Champs, Hounds & Kucherov?! | The Game Sports Podcast

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Foreign. It's time for the Game Sports Podcast is your host David McCaig Jr. The Game is a Studio 726 original series and the Game is featured on all social media platforms. Tik Tok, Instagram, all at the Game Sports Podcast where you can search the Game. You'll find electrifying content because we love the Game and and listen the Game Sports Podcast has been around now for 11 years, everybody. 11 years since 2016. We have been around and we're based inside Suse Marie, but we talk local, we talk regional, we talk national sports and we are happy that you're able to join us for another episode of the Game. And this might be new to some viewers who have been recent followers and subscribers, but you get to have a solo segment or two with yours truly. But we, we do have some out of town co hosts that are going to be joining for the show in just a little bit and those co hosts are Connor Henderson is going to be joining for segment two with Strike Zone. As we get in now to the MLB off season and then BMAC. Brandon McCarthy, all the way from Southern Ontario will be joining yours truly with Top Chad. And for segment one, it's going to be Chuck a Puck. Just me talking about the Ontario Hockey League and the Sioux St. Marie Grand Greyhounds and around segment four. In conclusion of the show, that's where I'll give you some in the pocket analysis. Now look, I will be diving into the Ontario Hockey League, but I'm very excited to be talking about the greyhounds for a lot of reasons that I will get to. But it was a very big measuring stick type week for the Suse Marie Greyhounds. But another thing, it was my son's first hockey game on Sunday against London. It was great. It was fantastic to see him at a game and he didn't just last a period, he didn't just last two periods. He lasted two and a half periods, that includes the overtime. And he was fixated from the game. It must be in his blood, I guess, that he likes watching hockey. It'll be exciting one day when he's on the skates and hopefully out there not with the hounds. But I mean playing hockey. All jokes aside, we're going to be talking about Chuck a Puck here right at the beginning and it is going to be, as I mentioned, yours truly solo on that and, and sticking with the Ontario Hockey League first. Wow. Guelph is the team to beat. I can't explain it any other way and I can't give you any more Obvious host, analyst, media expert, whatever you want to call me from home or from your car. They are a special team. And you know what? The Sioux Sami Greyhounds gave them a run for their money when they came here. It was an exciting hockey game. But that aside, the, the Guelph Storm are the Memorial cup hosts. They're off to a fantastic start, but dozen wins, they sit on top first overall in the league. All expected of course, but the question is, are they actually the best team in the OHL or are they just the hottest team right now? And that was a question that I received when I was at the game on Sunday against London. And it was great to interact with some of the fans and viewers, listeners of the show who have started to catch on to, to hear us here on the game Sports podcast through Chuck A Puck. And and that was a question that I was asked. I said, you know what? That is a great topic for me to bring up for the show. So thank you for bringing that up to the, to the fan of the show. And I am going to go with the obvious answer. They are the best team in the Ontario Hockey League. They're not just the hottest team right now, they are by far the best team. And in my opinion, from looking at the qmjhl, from looking at the WHL overall for major junior hockey, seeing the Guelph Storm are the best team in junior hockey. Telling you that right now. And the hottest team is a little bit different. I'm going to talk about it right now, at least to my second point with the Ontario Hockey League kind of update here. Flint, Flint is on the top, top threshold of the power rankings. And when you look at Flint, as I look over to my standings here, when you, when you look over at Flint sitting 11, 3 and 1 is the current standings that they're listening to just one behind Guelph in that respect in the wins. And and on October 29th they were number one in the power rankings. I had a Guelph, Kingston, Sudbury and Branford and the recent success, obviously you know, they recently had a game against the Hounds in that. But what I see with Flint is a very good approach to the systems of the game. They're capitalizing on their scoring chances. The defensive game is impeccable. The, the chemistry is impeccable. And last week I talked about leadership. I really feel like from a coaching and the team dynamic of that team looking at highlights and reaching out to experts as I in the area and who cover Flint who are getting more than coverage and then what they're used to because they've been doing really well. So good for Flint. But this is a team that truly in my opinion could be an argument for two things. Are they really a top team or are they the hottest team in in the Ontario Hockey League? Are they just hot right now? And this may be a hot take for Flint fans, but I feel like there's just the hottest team in the OHL right now. I don't know if I see them as a top three finish in the Ontario Hockey League, but I do see them as a team that could finish in the top 10 in the Ontario Hockey League. I just don't know if it's going to keep up with a lot of these teams that I feel are going to be stronger as the year goes on, Sudbury included. Watching London Sunday and seeing the Hounds, I'm interested to see what they do. But I do think Flint will probably hover around ahead of the Hounds. But Flint is the prime example in my opinion of being the hottest team right now. But. But what do you think? Is Guelph the best team in the Ontario Hockey League or are they just the hottest? Is Flint truly the number one as of October 29th? That is now November 2nd. So it's a little bit dated but are they a top team or are they just hot Now I'd be interested to know everyone else's take on that Losers of Sunday were the Hounds. Was make them drop a little bit in the power rankings from this past week but be interesting to see when the new rankings come out which I didn't see before uploading today but were that land. So listeners, viewers make sure not to make sure to, to comment to to get interactive with who you think hot the hottest teams are and who the best teams are now going to transition from the Ontario Hockey League over to sticking with the Sioux Samari Greyhounds. And I was sitting inside the GFL Memorial Gardens and when I was sitting with my son, my father in law and also relatives and friends and Chuck a puck came on the screen and for a second I thought maybe I had a sponsorship there that, that I missed. And you know what? It's something else. And there's another sponsor respected business in this community. And I was looking over at my, my father in law and I was saying I think that's a primary, primary spot right there. I think there's a, there's an opportunity there. But nonetheless it was. It's the Susan Marie Greyhounds this week. I was looking around the rink and I can't wait to get into this topic, which is a little bit later on before as I dissect this, three games attendance is still something that I cannot stop thinking about. And you can look at a recent clip that we uploaded on Tik Tok. We had a part one and a part two. Part two. Our feet got into the discussion. Okay, our feet got into that discussion. So you can comment about our shoes if you'd like. But listen, the content on there like talked about who the top five and the bottom five were. When I was looking at the, at the attendance at the games and I saw the numbers, it's going to be very interesting for me when I dive into that for you. But talking about the games, 1:1, Guelph and London are the two teams that I considered the measuring stick component of it because obviously Saginaw is a team that I feel the Hounds should, should beat. But when you look at Guelph, it's hard to say that that's going to be a win that they can walk away with or the odds be on their side. Obviously you're going to see that Guelph is going to have a. When I was looking at it, I think I had around a 73% probability to beat the Hounds. Obviously look at the team that they have and the Hounds are great too. But the Hounds stuck into it with that game with them and there was two stud opponents that they played and I called the other opponent Saginaw. No offense to Saginaw fans, but decent. And the Hounds were competitive against league stronger teams. And what did this weekend expose for the Hounds was something I wanted to dive into for a second. And what it exposed to, to for me, to them is not just that measuring stick side, but experience capitalizing on scoring chances. Discipline was something that was a big standout, especially in the Sunday game. But they rose to the occasion. That's what exposed with the Hounds that they will work, they will work hard. They're led by great leadership, led by Hayes. This is a team that's going to come out and grind. But the start of the Sunday game, for example, slow start, they were getting out, shot six nothing. Then they came back and just flooded. But then it felt like in the second half of the game, more the puck possession, the ozone coverage, the ozone possession, sorry, was all on London's side. But when you think about it, penalty trouble early, they couldn't close out the game after a strong start in the third period and then an overtime, you know, David Vronsky had to make some unbelievable saves all the entirety of the game. But London capitalized in overtime. And I think that's where it exposed the Hounds is just that little edge of that experience factor through the discipline. That's what it exposed for me to them. And the discipline is what prevented the Hounds from establish establishing their preferred pace in the game. And when I watch the Hounds, I see a team that could set the pace based on their size. There's some good big guys. I'm going to talk about one guy in just a moment who's got some size, but they got some guys who have size who do work hard, that are tenacious on the pock, that just have hungry for it. Okay. And that all is something that if they can bring teams together to play at that pace, I feel like the Hounds can contend with the best of them in the entirety of the league. It isn't just gonna be that flashy skill through the legs, going bar down every shot. This is going to be a team that's going to get into your face and isn't afraid to get into the scrum, but it is going to go in the corners. They want the puck and be fast on that ice. That is what I think was disciplined from Sunday, but also Friday in the matter of the Guelph in London didn't allow the Hounds to play at their preferred pace of the game. Now, David, Vermont ski. Look, this. This kid is the real deal. Okay, Intrudes isn't here this week. As I look in the chair beside me, it's empty. No hike, no Trudes. But it's looking over. I'm pretending I'm looking at Trudes right now. And I can just see him just from being at the game together, what we were talking about. This kid is the real deal. He's so effective. How high is this guy's ceiling? I feel like his ceiling is. Is just. His potential is going to be endless. This is a guy who's going to be liked by a lot of the National Hockey League scouts as that time comes around. But special, you never can count him out. He. He. I had somebody tell me, oh, sometimes he seems like he's just jumping around like a. Like a Magikarp in there, if you get the reference. And no, he knows what he's doing. There's a lot of saves where he's sticking on his stick. He's looking. He's. He's aware of what's going on. He's confident playing the puck. He is extremely athletic in. In between the. In between the pipes and in the crease. He's somebody Who. Who at the end obviously got beat high, but there's somebody that's going to cover the puck. He has really good rebound control and he's aware of where he is in the net. And for somebody, I feel that he's really composed for his age. And I think that is what's going to bring him success as we continue forward here in the Ontario Hockey League season. And with that, this kid's the real deal. This is somebody that you have to ride if you're the Sioux Saint Marie Greyhounds. This is who you r for the entirety of the season. And this exposes somebody else for trade, which I think Friday was about, but I'll get to that in just a second. Going to stick to Cam Anderson. Really impressed about his play this past week, but Sunday in particular, again, being closer up into the action. What a hockey player. Some. If somebody knows me from my playing and coaching days, especially size on a hockey player is something that attracts my eye. But somebody who can skate and. And have that size and be effective in front of the net, who can be used on the power play, who can still block shots, but is a really good skater, that is rare from a forward or defense perspective. Well, from what I feel and I feel Cam Anderson is going to be very special as well. The Hounds have a. Have a gem, if you will. Using an NHL 27 reference there for you. Cam Anderson, watch out as his development is just going to get better, especially under Drew Banister. Next thing, Landon Miller. Back to that against Guelph. Was this an appearance or was it an audition? That's my question for you. Okay. And when I think a developmental opportunity, that is something that I look at around youth in the organization or when you're playing hockey. Landon Miller is being outplayed by David and this is. David is who you want to get the majority of the games. Goalie movement has happened a little bit early in the Ontario Hockey League. London just recently made a trade and I feel that Guelph, obviously they have their goalie. I think stability in the net is something that Guelph will look forward to. He's an overager. Is Landon Miller, somebody who is obviously, you know, is hoping to play in the National Hockey League or go pro next year through if it's the red wing system or go through that system. He's been in the playoffs, obviously he's been backed up and played with Carter George. He's had some veterans that have really had successful careers with him. Why not look at a move and what better fit than would it be for Guelph or even some other teams that we can think of. But I think against Guelph this was an audition. I'm not confirming anything. I don't want to start rumors. But obviously as Trudes has talked about on previous shows and we'll get him back. Next we talk further about it. I think the Hounds would be open to explore trades and Landon Miller is of course a part of that last thing involving for this week. Oh offensive zone possession. My question is, are the Greyhounds generating enough sustained pressure and getting enough traffic in front of their goaltenders? And I felt that this week that's where the opportunity was. Again, as I talked about earlier, their pace, their preferred pace was not being played when they were playing against both Guelph and of course the London. But are they. Do you feel as a Sue Greyhound fans or even OHL fans if you aren't a Greyhound fan but you've seen them play, do you think that the pressure. Are they getting enough traffic in front. I'm talking about this week. But in general, do you think that's a part of their game that would be a part of their preferred pace be something that they could continue to work on? My opinion, I think more traffic would be the best approach. But at the same time the pressure in the ozone really pressuring the defense. That is all apart again as I'll say for the dozen. For the total of a dozen times on this point their preferred pace. So what I what I think this week for the Greyhounds given to stay an overlook for this week you got. You got three matchups. You got Erie at home on Wednesday, you got on the road against Sudbury on Friday, big matchup. Then Saturday you're back home against Barry. And the key for the Hounds this week, there's five keys that I've written for the Hounds to be successful this week. Defensive responsibility. And with nine goals against two games, tighten the coverage, limit the turnovers and protect the middle of the. Of the. Of the ice you got. That's where I think the Hounds have their opportunity. Stay disciplined. Pretty obvious. You just keep your sticks down. Don't let your sticks get out of control. Don't get into penalty trouble and don't be afraid when you're on the defensive side to get in front of those shots, which I feel like they actually did a pretty good job on Sunday for play a complete 60 minutes. Okay. So when the puck drops to that puck ends play at that preferred pace I've talked about. Now for probably the 13th time on this on this chocolate puck segment get the secondary scoring. This is what I want to start seeing is a little bit of that secondary part of that secondary scoring. And I want to see Cam Anderson put the puck a little bit in the net. Now respond to adversity. These three games this past week was a measuring stick. But it's also an opportunity to come into this week and hit reset on this week. And going into this week against Erie and Sudbury and Barry, those are two teams, in my honest opinion, that are winning games or winnable games. Sudbury is going to be a good test. Yet another measuring stick. But these are games where you can at least walk away with. Out of these three games, four out of a possible six points in my opinion. If not, you might be able to get five or six because of how close I feel they can be against Sudbury. Erie's a sneaky trap game for the Hounds. They should defeat Barry. But Sudbury being another game where they see another top dog. I had to use that pun on part of my notes I wanted to do. Now the last thing I said I would touch on is the attendance. Look this past week for attendance, the Hounds. I'm going to use them as an example, not picking on the Hounds at all, but I'm just going to say attendance. The against GU was 3412 and against London was 3195. Total weekend intense of 6607. Average per game 3304. 4. And when I was at the game on Sunday again, I feel like I missed that old Gardens atmosphere where they used to shake when you score. But now I know we're in the new rank. It's been around for over now. It's been around for almost 20 years. Close to just over or over 15 years around there. Sorry, I don't have the exact date, but the. The average attendance per game. I feel like that's an opportunity for the Hounds and fans to really start. I want to work and listen with you guys on this on the ideas of what the Hounds could do better. We talked about promotional material. We talked about where the Hounds are in attendance in the league. It's the 10, 12, 13th area in the league and I feel like there was a lot of empty seats this weekend against two big teams. Why weren't those filled? Especially a Sunday 2 o' clock game. I know football's on people. I know it's on streaming platforms as well. But you know what? Nothing's better than being live in person, in the action, and especially when you go with your 17 month old son for their first game. But besides that, getting out to enjoy the action with these special teams that come here. Guelph and London are games that should have been on everybody's calendar. But this is a team that, you know, has, has continued to give us stories every year and give us heart. This year they've had a, they have a great team that they're putting on the ice right now, well coached. Get to the GFL Memorial Gardens and support the Sioux Sami grounds because it's not going to get any easier as that snow. Yes, I said snow comes on the ground. Now that's chuck a puck. I think I did okay for my first solo segment of season 11 for the game Sports podcast. Obviously, as you know, it's not my first time talking solo on here. I think my record is two and a two and a half hours talking solo. You know what, I don't mind talking, but we want you to interact. So comment below on the feedback that we have. Make sure you hit like follow and subscribe on YouTube, TikTok and Instagram. We're going to take a quick breath. I need it. And a quick sip. And we come back. We're going to transition from hockey briefly to strike zone. Welcome back to the Game Sports Podcast. Dave McKay continuing to host you on this edition of the Game Sports Podcast. Again, again, the Game is it a Studio 726 original series. Make sure hitting like, follow, subscribe and all platforms of the Game Sports Podcast. That's Tick Tock, Instagram, all at the Game Sports Podcast. Okay. Telling you right now, if you're not following, you're missing some electrifying content. Eleven years of the Game Sports podcast and a lot of journeys, a lot of chapters. But we still have the family that we've had for many years. And speaking of this family, I'm going to introduce someone who hasn't made an appearance in our move in our new studio that I didn't give enough credit to again on the opener. That's fine. Brad can give me trouble after on that. But nonetheless, Connor Henderson, the rookie of the year. If you know, you know, ladies and gentlemen, if you know, you know, Connor Henderson, co host with Strike Zone. My friend, it is a pleasure to hear your voice come through my ears and the listeners will agree to that. [00:20:52] Speaker B: It's good to be back, Dave. Love the studio. Great work with you and the folks who've set things up there. Though I have heard you talking smack about me in my absence, so don't think it's gone unnoticed that I Heard you were putting up wanted posters or help missing ads in my absence. So really happy to be here, seeing you guys in the studio. And. Yeah, let's talk some baseball, [00:21:20] Speaker A: man. I'm so happy you heard that. But now I put up missing posters for Jordan Trudeau today. He takes one sick day, and he. I'm gonna have to put up sick, sick posters for that. But, yeah, you know what? I will confirm. I will say guilty as charged, if you will, in regards to saying I put up. Where's the posters for Connor Henderson? But I'm a. Listen, it's not about. It's not about quantity. It's about quality. And I know we're gonna put some quality right now in ways that people haven't seen it. Strike Zone is a segment that we've been doing since 20. 2018. There we go. 2018 is when we started Strike Zone, and it's is something that has been a passion of Connor and I, and we've been known to talk about scandals a lot on this show. There's been a lot of scandals that have been across this news and across our notes. But today, a little bit different of approach, where we got a part A and a part B. And there's a reason why we're starting with part A. Okay, listen, everyone, sit down, buckle up for a minute. You're gonna get an absolute, humble, conceited train right now coming right hot, hot and heavy. Okay? Not one, not two, not three, four straight World Series predictions. I'm not happy about last year's. I will credit that not happy about last year's prediction because I actually predicted to a TE that the Jays would lose in seven to the Dodgers to a play that doesn't happen because that's Toronto's fashion. And what happened last year, 77 years, was the last time there was a double play that ended the World Series. I thought that would end the curse of Toronto, but I only prolonged it. Sorry, Toronto fans, but again, the Jays did win in 1993. It's not like the Leafs by any means, but Toronto sports been waiting for another championship since the Raptors won in 2019. But again, back to my point, the Dodgers won in Game 7 last year, pinpointed that pick, predicted the Dodgers before that. This year, though, talking about this year, go to our recent clips. Brewers raise was my prediction. What happened? Brewers race. Brewers would win the series easily. What happened? They won it pretty easily. Okay, they lost one game. Tampa wasn't in it at all. And as Freddy Peralta sits on the sidelines, from the team that got rid of him earlier this year, thinking that he had a chance against that team. The brewers were the team of the of destiny this year. They were unreal. And I predicted the last four straight World Series as to set it again. And if you're looking for some baseball predictions, I'm your guy, Okay? I am your guy. I have now crowned that we didn't get to have Connor's predictions for this year, but I'm sure you would have been aligned. The brewers were a team of destiny. Connor. [00:23:57] Speaker B: Dave, I don't think anybody should ever question your sports takes ever again. Listen, this was a nice World Series here because there was no villain. If there's one thing that we can take out of it, it was that both the Milwaukee brewers, who hadn't won a World Series in ever in 50 years running, and the Tampa Bay Rays, who likewise had never won a World Series ever. And since their inception in the late 90s, there was no villain here. It was interesting, however, as you note that. Dear God, the run through the Dodgers suite and the run through the Rays with the. With the pity win and a 41 series total victory, pure dominance from them up and down the order. Dave. It was. It was pretty incredible to see, [00:24:49] Speaker A: and I love it. I love brewers fans. I was at a game. I've said the story multiple times, so I won't get into it again, but I love brewers fans. You know, I loved that ballpark. They deserve it. Milwaukee, I was cheering for you. And when he beat the Dodgers, that's where I knew this was the team winning the World Series. Okay? The Dodgers didn't have a chance. So you know what? I think the brewers might have saved a lockout. Ladies and gentlemen, the brewers might have saved a lockout by winning the World Series this year. Think about that. Just think about it. You might see baseball next summer because of the brewers, the Brew crew, if you will. Very excited to see that the brewers got it done. Now, Connor, I had a bunch of questions. I want to get into this, but for time, I want to get into the off season for the Blue Jays and Tigers, which is obviously a teams that we talk about a little bit more extra on the show, But I did have a question. I want to set you up for two of them, actually. So how did a small market team accomplish what so many expensive rosters couldn't? Connor, you know the joys of that ins and outs in baseball. So share with us your intelligence. [00:26:00] Speaker B: So there's certainly an athleticism component to both the brewers and the Rays in their pursuit of the World Series. Neither team was in the top half of the league in home runs is my understanding, which is unique in today's day and age where everybody's going for the long ball launch. Angles are at the forefront of people's analysis with hitting. How did these smaller market teams get there? It was through athleticism and homegrown player development, making sure that both teams are able to run the bases well. Both of them weren't afraid to bunt. Both of them had athleticism up and down the order in a way where teams, you know, 10, 15 years ago just did not have even the best of the best, often would have one or two players, whether it be at first base, third base, sometimes even catcher, one of the corner outfield slots, be a potato, somebody who can't really move out there. Neither of these teams were lacking in athleticism, both had great back control and both could run the bases and were well coached. So it's nice to see those small market teams being as efficient as possible, especially in light of teams like the brewers, who took serious heat from the media and from the fandom for not securing a guy like Tarik Skubal at the deadline like the Dodgers did. Then they show up, they meet in the playoffs, and four games later the Dodgers are packing their bags. Great series for the brewers. And the outcome was achieved in large part due to that, that athleticism and player development. [00:27:36] Speaker A: Dodgers LOU I was very happy to say that last week. Is that just dianky? Lou so you know the question that I the second one that I had for you, Connor, and that's such a great point, and I said, someone asked me PS2 that if Milwaukee's championship was the biggest surprise this season, I said, heck no. This is a team that just couldn't get, just couldn't get past the Dodgers. Just like the Jays, right? Like if you had had the Jays Yankees go against and win the Dodger against the Dodgers or the Brewers, I wasn't surprised. But did the brewers just prove that you don't need baseball's biggest payroll to win? Connor that's the second part to your pretty much already answered question. But I know this is going to be a hot question for fans in Iraq. Don [00:28:19] Speaker B: In a world where there's finite resources, being efficient with your money is always going to be the path forward. And you hear it in the NHL, you hear it in the NFL, and you certainly hear it in the mlb. But not having a hard cap means that you see that disparity from teams like the L A Dodgers, New York Yankees. But everybody's got a fighting chance, especially in the playoffs, and it's really nice to see it. So, in short, yes, Steve, everybody's got a chance to win. And the brewers and the Rays, despite losing in the Finals, proved that this year. [00:28:49] Speaker A: Yeah. And you know what? I'm going to say one thing about Tampa, though. They haven't won, and they're a team that should be really looked at. How do you build a roster? Just like with Milwaukee, the fans need to get out to support the Rays more during the season. Their attendance is one of the lowest in the league, and even when they were first place, it was brutal. Like, you know, team fans in Montreal are dying for a team and they're looking at Tampa saying, if you're not going to appreciate this team, well, I'm going to. Okay, so just saying, Tampa fans, not pleased with your performance, with your. With your involvement. Playoffs. You seem to show up, though. Must have been a night out to make sure you go to. You don't want to miss it. But you know what? You watched the brewers win the World Series. Sorry, a little dig from a Jays fan to you. Now part the second part here. A little bit shorter in the first part, Connor, but we're gonna MLB off season. There's so much to talk about here, and we'll connect throughout the off season, of course, but we're going to stick towards the Tigers and the Blue Jays. And I will answer the Blue Jays questions quickly that I had for you. Then I'm going to ask you the Tigers before we let you go. And the three that I want to know for myself. The first one is what is Toronto's biggest offseason priority? I think Toronto's offseason priority is that they still need to get a top four bat. They need to solidify the bullpen, and they need to find another starter. So that's three big positions that aren't easy to come by. There's names that you could think of, CS Suzuki, Brandon Lau as one for bats, for pitching, you know, you can look at. If you. If you want, you can look at Michael King. There's a name that you can think of, Alex Visa from the Dodgers. There's an arm for the bullpen that you can think of would be good setup man for Louis Varlin. There's some names that I'm just shooting out there. I'm going to tell you something, people. Santander is coming back. I know people don't want to hear it. Okay? But guess what? Who's taking that contract. Nobody. I'm just going to answer that for you. Nobody. He's going to be in that lineup next year and he's going to hurt his back 10 games in. It's okay. All right. Anthony Santander is going to have to be in that lineup next year. Should management prioritize pitching, offensive consistency or roster depth? That was another question somebody asked me online and I wish they can do all three but if I had to give you an answer, I think they need to prioritize offensive consistency. That's something that was lacking this year somehow with that same team that they almost won the World Series with two outs away. By the way, everybody that they were almost won a couple years ago. Last one is Toronto. One significant acquisition away from contending. No, there are three. Need a good bat, they need a good arm and they need a bullpen arm. Those are the three that's going to get you to come and go ahead of the Yankees and the Red Sox going into next season. So those are questions that came to me from fans, from friends, at a multiple but those are the three that I picked that I am going to answer for you. And Conor now is going to get set up for Detroit. I have three for Detroit. Can't give Connor more than one. We have three questions for Connor. Then we got one last question where we let you go after that. Is Detroit ready Connor to take a step forward next year or do they have to rethink [00:31:48] Speaker B: they are ready to take a step forward next year? Dave, Their runs for and against this year was actually quite good and they were a positive run scoring team. Luck plays a bit of a factor there but overall they are ready to take that step forward and they have the young talent to do so. [00:32:06] Speaker A: They do. Scubal maybe has to go back. I just kidding. Just kidding. [00:32:10] Speaker B: I wish. [00:32:11] Speaker A: Where does its roster need the most improvement on Detroit? Connor? [00:32:15] Speaker B: Two pieces. First, health. They need to get healthy. Both Jackson Jobe and Reese Olson were hurt last year. They need to get those arms back in order and ready to roll. And second, they need to let the young guys develop. You saw Max Clark come up late last year, performed great. Kevin McGonagall of course your rookie of the year. [00:32:34] Speaker A: So [00:32:34] Speaker B: Dylan Dingler, that was his breakout season from behind the plate. So they've got their strength up the middle which is critical in baseball. You want to have your strength up the middle and they have that. But we need to look and see if if they can take that next step. Now those guys are super young. They've got Lots of room to grow. [00:32:53] Speaker A: Love that last one for you. Should the Tigers make an aggressive off season move or develop that young core? [00:33:01] Speaker B: If I had to pick between the two, I'd say develop the young core in large part because honestly, their spending has not been ideal or great. If you look at their additions the last few offseasons, whether it's Kenta Maeda, my boy, Justin Verlander, when they've looked to add and spend, it has not gone well. Keep that financial flexibility and let's maybe make an acquisition move through the year when you determine better what you need. [00:33:26] Speaker A: Love that. Now, before the interactive question, people are yelling through this speak. I can hear them now saying, why didn't you talk about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. Let me tell you why. Just because. Yep, that's it. That's just Dave. You know [00:33:40] Speaker B: how he got paid for all the work he's already done? Are you going to pay me for all the work like we've already done on the show over the last. [00:33:47] Speaker A: Yeah, add a zero to your check each week. That's exactly. That's it. The memories and joys and the sparkles in our eye. [00:33:54] Speaker B: Oh, geez. Well, thanks, Dave, [00:33:56] Speaker A: but [00:33:56] Speaker B: I really appreciate that. [00:33:57] Speaker A: Yeah, but your amount is priceless, Connor. Everybody's on this show is priceless. Okay, that's why. But that's why I didn't talk about Vlad on purpose. Everybody. I almost dropped my notes. I dropped my notes because I was gonna get mad there. I know people. I can hear people already saying, talk about Vlad. Nah, not there yet. We're not there yet. He'll be better next year. Last question. What team? And we're going to answer this together. You're going to go first. Which team has more pressure to make an off season move, Toronto or Detroit? And you know what? You go first. [00:34:31] Speaker B: Oh, Toronto most certainly. Good God. They were in the World Series, Game 7, and completely fell off the cliff. The Tigers expectations were much lower than the Jays. If one team has to make a push between the two of them, it's the Jays. [00:34:46] Speaker A: I couldn't agree more. The Jays do have the most pressure, and I don't think this is a silly question. It's an obvious question. The Toronto Blue Jays need to do something. And here you go, people. Vladimir, wake up. Okay, there you go. I said it. That's all I'll say now. Connor, my friend, it's always a joy. Thank you for coming by. Is a quick addition. About 15 minutes we chatted with you, but 15 minutes that I loved every second of my friend. [00:35:11] Speaker B: I Missed you, Dave. Really excited about the new studio. Super happy for the show. I'll let you go and we'll see you soon. [00:35:19] Speaker A: See you soon, my friend. When we come back, bmac top Chad time here on the game. Don't go anywhere. Welcome back to the game Sports Podcast. Dave McKay continuing to host you here tonight. Today, whenever you're tuned into the game, make sure you like follow, subscribe on all platforms. YouTube, Instagram, TikTok, Facebook to search us. You'll find us. Forgot to mention at the beginning, thegamesportspodcast, ca as well. There's a website that you can check out as well. I definitely should be making sure I mentioned that at the beginning. Right. Ladies and gentlemen, and to listeners of all ages. But speaking of that, we got something great here. I love this part of the show. I love every segment. Okay, but there's something about talking about the National Hockey League. This is getting me a little bit more excited than normal now. And I don't know if it's because the popcorn's popping in the National Hockey League with trade requests and all that, but we got a lot to chat about. But even better, I get to enjoy it with the family of this show and I get to have a special co host join me right now coming back home from Ireland. Okay. And he has a lot to talk about, as he always does. Brandon McCarthy, BMAC the cart, if you will. Welcome back, my friend. [00:36:30] Speaker C: I. I wish I'd had a lot to talk about, but there was a lot of Guinness on the trip, so I actually don't remember too much. No, [00:36:38] Speaker A: tell us about Ireland, dude. You gotta listen, you got, you gotta get a little bit. You gotta share some stories about Ireland. Everyone loves it. Everyone wants to hear the stories about, you know, maybe somebody's going that's listening. They want to hear some of your feedback. What do you recommend? [00:36:51] Speaker C: Oh, man. I mean, don't just settle for the Guinness as the only stout. Like, you got to try Beamish. You got to try Murphy's. Everyone is super friendly, you know, great hiking, great bars, live music. I was there with my fiance for close to two weeks and it was, it was awesome, man. Like just so much fun. And it was honestly just a refreshing trip. Like, it's not, it's not one of those where, like, you know, I don't want to travel the States right now. I just don't even agree layover. I feel like a little bit nervous, [00:37:25] Speaker A: but [00:37:26] Speaker C: it was just a refreshing. We were talking off air. You're going to Thailand soon. That'll Be another refreshing trip. You're not kind of feeling anxious at the airport or going through U.S. customs or anything like that? Right. So it was. It was a really well needed trip. [00:37:44] Speaker A: Good. You deserve [00:37:45] Speaker C: it. Yeah, I was. I was super pumped to be there. A lot of. A lot of tipping them back. I will. I will say a lot of tipping them back, but we walked a lot, so I feel like if you're, you know, active and walking on those trips. Yeah, I guess that constitutes a lot of pints, right? [00:38:07] Speaker A: Lots of pints. Now, you mentioned I was going to Thailand. Yes. Going to Bali is the exact location where I'm going to, to be, to be exact. And you know, I'm always cautious about sharing where I'm going and what I'm doing. But, you know, very. My wife and I are very excited. It's on our bucket list. Before we found out our son was gonna be gonna be born, we booked. Booked the trip and then two months later found out she was pregnant. So we were worried about the timing and everything. But guess What? Worked out. Arlo, 17 months old, went to his first hockey game this past weekend. He's staying with the in laws, and the wife and I are gonna be going on a trip. So we're very excited about that. So speaking of that, Brandon gives a good, good point. The show will have shows while I'm away. They're gonna pop up while I'm away. Okay. But this and top shed this week, we got some electrifying content bread. And I'm happy that you had a great trip. Happy that you're back. We missed you. I know hike missed you and the boys missed you, but you just got you and I today. Bmac. This is kind of familiar territory. We did this a lot last year, and you develop a lot of chemistry when you do this. A lot of chemistry. But now we get to do it in the comfort of our new studio. You're not here for. You're gonna have to come up to the Sioux eventually to come check this out. This is one heck of a setup for us, but I'm gonna start hot here on Top Chat. Okay? We're gonna start hot right out of the gate. Okay? We've had a lot of trade talk on this show. A lot of people requesting trades. You know, you've had Hollaback, you've had Larkin, you had Simon Edmondson, who still has to be traded. Now you're having Quinn Hughes controversy, which maybe if you have time, we'll get into. But we got one person we gotta talk about. Right now. Okay. And it's Nikita Guccherov, the last name that I thought I would hear come across my feed that had requested a trade from the Tampa Bay Lightning. And things got some extra spicy meatball. As Jim Carrey would say on the mask, if, you know, you know, saying that it's not about money. It's about respect. Look, that popcorn is popping. The butter is in the popcorn, and I'm sitting back enjoying every second of it. Reporters reported Oct. 31 on Halloween, that Kucharov requested a trade, and Julian Brewell said he has no intention of trading them. Well, things are getting juicy. He hasn't modified no trade clause, but he has 10 teams that he can accept trades, too. Now, I got two parts to this. Brendan, Are we entering an era? And this is great from last week's episode where we talked about the NHL becoming the NBA. This segues. I've never had an episode transition so nicely into the next week here. But are we entering an era where NHL superstars have more control over where they play than organizations paying them? That's the question I have. [00:40:54] Speaker C: Yeah, that's a. That's a great question, man. I just think there's been so much greed, and players are just becoming divas. And. And you're right. I saw the thumbnail on the last episode. Like. Like, I feel like, you know, and you missed. You missed a key player in this. Brady could Chuck. Like, this. This started in the summer, right? [00:41:16] Speaker A: Yeah. Yeah. [00:41:17] Speaker C: So I feel like this has been kind of a snowball effect, and it's. It's very clear that there was a lot of talk with that U.S. team at the Olympics. A lot of talk. [00:41:29] Speaker A: A lot of locker room chat that we don't know. Yeah, [00:41:32] Speaker C: a lot of it. Right. And. And yeah, it. You can certainly draw parallels to. To the NBA as well. Right? It's okay. I want the bag. Right. I want Audi. Like, if it's not. If it's not about the moolah and, like, you can get the bag, and then your team could be crap. So you want to get out of there like that. They're just. There just never seems to be someone who is just loyal to the fan base. I mean, like, gone are the days are of Sid. Right? Did Eisenman is. Or Eisenman. This is. This is. I'm happy with this number. And I want to. I want to be here. Right. Jordan. Jordan Stahl is another good example, too. Right. So, yeah, with. With the Kucherov thing, man. Like, oh, my gosh. Like, I. I. Yeah, I I would not have guessed this either, but I. I was saying. And again, I don't like. I had a feeling. I don't always like to intertwine it with the Leafs, but I had a feeling. Why not the Leafs? Why not the Leafs? Think about it. Hear me out for a second, and maybe this is going to get. Maybe I'm going to get torched in the comments, but Kirill Marchenko is there, Sergey Bobrovsky is there, Kucharov's former teammate, and Darren Radish is there. You say, hey, Austin, Matthews is here. If it means you got to give up, honestly, I know he's been outstanding on the point sheet. If it means Nylander, Cowan, a first like, this is a big gamble of a year for Chica, for Matthews, for Bobrovsky who struggled, why not the Leafs and just try to, like, try to make something happen. Right. You got to think Kucharov is like, Toronto seems pretty enticing right now, right? [00:43:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Or [00:43:22] Speaker C: am I. Am I crazy? Am I crazy for thinking that, [00:43:24] Speaker A: you know, I'm sitting here thinking that I was waiting. Like, you always hear the lease are in the. The moment. They're always. They're always something that you hear about in trades, and this is something that is not out of this world that might happen. You can think about so much different circumstances where the Leafs were involved into trades that you're like, okay, enough. No, sit down. Put the. Put your armchair GM stuff away. Relax. But per Elliot Friedman, big, big name in the world of media, let's just tell you, if you don't know, you know, why not the Leafs? But I'm gonna answer that for you. As long as Gavin McKenna is not the other name going back in that trade, I'm open to it. But I'm all. As a fan, I will say you should only be open to it if he signs an extension. But what does that extension look like? And that's where I want to say. Do you. This is where I'll say to you then. Does he. You know what? Hold on. We'll go back to that. Do you have a point you want to add about that first? I. I think that the Leafs are on that list that he'd go to. They have to think about it. You have to really see what you can do, but you have to do it without McKenna coming out of your mouth. [00:44:57] Speaker C: Do. Do you? [00:44:58] Speaker A: Yes. Do [00:44:59] Speaker C: you, though? [00:44:59] Speaker A: Yes. Yes. I don't think that's. That is somebody who is going to be celebrity Bedard level, baby Patrick Kane level. Not trying to compare American to a Canadian, but somebody who is 18 years old, already the leading rookie in the league in points. Cowan took him a couple years to develop to get to where he needed to be. You keep Gavin McKenna here. That is. That is massive that you have to do. I think you keep Gavin, you can trade Gavin, can't trade Gavin. [00:45:28] Speaker C: Like. Like, here's. If you're. If you're talking Nylander, Cowan, maybe Danford and some picks. Like, would you. Would you rather, like, basically, McKenna or Nylander, who's gone? [00:45:43] Speaker A: I would [00:45:43] Speaker C: rather McKenna, [00:45:44] Speaker A: Nylander. [00:45:46] Speaker C: Okay. Interesting. [00:45:48] Speaker A: $11 million for Nylander, the best leaf. But McKenna just. That upside is too attractive. I feel like it's too attractive to turn up. But the big [00:45:58] Speaker C: thing to. For. For Kucherov, he also might be like, oh, like, I'd love to. I'd love to play with Willie, too. Right. [00:46:04] Speaker A: But Kucherov's also 33 years old. And to trade. To trade McKenna, to trade someone who's 18, your first overall pick that fans were so excited about getting and for things that rejuvenated. Remember what Chica was in that news conference with. With Sunding, and when they were all sitting there at the news conference, he was getting heckled by not just fans, but from media calling him out, what he does, what happens next day gets the number 12 ball drops, and Gavin McKenna gets that. And everything changed in Leafland. Right from there, Chica drafts McKenna. Then all of a sudden, oh, Radish wanted to come here. Oh, Bosky wanted to come here. Oh, now Nick Paul gets traded to come [00:46:48] Speaker C: Marchenko. [00:46:48] Speaker A: Marchenko's a [00:46:49] Speaker C: Leaf. [00:46:50] Speaker A: There's people where the leafs. I think McKenna was the domino effect that led to a lot of positives. Cowan's output this year has been a pleasant surprise for the Leafs, but an attractive piece, an interesting piece. Where does he fit? [00:47:06] Speaker C: Dave. Dave, don't get me wrong, dude. I could totally see Kucherov at the Bell Center. I could totally see it. Mike, I'm not going to completely go, like, leaf. Like, [00:47:14] Speaker A: no, yeah, [00:47:15] Speaker C: homer here. Like, I've been on this podcast a lot. Like, I am. I am pretty objective, I will say. [00:47:21] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:47:22] Speaker C: But when. Like, the only thing that would probably turn breezewa away is because he's like, I don't want to deal with an Atlantic team. [00:47:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:47:30] Speaker C: I don't want to trade them to Montreal or Toronto. I'd rather send them to, like, a Western team like Dallas or Vegas. But, I mean, yeah, worst case, it's Florida. I don't think it's going to be that But I just think, yeah, Montreal would be cool. I mean, but again, they're probably going to be like, we want Suzuki, we want Slavkovski. So the hall is going to be, you know, it's going to be big. But again, you know, if you want to get someone great, you got to give up someone on your roster who's great, like Knives and Marchenko. Right. You can have that debate for years, but so far, I mean, Marchenko, he's injured right now, but he has been really solid for Toronto. Nice. Was fine the first week, and then he kind of teed it off a bit. Right. So. [00:48:15] Speaker A: So let's. Let me ask you this. Do you think Kucherov gets traded? And if he does, I'm gonna put you on the spot. What are the top five teams? And out of that five, who are you predicting? I am putting you right. I got mine written down. So, yeah, my little cheat putting you on the spot. [00:48:34] Speaker C: So, like, I'm not going to put Toronto number one. [00:48:39] Speaker A: Okay. [00:48:39] Speaker C: But I'm going to put Toronto at like four. [00:48:42] Speaker A: Okay. [00:48:42] Speaker C: Okay. I'm gonna say, oh, man, it's tough. I'll put Montreal 5. [00:48:55] Speaker A: Okay. [00:48:58] Speaker C: Dallas. Going to say Dallas 3. Vegas. Vegas 2. Because it's Vegas. And one 1. I. 1. I think he, he, he. He stays for this year in Tampa. Yeah. [00:49:29] Speaker A: Okay. So I'm a firm believer that manager should have the asset management factor to trade, and he has the, the full ability, you know, that he's walking. So you got to get something for. For something for Kucherov. Like when Colorado got something from Retin him, the Leafs got nothing from Marner. Basically nothing from Marner. I know they trade Nick Wa, which got them a first. [00:49:50] Speaker C: Yeah, [00:49:50] Speaker A: buddy, Fun fact. But besides that, I'll say Kucherov gets traded. Just for sakes of interaction and to give you the order, I got a pretty interesting order for you. A little bit different. I'm going to say Montreal first. Montreal's got a package there that I think they can give Tampa with Hayes, which Swarovski, with some defense, with some picks, I think Montreal is going to be attractive there. Number two, I got the Carolina Hurricanes, for obvious reasons. Top team in the NHL for a reason. Number three, the Dallas Stars. Number four, hot take, New York Rangers. I know they're hurting when it comes to Annette. Okay. But they've had some stability there. If they can find someone to come be in between the pipes to be a good background. The Rangers do have players that can look for a change of scenery. Lexus, La Frontier. Anybody Just saying. Now for the fifth team, this is where I think people are going to be a little bit more curious about. But you know what, that's fine. You can, you can be. I am going to put the Minnesota Wild on that team as fifth and I originally had Minnesota as five with me. But Minnesota Cabrill, Kirill Capri soft good friends with Kucherov. Okay. I know Billy Garon is Quinn Hughes. He's trying to keep Quinn Hughes in New. In New Jersey. Nope. Then Minnesota. I think when Hughes walks at the end of the year. Let me get you real hot. Why not a three way trade with New Jersey? Quinn goes to New Jersey, Tampa gets a haul. Kucheroff goes to Minnesota. Maybe a defenseman, that's a third pairing goes there to fill the void for Quinn. That's on either Tampa side or New Jersey side. Doug Hamilton's been looking for a new home, hasn't he? Why not throw a Dougie Hamilton and Kucheroff in the mix to Minnesota, Quinn Hughes to New Jersey. Do a nice big trade. Julian Breezewell has a lot of time between now and the trade deadline to figure it out. There is my fifth option only because of how hard that would be. But that would be my favorite trade to happen for Kucherov. So that is something that I'll say. And I'll say one last thing. If Tampa Bay actually trades Kucherov, depending on what they get back their playoff runs not going to be as long as Tampa fans want them to be. Because you are missing a franchise altering. [00:52:17] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:52:17] Speaker A: Player in Kucherov. [00:52:19] Speaker C: Yeah, I like those picks. I like those picks. [00:52:22] Speaker A: Minnesota, that three way trades a little out of this world. But you know what? [00:52:25] Speaker C: No. [00:52:26] Speaker A: Why not? Look at the Quinn Hughes like, oh, they've given him a max offer no one want. What's the max offer? What does that mean? 20 million. Is he getting Kyle McCar? And Quinn's like, I don't know if I want it. But now look where Conor Hellebut go. New Jersey. Where's his brothers? New Jersey. Look, everybody connect the dots here. We talked about the beginning NHL coming, the NBA players where they want to go. Billy Garon's going to look at Quinn Hughes and say, okay, I can only trade him somewhere as a rental. But you're not going to get a big value. So I want to trade him somewhere where he can sign. But then you got New Jersey. That's going to say, well then maybe I could just sign him as a free agent. Right. But at the same time, New Jersey doesn't have all this money in the world. They need to shed cap space. So Dougie Hamilton has a no move clause. You don't think Dougie Hamilton would wave to go to Minnesota? He absolutely would. You look at it from a hockey from a business perspective and let me tell you that three way trade people, even though it's fifth on my list, is not out of this world. Just saying, just saying. Final thoughts. [00:53:29] Speaker C: Hamilton's valley right now though like that would be [00:53:32] Speaker A: Doug. [00:53:32] Speaker C: He's like do you [00:53:32] Speaker A: want to go to Minnesota? [00:53:33] Speaker C: Yes. [00:53:34] Speaker A: Top four exact on NHL 27 franchise mode. Top four exact with. If you add Kutcher off to that and you, you're moving. Quinn Hughes and New Jersey fans are licking their their chops right now thinking about that possible trade. But I'll tell you one thing that's not moving for Minnesota. His name's Brock Faber. That's one. What's one name that isn't moving? So if you're Minnesota, Tampa, New Jersey, I think you can make a three way trade that just shakes up the NHL but allows you to stay competitive for the playoffs. Right. New and Tampa would get the short end of the stick. I don't even know what they would really work out from a, from a. From that perspective, maybe get Danielle, you're off from Minnesota. If you look at New Jersey you can throw in some of their high picks, their first round picks. You can really load up on picks and then flip those picks for players on other teams. There's things that could be done but Julian Breezeball has time and I think Kucharov giving him this time allows him to maybe get traded by the deadline like you saw with Mikko Ranton. That's where I'm positioning this. Everybody love that. Okay. Speaking of trades, Shane Wright BMAC finds a new home in Nashville. 4th overall pick over for going back the other ways. Wood over to Seattle. Remember when Shane Wright did that stare down to Montreal? [00:54:55] Speaker C: Of course. [00:54:56] Speaker A: I feel like Montreal fans are just like told you so. Like it hasn't worked out for Shane Wright in Seattle and he's looking for a change of scenery in Nashville there. Brandon. [00:55:09] Speaker C: Yeah, you know what? Like I kind of like it to be honest. It's a wake up call obviously. You know they always say right. Getting to the NHL is the easy part. It's staying there. And I think now more than ever the league is so competitive. Dave, where I was thinking about it today. It's, it's, it's prove it or lose it. Right? You're not just going to show up every day and get the first class treatment like an NHL player for 84 games. So it's like, what is your role? What are you bringing to the table? And if, if you're kind of just floating around, well, we, we don't want you here. I don't care if you're, you know, on paper, people get so locked in, like, oh, but he was a top, you know, pick. Give him a chance. No, like, sorry. They were this close to doing that with Sapkowski and thankfully he turned it around and now he's been a power forward that they were like, thinking he would be when they drafted him over. Shane, right? Montreal Canadiens. Right. [00:56:10] Speaker A: Yep. [00:56:11] Speaker C: So I, I like, you know, what and good for. Right. I mean, he probably wants to change a scene. So good on him for, for, you know. Well, not get on him. I mean, like, he was, he was basically. His play dictated that trade. But I mean, like, I guess good to have a change of scene. And, and, yeah, I mean, I think, I think it's important for, for really like any young prospect to recognize that or anyone that's, you know, kind of still getting their feet wet in the league like, once you're in. All right, like, you gotta be. You gotta be consistent and you gotta prove yourself to stay in here because someone's always going to be coming for your job. Right? [00:56:56] Speaker A: There's always somebody coming for your job. I love that point. So I'm going to give you two more questions that's related to Shane Wright. So is a change of scenery the right solution for a young player to reestablish himself in the league, then, Brennan, is that. Is that always the case, or do you, like, if you look at some players that have done that, it hasn't always had the most successful track record unless they get traded from Toronto. [00:57:22] Speaker C: Yeah, yeah. I mean, like I said, change of scene. Could, couldn't. Could do them, you know, could do them good. But you know, Nashville, you know, there's a lot of vets on those teams, on that team. Stamkos, Marcia. So. But yeah, I think again, you don't want to run into a situation where you're being thrown around too much. [00:57:47] Speaker A: Right? [00:57:48] Speaker C: Because then you truly can't form who you are, Right? [00:57:52] Speaker A: Yep. So you [00:57:53] Speaker C: can't develop because then you just turn into a. Hate to say it. No player wants to be. Called it a suitcase [00:58:01] Speaker A: like that. So. Well, that leads me to this. Okay, for you. So teams. I've had a point where somebody told me they feel that teams are becoming impatient with young talent in the National Hockey League. In particular, so our NHL teams giving up on former picks, notably top five picks, too quickly. [00:58:22] Speaker C: Like I said, man. I mean, like, if you're not performing, it's a cutthroat industry. It's a cut, it's a cutthroat league. I, you know, how much time are you going to give somebody, right? You can't, you can't just be like, oh, we'll give them, you know, another year. Like, at some point you got to pull the trigger. So I don't think, I don't think teams are giving up on, on picks too easily. Sometimes it can come back to bite you. But I mean, if, if it's really looking sour and they're not producing or contributing anything, I understand why you have to move away from it and not just getting locked into. Oh, like, well, we can't. Like, we can't because he's, he was a top 10 pick, right? People just seem to go all up in arms when, when a team does that. But sometimes you got to make those tough decisions. [00:59:18] Speaker A: You do. And that's where I'll say that. That's why I believe in developing your talent. But speaking of developing your talent, you have to play your talent, which didn't happen in Chad. [00:59:30] Speaker C: It [00:59:30] Speaker A: didn't work out. Jim Hiller, take Note. Seeing Gavin McKenna sit on the bench again and not doing. I just can't. I'm gonna take this Babcock esque attitude that people are like, oh, he's not doing on Edmonton. Yeah, no, no, shit. He's not doing it on Edmonton because he has veterans on Edmonton in play. Gavin McKenna. I'm not going to get into that again. No, no, no, no, I'll [00:59:52] Speaker C: get into that. I, I like, I like that he was benched. And I, I know when, when Hiller, who's been outstanding so far as the Leafs coach, when he came out and said, oh, you know, I probably could have. That was all, that was all bs. That was all bs. He benched him because he wasn't playing well. Like, take, take a seat, right? I, I just think it, I mean, it's blown up in Toronto, but I'm just like, hey, you know what? Like I said before, if you're not, what are you doing for us lately? Just because you're a first overall pick or you're playing in, you know, one of the, one of, if not the biggest market in the National Hockey League. So I actually love that. And he's been, you know, McKenna's been, you know, he's clearly bounced back from that he's been. He's been producing, but I think it's. I think it's important that he did that early just to be like, all right, all right, you had your fun. You know, your family was here for your first game. You know, you're playing with 34. Yeah. You're living with Tavares. It's all good. But, you know, you got to perform and you got to do your job. And if you're kind of taking a back seat or you're kind of, you know, not. Not doing what you should be doing, well. Oh, you're gonna sit for a bit. You can plant your ass right here just for a little bit. [01:01:03] Speaker A: And I see. I like your. With your take. That's the first on the show. And I'll be straight. Do I disagree? Sure, I do. I do. And the reason why I do is just because of people I've been around saying that they. They like Sidney Crosby, and it's hard. They're right about saying, you can't compare McKenna to Crosby. You can't. I understand. You can't compare. You can't Compare him to McDavid. But benching players, I feel like you bring up good points. I feel if I feel it ruins development. But at the same time, my thing with Hiller is that I. The games that he did sit. There was a game where he sat. Only played the six minutes. Can't remember who they played now. Top of my head, that's where I feel like it was warranted, given how he played. But Vancouver on Saturday, in a game where Vancouver was putting on the energy at the end for the last eight minutes, he shortened his bench. I can understand. For the right guys. I feel like McKenna needs to get accustomed to that with the right guys. Why not put him on the ice with a Nick Paul in that situation or see how he would play in that scenario. But [01:02:04] Speaker C: when was the last time a Leafs coach benched one of their players? [01:02:08] Speaker A: Mike Babcock, with Mitch Marner. [01:02:11] Speaker C: Did he? [01:02:12] Speaker A: I know he. The only thing we know is apparently on a bus. He may have said things that he shouldn't have said. To be honest, that's all we really know. [01:02:20] Speaker C: Like, I don't even know the last time a Leafs coach benched one of their players. Like. Like with. Like, Keef. With Bertuzzi. Like, I don't. I don't know. And that's very, very small. [01:02:34] Speaker A: Tyler. Yeah. Very small. Tyler Bertuzzi. Yeah. One of the biggest FL came to this team that we've ever seen. Which is wild. Cause Nonetheless. But that's such a hot point. McKenna, I'm a firm believer of, I feel benching ruins development, but I do believe in teaching what you have to learn from your mistakes, which I think Gavin is still learning at a very young age. I just feel playing him with the right players is important throughout this development still too. So there's a lot of takes. That's a good take, Brennan. That's, that's a hot take. The last point I want to get into before we do a, before I do a quick segment with in the pocket myself is powerhouse or contender. Okay. Powerhouse or contender. Okay. So rather than Simply reading top five rankings that you can look at on NHL.com or simply just search your phone, you can ask Chad GPT, you can ask Gemini, you can ask Siri, you can ask copilot, you can ask all these things here on the game. We're going to bring your own obviously fresh outlook on everything, but we're going to position it as powerhouse or contender. First question, we're going to do a category, three categories and we're going to answer them. One each. Powerhouse. Which team looks like a Stanley cup champion as of today? Brandon. [01:03:57] Speaker C: So I was looking at the standings and doing a little bit of research today and obviously the team that comes to mind is the Edmonton Oilers. But then when you look at the Oilers, it's been a lot of 97. He has been un. Flipping believable. 35 points in October. 35 points in October. [01:04:19] Speaker A: Is that good? [01:04:20] Speaker C: Some guys have that in like a two year span. So, so I liked it. I mean the Oilers are there. I believe they're at. Yeah, they're 70 on the road. Like they haven't lost on the road. [01:04:36] Speaker A: Surprising. [01:04:38] Speaker C: Yeah. Some attendance [01:04:40] Speaker A: troubles in Edmonton too. Pardon me? Attendance troubles in Edmonton too. Fun fact, but that's a whole other conversation. [01:04:46] Speaker C: Yeah. Next to, next to Carolina. Right. And for the top two teams in the league. So like, like again it's a lot of 97, but I'm going to stick in the West. Like I'm going to say 97 has been incredible but like as a team, like a well oiled collective machine, I like the Minnesota Wild. [01:05:06] Speaker A: I [01:05:06] Speaker C: think, I think they have been a powerhouse to answer your question. You know, good goaltending. Caprizov just casually has 15 goals and no one's really talking about it, [01:05:17] Speaker A: so. True. Good point. [01:05:19] Speaker C: And I just think, you know, they got, they got a lot of bite in that lineup and great. Hey, speaking of like, that's a great fan base right there. [01:05:28] Speaker A: Great [01:05:28] Speaker C: Hockey market, [01:05:29] Speaker A: state of hockey [01:05:30] Speaker C: and the Quinn Hughes stuff. Yeah, there's some noise around there, but you know what? He's playing hockey. He's not being, you know, he's not being one of those guys, like, I'm going to stay at home or the team's not suspending him. And Billy Guerin's been very frank on, on podcasts and radio saying, like, yeah, like, I'm not going to beg the guy to stay here. Like, look at, like. And I kind of appreciate it. Like, you can't, you know, completely go like down and just all fours and pray that they're staying. So, [01:05:59] Speaker A: yeah, [01:06:00] Speaker C: I kind of like mini as a. As a. And you know, they've. They've made. They've made some strides and I think, you know, they are a legit powerhouse team. And for my pretender, I would say [01:06:15] Speaker A: pretender. [01:06:16] Speaker C: I would say the New Jersey Devils are my pretender and they typically have been a, you know, a regular season force and they kind of just go away in the playoffs. [01:06:31] Speaker A: Okay. [01:06:31] Speaker C: Like [01:06:32] Speaker A: that. I didn't expect that to come out of yet. So what's your disappointment then after that? [01:06:36] Speaker C: I think they're. I think they're a pretender for me. Disappointment. I would say San Jose. I'd expect them to be a little bit better. [01:06:45] Speaker A: Dude, those [01:06:46] Speaker C: are [01:06:46] Speaker A: good, good picks right there. [01:06:48] Speaker C: All [01:06:48] Speaker A: three of those picks are fire. All three of [01:06:50] Speaker C: those are [01:06:51] Speaker A: good. [01:06:51] Speaker C: They're. What are they. What are they at right now? Seven. Seven and one. They're, I guess technically tied for a wild card spot, but I just, you know, Macklin, the experience he got in the Olympics and at the world Hockey champs and, and, you know, I know, I know they're young, but they also, they added, you know, some, some vet pieces. Right. And [01:07:13] Speaker A: Darnell Nurse [01:07:14] Speaker C: and so, yeah, I mean, of course we just turned. Turn the calendar to November, so we're. We're pretty, pretty early into the season, but yeah, just a little, little disappointed. Like to. Like to kind of see them make. Make some more noise in the Pacific there. [01:07:30] Speaker A: Love that. I'll say powerhouse. I'm going to go obvious here, people. I'm sorry. Carolina Hurricane's just looking absolutely electric. It's hard not to pick the Carolina Hurricanes, but I will say Minnesota Wild is an honorable mention and very excited to go see them next week in Toronto. Pretender for me, who's a team is gonna fall back to earth is the Ottawa Senators. I'm sorry. I'd love seeing what they're doing without Brady Tkachuk. It's A good little slap in the face to Brady saying, we can do it without you. And I love the fan base, how they reacted when he returned, but I think they're gonna fall back to earth disappointment for me. You know, I was giving them credit at the beginning of the year, but it's sad to see too, because I thought they were going to strive without Connor Hallebuck. But it's the Winnipeg jets. They've been really struggling now and they have some veteran pieces on that team. That makes us very, very interesting too. Kyle Connor is somebody that I'm waiting for that ball to drop for a requested trade. Mark Scheifele, obviously, who's been locked up there for a bit, if you know he's a veteran piece. Is this something that is going to be a problem in Winnipeg? They've had attendance questions and they don't. They have a very passionate fan base. I know that fan base just from previous employer experience. They are fantastic. I think this is a team that has the right tools. They just don't have the right defense or goaltending. And you have to build through the draft with this team. And they've done that with players that came over from the Atlanta Thrashers, which is a name I never thought I would say on the show today. But this is the Winnipeg jets that I feel are in a situation where they can get some good value for some players. That being Connor, that being Scheifele, that being Josh Morrissey. Maybe that's someone you keep as Josh Morrissey, but there's the trade market right now where you can get some good value. Teams are buying, and the Winnipeg jets might have to start thinking about selling and asking some of these veteran guys if they're ready to move on and take on putting on new jerseys. So not new Jersey, new jerseys. Just fine. Just saying that. Now, the team that for me is, I think, fooling everybody right now, which ties into my pretender is the Ottawa Senators, which is something I wanted to make sure that I mentioned as well. But the last, [01:09:36] Speaker C: in a sense, [01:09:37] Speaker A: yeah. Last thing that I wanted to say is you said New Jersey, but Connor Hellebach, Brandon is settling in pretty nicely. There isn't a couple games in at this point of recording. I don't know, man. New Jersey gives me this feeling right now that I used to have back in the early thousands. And Connor Hellbach's not Martha Roeder by any means, but they haven't had a goalie since Martin Roder that was that good. Sorry, Jacob Markstrom, you're not. You Weren't. You're not as good as that. This team is gonna be someone who gets Quinn Hughes. I'm gonna say it right now, what date it is. November 2nd. Quinn Hughes will eventually be a Devil. If it's this year or next year, this is a team that you know is going to be attractive for a lot of people to go to because of the Hughes brothers. I wouldn't be surprised if they got in on Kyle Conner sweepstakes back later on in the future. I'm in my DeLorean seeing this right now, and I'm not a New Jersey fan, that one of my least favorite teams ever is the New Jersey Devils. They're actually my least favorite next to the Boston Bruins and Detroit Red Wings, because all I saw New Jersey and Detroit do when I was a kid was win. Was win, win. That's why I hated the them. And I'm seeing something in this New Jersey team, Brennan, that is different than other years. I. I enjoyed when they sucked, but they're not sucking anymore. So. Connor Halibuk, though, is settling in real nice, my friend. [01:10:57] Speaker C: Did you see his Halloween costume? I [01:10:59] Speaker A: did not. [01:11:00] Speaker C: He was an ATM machine. [01:11:04] Speaker A: Was it spitting out $8.5 million by chance? [01:11:08] Speaker C: That is. That is savage. [01:11:11] Speaker A: Yeah, he. [01:11:12] Speaker C: He. He's still gonna address the. The Winnipeg stuff, though, right? Didn't. Didn't he say that, like, oh, they got the Heritage Classic coming up, so I don't want to spoil that, so. [01:11:22] Speaker A: Yeah, he didn't want to. Then they played that. They did that. And, like, yeah, but they have that. So I. I feel like he needs to speak out about it, but he's waiting. [01:11:30] Speaker C: That'll be a. One of the most anticipated media veils [01:11:36] Speaker A: he's getting in NHL history when he goes back. He's getting some Brady Tkachuk reaction when he goes back to Winnipeg. He might. [01:11:45] Speaker C: Oh, 100%. [01:11:46] Speaker A: He. 100% is. And as we sit here, we're still waiting for Simon Evanson to get traded. That is a very good young defenseman who is not playing right now that teams should be thinking of. And you talked about Toronto looking at Kucherov. You should be looking at Simon Edmondson. Sorry, just. Just saying Dylan Larkin, another guy. His team's expanding. Hell, I just think that's embarrassing. Just trying to get. Get new things going. So, look, lots of trade talk. Lots of things going on. We talked champs, we talked towns, we talked Kucheroff on hockey and World Series, and we still have a little bit of football we have to get to in a second, but bmac. [01:12:23] Speaker C: Dave, we should do before. Before Halibuck speaks to the Winnipeg media and you know the fans are gonna be all over that. We should do like a blind rank of how players have been treated on their return to their previous teams. [01:12:44] Speaker A: So where. [01:12:45] Speaker C: So like before he will do like Brady Marner, John Tavares [01:12:54] Speaker A: like yes. [01:12:57] Speaker C: And then where we. Where we like a projection of where we think Hellabuk's gonna fit in in so you could just. It's like a placeholder spot. [01:13:05] Speaker A: I really don't know if anyone could be Brady Chuck. Like I feel like [01:13:10] Speaker C: dude, Hellabuck might like is it. Is it one and two like I mean do you think it's worse than Brady? [01:13:16] Speaker A: So. No. No. I want to do a ranking. Let's save that. But I will say right now it will not be worse than Brady. I'll spoil that. I don't think it's worse than Brady. And I was live for Marners. Mariners won't even come close to my top 10 to. [01:13:29] Speaker C: Okay. [01:13:31] Speaker A: I was live for Marners. It was. It was a bittersweet. Not going to lie. [01:13:35] Speaker C: Yeah there were some cheers in there too right? [01:13:37] Speaker A: There was. And not going to lie. My wife is wearing the Marner jersey as a statement to the game next week against Minnesota. I want to know people's takes on that. I'm wearing Matthews. I was always wearing my Tavares jersey but she's wants to wear Marners. Hey, that's interesting. So Brandon, my friend this has been top Chad, I'm going to transition and jump right into in the pocket right now quickly before we sign off the show but it's always a joy for you my friend for joining and glad to have you back when a little bit extra here today but I did that on purpose for you so you can come back with a bang. Dude. [01:14:15] Speaker C: I appreciate you. Love chatting with you. Kucherov to Toronto is a possibility, Dave. [01:14:21] Speaker A: It is. It is. Maybe not saying it. It will happen as long as McKenna's not in it. That's a thing we'll argue about now. Brandon, again, thank you very much for taking the time. [01:14:30] Speaker C: Cheers. Cheers. [01:14:32] Speaker A: And we're back here on the game. Look, we have just a handful of minutes left here and I'm doing in the pocket solo. Okay. In the pocket solo. It's look in the pocket had the biggest roster on the show. Matt Primo, Jamie Antonello, Dustin Grandin, Justin Heichel me if you go back to the olden days, got Pat DeLuca on there too. There was a six man roster for in the Pocket. But you get yours truly here for this segment as Justin is away today. So I'm going to be just giving you a quick little rundown on this week in the National Football League. In the Pocket has changed its format. If you're familiar with the show, you know that in the Pocket used to be about a half hour segment each week, but now we've brought it down where we're going to be focusing on the matchups of the week and the fantasy players of the week before we wrap up the show. So diving right into that for you here on in the Pocket here on the Game Sports podcast, the matchups that I have for you this week. The top five matchups I got the Bills and the Vikings. Minnesota's D against Josh Allen's going to be electric. The packers against the Patriots. Which team is going to establish the running game? Okay, that's my thought in that game. The Bucks and the Bears. Look, Caleb Williams is going to have to break through the Bucs D after a shutout win against the Falcons. And it's going to be interesting to see how the Bears respond against the Bucks this week. Jags and the Ravens. One team destroyed another team last week and the other team was blown out. Can Baltimore respond or will the Jags remain hot? That's the hot take for me. Last pick, the Lions and the Dolphins. Always giving love to the Lions here on the Game Sports podcast. Sneaky good game here. Sneaky good game. And I got a reason for you when I talk about my fantasy players. Miami's passing game against the Lions D could be a key highlight in this game. Lions from a fantasy perspective with opposing quarterbacks this year. Opposing quarterbacks have been putting up good numbers. Just look that up. Which transits us nicely into the three fantasy players to watch now. Malik Willis from the from the Miami Dolphins. Speaking of, only roster and 10.1% of leagues, get them on your team. See if you can do an affordable trade. He is guy who's going to put up 15 plus points for you this week. Jonah Coleman, running back for the for the Commanders running back. Depth is difficult in fantasy football, but check your waiver wire because this guy is going to put up some numbers and let's go with an obvious one this week rostered in 30, 30.2 rostered leagues and he has the Cardinals this week. Then he has the Saints. So he's what you want in the starting lineup for the next couple weeks and that is Sam Darnold for you to trade or maybe pick up. He's going to put up some good numbers in pivotal weeks coming up in fantasy football. Already get early, get ahead early in fantasy football before those more of those bye weeks and injuries potentially come on in. So Willis, Coleman and Darnold for your players to watch in fantasy football this week. Now, getting to the closing of the show. It's been a wild show, a longer show than we anticipated. But you know what feels great? A lot of good things come up here on the game Sports podcast. A lot of good shows coming up up the news shows. So much content for you to enjoy and to interact on, but also you get to see and be a part of the new look of the game sports podcast here in our new studio. The Game sports podcast, the Studio 726 original series, all powered by Studio 726. I want to say thank you to Brad. I want to say thank you to Mike. I want to say thank you to Michael. I want to say thank you to everyone for Studio 726. I want to say thank you to everyone on the Game Sports podcast, including of course, Brendan McCarthy and Connor Henderson. Connor making his first appearance here while we were in our new studio. We talk Strike Zone. We talk Chuck a Puck me solo on that. We talk Top Chad and an extended version of that. And we talked a little bit of in the pocket for you, all sorts of sports content, the usual content from the game that you are able to enjoy. We have another new show next week. We got a lot of shows coming up and yes, I got a very exciting trip coming up. But don't worry, the content is still all going to be here for the Game Sports podcast for you to enjoy. And look, last thing I didn't forget, Movember, okay? Look, freshly started yesterday. It's growing. It's gonna be coming quick. I'm make sure I participate and we're gonna be making sure we have a little bit more involvement for you next year. But if you want to donate for Movember, we can provide a link below or just reach out to us on social media pages and we will direct you in the right area for you to be involved in Movember. We want to see your pictures by the end of November. Okay? When I come off the plane to Toronto, I'm driving back to Sioux and I sit in the suit and I'm home. I want to see pictures of the Game sports podcast fans with their mustaches, okay? And if you're even a little bit extra, put on a green sweater, okay? Lime green sweater. And use AI or something to put the logo on it. Maybe you'll be entered in something to win. Just saying. Movember. Okay, Movember, make sure you're participating. It's fun to join the Movember. It's all for a good cause. Most importantly now until our next one, I want to thank you again to Connor. I want to say thank you again to, to Brennan and also to the crew here at Studio 726 and to you, the viewers and listeners. Make sure you hit like follow, subscribe and all platforms, tick tock, Instagram, Facebook, all at the game Sports podcast, notably on YouTube. Okay. At the Game Sports Podcast, video editions and clips for you to interact and enjoy. And like I said, subscribe, you comment, you interact. We will answer you here on the Game Sports podcast. Now until next time, here, remind you to keep your stick on the ice, swing your bats, catch touchdowns, drain your threes and shoot your shots. Booyah.