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Speaker 1: NHL Unscripted is a production of the NHL and iHeart Podcast. That's right. Episode number 98 here of NHL Unscripted. Next week will be Wayne Gretzky week, I am sure. But for now, we're talking lots of good stuff here. The NHL's new CBA kicking off. What does that mean for the players here? And contract extensions. Plus, we'll talk about, oh, Captain, my captain.
00:00:36
Speaker 2: That's right.
00:00:37
Speaker 1: Dead Poets Society. Mark Stone is now a captain. Jordan Stahl is a captain. I'm the captain now. What does it mean for Bo Horvat and Conor Bedard as they will get the C's as well? And on a wing and a prayer, what's going on with the Red Wings and Dylan Larkin? Jason Demers on assignment, as they say in the TV business. He's at Sharks Media Day in San Jose, and our friend Nate is here back from Alaska. Before we get into the topics, Nate, talk to me about the Alaska Hockey Hall of Fame. You went back home. Must have been a very, very cool experience for you.
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Speaker 2: It was great. It was nice to be home, and the weather was fantastic. I always say that September's the best time of year because it's crisp air, about 50s, 60s, no bugs, just a nice, sunny fall day, and It was great to be home for that Alaska Hockey Hall of Fame, to be able to support some other people like Scott Gomez's dad, Carlos Gomez, who got inducted, who was a huge part of the hockey community up there. So that was great. And another guy that I mentioned to Tal before we jumped on was Mike Lee, a guy that was one of the first guys to play the National Team Development Program from Anchorage. He's got one heck of a story. And one of the few guys that was that Derek Bugard was scared to fight back in the day and very, very, very, very tough. So, uh, good notables and good mentions for those guys because, uh, very, very well deserved and, and just a lot of fun to be home. You know, another, another reason I went home was, uh, you know, the Anchorage Wolverines, North American, uh, hockey league team, uh, played against, uh, USA under 17s, a couple of games. And it was, it was great to see a couple exhibition games up there and, and bring more, uh, attention to, to Anchorage was, uh, was awesome.
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Speaker 1: That's great, man.
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Speaker 2: Good for you.
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Speaker 1: Of course, you were inducted back in September of 2023. So you know what this is like, being inducted in the Hall of Fame with experiences like, how were the speeches by Gomez's dad? That's always the trick. I mean, I'm telling you, if a good speech, as you know, I love Federer. I went to Federer's Hall of Fame speech, memorized the entire thing. Roger went 28 minutes, no notes. It was amazing. How about Gomez's dad?
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Speaker 2: Carlos's speech was the best one, hands down. And I didn't know his story before. to the detail he told it. I mean, he's from Mexico and I'm telling you, Tal and Avi, what he went through, how he jumped around from family to family. Like it is insane that he ended up in Alaska. And then of course, you know, he has Scott who you ends up being is kind of his golden goose, but it's, it's pretty amazing. to see what Carlos Gomez went through and how he ended up on the other side. I mean, it's out of a movie. We were talking about it before with Tal, and he said this definitely could be a documentary or something. So his speech was incredible, and what he's done for the hockey community up there is pretty special. So it was awesome.
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Speaker 1: That's awesome. You never forget your roots. I appreciate and respect that about you. And as you said, Alaska's got a really strong hockey community, and they're proud of what they were able to accomplish. You mentioned the weather, though, because I'm sure that's the first topic of conversation with Alaska. You mentioned September 50s and 60s. Right now here in the New York, New Jersey area, we're still in the 70s, which is great. So the hottest it ever gets in Alaska, do you ever hit 80s? Like in July or August, it's high 70s.
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Speaker 2: June, July, we might have about a 10-day stretch where we get 70s to 80s weather. And for people that haven't been there, over 70... It feels a lot hotter than 70. Like what you see on the temperature is actually, it feels like 90 plus because the sun's right there. If you think about it, like it's right on you. So when it's 75 degrees, it's a, it's hot. It's a hot day. It's good to know.
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Speaker 1: A 75 degree day in Alaska is like 90 everywhere else. That's pretty good conversion rate. Let's get to the hockey. Shall we cut up after a while? Some of the Southern match Phillies offer sheep or Leo Carson. We're losing several veterans on their team. The Ducks have signed Cutter Gauthier.
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Speaker 2: That's right. Good news.
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Speaker 1: Six-year contract reportedly for $ 81 million, according to our friend Elliot Friedman. Average annual value of $ 13. 5 million, meaning, wait for it, Gauthier and Carlson, two phenomenal players, are accounting for $ 31. 5 million against the cap for the next six seasons. I know it's one of those moves that you say, well, you got to do it. These guys are two young stars. They're blasphemous stars. They're going to get better. They'll be worth that investment, and I'm sure that that's, in many ways, how the Ducks will sell this and spin it. But that just feels like a lot of money going towards the cap. How do you weigh this if you're the A & I Money Ducks?
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Speaker 2: I'm okay with this, A.V. I am, and I say that because, you know, at first we're all thinking that Cutter's going to sign for 17-plus, and he's not going to take a dime under 15. So I give a lot of credit to Pat Burbeak and Cutter here because– you know, moving forward in six years, this deal is going to be twice as that for him. You know, this is a guy that's probably going to score 50 goals multiple times in this league. And to get him at 13 and a half, if you think about it, is a fair deal. And for six years too, you know, it gives him some term, gives the Ducks some term, you know, rather than being on a three or four year deal than having to deal with that again. So I think for the Anaheim Ducks and Pat Verbeek, I mean, at the end of the day, you have, your first line center, you have your top goal scorer, you have your first D, and you got your goalie all locked up. And I know that there are a lot of cap space that's tied up into a couple guys, but I think if you move forward and you realize that, okay, we got Cutter signed 13 and a half for the next six years, you can supplement around that. And I think Pat Verbeek, he really kind of saved his bacon here I'll say he hit a home run not a grand slam a grand slam would have been grand slam would have been if he he got both guys under 15 yeah but the fact that he was able to get cutter under 15 13 and a half or six years I think is uh is a good deal for the Anaheim Ducks.
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Speaker 1: And listen the good news is this is a situation where these guys are going to be stars for years to come again if you're going to pay a guy pay a guy who's young and yet to hit his prime they should wait till what these guys will be able to do and you just hope that they'll be locked up long term so All right, good moves there for the Ducks. I think it's one of those situations where you say it's now or never. It had to happen. You don't want it to linger. All of a sudden, you've got to trade one of these guys. You've got your two foundational pieces offensively. Good to go in Carlson and Gauthier. So that brings us to, speaking of foundational pieces, the Red Wings thought that was their guy in Dylan Larkin, but he's not been traded yet. Almost five months, Nate, after your request to trade. He's still in Detroit, but what they're doing is they're ripping away the sea. Owner Chris Ehrlich telling the Detroit News Larkin could spend the entire season with the team. And making the situation even more cringe, they have an interim GM the week the training camp starts. Sean Horkoff, team's assistant GM since 2022. He'll fill the position that Steve Eisman had held for seven years.
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Speaker 2: So it's an interim.
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Speaker 1: GM during training camp. Your superstar player, still going to be there, but losing the captaincy. How is this going to react? You've been in a locker room your whole life. What do you do when the guy who is the big kahuna doesn't want to be there and he's still there?
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Speaker 2: This is tough. This is an awkward, awkward, uh, situation here in Detroit. And this sucks because I, you know, growing up, I was a wings fan and I see what's going on right now. Um, it's tough. I mean, this all starts, I think, you know, you go all the way back to when Larkin gets hurt and, and I'm not going to speculate, but I wonder like, while that injury happens and everything goes down, you know, it went sideways, it went sideways real quick. And then the next thing, you know, the dominoes fall, Steve, Steve Eisenman's gone. And they're right. You know, Dylan Larkin, he can't go to camp wearing the captaincy. It's just, it's not right. You know, you ask for a trade, you want to be out. You can't be, you can't be the captain anymore. It's just, it's not okay.
00:08:11
Speaker 3: Yeah.
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Speaker 2: And at the same time, you have that distraction for the whole organization. And I can't imagine what Dylan Larkin's feeling going into camp, you know, getting his captaincy basically stripped. And now he's, you know, at a, in limbo. But the other part of it is too, AV, is I don't understand, you know, you, you wait this long to name an interim GM, Sean Horkoff. Why not just name him the general manager? I mean, you, you have guys like Sean Horkoff, Chris Draper, Danny Clary, these guys that are involved and been with Steve Eisenman day to day. And, and now, you know, you have an interim tag and they're still going to search for a new GM in the next couple of months. You know, I, I don't understand it. I think that it's kind of a circus there in Detroit right now. So moving forward, I wonder, I mean, is Larkin going to stay? I don't know how. I honestly don't know how you navigate that and how Dylan Larkin can stay now. I think there's a way where they still try to find a way to trade him. And Dylan Larkin has to, you know, open up his teams. You can't have three teams. And hopefully this situation might speed up that process. And, you know, shit. I mean, I look at a team like, you know, Montreal. I mean, look at what Chris Kreider did. He was glad to go to, you know, to Montreal and, you know, you add a guy like Dylan Larkin to Montreal, that changes everything. They're having another center, second line center. So in Detroit right now, this is kind of a mess. And, you know, I don't know where they go from here, but in my opinion, I just think that they're, you know, Chris Illich is not handling this the right way, in my opinion, just because, You have your guys that have been under Steve Eisenman for so long, and if you were going to name a replacement GM, you should have done it way back when, when you knew you were going to let go of Steve Eisenman. you know, have a guy step in, you'd be able to be there for the draft, free agency, development camp that just happened, all these things that are just happening. And now we have training camp starting today. So this, this is an absolute disaster. And I don't know how, I mean, they're going to have to figure this out, but it's going to be a, it's going to be a circus.
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Speaker 1: It's a mess. And you look to your captain to be your leader and your star. And I think the, Really salient point that Nate made, Tal, is that you've got to open up your list now, right? Like, why hasn't a trade been made? Well, clearly, Detroit hasn't gotten a fair offer in their mind for a player of Dylan Larkin's talents, or they're only getting it from a small pool of teams to where he wants to go to. So how badly do you want to get traded? And how clearly does Detroit not want to have this mess in their hands? And I get it from Stevie Wise's point of view. It's like, well, I'm not going to get 60 cents on the dollar. Like, I know what my talent level is with this guy. I'm not going to be forced into a move. But at the same time, I do agree with Nate's point, the longer the slingers, it's not good for the Detroit Red Wings either. How do you see it, Tal?
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Speaker 4: Well, Chris Illich has already said that Dylan Larkin could be with the team all season, potentially, if they don't get the deal they want. I empathize a little bit because they have zero leverage. Dylan Larkin has told the whole world he doesn't want to be there, and he's only going to accept a trade.
00:11:14
Speaker 5: To three or four teams.
00:11:16
Speaker 4: I mean, so their hands are kind of tied behind them a little bit, but for a lot of people, including myself, this is our introduction to Chris Illich, right?
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Speaker 5: This is his moment.
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Speaker 4: He's the youngest child of Mike and Marion who are icons in Detroit and everything they've contributed to the community and to sports there.
00:11:34
Speaker 5: And this is his moment right now.
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Speaker 4: You know, Detroit was already, Red Wings were already not a marquee destination for free agents when they were competitive. And now they have this situation where they just look completely dysfunctional. So, Is it possible that Chris Illich can find a way to make this good and come out looking okay once this is all done, whenever that happens?
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Speaker 5: It's possible. But I think that's... However.
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Speaker 4: He completes this whole debacle and comes out the other end will say a lot about his legacy. Because we know what his dad's legacy is. This is going to say a lot about his legacy. This season is actually going to be the 10th anniversary of his father's passing. There's going to be a lot of eyes on Chris Illich and... We'll see what happens. It's not looking great right now. I don't know why you just wouldn't make Sean Horkoff your permanent GM. You're going to make him trade Dylan Larkin and then replace him. This guy runs your draft. He's going to stick around and run the draft after you promoted and demoted him. I don't know if he's going to do that. Even if you replace him, you might be in a bit of a pickle after that.
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Speaker 2: I was just going to say, I think that you look at this division, the Atlantic division, and all the other teams in this division are expecting to make the playoffs, every single one. And I just don't see a world where Detroit even, I don't even think they make the playoffs here. And I don't even think they're close. I just think with all of this going on, potential trades, Larkin now being the captain, you know, some guys departing. I just, I just think that they're, they're at a crossroads right now. So this is huge for them. And, whether they get a new GM or they keep Sean Horkoff or Chris Draper or Daniel Clear, whoever it may be, they've got to get this right because I think at the end of the day, everyone wants the Detroit Red Wings to be a good hockey club and be a part of the playoffs for years to come because when they are, the league's in a better place. 100%.
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Speaker 1: I mean, this is a signature franchise of the NHL, so I completely agree that it's better for the league if the Red Wings are good. And for Illich, Tal's right. This is going to kind of not necessarily start his legacy, but it's going to be a statement as to what he can do with his team, what kind of message he's sending, and what he's going to do with regards to this team. All right, easy Kreider. Well done, Tal. Mentioned last week the Ducks had terminated Kreider's contract. The veteran winger raised some eyebrows signing with, as Nate mentioned, a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The fans have been booing him since he collided with Carey Price in Game 1 of the 2014 Conference Finals when he was with the Rangers. 35 years of age, he scored 20 goals in 11 of his last 12 seasons and took a discount. To come to the Habs, Canadians Vice President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Gorton, was with the Rangers when they drafted Kreider in 2009, and Montreal coach Martin Saint-Louis, who just signed an extension, great news there, Marty's locked up, he also played with Kreider in New York. So overall, Nate, it seems to make sense. Sometimes they say familiarity breeds contempt. In this case, the fact that they know him and love him, meaning Gorton and Marty know Kreider, makes this an easy fit for both teams. What kind of player they're still getting in Montreal when the season kicks off September 29th?
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Speaker 2: Well, first off, Haps fans, relax. Let it go. Tao, let it go. It was 12 years ago. 12 years ago. Let it go. But I love this. I love that Chris Kreider wanted to go to Montreal. You know, there's always questions from fans. throughout the league and everyone's saying, Oh, players don't want to go play in Canada. They don't want to play for, you know, so-and-so and he's an American guy and he chose to go play in Montreal. And you said it, baby. I think, you know, that familiarity with, with Marty, with Jeff Gordon, you know, Marty St. Louis was his line mate and he talked about it. He said, Marty might've been one of his most influential teammates he's ever had and learned so much from him. And I can attest to that. Marty was the same for me as well. So, I think Marty St. Louis is a huge selling point. And then at the same time, look at their roster, you know, look, look, look how much cap space they have. And, you know, they don't have a guy making over $ 10 million. And I think, you know, bringing in a veteran guy like Chris Kreider, you know, the guy had 22 goals last year, over 50 points. You know, he's a guy that can play on your first line, your second line, your third line, and who knows where he's going to start off. I mean, he's probably going to be slotted on the third line, but, for sure, he could be playing on the second line with, with Demidoff and Slavkovsky, or he might even playing with Suzuki and Caulfield. I mean, he's just, he's one of those guys that is that versatile. And I think the biggest part is, is a power play. I mean, he's one of the best guys net front when it comes to doing the power play. So I think for Montreal, having a guy like Chris Kreider, having a veteran presence, I mean, we always talk about having veterans and adding guys that have been there, been around, uh, will always help. And I think With this young core moving forward, having a guy like Chris Kreider and that familiarity that Marty has with him, I think he'll be able to push all the right buttons. And I think this is a great signing for Montreal. I'm with you.
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Speaker 1: My first thing was power play. No matter what, Chris Kreider is going to score you goals in the power play. He's a presence there. He's always been a power play specialist. And right place, right time. In terms of the money, this wasn't an overpay. Works out for both sides, Tal. It's not much of an investment.
00:16:39
Speaker 2: It's one year.
00:16:39
Speaker 1: If he scores 20 goals, everybody wins.
00:16:42
Speaker 4: Yeah, and like Nate was saying, I think it shows that Montreal is a destination right now in this league.
00:16:48
Speaker 5: They got Noah Dobson. That's their last season.
00:16:51
Speaker 4: That's a legit top pair D-man who said, I want to commit long-term to the Canadians. They just announced Alex Newhook signed a four-year extension. Below market, for sure. The guy just scored two Game 7 game winners in the playoffs. He's going to be making 5.55. You can see that players want to either come to Montreal... or stay in Montreal because they know something's happening there. And as far as Kreider, he ticks all the boxes. Veteran, leader, scoring, toughness, speed. He's a physical freak still at 35. Back in the day when I was covering the Rangers for NHL.com, this guy never, ever wore a shirt.
00:17:29
Speaker 5: In the locker room, ever. Carps off all day, every day. And you know what?
00:17:33
Speaker 2: I wouldn't either if I was him.
00:17:34
Speaker 4: If I looked like him with my shirt off, I'd be walking down the street buck naked.
00:17:38
Speaker 5: This guy is a specimen. So Habsland is very excited about this.
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Speaker 2: So way to go.
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Speaker 1: I never knock a guy who's ripped with his shirt off all the time. Like, no, I would be right there with you as well. So good stuff. I agree with you. Good stuff there for the Habs overall. Let's talk further, though. Circling back to a lurking conversation about captaincy.
00:17:56
Speaker 3: So.
00:17:57
Speaker 1: Islanders named Bo Horvat, 16th captain in franchise history. Conor Bedard becomes Chicago's 37th captain. Horvat previously wore the seat in Vancouver, replaces Andrews Lee, who signed with Utah this summer. Bedard replaces Nick Foligno, who was dealt to Minnesota at the trade deadline last season. So that leaves Anaheim, Boston, Columbus, Detroit, L.A., Ottawa, San Jose, and Vancouver without captains. Let's talk first, Nate, about Horvat and Bedard. I think there was some thought with the Islanders. Would you go Matthew Schaefer? To me, he feels a little young. Horvath's obviously longer in the tooth. You know firsthand the responsibilities of a captain. You've got to deal with the media, set the tone of the players, be that conduit with the coaches. So there's no need to put that on Schaefer right away. Horvath's a veteran guy. Whereas in Bedard's case, I don't think there's necessarily a quick option for Chicago. There's not that veteran presence. You know what? It's Bedard's team no matter what. Give him the C. Makes sense for me with both those teams.
00:18:45
Speaker 3: Hugh?
00:18:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm totally okay with it. I mean, Bo Horvat has been a captain before, like you said, in Vancouver and it plays like a leader. And I think, like you said, with Matthew Shaver, you know, there's no rush. There's no rush to make him a captain. I mean, I would assume that he probably gets an A and you learn, you know, you learn how to be a leader. You learn from guys like Bo Horvat and, you know, taking it one step further, you know, being a captain, you know, I think it's, you know, and this is going to be the tough part with Conor Bedard is, you know, you're not just managing, you know, your game. You got to make sure that sorry, you're not just managing your game. You have to kind of see what's going on with everyone else too, right? And you have to do that at the same time. So there's a lot of responsibilities as a captain, whether it's, like you said, stalker of the media, being that line of communication through the head coach, being able to say, hey, one time to the coach, hey, listen, we need a day off tomorrow. And you got to go do that with the head coach. So those are going to be the things that Conor Bedard is going to have to navigate as a young captain. But I think having some veteran guys like they're having Patrick Kane there to be able to lean on in situations like that. But I think for both teams, it was two different scenarios. But I really like the pick for Bo Horvat being the captain. And on the other side, Conor Bedard, because I think it was just a matter of time before he was a guy.
00:20:06
Speaker 1: And it's a good point about having Patrick Kane there as well to lean on for Bedard. It always makes sense to have that veteran presence there just to bounce ideas off of, etc., One more topic, and then we're going to get to our special guest, Bruce Cassidy. Should have mentioned him at the top two times. That's right. Bruce Cassidy will be returning. But speaking of captains, last season's cup finalists both secured their captains for a little while longer. Mark Stone, two-year extension worth $ 18 million with the Vegas Golden Knights. Stone returns $ 35 million in May. And despite missing a quarter of his team's game set career highs last season, 73 points, nine power play goals, 27 power play points, a little under the radar, I think. And Cosby's trophy winner, Jordan Stahl. What a great story he was. One-year extension.
00:20:41
Speaker 2: He's back.
00:20:42
Speaker 1: He just turned 38. Base salary of $ 900, 000. That's a little light, right? Don't worry. $ 4 million signing bonus, up to $ 5. 1 million in potential performance bonuses. I love that. And they pay what you play for. You don't think Stahl can do it? He can make, you know, $ 10 million when it's all said and done for one year of hockey.
00:20:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is what you're going to see in these 35 and over contracts is, you know, a lot of performance bonuses and a small base salary. And, you know, both these guys, you know, I know in their back nine of their career, but huge impactful players, obviously, we saw in the playoffs this last season. And I think you look at both these players, you know, Mark Stone and Jordan Stahl, and they're looking at their team saying, we can get right back to the cup final. You know, especially a team like Carolina, I think, you know, you look at, uh, what they have and their team's basically the same, you know, very, very similar to, you know, the Florida Panthers going back to back. And I don't see why Carolina Hurricanes can't do that. And I think Jordan Stahl's thinking that, I think Mark Stone's thinking that, and I think that both these signings to be able to get these guys, you know, not just locked up for their team, but I think off the ice too, these guys are their leaders and kind of the heartbeat of their team. So, Hopefully, you know, Mark Stone can stay a little more healthy and maybe play a little more games. But when he does play, he's an impactful player out there. And then Jordan Stahl, you know, we saw what he did in the playoffs and what he did last season. So, I mean, this guy's an absolute machine. And I don't see him slowing down anytime soon.
00:22:10
Speaker 1: 38 years of age to be a Conspice Trophy winner. I still get over the fact it was such a great story with Carolina winning and obviously Stahl being a big part of that. All right, time for a quick timeout here in NHL Script. When we come back, Bruce Almighty. That's right, Bruce Cassidy, terrific coach. Get his thoughts on what he went over this summer and what he's looking forward to this season. Our next guest drafted in the first round, 18th overall by Chicago in the 1983 NHL Draft. After 36 career NHL games as a player, he embarked on a successful coaching career, winning the Stanley Cup of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and taking the Boston Bruins to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. Welcome back to NHL Unscripted. It's Bruce Cassie. Bruce, how was your summer? Good to see you. What's the latest?
00:23:07
Speaker 3: Yeah, good to see you guys. Summer is extended for me. Usually a training camp by now, so... Doing lots of golf. I was talking to someone the other day. I forget who it was. It's first time in 45 years, you know, going back to junior days that, you know, this time you're not at training camp. So that's a little bit odd. But try to enjoy the time away from the rink and try to keep busy at the same time.
00:23:33
Speaker 2: I'm sure you've been following what's going on in the summer and all the different news stories. Is there anything in particular that you're really looking forward to watching or you're hearing about that's going to happen to start the season?
00:23:47
Speaker 3: Well, I don't know. It could be interesting to see how Florida recovers from their injuries. They've got a stacked team, it looks like, again, so they'll be good to follow. but you know, you know what, all these young guys signing for a lot of money is the thing that, that I've noticed lately. Um, teams are really taking chances on, on projecting their youth or their lineup to be, to be big time players. So players are getting rewarded, uh, earlier in their career than they ever have. So that's the one thing that's kind of jumped out to me, not a specific team, or I think just these, these kind of third, maybe whatever they are, second, third year players signing these long-term deals, uh, with not a lot of NHL experience. So interesting to see how, you know, it plays out for those handful of guys.
00:24:32
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:24:33
Speaker 1: Specifically, what do you make of the ducks? $ 31 and a half billion in cap money going to two guys and Leo Carlson and Cutter Gauthier.
00:24:41
Speaker 3: Yeah. And I think the, the Carlson one, they, they pretty much had to do. So, um, you know, they've invested this young player. I got to see him quite a bit the last couple of years. And to me, he's a real deal, but, it is a big chunk for two guys and go James firmly score. So there are two excellent players. It's just a, will the cost prohibit them down the road from kind of building around and building the rest of their team. But to me, it's more of the guy like the defenseman in Vancouver there. I don't even know how to view him. I think you say his name. He's a pretty young guy signed for. Yeah. And Leonard the other day. So these are guys that I haven't seen as much. We, we saw him in the playoffs for Minnesota a couple of years ago. We played some games, but, you know, some unproven talent, making a lot of money. So the thing is, how does that affect their psyche a little bit as young guys walking into a locker room and how does it affect the rest of the locker room when you're, when you're paying these young guys a lot of money? So that'd be an interesting dynamic to follow. Yeah.
00:25:36
Speaker 2: Bruce, how do you handle or navigate that as a coach, especially, you know, I look at the example of Ryan Leonard, you know, he could, he could conceivably be on their third line making 10 and a half million. So I, as a coach, you know, how do you, How do you navigate that with a guy, like you said, his, you know, I guess you could say his ego or, or, or what, or what he thinks he's going to be. And, and now he's making 10 and a half on your third line. And we're probably going to see a lot of that throughout the league. Like you said, with guys being paid, not on what they've done, but on what they're projected to do.
00:26:08
Speaker 3: Well, he's going to have to work to be on, you know, if you look at the caps, like specifically with Tuck, they added Tuck and Cairo, Ovechkin's back, Wilson, the big winger protests. So like he's, um you know we have to push for his minutes too so uh that'll be an interesting one to watch I think as a coach you basically got to tell the player hey you know you can't overthink that part of the game that's the business side of it so park that when you come to the rink and um you know and it'll be up to Washington to not allow that to be a talking point as well probably as as they go along so um I think that's the best you can do as a coach I mean You know, you want to see players get paid. I mean, I grinded the minors for a long time, so I have no– every penny the players make, I'm happy for them because it's not as easy as the outside world thinks to get there. But that one will be interesting. And like I said, a couple others that– and hopefully the players go out and earn it. I mean, Hudson signed a big deal in Montreal, and he went out and kind of backed it up. So that's what I think the teams are hoping, that these players will do that. So that can solve a lot of the problems right there.
00:27:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, Lane Hudson, fantastic. You mentioned that John Turrell reached out when Vegas made the change late last season. He ends up taking the team to the Cup Final, and the team doesn't bring him back. Were you in touch with John Turrell at all after that? What do you make of the team's decision?
00:27:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, I wasn't in touch with him after. You know, he obviously had a good run. I don't know. I can't speak to the inner workings there. I know Ryan Craig, who got hired, I can tell you that he was on our staff when we won the Cup as an assistant. I like him a lot. became very good friends, um, worked for Pete DeBoer as well. And, and, and Turk, uh, Gerard Gallant. So he's had different coaches that have had some level of success that he can sort of steal from if he feels like, and he's got institutional knowledge from being there. So, um, and he's got a relationship with Kelly McCrimmon. So I think at some point, um, that was going to be in the works that Ryan was being groomed. And I guess the time is now so that again, that's, their decision, but I like Ryan a lot and I think he's going to do a good job. Uh, he'll have the usual sort of challenges for first year coaches when you're got a lot of superstars in your team and Vegas does how, how to manage, manage that. But, um, like I said, I like him a lot and I wish him all the best.
00:28:27
Speaker 2: What style of coaching is Ryan Craigman? What can we expect from him? I know he's a young coach in the league and we're getting a few of those, but what style of coach from when you were coaching him or maybe when he was down in the minors, what can we expect from him this season as a head coach for the Vegas Golden Knights?
00:28:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he's a likable guy. He's got a good personality. He's calm. He was a captain in the minors. He played, I think, a couple hundred games, so he got you know, he got a taste of it and, you know, knows what the NHL looks like. So I think he'll be fairly reserved, but Vegas has a standard no matter who the coach is. And Ryan's been around it. You know, he was there from inception. So I think that's the institutional knowledge he has that they, they go into the year every year expecting to be a contender. So I imagine he'll hold them to that standard and, Their style of play, I don't know if they'll, you know, they didn't change a lot from what I understand when Torts came in in terms of systems. And Ryan played that down in Henderson and the Miners. But, you know, until they play, we won't know, you know, what he's going to use from that, if anything at all, or all of it, right? So, but I do think the players will like him. He'll be a guy they'll want to play for. And as I said, when the calls come and, you know, when to change, you know, in-game management or changing up lines or looking at different chemistry, those are the things that, you know, coaches have to get right, you know, and then holding players accountable because that, you know, that can be a slippery slope if you go the wrong way with that. And those will be, like I said, every coach has those challenges and he'll have to kind of fight his way through those.
00:30:04
Speaker 1: As you said off the top, Bruce, it's been decades since you've been in this position, training camp starting, and you're not there. What's your outlook for yourself this season?
00:30:13
Speaker 3: Well, I'm going to do some stuff with Hockey Canada as a consultant. The women's program is starting first. They have a training camp coming up. So I'm going to help their staff, whatever they need. I'm just going to be kind of an eye in the sky for them. How much they want input in practice will be up to you know, their staff. So I'm looking forward to that. It's something a little different, but it's still coaching. And I'll do a little TNT work again this year. I enjoyed that last year. There'll be some dates there, you know, so I can, you know, get out and talk some hockey. And then obviously follow the NHL. I mean, I haven't been in this position, but you know, if you want to get back in, it's usually at the expense of someone else. That's just the way it works a little bit. So I'm sure I'll be watching the teams that maybe struggle a little bit that have expectations. And, you know, that, that's, that'll be it. I've always been a fan of the game, so I'll enjoy watching the games and now it'll be with nothing on the line.
00:31:18
Speaker 2: So to speak.
00:31:19
Speaker 3: It'll just be to enjoy the game. And, you know, and, and, you know, if there's, teams play in a different way. All of a sudden, you're going to keep an eye on that. What's new and what's changing system wise or in special teams. So, um, and, uh, that's it. I got a teenage son that plays almost every weekend. So I get to see him play that, uh, I haven't been able to do a whole lot of in the last few years.
00:31:42
Speaker 2: That's, that's awesome. Uh, you know, I know, I know we talked about, you know, the contracts and what's being handed out and, and these young players making a lot of money, but, What do you see as far as, you know, new teams coming in or maybe some guys that are going to be on new teams? You know, you look at Utah and you see what they did with Anders Lee and bringing in Vincent Trocek. Are there any teams that really jump out to you this year that you could say, hey, listen, you know, I know it's the same teams like Florida, Colorado, these teams at Carolina, obviously, that are going to be contenders. Are there any teams that jump out to you that are possibly, you know, going to take that next step and make a big run?
00:32:20
Speaker 3: Well, I think you, you talk, you know, you mentioned them. I think that's a tough division to, uh, to, to gain ground on with Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota, but they could sort of, you know, solidify their spot as, as a team that's going to be there every year. So they could take steps. San Jose will be interesting out West, um, you know, with calling it Calgary and Vancouver a little bit and rebuilds and, you know, LA loses Kopitar. So is there, is there room for a new team in the playoffs there? Um, They added some veteran defensemen. I think it'll help them, help them a lot. The goaltender's been through it a little bit last year. You know, he's got some young talent up front. So it'll be interesting to see if they can make a push. And then, you know, was Washington going to get back in and challenge Carolina? I mean, they had a solid team a couple of years ago. It didn't go as well last year, but they've added some scoring. So there'll be another team to watch. And, you know, the Atlantic stuff... You know, with Buffalo taking a step, can they keep it going? Montreal's, you know, taking some steps and Toronto retooled a lot. So that'll be the division I think that, you know, someone might get left behind that we're not thinking of right now because even Detroit's been close the last couple of years to a playoff spot. So Boston, you know, they had a good year last year, got in. So I think that division might have a few surprises.
00:33:42
Speaker 1: We also had happened, Bruce, that Edmonton got blocked by Vegas and they wanted to talk to you. Did any players or coaches reach out to you while you're going through a challenging situation?
00:33:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, I talked to some people in the industry, coaches. You know, I had a bunch of friends on, you know, right off the Team Canada staff, right, that, you know, we've kept in touch with Toc and Pete and, you know, Coop. So certainly guys did. There was more than them that just thought it was, you know, a situation that, you know, obviously didn't work out for me, but, um, you know, that's it. That was a while ago and I've kind of, kind of accepted it now. And hopefully down the road, there'll be an opportunity and they'll, they'll let me talk.
00:34:24
Speaker 2: You know, being involved with Team Canada, I want to, you know, follow up with that, uh, on the women's side, are there any players, um, from the women's side that you're really looking forward to working with or watching, you know, we, we know about you know, Marie, you know, Philip Poulin and all the other players, but are there some other young ones that you're really looking forward to seeing and watching?
00:34:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's ironic. They just sent me a computer. I got here yesterday and there's some video on ahead of time where you can get a little head start because there's going to be a training camp in Quebec City down the road here. So that'll get cracked open. So I can't get specific, but my understanding is that they've got some young players here that are getting close to being, you know, taking a step in the program. So there'll be some real competition. Obviously, Poulin's a world-class player, so it'd be great to see her up close. I mean, I watched some of the games last year when we were in Milan during the Olympics, but you're watching them as a fan. You know, I wasn't paying attention to maybe specific people or systems or anything. I was just watching them and cheering them on. So, you know, ask me again in a week, I'll have much more detailed knowledge. I'm not I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know a lot of the players and their strengths and weaknesses, but I will. That's going to be part of my responsibility to make sure I keep an eye on that and maybe try to project because they're building for now the women's team, but they're also building for the 30 Olympics, right? So they've got to, I think they're trying to say, hey, is there some young people here that can take incremental steps and be ahead in two or three years? So that'll be the interesting part of that job and kind of a little bit of, going back to your minor league routes, right? When the GM would call and boss and say, Hey, who are the young guys that think might be there in March? You know, they can, you know, wouldn't be maybe two or three years, but you know, three or four months down the road. And I always enjoyed that part of it. And so that, that'll be, uh, that'll be a fun part of, of, of being involved with the team.
00:36:24
Speaker 2: Hey, Bruce, I was curious.
00:36:26
Speaker 4: You mentioned, I think you said the number was 45 years since you haven't been basically in a grind with a team heading into a season. having that summer to yourself with your family. I'm curious if there was, if there's anything that you grew to appreciate, maybe that you got to pay more attention to that, maybe that perhaps you didn't have the time to before.
00:36:45
Speaker 5: And is it kind of tenuous? Cause we know how the NHL is.
00:36:48
Speaker 4: You could get a phone call in the next few weeks if things don't go right with a certain team and a job opens up.
00:36:53
Speaker 5: So how has that whole dynamic been, I guess?
00:36:56
Speaker 3: Well, you know, as a player, Uh, and I included my, you know, going back to, I went away at 16 to play junior hockey, but you know, make the team out of training cap way ago. I think your summer is pretty clear cut, right? You've got a workout program that you're following and it's usually segmented throughout the summer and you're skating a little bit, but as a coach, I got to tell you, there's been a lot of summers. I've just, you know, put the computer away and some guys like to you know, once a week, get on the phone and chat. And yeah, I chat with my buddies, but I try to shut my brain off because it's on all the time in the, in the winter. So I'll say that this summer wasn't a whole lot different. It just, as this time approached, I was wondering, is there going to be anxiety, right? Because you're used to going and you're always, you know, you've got your routine and it's here now, right? It's starting, I think today. So, uh, so far so good. I haven't, you know, punched the wall yet or anything because I'm not, uh, off at training camp, getting back to work. Um, So I'll say this, I'm going to enjoy a little extra time of what I do in the summer, which is a lot of golf. As I said, I'll get to see my son play a lot more hockey than I ever have. So that part would be a positive and just try to be a fan, understand maybe a little bit of, okay, this is what retirement is going to look like. It's just something you want to do soon or not at all.
00:38:15
Speaker 2: Right.
00:38:15
Speaker 3: Cause there's a lot of people that want to work forever. Some of them have a cutoff date. Well, Hey, you know what? I'm looking forward to retirement. So, that'll be an interesting part too. How do you fill your days when you've typically been at a certain way for so long? And that's just around the corner. And that's my plan for now to do those things, but, uh, we'll see how it works out.
00:38:33
Speaker 1: But to say, savor the time while you can, like you said, especially seeing your son getting the golf and speaking of the golf, the great Ben Boma, my friend and our colleague at TNT just texted me asking if you're still in the Cape. And I said that you're busy golfing. He said, you should be a plus two by now.
00:38:48
Speaker 3: I am on the Cape and I am not a plus two. Uh, I am, I think a 2.4 or something like that. So it's, it's trending. Well, uh, couldn't putt this morning at all. Um, that's been a problem. I got that new lab putter. It's like costs a small fortune and it hasn't worked for me yet, but I'm going to keep grinding, grinding away. Uh, and, uh, hi Ben, if you're out there, I don't know if he's in Maine or whatnot, but he's been getting to work here soon too. And the, in the trucks.
00:39:17
Speaker 1: Uh, this is great Bruce again. Thanks so much for the insight. And I know we're going to see you coaching sooner rather than later. So I really genuinely mean this. Enjoy the time while you can. You're going to be coaching sooner rather than later. So enjoy the golf. Enjoy the time with your son. And good stuff with the Hockey can as well look forward to it thank you.
00:39:31
Speaker 3: All right thanks for having me fellas have a good day.
00:39:42
Speaker 1: Thanks once again to bruce cast he was fantastic uh we're gonna get some other hockey topics here but first up an emmy awards recap tell the highlight of mariska hargitay hosting first female host in 15 years As she joked, it just means that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler kept saying no. But how about the opening? Our man Jalen Brunson featured. Mariska Hargitay famously was on Broadway during the Knicks run after one of the shows ran down Broadway. I mean, ran blocks and blocks, at least 12 blocks just to go watch Jalen Brunson on the Knicks. She's as avid a Knicks fan as it gets. Love seeing the Brunson cameo in the Emmys opening.
00:40:14
Speaker 5: I love seeing my guy Jalen Brunson there.
00:40:16
Speaker 4: And Mariska is legit a Knicks fan.
00:40:19
Speaker 5: She was courtside for the whole run.
00:40:21
Speaker 4: And I like I'm enjoying the Hargitayna-sance or whatever you want to call it.
00:40:26
Speaker 5: She's having a nice little run.
00:40:27
Speaker 4: She's hosting the Emmys. You know, she's at the Knicks game. She won an Emmy for the first time in her career as a director.
00:40:35
Speaker 5: Her film is actually excellent about her mother.
00:40:38
Speaker 1: Jane Mansfield.
00:40:38
Speaker 5: Jane Mansfield, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, good for Mariska. I'm loving.
00:40:42
Speaker 4: She'll always be the cute girl auditioning for the Seinfeld sitcom on Seinfeld.
00:40:47
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:40:48
Speaker 4: For me, but I don't watch award shows that much, but it was cool to see her have.
00:40:53
Speaker 2: A moment there.
00:40:54
Speaker 1: No, no question. I was thrilled to see Ray Sehorne win Best Actress for Pluribus, a show which, admittedly, I don't watch, but just loved her from Better Call Saul. She was always robbed year after year, so she finally got nominated. The last year of that show didn't win, but finally wins her first Emmy, and a wonderful tribute to the great Michael J. Fox. He won the Bob Hope Manitarian Award, showing some great clips, of course, of Family Ties and Spin City, Rescue Me, Kirby Enthusiasm, all the great shows he's done. Was out there in the wheelchair. Obviously slurred speech at times, but still making an impression, making an impact. Seeing his family there was great. Son's a dead ringer for his dad, Sam, and his three daughters there and Tracy Paul. So very cool to see Canada's finest and Michael J. Fox there as well. The Pit, big show. DTF St. Louis, a show I love. I'm glad that did very well. David Harbour, Linda Carlini, both won Emmys and went for writing, directing, and limited series. In terms of movies, it's the 25th anniversary of Wet Hot American Summer. My friend Scott Regal, she asked me if I'd seen it. I'd never seen it. He's like, what? I was like, all right, fine. 25th anniversary, I'll watch it. Talents, one of those movies, got 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hated it. Maybe that was why I was not keen to watch it. But I enjoyed it. It was very funny, very silly, 95-minute comedy, very horny comedy. Just a bunch of people at camp looking to get it on. That would be the best way to describe it. Very Meatballs-esque. But really good cast. Now, a very young Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper, one half of a gay couple. I wasn't expecting that out of Bradley Cooper.
00:42:12
Speaker 5: Elizabeth Banks.
00:42:13
Speaker 1: Elizabeth Banks, yeah, in a bikini. That's always strong. So it's a very good cast. Your thoughts on Wet Hot American Summer? People seem to love this movie. It's a cult classic.
00:42:22
Speaker 5: Definite cult classic.
00:42:24
Speaker 4: I always see clips of the actors talking about it because when it came out, you know, the names at the top of the marquee were Janine Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce.
00:42:33
Speaker 5: And now it's like Bradley Cooper's first.
00:42:36
Speaker 4: Film and Michael Ian Black, who, you know, all the guys from the state who have gone on to do all these other fun things, you know, Joe Latriglio, Ken Marino, two guys I love, you know, who are an all hilarious actor. So it's, it's a great takeoff on the classic, as you would say, horny 80s camp comedy, summer camp comedy. They did a great job with that. They did a sequel on Netflix a few years ago that was not as good, but I think they were, they were trying to profit off the nostalgia a little bit.
00:43:09
Speaker 5: But the original is a classic. I enjoy it. I'm glad you brought it up and mentioned that it was the 25th anniversary.
00:43:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, when you emailed me to make sure you don't watch the sequel, I wasn't even aware there was a sequel. So that just shows you how badly that was received. Nate, have you seen the movie Wet Hot American Summer? Thoughts on the Emmys? Or perhaps, have you had a horny camp experience? Your choice.
00:43:26
Speaker 2: I've never seen that movie, but the title, you know, obviously got my attention. And when you guys said it was, you know, a horny comedy film, you know, I don't know. So is this film, would you say it's like a, you know, I guess a comedy version of like Dirty Dancing, kind of that, you know, like is a little bit, no? Or just am I way off?
00:43:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, Dirty Dancing to me is like a romantic film, which has some comedy. This is like just straight up farce, goofy, you know, it's as if it was, like I said, Meatballs, Stripes, like those 80s comedies, Bigfoot. You know, The Great Outdoors, stuff like that. Big, big.
00:43:56
Speaker 2: 40% Rotten Tomatoes, though. So you're saying I shouldn't watch it?
00:44:00
Speaker 1: That's what I was skeptical of watching. They really shit on it. But I'm like, no, I think the critics were a little harsh on it. I think the audience score is more indicative. It's about 70%. I think that's... If you look where you're going for it, it's a funny, silly, outrageous comedy. There's more hits than misses. Also, Chris Maloney, very good. Speaking of Law & Order, Mariska Hargitay. He's actually really funny in the movie as well. At one point, humping a refrigerator. In the meantime, NHL's new CBA kicked in the week, meaning it was the last chance for teams to sign players to an eight-year contract extension. A few teams took full advantage. Drake Bathurst and Ottawa Green, eight-year, $ 86 million deal.
00:44:32
Speaker 3: Wow.
00:44:33
Speaker 1: Washington giving Ryan Leonard an almost identical deal, eight years, $ 84 million. It's a stunner. Buffalo and Noah Ostlund, eight-year, $ 52. 8 million. Even Justin Sordiff, eight years, $ 50. 8 million. I'm not going to have you go through every single one, but there's one that stands out, maybe Ryan Leonard.
00:44:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was going to say that one probably jumps out the most. And we talked about it in the beginning. It's what these teams are going to do now. They're trying to set themselves up and they're trying to hit home runs and they're trying to pay the guy for what he's going to be rather than what he's done. And I think teams look at it as, okay, if I can get this guy locked up for a lot of term, a long time, and have this– I guess you could say a discount deal at that time, whether he's, you know, producing at a high rate, but it's, it's crazy too, because I look at Ryan Leonard and he's probably going to be on their third line making 10 and a half million. And, you know, that's wild to me. And I think just that's, that's the landscape we're in right now in the NHL is these GMs are going to try and get ahead of it and make sure these guys are signed long-term. And, I heard an interview and Billy Guerin was talking and I love Billy G because he keeps it real. And he said, a lot of these guys haven't done shit. They haven't done shit. But we are in a league now where it's growing and it's great for the league. Guys are making a lot of money and this is what you have to do. You have to sign guys long term and hope that you get term and hope that you hit on these guys. But that one for me really, really jumps out with Ryan Leonard and I think all the other ones, Sordiff, Oslin, these guys, this is an example of maybe what are they going to be. But I think at the end of the day, if these deals turn out to be longstanding and at good value, then that's what these GMs are hoping for. And they're also hoping that they don't miss, too, because that's a possibility as well.
00:46:32
Speaker 1: $ 10 million for a guy that could be a third-line player. That's a reach. You better be hoping that's going to work out for you. The Edmonton Oilers got some major blowback this summer. We all know when they obviously named Mike Babcock their new head coach. That frustration of the team increased after they signed Alex Formington last week. He was one of the five Team Canada players charged with sexual assault in 2024. All five players were acquitted. We saw Carter Hart back in the NHL last season. And since Edmonton signed to that one-year deal, popular Oilers fan Mary Lowen, who's known as Mama Stanley, has said she will no longer support the team. More than 60,000 people have signed a petition on change.org asking Edmonton to undo the signing. What do you do if you're the Oilers, Nate? They clearly knew if this was going to happen, there would be some blowback.
00:47:16
Speaker 2: Well, the Oilers don't care about optics, I'll tell you that. And they're, you know, I guess they're taking a page out of the Vegas Golden Knights book, and at the end of the day, they're just, you know, they're worried about winning hockey games. And I think... If you're a fan of Edmonton, obviously you're going to be a little upset with, like I said, the optics of what's going on. I'm not going to comment on what went on in the past, but I played with Alex Formington when he was a young player, and he can play. He's got speed, he can skate, and I think he's a guy that's going to help their bottom six. So when you look at what they've added, I think the Oilers definitely got better. They did. Are they... you know, a popular team right now? Absolutely not. But, you know, that's the name of the game. At the end of the day, this game's a business. And, you know, I think the Edmonton Oilers are trying to get better. And, you know, fans are passionate. Fans are going to be passionate, you know, especially in Edmonton. We know. But I think still, AV, I know there's a petition and people are not happy about this, but that building is still going to be full. It's still going to be sold out. And the Edmonton Oilers are still the Edmonton Oilers. So, good luck to Alex Formington and the Oilers, but like I said, they're taking a page out of Vegas' book and doing whatever it takes to win.
00:48:34
Speaker 1: I always say Montreal's the best place to watch a hockey game, but to your point, Edmonton's a close second for me. That is a great building, great rink.
00:48:41
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:48:41
Speaker 1: The revamps and the rejuvenations they've done there, it's absolutely phenomenal. Tal, your thoughts on the move?
00:48:48
Speaker 5: Sorry, just I mean, this is on Alex Formington now. He's going to get asked about this.
00:48:52
Speaker 4: He had to know what the response would be in Edmonton, especially after the whole fiasco when they hired Mike Babcock. So, you know, we don't need to get into the details of what happened. I think if he wants to try and win over some fans and maybe he doesn't care, but showing some contrition and a little accountability maybe wouldn't be the worst thing. Like the example someone brought up to me was Logan Mayhew a few years ago when he made a, you know, he he, he got into himself into an unfortunate situation and did some horrible things. And he was contrite and he was asked about it and, and made a point to prove to the, well, it was the Canadians fans at the time he's in St. Louis now, but he wanted to show fans that he wasn't the person they thought he was. And now he's gotten, he's going to have an opportunity to, play a big role on St.
00:49:41
Speaker 2: Louis.
00:49:41
Speaker 4: And I think a lot of people have kind of accepted him as someone who has learned from his mistakes. So let's see if Alex, you know, if Alex Farmington can do the same thing in Edmonton.
00:49:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, actually speak louder than words and hopefully he's able to regain some of that trust there, at least from the public eye. And a couple of notable retirements as we close up shop here at NHL Unscripted, episode number 98. Defenseman John Klingberg, who enjoyed, you know, a nice little home bounce back season with San Jose, 2025-2026, scored 10 goals to the Sharks. But he retires after playing 12 seasons, Stars, Ducks, Wild, Leafs, Oilers, and the Sharks. And goaltender Connor Ingram also announced he's calling it a career after five seasons. Nashville, Arizona, Utah, and Edmonton. Ingram won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to the game after returning to the league following his struggles with an undiagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder and alcohol. A tough decision for both players, Nate, but clearly we wish them well.
00:50:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's always hard when you get to the situation where you have to make a tough call. And I've been there. I know my last couple of years, you know, when I was in Philly, you know, I had a shoulder surgery, ended up finishing out the season. But then the following year, all I could get was a PTO. And the next thing you know, I'm back in the minors playing for the Ontario Reign my last season. And that was hard. It was hard to be able to. you know, you have to, after playing as long as I did in the NHL and having to go back to the American league. So I wonder for these guys, you know, if that's the situation and, uh, you know, but both, you know, especially John Klingberg, you know, what, what a career he had, um, just such a good offensive defenseman and a guy I thought maybe that would, uh, sign with a team or, or get a PTO and, and, and help a team out this year. Uh, but good luck to him, you know, an incredible career and incredible offensive defenseman that, you know, at one time he was just so dynamic and, and dangerous out there. And then, you know, Connor Ingram, um, who's a good, good goalie who was a good goalie and, and you just hope the best for him. And, uh, especially for life after hockey, because, you know, once you retire and move on, it can, um, you know, it, it can be a lot. So hope, hope for these guys that, uh, that everything goes well post post retirement, but just both, both good guys and, um, you know, good careers.
00:51:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, Klingberg, as you said, solid career, 12 seasons, obviously made an impact. With Ingram, I agree with him. A little bit surprised, only five seasons. He seemed like he had flashes of talent, but for whatever reason, he does move on. And as you said, we wish them well. We wish all of you well as we continue here on NHL Unscripted. Again, Wayne Gretzky, number 99 episode next week. Jason Demers will be back. Lots more hockeys. Again, training camp underway. It's a great time to be a hockey fan, a great time to be listening to NHL Unscripted. Make sure you subscribe, rate, and review, and give us some love on Apple, iTunes, wherever you listen to your podcasts. And we'll see you next time here on Unscripted. NHL Unscripted is a production of the NHL and iHeart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Speaker 1: NHL Unscripted is a production of the NHL and iHeart Podcast. That's right. Episode number 98 here of NHL Unscripted. Next week will be Wayne Gretzky week, I am sure. But for now, we're talking lots of good stuff here. The NHL's new CBA kicking off. What does that mean for the players here? And contract extensions. Plus, we'll talk about, oh, Captain, my captain.
00:00:36
Speaker 2: That's right.
00:00:37
Speaker 1: Dead Poets Society. Mark Stone is now a captain. Jordan Stahl is a captain. I'm the captain now. What does it mean for Bo Horvat and Conor Bedard as they will get the C's as well? And on a wing and a prayer, what's going on with the Red Wings and Dylan Larkin? Jason Demers on assignment, as they say in the TV business. He's at Sharks Media Day in San Jose, and our friend Nate is here back from Alaska. Before we get into the topics, Nate, talk to me about the Alaska Hockey Hall of Fame. You went back home. Must have been a very, very cool experience for you.
00:01:04
Speaker 2: It was great. It was nice to be home, and the weather was fantastic. I always say that September's the best time of year because it's crisp air, about 50s, 60s, no bugs, just a nice, sunny fall day, and It was great to be home for that Alaska Hockey Hall of Fame, to be able to support some other people like Scott Gomez's dad, Carlos Gomez, who got inducted, who was a huge part of the hockey community up there. So that was great. And another guy that I mentioned to Tal before we jumped on was Mike Lee, a guy that was one of the first guys to play the National Team Development Program from Anchorage. He's got one heck of a story. And one of the few guys that was that Derek Bugard was scared to fight back in the day and very, very, very, very tough. So, uh, good notables and good mentions for those guys because, uh, very, very well deserved and, and just a lot of fun to be home. You know, another, another reason I went home was, uh, you know, the Anchorage Wolverines, North American, uh, hockey league team, uh, played against, uh, USA under 17s, a couple of games. And it was, it was great to see a couple exhibition games up there and, and bring more, uh, attention to, to Anchorage was, uh, was awesome.
00:02:14
Speaker 1: That's great, man.
00:02:15
Speaker 2: Good for you.
00:02:15
Speaker 1: Of course, you were inducted back in September of 2023. So you know what this is like, being inducted in the Hall of Fame with experiences like, how were the speeches by Gomez's dad? That's always the trick. I mean, I'm telling you, if a good speech, as you know, I love Federer. I went to Federer's Hall of Fame speech, memorized the entire thing. Roger went 28 minutes, no notes. It was amazing. How about Gomez's dad?
00:02:36
Speaker 2: Carlos's speech was the best one, hands down. And I didn't know his story before. to the detail he told it. I mean, he's from Mexico and I'm telling you, Tal and Avi, what he went through, how he jumped around from family to family. Like it is insane that he ended up in Alaska. And then of course, you know, he has Scott who you ends up being is kind of his golden goose, but it's, it's pretty amazing. to see what Carlos Gomez went through and how he ended up on the other side. I mean, it's out of a movie. We were talking about it before with Tal, and he said this definitely could be a documentary or something. So his speech was incredible, and what he's done for the hockey community up there is pretty special. So it was awesome.
00:03:20
Speaker 1: That's awesome. You never forget your roots. I appreciate and respect that about you. And as you said, Alaska's got a really strong hockey community, and they're proud of what they were able to accomplish. You mentioned the weather, though, because I'm sure that's the first topic of conversation with Alaska. You mentioned September 50s and 60s. Right now here in the New York, New Jersey area, we're still in the 70s, which is great. So the hottest it ever gets in Alaska, do you ever hit 80s? Like in July or August, it's high 70s.
00:03:42
Speaker 2: June, July, we might have about a 10-day stretch where we get 70s to 80s weather. And for people that haven't been there, over 70... It feels a lot hotter than 70. Like what you see on the temperature is actually, it feels like 90 plus because the sun's right there. If you think about it, like it's right on you. So when it's 75 degrees, it's a, it's hot. It's a hot day. It's good to know.
00:04:06
Speaker 1: A 75 degree day in Alaska is like 90 everywhere else. That's pretty good conversion rate. Let's get to the hockey. Shall we cut up after a while? Some of the Southern match Phillies offer sheep or Leo Carson. We're losing several veterans on their team. The Ducks have signed Cutter Gauthier.
00:04:20
Speaker 2: That's right. Good news.
00:04:21
Speaker 1: Six-year contract reportedly for $ 81 million, according to our friend Elliot Friedman. Average annual value of $ 13. 5 million, meaning, wait for it, Gauthier and Carlson, two phenomenal players, are accounting for $ 31. 5 million against the cap for the next six seasons. I know it's one of those moves that you say, well, you got to do it. These guys are two young stars. They're blasphemous stars. They're going to get better. They'll be worth that investment, and I'm sure that that's, in many ways, how the Ducks will sell this and spin it. But that just feels like a lot of money going towards the cap. How do you weigh this if you're the A & I Money Ducks?
00:04:57
Speaker 2: I'm okay with this, A.V. I am, and I say that because, you know, at first we're all thinking that Cutter's going to sign for 17-plus, and he's not going to take a dime under 15. So I give a lot of credit to Pat Burbeak and Cutter here because– you know, moving forward in six years, this deal is going to be twice as that for him. You know, this is a guy that's probably going to score 50 goals multiple times in this league. And to get him at 13 and a half, if you think about it, is a fair deal. And for six years too, you know, it gives him some term, gives the Ducks some term, you know, rather than being on a three or four year deal than having to deal with that again. So I think for the Anaheim Ducks and Pat Verbeek, I mean, at the end of the day, you have, your first line center, you have your top goal scorer, you have your first D, and you got your goalie all locked up. And I know that there are a lot of cap space that's tied up into a couple guys, but I think if you move forward and you realize that, okay, we got Cutter signed 13 and a half for the next six years, you can supplement around that. And I think Pat Verbeek, he really kind of saved his bacon here I'll say he hit a home run not a grand slam a grand slam would have been grand slam would have been if he he got both guys under 15 yeah but the fact that he was able to get cutter under 15 13 and a half or six years I think is uh is a good deal for the Anaheim Ducks.
00:06:22
Speaker 1: And listen the good news is this is a situation where these guys are going to be stars for years to come again if you're going to pay a guy pay a guy who's young and yet to hit his prime they should wait till what these guys will be able to do and you just hope that they'll be locked up long term so All right, good moves there for the Ducks. I think it's one of those situations where you say it's now or never. It had to happen. You don't want it to linger. All of a sudden, you've got to trade one of these guys. You've got your two foundational pieces offensively. Good to go in Carlson and Gauthier. So that brings us to, speaking of foundational pieces, the Red Wings thought that was their guy in Dylan Larkin, but he's not been traded yet. Almost five months, Nate, after your request to trade. He's still in Detroit, but what they're doing is they're ripping away the sea. Owner Chris Ehrlich telling the Detroit News Larkin could spend the entire season with the team. And making the situation even more cringe, they have an interim GM the week the training camp starts. Sean Horkoff, team's assistant GM since 2022. He'll fill the position that Steve Eisman had held for seven years.
00:07:15
Speaker 2: So it's an interim.
00:07:15
Speaker 1: GM during training camp. Your superstar player, still going to be there, but losing the captaincy. How is this going to react? You've been in a locker room your whole life. What do you do when the guy who is the big kahuna doesn't want to be there and he's still there?
00:07:30
Speaker 2: This is tough. This is an awkward, awkward, uh, situation here in Detroit. And this sucks because I, you know, growing up, I was a wings fan and I see what's going on right now. Um, it's tough. I mean, this all starts, I think, you know, you go all the way back to when Larkin gets hurt and, and I'm not going to speculate, but I wonder like, while that injury happens and everything goes down, you know, it went sideways, it went sideways real quick. And then the next thing, you know, the dominoes fall, Steve, Steve Eisenman's gone. And they're right. You know, Dylan Larkin, he can't go to camp wearing the captaincy. It's just, it's not right. You know, you ask for a trade, you want to be out. You can't be, you can't be the captain anymore. It's just, it's not okay.
00:08:11
Speaker 3: Yeah.
00:08:11
Speaker 2: And at the same time, you have that distraction for the whole organization. And I can't imagine what Dylan Larkin's feeling going into camp, you know, getting his captaincy basically stripped. And now he's, you know, at a, in limbo. But the other part of it is too, AV, is I don't understand, you know, you, you wait this long to name an interim GM, Sean Horkoff. Why not just name him the general manager? I mean, you, you have guys like Sean Horkoff, Chris Draper, Danny Clary, these guys that are involved and been with Steve Eisenman day to day. And, and now, you know, you have an interim tag and they're still going to search for a new GM in the next couple of months. You know, I, I don't understand it. I think that it's kind of a circus there in Detroit right now. So moving forward, I wonder, I mean, is Larkin going to stay? I don't know how. I honestly don't know how you navigate that and how Dylan Larkin can stay now. I think there's a way where they still try to find a way to trade him. And Dylan Larkin has to, you know, open up his teams. You can't have three teams. And hopefully this situation might speed up that process. And, you know, shit. I mean, I look at a team like, you know, Montreal. I mean, look at what Chris Kreider did. He was glad to go to, you know, to Montreal and, you know, you add a guy like Dylan Larkin to Montreal, that changes everything. They're having another center, second line center. So in Detroit right now, this is kind of a mess. And, you know, I don't know where they go from here, but in my opinion, I just think that they're, you know, Chris Illich is not handling this the right way, in my opinion, just because, You have your guys that have been under Steve Eisenman for so long, and if you were going to name a replacement GM, you should have done it way back when, when you knew you were going to let go of Steve Eisenman. you know, have a guy step in, you'd be able to be there for the draft, free agency, development camp that just happened, all these things that are just happening. And now we have training camp starting today. So this, this is an absolute disaster. And I don't know how, I mean, they're going to have to figure this out, but it's going to be a, it's going to be a circus.
00:10:17
Speaker 1: It's a mess. And you look to your captain to be your leader and your star. And I think the, Really salient point that Nate made, Tal, is that you've got to open up your list now, right? Like, why hasn't a trade been made? Well, clearly, Detroit hasn't gotten a fair offer in their mind for a player of Dylan Larkin's talents, or they're only getting it from a small pool of teams to where he wants to go to. So how badly do you want to get traded? And how clearly does Detroit not want to have this mess in their hands? And I get it from Stevie Wise's point of view. It's like, well, I'm not going to get 60 cents on the dollar. Like, I know what my talent level is with this guy. I'm not going to be forced into a move. But at the same time, I do agree with Nate's point, the longer the slingers, it's not good for the Detroit Red Wings either. How do you see it, Tal?
00:10:58
Speaker 4: Well, Chris Illich has already said that Dylan Larkin could be with the team all season, potentially, if they don't get the deal they want. I empathize a little bit because they have zero leverage. Dylan Larkin has told the whole world he doesn't want to be there, and he's only going to accept a trade.
00:11:14
Speaker 5: To three or four teams.
00:11:16
Speaker 4: I mean, so their hands are kind of tied behind them a little bit, but for a lot of people, including myself, this is our introduction to Chris Illich, right?
00:11:24
Speaker 5: This is his moment.
00:11:26
Speaker 4: He's the youngest child of Mike and Marion who are icons in Detroit and everything they've contributed to the community and to sports there.
00:11:34
Speaker 5: And this is his moment right now.
00:11:36
Speaker 4: You know, Detroit was already, Red Wings were already not a marquee destination for free agents when they were competitive. And now they have this situation where they just look completely dysfunctional. So, Is it possible that Chris Illich can find a way to make this good and come out looking okay once this is all done, whenever that happens?
00:11:55
Speaker 5: It's possible. But I think that's... However.
00:11:58
Speaker 4: He completes this whole debacle and comes out the other end will say a lot about his legacy. Because we know what his dad's legacy is. This is going to say a lot about his legacy. This season is actually going to be the 10th anniversary of his father's passing. There's going to be a lot of eyes on Chris Illich and... We'll see what happens. It's not looking great right now. I don't know why you just wouldn't make Sean Horkoff your permanent GM. You're going to make him trade Dylan Larkin and then replace him. This guy runs your draft. He's going to stick around and run the draft after you promoted and demoted him. I don't know if he's going to do that. Even if you replace him, you might be in a bit of a pickle after that.
00:12:40
Speaker 2: I was just going to say, I think that you look at this division, the Atlantic division, and all the other teams in this division are expecting to make the playoffs, every single one. And I just don't see a world where Detroit even, I don't even think they make the playoffs here. And I don't even think they're close. I just think with all of this going on, potential trades, Larkin now being the captain, you know, some guys departing. I just, I just think that they're, they're at a crossroads right now. So this is huge for them. And, whether they get a new GM or they keep Sean Horkoff or Chris Draper or Daniel Clear, whoever it may be, they've got to get this right because I think at the end of the day, everyone wants the Detroit Red Wings to be a good hockey club and be a part of the playoffs for years to come because when they are, the league's in a better place. 100%.
00:13:29
Speaker 1: I mean, this is a signature franchise of the NHL, so I completely agree that it's better for the league if the Red Wings are good. And for Illich, Tal's right. This is going to kind of not necessarily start his legacy, but it's going to be a statement as to what he can do with his team, what kind of message he's sending, and what he's going to do with regards to this team. All right, easy Kreider. Well done, Tal. Mentioned last week the Ducks had terminated Kreider's contract. The veteran winger raised some eyebrows signing with, as Nate mentioned, a one-year contract with the Montreal Canadiens. The fans have been booing him since he collided with Carey Price in Game 1 of the 2014 Conference Finals when he was with the Rangers. 35 years of age, he scored 20 goals in 11 of his last 12 seasons and took a discount. To come to the Habs, Canadians Vice President of Hockey Operations, Jeff Gorton, was with the Rangers when they drafted Kreider in 2009, and Montreal coach Martin Saint-Louis, who just signed an extension, great news there, Marty's locked up, he also played with Kreider in New York. So overall, Nate, it seems to make sense. Sometimes they say familiarity breeds contempt. In this case, the fact that they know him and love him, meaning Gorton and Marty know Kreider, makes this an easy fit for both teams. What kind of player they're still getting in Montreal when the season kicks off September 29th?
00:14:39
Speaker 2: Well, first off, Haps fans, relax. Let it go. Tao, let it go. It was 12 years ago. 12 years ago. Let it go. But I love this. I love that Chris Kreider wanted to go to Montreal. You know, there's always questions from fans. throughout the league and everyone's saying, Oh, players don't want to go play in Canada. They don't want to play for, you know, so-and-so and he's an American guy and he chose to go play in Montreal. And you said it, baby. I think, you know, that familiarity with, with Marty, with Jeff Gordon, you know, Marty St. Louis was his line mate and he talked about it. He said, Marty might've been one of his most influential teammates he's ever had and learned so much from him. And I can attest to that. Marty was the same for me as well. So, I think Marty St. Louis is a huge selling point. And then at the same time, look at their roster, you know, look, look, look how much cap space they have. And, you know, they don't have a guy making over $ 10 million. And I think, you know, bringing in a veteran guy like Chris Kreider, you know, the guy had 22 goals last year, over 50 points. You know, he's a guy that can play on your first line, your second line, your third line, and who knows where he's going to start off. I mean, he's probably going to be slotted on the third line, but, for sure, he could be playing on the second line with, with Demidoff and Slavkovsky, or he might even playing with Suzuki and Caulfield. I mean, he's just, he's one of those guys that is that versatile. And I think the biggest part is, is a power play. I mean, he's one of the best guys net front when it comes to doing the power play. So I think for Montreal, having a guy like Chris Kreider, having a veteran presence, I mean, we always talk about having veterans and adding guys that have been there, been around, uh, will always help. And I think With this young core moving forward, having a guy like Chris Kreider and that familiarity that Marty has with him, I think he'll be able to push all the right buttons. And I think this is a great signing for Montreal. I'm with you.
00:16:27
Speaker 1: My first thing was power play. No matter what, Chris Kreider is going to score you goals in the power play. He's a presence there. He's always been a power play specialist. And right place, right time. In terms of the money, this wasn't an overpay. Works out for both sides, Tal. It's not much of an investment.
00:16:39
Speaker 2: It's one year.
00:16:39
Speaker 1: If he scores 20 goals, everybody wins.
00:16:42
Speaker 4: Yeah, and like Nate was saying, I think it shows that Montreal is a destination right now in this league.
00:16:48
Speaker 5: They got Noah Dobson. That's their last season.
00:16:51
Speaker 4: That's a legit top pair D-man who said, I want to commit long-term to the Canadians. They just announced Alex Newhook signed a four-year extension. Below market, for sure. The guy just scored two Game 7 game winners in the playoffs. He's going to be making 5.55. You can see that players want to either come to Montreal... or stay in Montreal because they know something's happening there. And as far as Kreider, he ticks all the boxes. Veteran, leader, scoring, toughness, speed. He's a physical freak still at 35. Back in the day when I was covering the Rangers for NHL.com, this guy never, ever wore a shirt.
00:17:29
Speaker 5: In the locker room, ever. Carps off all day, every day. And you know what?
00:17:33
Speaker 2: I wouldn't either if I was him.
00:17:34
Speaker 4: If I looked like him with my shirt off, I'd be walking down the street buck naked.
00:17:38
Speaker 5: This guy is a specimen. So Habsland is very excited about this.
00:17:43
Speaker 2: So way to go.
00:17:45
Speaker 1: I never knock a guy who's ripped with his shirt off all the time. Like, no, I would be right there with you as well. So good stuff. I agree with you. Good stuff there for the Habs overall. Let's talk further, though. Circling back to a lurking conversation about captaincy.
00:17:56
Speaker 3: So.
00:17:57
Speaker 1: Islanders named Bo Horvat, 16th captain in franchise history. Conor Bedard becomes Chicago's 37th captain. Horvat previously wore the seat in Vancouver, replaces Andrews Lee, who signed with Utah this summer. Bedard replaces Nick Foligno, who was dealt to Minnesota at the trade deadline last season. So that leaves Anaheim, Boston, Columbus, Detroit, L.A., Ottawa, San Jose, and Vancouver without captains. Let's talk first, Nate, about Horvat and Bedard. I think there was some thought with the Islanders. Would you go Matthew Schaefer? To me, he feels a little young. Horvath's obviously longer in the tooth. You know firsthand the responsibilities of a captain. You've got to deal with the media, set the tone of the players, be that conduit with the coaches. So there's no need to put that on Schaefer right away. Horvath's a veteran guy. Whereas in Bedard's case, I don't think there's necessarily a quick option for Chicago. There's not that veteran presence. You know what? It's Bedard's team no matter what. Give him the C. Makes sense for me with both those teams.
00:18:45
Speaker 3: Hugh?
00:18:46
Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm totally okay with it. I mean, Bo Horvat has been a captain before, like you said, in Vancouver and it plays like a leader. And I think, like you said, with Matthew Shaver, you know, there's no rush. There's no rush to make him a captain. I mean, I would assume that he probably gets an A and you learn, you know, you learn how to be a leader. You learn from guys like Bo Horvat and, you know, taking it one step further, you know, being a captain, you know, I think it's, you know, and this is going to be the tough part with Conor Bedard is, you know, you're not just managing, you know, your game. You got to make sure that sorry, you're not just managing your game. You have to kind of see what's going on with everyone else too, right? And you have to do that at the same time. So there's a lot of responsibilities as a captain, whether it's, like you said, stalker of the media, being that line of communication through the head coach, being able to say, hey, one time to the coach, hey, listen, we need a day off tomorrow. And you got to go do that with the head coach. So those are going to be the things that Conor Bedard is going to have to navigate as a young captain. But I think having some veteran guys like they're having Patrick Kane there to be able to lean on in situations like that. But I think for both teams, it was two different scenarios. But I really like the pick for Bo Horvat being the captain. And on the other side, Conor Bedard, because I think it was just a matter of time before he was a guy.
00:20:06
Speaker 1: And it's a good point about having Patrick Kane there as well to lean on for Bedard. It always makes sense to have that veteran presence there just to bounce ideas off of, etc., One more topic, and then we're going to get to our special guest, Bruce Cassidy. Should have mentioned him at the top two times. That's right. Bruce Cassidy will be returning. But speaking of captains, last season's cup finalists both secured their captains for a little while longer. Mark Stone, two-year extension worth $ 18 million with the Vegas Golden Knights. Stone returns $ 35 million in May. And despite missing a quarter of his team's game set career highs last season, 73 points, nine power play goals, 27 power play points, a little under the radar, I think. And Cosby's trophy winner, Jordan Stahl. What a great story he was. One-year extension.
00:20:41
Speaker 2: He's back.
00:20:42
Speaker 1: He just turned 38. Base salary of $ 900, 000. That's a little light, right? Don't worry. $ 4 million signing bonus, up to $ 5. 1 million in potential performance bonuses. I love that. And they pay what you play for. You don't think Stahl can do it? He can make, you know, $ 10 million when it's all said and done for one year of hockey.
00:20:59
Speaker 2: Yeah, this is what you're going to see in these 35 and over contracts is, you know, a lot of performance bonuses and a small base salary. And, you know, both these guys, you know, I know in their back nine of their career, but huge impactful players, obviously, we saw in the playoffs this last season. And I think you look at both these players, you know, Mark Stone and Jordan Stahl, and they're looking at their team saying, we can get right back to the cup final. You know, especially a team like Carolina, I think, you know, you look at, uh, what they have and their team's basically the same, you know, very, very similar to, you know, the Florida Panthers going back to back. And I don't see why Carolina Hurricanes can't do that. And I think Jordan Stahl's thinking that, I think Mark Stone's thinking that, and I think that both these signings to be able to get these guys, you know, not just locked up for their team, but I think off the ice too, these guys are their leaders and kind of the heartbeat of their team. So, Hopefully, you know, Mark Stone can stay a little more healthy and maybe play a little more games. But when he does play, he's an impactful player out there. And then Jordan Stahl, you know, we saw what he did in the playoffs and what he did last season. So, I mean, this guy's an absolute machine. And I don't see him slowing down anytime soon.
00:22:10
Speaker 1: 38 years of age to be a Conspice Trophy winner. I still get over the fact it was such a great story with Carolina winning and obviously Stahl being a big part of that. All right, time for a quick timeout here in NHL Script. When we come back, Bruce Almighty. That's right, Bruce Cassidy, terrific coach. Get his thoughts on what he went over this summer and what he's looking forward to this season. Our next guest drafted in the first round, 18th overall by Chicago in the 1983 NHL Draft. After 36 career NHL games as a player, he embarked on a successful coaching career, winning the Stanley Cup of the Vegas Golden Knights in 2023 and taking the Boston Bruins to Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final in 2019. Welcome back to NHL Unscripted. It's Bruce Cassie. Bruce, how was your summer? Good to see you. What's the latest?
00:23:07
Speaker 3: Yeah, good to see you guys. Summer is extended for me. Usually a training camp by now, so... Doing lots of golf. I was talking to someone the other day. I forget who it was. It's first time in 45 years, you know, going back to junior days that, you know, this time you're not at training camp. So that's a little bit odd. But try to enjoy the time away from the rink and try to keep busy at the same time.
00:23:33
Speaker 2: I'm sure you've been following what's going on in the summer and all the different news stories. Is there anything in particular that you're really looking forward to watching or you're hearing about that's going to happen to start the season?
00:23:47
Speaker 3: Well, I don't know. It could be interesting to see how Florida recovers from their injuries. They've got a stacked team, it looks like, again, so they'll be good to follow. but you know, you know what, all these young guys signing for a lot of money is the thing that, that I've noticed lately. Um, teams are really taking chances on, on projecting their youth or their lineup to be, to be big time players. So players are getting rewarded, uh, earlier in their career than they ever have. So that's the one thing that's kind of jumped out to me, not a specific team, or I think just these, these kind of third, maybe whatever they are, second, third year players signing these long-term deals, uh, with not a lot of NHL experience. So interesting to see how, you know, it plays out for those handful of guys.
00:24:32
Speaker 2: Yeah.
00:24:33
Speaker 1: Specifically, what do you make of the ducks? $ 31 and a half billion in cap money going to two guys and Leo Carlson and Cutter Gauthier.
00:24:41
Speaker 3: Yeah. And I think the, the Carlson one, they, they pretty much had to do. So, um, you know, they've invested this young player. I got to see him quite a bit the last couple of years. And to me, he's a real deal, but, it is a big chunk for two guys and go James firmly score. So there are two excellent players. It's just a, will the cost prohibit them down the road from kind of building around and building the rest of their team. But to me, it's more of the guy like the defenseman in Vancouver there. I don't even know how to view him. I think you say his name. He's a pretty young guy signed for. Yeah. And Leonard the other day. So these are guys that I haven't seen as much. We, we saw him in the playoffs for Minnesota a couple of years ago. We played some games, but, you know, some unproven talent, making a lot of money. So the thing is, how does that affect their psyche a little bit as young guys walking into a locker room and how does it affect the rest of the locker room when you're, when you're paying these young guys a lot of money? So that'd be an interesting dynamic to follow. Yeah.
00:25:36
Speaker 2: Bruce, how do you handle or navigate that as a coach, especially, you know, I look at the example of Ryan Leonard, you know, he could, he could conceivably be on their third line making 10 and a half million. So I, as a coach, you know, how do you, How do you navigate that with a guy, like you said, his, you know, I guess you could say his ego or, or, or what, or what he thinks he's going to be. And, and now he's making 10 and a half on your third line. And we're probably going to see a lot of that throughout the league. Like you said, with guys being paid, not on what they've done, but on what they're projected to do.
00:26:08
Speaker 3: Well, he's going to have to work to be on, you know, if you look at the caps, like specifically with Tuck, they added Tuck and Cairo, Ovechkin's back, Wilson, the big winger protests. So like he's, um you know we have to push for his minutes too so uh that'll be an interesting one to watch I think as a coach you basically got to tell the player hey you know you can't overthink that part of the game that's the business side of it so park that when you come to the rink and um you know and it'll be up to Washington to not allow that to be a talking point as well probably as as they go along so um I think that's the best you can do as a coach I mean You know, you want to see players get paid. I mean, I grinded the minors for a long time, so I have no– every penny the players make, I'm happy for them because it's not as easy as the outside world thinks to get there. But that one will be interesting. And like I said, a couple others that– and hopefully the players go out and earn it. I mean, Hudson signed a big deal in Montreal, and he went out and kind of backed it up. So that's what I think the teams are hoping, that these players will do that. So that can solve a lot of the problems right there.
00:27:12
Speaker 1: Yeah, Lane Hudson, fantastic. You mentioned that John Turrell reached out when Vegas made the change late last season. He ends up taking the team to the Cup Final, and the team doesn't bring him back. Were you in touch with John Turrell at all after that? What do you make of the team's decision?
00:27:27
Speaker 3: Yeah, I wasn't in touch with him after. You know, he obviously had a good run. I don't know. I can't speak to the inner workings there. I know Ryan Craig, who got hired, I can tell you that he was on our staff when we won the Cup as an assistant. I like him a lot. became very good friends, um, worked for Pete DeBoer as well. And, and, and Turk, uh, Gerard Gallant. So he's had different coaches that have had some level of success that he can sort of steal from if he feels like, and he's got institutional knowledge from being there. So, um, and he's got a relationship with Kelly McCrimmon. So I think at some point, um, that was going to be in the works that Ryan was being groomed. And I guess the time is now so that again, that's, their decision, but I like Ryan a lot and I think he's going to do a good job. Uh, he'll have the usual sort of challenges for first year coaches when you're got a lot of superstars in your team and Vegas does how, how to manage, manage that. But, um, like I said, I like him a lot and I wish him all the best.
00:28:27
Speaker 2: What style of coaching is Ryan Craigman? What can we expect from him? I know he's a young coach in the league and we're getting a few of those, but what style of coach from when you were coaching him or maybe when he was down in the minors, what can we expect from him this season as a head coach for the Vegas Golden Knights?
00:28:43
Speaker 3: Yeah, I think he's a likable guy. He's got a good personality. He's calm. He was a captain in the minors. He played, I think, a couple hundred games, so he got you know, he got a taste of it and, you know, knows what the NHL looks like. So I think he'll be fairly reserved, but Vegas has a standard no matter who the coach is. And Ryan's been around it. You know, he was there from inception. So I think that's the institutional knowledge he has that they, they go into the year every year expecting to be a contender. So I imagine he'll hold them to that standard and, Their style of play, I don't know if they'll, you know, they didn't change a lot from what I understand when Torts came in in terms of systems. And Ryan played that down in Henderson and the Miners. But, you know, until they play, we won't know, you know, what he's going to use from that, if anything at all, or all of it, right? So, but I do think the players will like him. He'll be a guy they'll want to play for. And as I said, when the calls come and, you know, when to change, you know, in-game management or changing up lines or looking at different chemistry, those are the things that, you know, coaches have to get right, you know, and then holding players accountable because that, you know, that can be a slippery slope if you go the wrong way with that. And those will be, like I said, every coach has those challenges and he'll have to kind of fight his way through those.
00:30:04
Speaker 1: As you said off the top, Bruce, it's been decades since you've been in this position, training camp starting, and you're not there. What's your outlook for yourself this season?
00:30:13
Speaker 3: Well, I'm going to do some stuff with Hockey Canada as a consultant. The women's program is starting first. They have a training camp coming up. So I'm going to help their staff, whatever they need. I'm just going to be kind of an eye in the sky for them. How much they want input in practice will be up to you know, their staff. So I'm looking forward to that. It's something a little different, but it's still coaching. And I'll do a little TNT work again this year. I enjoyed that last year. There'll be some dates there, you know, so I can, you know, get out and talk some hockey. And then obviously follow the NHL. I mean, I haven't been in this position, but you know, if you want to get back in, it's usually at the expense of someone else. That's just the way it works a little bit. So I'm sure I'll be watching the teams that maybe struggle a little bit that have expectations. And, you know, that, that's, that'll be it. I've always been a fan of the game, so I'll enjoy watching the games and now it'll be with nothing on the line.
00:31:18
Speaker 2: So to speak.
00:31:19
Speaker 3: It'll just be to enjoy the game. And, you know, and, and, you know, if there's, teams play in a different way. All of a sudden, you're going to keep an eye on that. What's new and what's changing system wise or in special teams. So, um, and, uh, that's it. I got a teenage son that plays almost every weekend. So I get to see him play that, uh, I haven't been able to do a whole lot of in the last few years.
00:31:42
Speaker 2: That's, that's awesome. Uh, you know, I know, I know we talked about, you know, the contracts and what's being handed out and, and these young players making a lot of money, but, What do you see as far as, you know, new teams coming in or maybe some guys that are going to be on new teams? You know, you look at Utah and you see what they did with Anders Lee and bringing in Vincent Trocek. Are there any teams that really jump out to you this year that you could say, hey, listen, you know, I know it's the same teams like Florida, Colorado, these teams at Carolina, obviously, that are going to be contenders. Are there any teams that jump out to you that are possibly, you know, going to take that next step and make a big run?
00:32:20
Speaker 3: Well, I think you, you talk, you know, you mentioned them. I think that's a tough division to, uh, to, to gain ground on with Colorado, Dallas and Minnesota, but they could sort of, you know, solidify their spot as, as a team that's going to be there every year. So they could take steps. San Jose will be interesting out West, um, you know, with calling it Calgary and Vancouver a little bit and rebuilds and, you know, LA loses Kopitar. So is there, is there room for a new team in the playoffs there? Um, They added some veteran defensemen. I think it'll help them, help them a lot. The goaltender's been through it a little bit last year. You know, he's got some young talent up front. So it'll be interesting to see if they can make a push. And then, you know, was Washington going to get back in and challenge Carolina? I mean, they had a solid team a couple of years ago. It didn't go as well last year, but they've added some scoring. So there'll be another team to watch. And, you know, the Atlantic stuff... You know, with Buffalo taking a step, can they keep it going? Montreal's, you know, taking some steps and Toronto retooled a lot. So that'll be the division I think that, you know, someone might get left behind that we're not thinking of right now because even Detroit's been close the last couple of years to a playoff spot. So Boston, you know, they had a good year last year, got in. So I think that division might have a few surprises.
00:33:42
Speaker 1: We also had happened, Bruce, that Edmonton got blocked by Vegas and they wanted to talk to you. Did any players or coaches reach out to you while you're going through a challenging situation?
00:33:52
Speaker 3: Yeah, I talked to some people in the industry, coaches. You know, I had a bunch of friends on, you know, right off the Team Canada staff, right, that, you know, we've kept in touch with Toc and Pete and, you know, Coop. So certainly guys did. There was more than them that just thought it was, you know, a situation that, you know, obviously didn't work out for me, but, um, you know, that's it. That was a while ago and I've kind of, kind of accepted it now. And hopefully down the road, there'll be an opportunity and they'll, they'll let me talk.
00:34:24
Speaker 2: You know, being involved with Team Canada, I want to, you know, follow up with that, uh, on the women's side, are there any players, um, from the women's side that you're really looking forward to working with or watching, you know, we, we know about you know, Marie, you know, Philip Poulin and all the other players, but are there some other young ones that you're really looking forward to seeing and watching?
00:34:45
Speaker 3: Yeah, and it's ironic. They just sent me a computer. I got here yesterday and there's some video on ahead of time where you can get a little head start because there's going to be a training camp in Quebec City down the road here. So that'll get cracked open. So I can't get specific, but my understanding is that they've got some young players here that are getting close to being, you know, taking a step in the program. So there'll be some real competition. Obviously, Poulin's a world-class player, so it'd be great to see her up close. I mean, I watched some of the games last year when we were in Milan during the Olympics, but you're watching them as a fan. You know, I wasn't paying attention to maybe specific people or systems or anything. I was just watching them and cheering them on. So, you know, ask me again in a week, I'll have much more detailed knowledge. I'm not I'm not going to sit here and pretend I know a lot of the players and their strengths and weaknesses, but I will. That's going to be part of my responsibility to make sure I keep an eye on that and maybe try to project because they're building for now the women's team, but they're also building for the 30 Olympics, right? So they've got to, I think they're trying to say, hey, is there some young people here that can take incremental steps and be ahead in two or three years? So that'll be the interesting part of that job and kind of a little bit of, going back to your minor league routes, right? When the GM would call and boss and say, Hey, who are the young guys that think might be there in March? You know, they can, you know, wouldn't be maybe two or three years, but you know, three or four months down the road. And I always enjoyed that part of it. And so that, that'll be, uh, that'll be a fun part of, of, of being involved with the team.
00:36:24
Speaker 2: Hey, Bruce, I was curious.
00:36:26
Speaker 4: You mentioned, I think you said the number was 45 years since you haven't been basically in a grind with a team heading into a season. having that summer to yourself with your family. I'm curious if there was, if there's anything that you grew to appreciate, maybe that you got to pay more attention to that, maybe that perhaps you didn't have the time to before.
00:36:45
Speaker 5: And is it kind of tenuous? Cause we know how the NHL is.
00:36:48
Speaker 4: You could get a phone call in the next few weeks if things don't go right with a certain team and a job opens up.
00:36:53
Speaker 5: So how has that whole dynamic been, I guess?
00:36:56
Speaker 3: Well, you know, as a player, Uh, and I included my, you know, going back to, I went away at 16 to play junior hockey, but you know, make the team out of training cap way ago. I think your summer is pretty clear cut, right? You've got a workout program that you're following and it's usually segmented throughout the summer and you're skating a little bit, but as a coach, I got to tell you, there's been a lot of summers. I've just, you know, put the computer away and some guys like to you know, once a week, get on the phone and chat. And yeah, I chat with my buddies, but I try to shut my brain off because it's on all the time in the, in the winter. So I'll say that this summer wasn't a whole lot different. It just, as this time approached, I was wondering, is there going to be anxiety, right? Because you're used to going and you're always, you know, you've got your routine and it's here now, right? It's starting, I think today. So, uh, so far so good. I haven't, you know, punched the wall yet or anything because I'm not, uh, off at training camp, getting back to work. Um, So I'll say this, I'm going to enjoy a little extra time of what I do in the summer, which is a lot of golf. As I said, I'll get to see my son play a lot more hockey than I ever have. So that part would be a positive and just try to be a fan, understand maybe a little bit of, okay, this is what retirement is going to look like. It's just something you want to do soon or not at all.
00:38:15
Speaker 2: Right.
00:38:15
Speaker 3: Cause there's a lot of people that want to work forever. Some of them have a cutoff date. Well, Hey, you know what? I'm looking forward to retirement. So, that'll be an interesting part too. How do you fill your days when you've typically been at a certain way for so long? And that's just around the corner. And that's my plan for now to do those things, but, uh, we'll see how it works out.
00:38:33
Speaker 1: But to say, savor the time while you can, like you said, especially seeing your son getting the golf and speaking of the golf, the great Ben Boma, my friend and our colleague at TNT just texted me asking if you're still in the Cape. And I said that you're busy golfing. He said, you should be a plus two by now.
00:38:48
Speaker 3: I am on the Cape and I am not a plus two. Uh, I am, I think a 2.4 or something like that. So it's, it's trending. Well, uh, couldn't putt this morning at all. Um, that's been a problem. I got that new lab putter. It's like costs a small fortune and it hasn't worked for me yet, but I'm going to keep grinding, grinding away. Uh, and, uh, hi Ben, if you're out there, I don't know if he's in Maine or whatnot, but he's been getting to work here soon too. And the, in the trucks.
00:39:17
Speaker 1: Uh, this is great Bruce again. Thanks so much for the insight. And I know we're going to see you coaching sooner rather than later. So I really genuinely mean this. Enjoy the time while you can. You're going to be coaching sooner rather than later. So enjoy the golf. Enjoy the time with your son. And good stuff with the Hockey can as well look forward to it thank you.
00:39:31
Speaker 3: All right thanks for having me fellas have a good day.
00:39:42
Speaker 1: Thanks once again to bruce cast he was fantastic uh we're gonna get some other hockey topics here but first up an emmy awards recap tell the highlight of mariska hargitay hosting first female host in 15 years As she joked, it just means that Tina Fey and Amy Poehler kept saying no. But how about the opening? Our man Jalen Brunson featured. Mariska Hargitay famously was on Broadway during the Knicks run after one of the shows ran down Broadway. I mean, ran blocks and blocks, at least 12 blocks just to go watch Jalen Brunson on the Knicks. She's as avid a Knicks fan as it gets. Love seeing the Brunson cameo in the Emmys opening.
00:40:14
Speaker 5: I love seeing my guy Jalen Brunson there.
00:40:16
Speaker 4: And Mariska is legit a Knicks fan.
00:40:19
Speaker 5: She was courtside for the whole run.
00:40:21
Speaker 4: And I like I'm enjoying the Hargitayna-sance or whatever you want to call it.
00:40:26
Speaker 5: She's having a nice little run.
00:40:27
Speaker 4: She's hosting the Emmys. You know, she's at the Knicks game. She won an Emmy for the first time in her career as a director.
00:40:35
Speaker 5: Her film is actually excellent about her mother.
00:40:38
Speaker 1: Jane Mansfield.
00:40:38
Speaker 5: Jane Mansfield, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, good for Mariska. I'm loving.
00:40:42
Speaker 4: She'll always be the cute girl auditioning for the Seinfeld sitcom on Seinfeld.
00:40:47
Speaker 5: Yeah.
00:40:48
Speaker 4: For me, but I don't watch award shows that much, but it was cool to see her have.
00:40:53
Speaker 2: A moment there.
00:40:54
Speaker 1: No, no question. I was thrilled to see Ray Sehorne win Best Actress for Pluribus, a show which, admittedly, I don't watch, but just loved her from Better Call Saul. She was always robbed year after year, so she finally got nominated. The last year of that show didn't win, but finally wins her first Emmy, and a wonderful tribute to the great Michael J. Fox. He won the Bob Hope Manitarian Award, showing some great clips, of course, of Family Ties and Spin City, Rescue Me, Kirby Enthusiasm, all the great shows he's done. Was out there in the wheelchair. Obviously slurred speech at times, but still making an impression, making an impact. Seeing his family there was great. Son's a dead ringer for his dad, Sam, and his three daughters there and Tracy Paul. So very cool to see Canada's finest and Michael J. Fox there as well. The Pit, big show. DTF St. Louis, a show I love. I'm glad that did very well. David Harbour, Linda Carlini, both won Emmys and went for writing, directing, and limited series. In terms of movies, it's the 25th anniversary of Wet Hot American Summer. My friend Scott Regal, she asked me if I'd seen it. I'd never seen it. He's like, what? I was like, all right, fine. 25th anniversary, I'll watch it. Talents, one of those movies, got 40% on Rotten Tomatoes. Critics hated it. Maybe that was why I was not keen to watch it. But I enjoyed it. It was very funny, very silly, 95-minute comedy, very horny comedy. Just a bunch of people at camp looking to get it on. That would be the best way to describe it. Very Meatballs-esque. But really good cast. Now, a very young Paul Rudd and Amy Poehler and Bradley Cooper, one half of a gay couple. I wasn't expecting that out of Bradley Cooper.
00:42:12
Speaker 5: Elizabeth Banks.
00:42:13
Speaker 1: Elizabeth Banks, yeah, in a bikini. That's always strong. So it's a very good cast. Your thoughts on Wet Hot American Summer? People seem to love this movie. It's a cult classic.
00:42:22
Speaker 5: Definite cult classic.
00:42:24
Speaker 4: I always see clips of the actors talking about it because when it came out, you know, the names at the top of the marquee were Janine Garofalo and David Hyde Pierce.
00:42:33
Speaker 5: And now it's like Bradley Cooper's first.
00:42:36
Speaker 4: Film and Michael Ian Black, who, you know, all the guys from the state who have gone on to do all these other fun things, you know, Joe Latriglio, Ken Marino, two guys I love, you know, who are an all hilarious actor. So it's, it's a great takeoff on the classic, as you would say, horny 80s camp comedy, summer camp comedy. They did a great job with that. They did a sequel on Netflix a few years ago that was not as good, but I think they were, they were trying to profit off the nostalgia a little bit.
00:43:09
Speaker 5: But the original is a classic. I enjoy it. I'm glad you brought it up and mentioned that it was the 25th anniversary.
00:43:14
Speaker 1: Yeah, when you emailed me to make sure you don't watch the sequel, I wasn't even aware there was a sequel. So that just shows you how badly that was received. Nate, have you seen the movie Wet Hot American Summer? Thoughts on the Emmys? Or perhaps, have you had a horny camp experience? Your choice.
00:43:26
Speaker 2: I've never seen that movie, but the title, you know, obviously got my attention. And when you guys said it was, you know, a horny comedy film, you know, I don't know. So is this film, would you say it's like a, you know, I guess a comedy version of like Dirty Dancing, kind of that, you know, like is a little bit, no? Or just am I way off?
00:43:45
Speaker 1: Yeah, Dirty Dancing to me is like a romantic film, which has some comedy. This is like just straight up farce, goofy, you know, it's as if it was, like I said, Meatballs, Stripes, like those 80s comedies, Bigfoot. You know, The Great Outdoors, stuff like that. Big, big.
00:43:56
Speaker 2: 40% Rotten Tomatoes, though. So you're saying I shouldn't watch it?
00:44:00
Speaker 1: That's what I was skeptical of watching. They really shit on it. But I'm like, no, I think the critics were a little harsh on it. I think the audience score is more indicative. It's about 70%. I think that's... If you look where you're going for it, it's a funny, silly, outrageous comedy. There's more hits than misses. Also, Chris Maloney, very good. Speaking of Law & Order, Mariska Hargitay. He's actually really funny in the movie as well. At one point, humping a refrigerator. In the meantime, NHL's new CBA kicked in the week, meaning it was the last chance for teams to sign players to an eight-year contract extension. A few teams took full advantage. Drake Bathurst and Ottawa Green, eight-year, $ 86 million deal.
00:44:32
Speaker 3: Wow.
00:44:33
Speaker 1: Washington giving Ryan Leonard an almost identical deal, eight years, $ 84 million. It's a stunner. Buffalo and Noah Ostlund, eight-year, $ 52. 8 million. Even Justin Sordiff, eight years, $ 50. 8 million. I'm not going to have you go through every single one, but there's one that stands out, maybe Ryan Leonard.
00:44:49
Speaker 2: Yeah, I was going to say that one probably jumps out the most. And we talked about it in the beginning. It's what these teams are going to do now. They're trying to set themselves up and they're trying to hit home runs and they're trying to pay the guy for what he's going to be rather than what he's done. And I think teams look at it as, okay, if I can get this guy locked up for a lot of term, a long time, and have this– I guess you could say a discount deal at that time, whether he's, you know, producing at a high rate, but it's, it's crazy too, because I look at Ryan Leonard and he's probably going to be on their third line making 10 and a half million. And, you know, that's wild to me. And I think just that's, that's the landscape we're in right now in the NHL is these GMs are going to try and get ahead of it and make sure these guys are signed long-term. And, I heard an interview and Billy Guerin was talking and I love Billy G because he keeps it real. And he said, a lot of these guys haven't done shit. They haven't done shit. But we are in a league now where it's growing and it's great for the league. Guys are making a lot of money and this is what you have to do. You have to sign guys long term and hope that you get term and hope that you hit on these guys. But that one for me really, really jumps out with Ryan Leonard and I think all the other ones, Sordiff, Oslin, these guys, this is an example of maybe what are they going to be. But I think at the end of the day, if these deals turn out to be longstanding and at good value, then that's what these GMs are hoping for. And they're also hoping that they don't miss, too, because that's a possibility as well.
00:46:32
Speaker 1: $ 10 million for a guy that could be a third-line player. That's a reach. You better be hoping that's going to work out for you. The Edmonton Oilers got some major blowback this summer. We all know when they obviously named Mike Babcock their new head coach. That frustration of the team increased after they signed Alex Formington last week. He was one of the five Team Canada players charged with sexual assault in 2024. All five players were acquitted. We saw Carter Hart back in the NHL last season. And since Edmonton signed to that one-year deal, popular Oilers fan Mary Lowen, who's known as Mama Stanley, has said she will no longer support the team. More than 60,000 people have signed a petition on change.org asking Edmonton to undo the signing. What do you do if you're the Oilers, Nate? They clearly knew if this was going to happen, there would be some blowback.
00:47:16
Speaker 2: Well, the Oilers don't care about optics, I'll tell you that. And they're, you know, I guess they're taking a page out of the Vegas Golden Knights book, and at the end of the day, they're just, you know, they're worried about winning hockey games. And I think... If you're a fan of Edmonton, obviously you're going to be a little upset with, like I said, the optics of what's going on. I'm not going to comment on what went on in the past, but I played with Alex Formington when he was a young player, and he can play. He's got speed, he can skate, and I think he's a guy that's going to help their bottom six. So when you look at what they've added, I think the Oilers definitely got better. They did. Are they... you know, a popular team right now? Absolutely not. But, you know, that's the name of the game. At the end of the day, this game's a business. And, you know, I think the Edmonton Oilers are trying to get better. And, you know, fans are passionate. Fans are going to be passionate, you know, especially in Edmonton. We know. But I think still, AV, I know there's a petition and people are not happy about this, but that building is still going to be full. It's still going to be sold out. And the Edmonton Oilers are still the Edmonton Oilers. So, good luck to Alex Formington and the Oilers, but like I said, they're taking a page out of Vegas' book and doing whatever it takes to win.
00:48:34
Speaker 1: I always say Montreal's the best place to watch a hockey game, but to your point, Edmonton's a close second for me. That is a great building, great rink.
00:48:41
Speaker 2: Absolutely.
00:48:41
Speaker 1: The revamps and the rejuvenations they've done there, it's absolutely phenomenal. Tal, your thoughts on the move?
00:48:48
Speaker 5: Sorry, just I mean, this is on Alex Formington now. He's going to get asked about this.
00:48:52
Speaker 4: He had to know what the response would be in Edmonton, especially after the whole fiasco when they hired Mike Babcock. So, you know, we don't need to get into the details of what happened. I think if he wants to try and win over some fans and maybe he doesn't care, but showing some contrition and a little accountability maybe wouldn't be the worst thing. Like the example someone brought up to me was Logan Mayhew a few years ago when he made a, you know, he he, he got into himself into an unfortunate situation and did some horrible things. And he was contrite and he was asked about it and, and made a point to prove to the, well, it was the Canadians fans at the time he's in St. Louis now, but he wanted to show fans that he wasn't the person they thought he was. And now he's gotten, he's going to have an opportunity to, play a big role on St.
00:49:41
Speaker 2: Louis.
00:49:41
Speaker 4: And I think a lot of people have kind of accepted him as someone who has learned from his mistakes. So let's see if Alex, you know, if Alex Farmington can do the same thing in Edmonton.
00:49:49
Speaker 1: Yeah, actually speak louder than words and hopefully he's able to regain some of that trust there, at least from the public eye. And a couple of notable retirements as we close up shop here at NHL Unscripted, episode number 98. Defenseman John Klingberg, who enjoyed, you know, a nice little home bounce back season with San Jose, 2025-2026, scored 10 goals to the Sharks. But he retires after playing 12 seasons, Stars, Ducks, Wild, Leafs, Oilers, and the Sharks. And goaltender Connor Ingram also announced he's calling it a career after five seasons. Nashville, Arizona, Utah, and Edmonton. Ingram won the Bill Masterton Trophy for perseverance and dedication to the game after returning to the league following his struggles with an undiagnosed obsessive compulsive disorder and alcohol. A tough decision for both players, Nate, but clearly we wish them well.
00:50:35
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's always hard when you get to the situation where you have to make a tough call. And I've been there. I know my last couple of years, you know, when I was in Philly, you know, I had a shoulder surgery, ended up finishing out the season. But then the following year, all I could get was a PTO. And the next thing you know, I'm back in the minors playing for the Ontario Reign my last season. And that was hard. It was hard to be able to. you know, you have to, after playing as long as I did in the NHL and having to go back to the American league. So I wonder for these guys, you know, if that's the situation and, uh, you know, but both, you know, especially John Klingberg, you know, what, what a career he had, um, just such a good offensive defenseman and a guy I thought maybe that would, uh, sign with a team or, or get a PTO and, and, and help a team out this year. Uh, but good luck to him, you know, an incredible career and incredible offensive defenseman that, you know, at one time he was just so dynamic and, and dangerous out there. And then, you know, Connor Ingram, um, who's a good, good goalie who was a good goalie and, and you just hope the best for him. And, uh, especially for life after hockey, because, you know, once you retire and move on, it can, um, you know, it, it can be a lot. So hope, hope for these guys that, uh, that everything goes well post post retirement, but just both, both good guys and, um, you know, good careers.
00:51:53
Speaker 1: Yeah, Klingberg, as you said, solid career, 12 seasons, obviously made an impact. With Ingram, I agree with him. A little bit surprised, only five seasons. He seemed like he had flashes of talent, but for whatever reason, he does move on. And as you said, we wish them well. We wish all of you well as we continue here on NHL Unscripted. Again, Wayne Gretzky, number 99 episode next week. Jason Demers will be back. Lots more hockeys. Again, training camp underway. It's a great time to be a hockey fan, a great time to be listening to NHL Unscripted. Make sure you subscribe, rate, and review, and give us some love on Apple, iTunes, wherever you listen to your podcasts. And we'll see you next time here on Unscripted. NHL Unscripted is a production of the NHL and iHeart Podcast. For more podcasts from iHeart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
