Empty Net

Sawyer Haber: Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of Celly Central. I'm your host, Sawyer, aka B G, just me today, fine solo. before we start off this episode, my heart and prayers go out to ASU hockey player named Matthew Mayich who collapsed during an outdoor team workout, was in cardiac arrest, and reports say that he is currently in a coma. as we know, the hockey community is very tight. I'm sending so many thoughts and prayers to his family and to himself. I pray that he makes a speedy recovery. And it's just it's just terrible. I'm wishing his teammates also a lot of love. Sending love to him and his family. I pray for you, man. Now getting into the episode of Celly Central, kind of a bunch of craziness if I'm being honest. It was just reported by Elliote Friedman. That Cale Makar signs a 20.4 million AAV, 163.2 million dollar total, which makes him the highest paid player in NHL history. He clears Celebrini by 1.6 million and Leo Carlsson by 2.4 million. As we know beforehand, Krill Kaprizov was at 136 million, which was the record. For less than a year, he is the first ever player in Nature history to hit the 20 million player mark. And he took 400,000 under the absolute mass max, so no hometown discount there. he wanted his money. This is more than doubling his own cap hit, mind you, he was at 9 million for the last six years, a $54 million deal. His new AAV is bigger than his last contracts three years combined. speaking of highest paid defensemen in the league. Makar was at 7.9. Byram is at 12.5, and Erik Karlsson was at 11.5 million. just a couple of things to talk about. He beat the deadline by 17 days. As we know, September 15th is the final day that players can sign eight-year extensions. After that, the CBA cap changes to where it becomes seven. Colorado got him on a long-term deal. I mean, this really just I mean, first off, the market's changing, caps going up. I mean, I'm shocked myself, but the real question is what is Quinn Hughes gonna take? Because if Cale didn't take a hometown discount, then I don't see Quinn Hughes taking a hometown discount. I mean, again, it took the Wild over ten years to win a playoff series after getting Quinn Hughes, so he doesn't really owe them pretty much anything, but just I mean, I'm in just utter, utter disbelief. I mean, Cale Makar proves that he's like the best player. the best defenseman in the entire league. Again, a lot of debate between him and Quinn Hughes. as we know, I mean he took term deal and term and term and term you know max term. I'm sorry about that. Little it's late in the day. My bad about that kind of kinda crazy. And then yesterday it was reported in the hockey world that Connor Hellebuyck has also publicly stated that he wants out of Winnipeg. I think the organization for 14 plus years and the fans and hopes for a resolution. I mean, it kind of falls on him too, the fact that the team, when they would make the playoffs, he would just play like shit. So a lot to be said there. I'm here in New Jersey, possibly Carolina, San Jose, and obviously the big one being the Buffalo Sabres. I would have to say the Sabres probably are the front runner, as we know there was a trade in place. but they weren't willing to give up the eighth overall pick. Therefore, Winnipeg said no. as we know, the NHL season opens up. It is a triple header on September 29th, 172 games on TNT and ESPN combined. Expansion is heating up. I reported it before that hopefully by the 29-30 season there will be a team in either Houston or Austin. They also report that they want to bring a franchise back to Atlanta and Arizona. So the NHL would possibly be the first you know North American professional sport league to have 34 teams operating in there. Cutter Gauthier is still at an impasse after Leo Carlsson got that offer sheet of five years 90 million. Cutter Gauthier denied a four-year $13 million contract. So I mean these kids want to get paid like I talked about beforehand. It just will be really interesting to see you know what happens there. And then, like I mentioned, Cale Makar I mean, his previous deal was a six-year, nine million AAV. He now is making over twenty million dollars. I mean, mind blown there. And then another rumor, Erik Karlsson could possibly be going to the Toronto Maple Leafs next year. I mean, Daniel Alfredson, Matt Sundin is there, and also Kyle Dubas, when he was the general manager of the Toronto Maple Leafs, really did like Carlson's game. We know he's now the Pittsburgh Penguin GM, and he traded for Erik Karlsson So yeah. Just some free agency leftovers I want to get into. Patrik Laine is still unsigned. I'd like to see a team give him a private PTO or a league minimum because I think that guy still has some hockey left in him. And then Rangers, Chicago Blackhawk, Pittsburgh Penguin, St. Louis Blue Legend. Kevin Hayes signs a one year deal with AK Bars Kazan. The KHL after 805 games in the NHL. just wanted to say PTO season is essentially underway. The fact that we're one month out from camp. I mean, September 1st is Tuesday, so players report September 17th and 18th. Some injury notes. Connor Bedard is still recovering from off season sh shoulder surgery, which you know really hurts Chicago, even though they added Patrick Kane and Bowen Byram to the team. And then Victor Hedman, who I give him the utmost credit for wearing, you know, something lightning related. He stepped away from the game to focus on his mental health. Mental health especially. You know, men don't really like to talk about it. It's stigmatized that if you speak up about your mental health, you're deemed weak by society. It's just really sad to see a lot of people hating on him online, but hopefully he's back by next year in a much better headspace and hopefully he can lead the Bolts to hopefully a Stanley Cup, because that'd be great to see again. And then a little fun fact for the segment before we get on to other things. The Buffalo Sabres sold out season tickets this year. Crazy. There's a wait list for the first time in a decade. So those fans in Buffalo, they're starving for hockey. the Red Wings going to them still should show there. They don't have a general manager. They're still, you know, searching inward. I think they reached out to, I forgot his name, but his dad was the Lawyer who helped Mario Lemieux essentially get a bunch of money when he was, you know, ongoing that whole thing with the Penguins buying them. I believe he's the Tigers of the MLB. He's their general manager. Dylan Larkin trade requests is still frozen until they have an active GM. Same thing with Simon Edvinsson He will not get a contract until they find someone. On to some ranger news. As we know, July 1st, Vincent Trocheck was traded to Utah. They don't have a clear second line center. They acquired Pavel Dorofeyev June 26th at the NHL draft and sign him to a seven year, $77 million contract. I believe him and Lafrenière will be on the number one power play. And hopefully JT Miller comes back. Again, this is the essentially the third year of a retool slash rebuild. Because again, they have no idea what is currently going on in New York. I don't even think Dolan or Dolan's kid knows or Drury. They just put out another letter. ESPN has a hundred exclusive games this year, and Kadri is entering his 18th season at 35 after dropping from 35 goals to 16 goals last year. Again, Father Time is catching up to him. Stanley Cup champion. That's what happens when you leave the Toronto Maple Leafs. You you win. Same thing when you leave New York. You win. I just want to talk about the NHL schedule. Again, this is the first 84 game season since the 1993-94 season. What team won the cup in 93-94? That would be the New York Rangers beating the Vancouver Canucks in seven at home. Mark Messier was credited with a game-winning goal. However, it didn't look like it went off him. Opening night, September 29th, really pumped about that. It is a battle of two incredible teams: the Carolina no Carolina Hurricanes, not the Panthers, taking on the Florida Panthers, and Toronto taking on Montreal. So we will see Lane Hutson versus the long-awaited debut of Gavin McKenna, the first overall pick from last year's draft. really excited to see. I would really like to see Carolina beat the Florida Panthers. I can't stand the Panthers nor their fans. They don't really have any. Again, I a lot of people can shit on me for this segment. I don't really care. To my friends who were longtime fans who went when they couldn't sell out and got to see them win the cup with their, you know, family. I'm happy for them. To the fans I got in the sport because they're fair weathered, I truly do not. you know, care about you guys in that sense. but yeah, I'm really excited to see what happens there. And then September thirtieth, you got Crosby and the Penguins in Philadelphia rematch of the first round at which the Flyers one and six. Cam York had that game winning goal where he threw his stick, cop being his buddy Jack Hughes. And then Panarin and the Kings or Nathan MacKinnon and Cale Makar home of the Colorado Avalanche. And then that is also the Carolina game against the Panthers is Brady Tkachuk's debut after Being traded out of Ottawa June 21st. Couple other things to highlight. October 25th is the Heritage Classic. Jets versus Canadians in Winnipeg. So we're not gonna probably see Connor Hellebuyck but hey, they got Stuart Skinner, Edmonton Oiler, legend, Stuart Skinner. And then the global series is going global in Finland, Carolina versus Seattle. Whoa, Seattle, it's a nice city. We get to Kappo Kakko in his home country, November 12th and November 14th. And then the Global Series is going to Germany with Ottawa playing Chicago the 18th and 20th of December. Winter Classic, December 31st, Utah versus Colorado. Really excited to see that in Salt Lake. Logan Cooley and Clayton Keller will be outside alongside Vincent Trocheck, who played in an outdoors game last year. An All Star Weekend will be February 5th through 6th at UBS. want to talk about the guys who are still on the board. Vladimir Tarasenko I mean, he's coming off a 23 goal season. I'd love to see a team go on a PTO or a league minimum. Ellie Tullivan, again, 36 points. 27. I think he can fit in on a top nine or bottom six. Nick Blankenburg, 24 points, 61 games, but analytically, he was incredible. Jonathan Drouin would like to see a team offer him a PTO league minimum, maybe like Dallas. I feel like he'd fit in well with Dallas on that second line with Rope Hints. And of course, Tyler Seguin moving on to college hockey. Just want to talk about last year. As we know, Denver won the national championship, covered college hockey a lot last year. As of April 13th, 2026, it's Denver, Wisconsin, Michigan at three, North Dakota at four, Michigan State at five, Western Michigan at six, Minnesota Duluth at seven, Quinnipiac at eight, Providence at nine, Dartmouth at ten, Penn State at 11, Cornell at 12. Uconn at 13, 14 Minnesota State, and lastly, 15 Merrimack. the players I do want to highlight going into next year. He was a freshman. He was incredible. 59 points, American, Ethan Wyttenbach 59 points, 25 goals, 34 assists in 40 games. He won the Tim Taylor Award, which essentially is the best player, first best player. He didn't win the Hobey, unfortunately. It's also a fifth round pick, 144 overall in 2025 at the Calgary Flames. So he's going to make the NHL, I think, next year, once he turns pro. Max Plante, the reigning Hobey Baker winner, is coming back to school. Never have we had a repeat winner before. He finished second actually in the nation with 25 goals and third with points and with 52 and 40. And he's going to be playing with his older brother and his youngest brother. So three plants on one roster. They're playing LIU. Shout out my buddy Bo. I'd love to see LIU win. Michael Hage coming back for another tour of duty with Michigan as they just got land in DuPont. 13 goals, 39 assists in 40 games. He was the 21st overall pick in 2024. Would really like to see him make the NHL next year, at least starting the A. And then lastly, Johnny Hicks of Denver. Johnny has not lost a game since coming in. He went 16 0 and 1. That was in a shootout. He also had an incredible NCAA record of a 957 save percentage with a 119 goals against. He also was a frozen four most outstanding player. So really like to see him get the crease for Denver this year. I mean, there's so much talent coming in. I mean, Michigan, Michigan State, North Dakota, BU. These teams are stacked. I mean, stacked. Denver too as well will be coming back for another national championship. You go to Denver, you know, you're bound to try and win a natty. Now moving on to my favorite segment: football. The Jets play the Giants tonight. Let's go, Jets. this Sunday at 6 p.m. Eastern time is when teams need to make cuts down to their 53-man roster. And then August 31st is when the practice squads start forming. Really excited to see that. about a thousand players will most likely lose their job before Sunday, and preseason wraps up Saturday, August twenty ninth. Speaking of the Jets, there was a rumor that Lamar Jackson might be coming over there. I really don't see that happening. I would like to see Cade Klubnick be the future of the New York Jets, but I'm an optim I'm very optimistic. I don't really see That happening because knowing them, if they have a really down year, they're probably just gonna go with a quarterback at the draft like Arch Manning. But fingers crossed that Gino with a proper offensive line is able to target Garrett Wilson, Mitchell, Cooper, and Mason Taylor. like I mentioned, the Jets are currently one and one in preseason. So hopefully they win tonight games at seven thirty. They go in with a little bit of optimism there. Omar Cooper Jr. is currently Trying to fight for a third, what I would you say in hockey terms? I guess the third receiver slot. this is year two of Aaron Glenn's era. They went three and fourteen last year in 2025 without a pick. Pretty, pretty embarrassing. The over-under by FanDuel said at five and a half wins. They haven't had a winning season since 2015. As we know, that final game against Rex Ryan and the Buffalo Bills. They just couldn't get it done. They would have made the wild card, but they shit the bed. Typical Jets. home season opener is September 13th in Tennessee. Going against their former coach and former players. And then they're home September 20th against Green Bay. So before I end this podcast off, again, my heart, all my love goes to ASU's hockey team, the university as a whole, Matthew Mayich Mayich and his family and his friends and everyone who's close to him praying for a very speedy recovery. It's just really sad to see. It really is. Prayers, I'm just gonna take a moment of silence for him. Ladies and gentlemen, I've been your host, Sawyer, aka B G of Celly Central. Till I see you guys next. Let's go Jets. Let's go Bolt. Let's go Rangers. And this has been Celly Central, and I'll catch you on the other side of the glass. I just want to say again, every day I check this platform, Riverside, and I just see the engagement constantly going up. YouTube shorts, my TikTok's been blowing up. And on top of that, my Instagram as well, my Instagram reels. I just want to thank All you guys, all you strangers, all my friends and family for supporting me. This is one thing I wanted to do for a while, and I've never been more motivated to get more content out to the world for my fans and just give my take on sports. I love sports. I'm very passionate about that. Love you all so very much. I'll see you on the other side of the class. Peace.