise from... Exactly. At the time, when he took over in 2020, maybe the best situation they had been in, and he's done nothing but take it better and better and better since then. I think...

that he absolutely deserves it. I don't think he cares, especially now that he won the Stanley Cup. I think he cares now. Now that he's won the Stanley Cup. Now give me my recognition. Right, right. Yeah, it'd be kind of funny if he won it next year. It would be hilarious. That would kind of fit, actually, why I'm annoyed about it to this point. So, you know. Yeah.

It just doesn't make any sense. All right. Well, Ryan Kennedy, thank you for joining. I'm angry again. Thanks, Ryan. Thank you. Thank you. Good to see you, buddy. Definitely. Thanks for having me, guys.