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Two Man ForeCheck Episode 416
3 Plays1 year ago
Stanley Cup Finals Game 1
Stanley Cup Finals Game 2
Marco Sturm as Boston Bruins head coach
Mitch Marner, Marco Rossi, Jason Robertson
Poll Results
NHL Officiating going down a dark path?
#NHL #StanleyCup #TimeToHunt #Oilers #TexasHockey #NHLBruins #Germany #Boston
Recommended
Transcript
Stanley Cup Finals Overview
00:00:00
Two Man Forecheck
Good morning, Chris.
00:00:05
Chris
Good morning, Mike.
00:00:08
Two Man Forecheck
June 8th. Game three is tonight.
00:00:10
Chris
Yeah.
00:00:12
Two Man Forecheck
We have the first two games of the Stanley Cup finals in the books, which means we are that much closer to the worst time of the year.
00:00:13
Chris
Tomorrow, actually, actually.
00:00:21
Chris
Yes, except that we have a stay of execution. Game three is tomorrow night. They have an extra travel day.
00:00:30
Two Man Forecheck
That is true, but there are a maximum of five NHL games left before we enter that dreadful season without NHL gameplay.
00:00:43
Chris
Yes.
NHL Off-Season Concerns and Opportunities
00:00:44
Chris
And then we have the draft to look forward to and free agency and then lull.
00:00:55
Two Man Forecheck
I do look forward to those things. um But we also, I like the I mean, we got, I enjoy those things because they're around the game.
00:01:00
Chris
Yeah.
00:01:05
Two Man Forecheck
their power They're they're a part of the matrix.
00:01:05
Chris
Yes.
00:01:09
Chris
But there's no actual... hockey being played that I know of.
00:01:15
Chris
Unless we start running around to local rinks looking for like deck hockey.
00:01:21
Two Man Forecheck
Well, there's the summer league that happens in some of the,
00:01:26
Two Man Forecheck
in some of the arenas around here, the training facilities.
00:01:31
Chris
Yeah, that's true.
00:01:35
Chris
We do actually get dev camp, so we do get hockey.
00:01:40
Chris
but then you don't get anything.
00:01:44
Chris
So I don't know.
00:01:48
Chris
It's something that is worth looking into as far as, hey, we need to add more hockey in the summertime.
00:01:58
Chris
Beyond that, it gets to the point where I get frustrated because I know what to expect from, or I have a feeling I know what to expect from our beloved GM, Mr. Donnie
Donnie Sweeney's Decisions and Coaching Hires
00:02:13
Chris
Sweeney.
00:02:15
Chris
And just, I have a feeling that we're going to get more of the same.
00:02:22
Chris
We're not going to get improvements.
00:02:23
Two Man Forecheck
From Sweeney, yes, more of the same. Although, if we're going to skip ah the cup for now and start local, why don't we start with Sweeney and the hire?
00:02:32
Chris
No.
00:02:34
Chris
ah Well, it is, to me, the most important news. I realize that there is a Stanley Cup final going on, but they actually have made a decision e Causeway Street.
00:02:53
Chris
And I couldn't be happier because they didn't go the retread route. No, they didn't go get the college guy that I said they should have got. But
00:03:06
Chris
they got themselves somebody who is worthy of being a head coach based on feedback from assistants that he's worked with in the past, based on the fact that one of those assistants is now charge of those one of those assistants
00:03:21
Two Man Forecheck
based on his work history,
00:03:26
Chris
is now in charge of German national hockey team.
00:03:32
Two Man Forecheck
which Sweeney wasn't, I'm not sorry, I'm not, which the new coach was in the past. um So you've sort of let the cat out of the bag, but I will go ahead and let you name it.
00:03:45
Two Man Forecheck
ah You found a really
Marco Sturm's Fit with the Bruins
00:03:46
Two Man Forecheck
neat article on the hire.
00:03:49
Chris
Well, This one only because it does mention ah and does mention said assistant coach who – and I don't want to destroy the guy's last name here or or surname or whatever you want to call it. ah Phonetically, it's Kunast, but I don't want to – I don't know if that's actually the way it's pronounced.
00:04:13
Chris
My favorite quote from this article, and it's in the Boston Globe written by Tara Sullivan, is from this assistant coach where he said, I remember we lost in the quarterfinals in 2017 world championships to Canada at home.
00:04:28
Chris
We lost two to one. The feeling in the dressing room was okay. We made the quarters. Everything is great. We lost to Canada. No big deal. Marco changed that. He was bitter and sour about it.
00:04:41
Chris
He let everyone know about it. It's not good enough. We want to have more. We've got to change our attitudes. End quote. I think Marco Sturm, I think the Bruins have found that guy that hates losing more than he likes winning.
00:04:51
Two Man Forecheck
Marco Sturm. oh
00:05:00
Two Man Forecheck
And I've literally been saying that for at least three years. um
Debating Sturm's Coaching Experience
00:05:06
Two Man Forecheck
But overall,
00:05:06
Chris
I think they had one in Jim Montgomery. Don't get me wrong. I'm still furious with them for firing Jim Montgomery.
00:05:12
Two Man Forecheck
yeah, me too. um I was asked what I think of this hire because there are some people who hate it, absolutely hate it.
00:05:21
Chris
Really?
00:05:23
Two Man Forecheck
um From listening to some of the radio talking heads and some of the stuff that crossed my Twitter feed. There are people who hate it. He doesn't have any NHL experience. He doesn't blah, blah, blah, blah. blah I don't care.
00:05:36
Two Man Forecheck
um My manager at the day job asked me about this, and i gave him a way more nuanced answer than most people are capable of listening to.
00:05:49
Two Man Forecheck
I think that Marco Sturm is potentially a right hire. He's got what you identified, the dislike of losing, the hatred of losing.
00:06:01
Two Man Forecheck
He's got big market experience. He's got developmental experience, which is going to be important um because he's there's going to be a lot of young players, a lot of guys who are either getting their second or third chance at the NHL over the next two to three years at minimum.
00:06:20
Two Man Forecheck
um He's got at leads at least incidental experience with Sweeney and Neely together. um And
00:06:34
Two Man Forecheck
for me, i hate coaches who were either i I've never, I've yet to see a fantastic player who turns into a fantastic coach in the past 25, 30 years of the NHL.
00:06:50
Two Man Forecheck
Um, we're still waiting to see on Marty St. Louis, um, Patrick Roy, not so much. Um, or perhaps just not the interest to actually be a day-to-day head coach.
00:07:03
Two Man Forecheck
Um,
Sturm's Coaching Career Path
00:07:05
Two Man Forecheck
Marco Sturm was the type of guy who had to work and scrap to maintain, you know, that second line, ah middle six, top six role.
00:07:16
Two Man Forecheck
He was capable of being a 20 goal scorer and he did multiple times, including some really clutch goals. But it wasn't a guy who it came easy to. He had to think about it. He had to work at it. He had to do it.
00:07:29
Chris
Well, the ah the other thing that i I read an article, and unfortunately I couldn't find it again to put it back up into the show. But I was an article about him, and one of the things that seemed to impress was the fact that Marco Sturm is a guy who he was head coach in Germany.
00:07:49
Chris
he's been a so He's been assistant coach with the l LA Kings.
00:07:49
Two Man Forecheck
Yep.
00:07:53
Two Man Forecheck
Correct.
00:07:55
Chris
he went backwards in, in their opinion. He took a step back to actually become and a head coach. Instead of going from NHL assistant head coach to NHL head coach, he took a step back and became a head coach of the Ontario Reign to further benefit.
00:08:15
Two Man Forecheck
I don't consider that a step back though.
00:08:17
Chris
I don't see it as a step back, but the, the, the people who wrote this article were saying that,
00:08:20
Two Man Forecheck
It's a lower league. Yes. But a head coach at one level is to me the equivalent or, ah or the peer of an assistant coach at a higher level.
00:08:32
Chris
I just think that i just think that the the the willingness to take a step back in their eyes, like I said, I don't view it as a step back.
00:08:32
Two Man Forecheck
Um,
00:08:41
Chris
If you're suddenly a head coach as opposed to an assistant, and to me, that's a promotion. Yes, I understand that it's at the minor league level, but you're still now the man, not the man behind the man.
00:08:55
Chris
So to me, it's still a move up, but in this article they were talking, and I forget who the talking heads were.
00:08:55
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah.
00:09:01
Chris
i don't, I just remember reading it the day that Sturm was announced and they made this big deal about the fact that he was willing to take a step back and go become a head coach to further benefit himself, getting that head coaching experience, even though he had it at the international level, he didn't have it at this level.
00:09:22
Chris
And no, he hasn't,
00:09:23
Two Man Forecheck
Tournament level versus
NHL Coaching Transitions and Challenges
00:09:24
Two Man Forecheck
full season, different beast.
00:09:25
Chris
Right.
00:09:27
Two Man Forecheck
um And I think that the tournament experience is valuable. And I think it's going to be, i think it will pay off when he, if he finally manages to get the NHL Bruins into the playoffs.
00:09:38
Two Man Forecheck
But to finish my thought, I don't know that Sturm was hired at a good time for him.
00:09:49
Two Man Forecheck
I think this is a great opportunity to punch his ticket. But Sweeney has three years left under contract at present.
00:09:58
Chris
OK.
00:10:00
Two Man Forecheck
i have seen nothing from him that gives me good faith, a strong belief that he's going to produce a good enough team to be here five years from now.
00:10:15
Two Man Forecheck
Because there's not much left on the in the tank or on the ice that... is having an impact.
00:10:28
Two Man Forecheck
um All of the players that he, basically all of the players that Sweeney inherited that allowed the team to get to the cup finals and to have the record season, almost everyone was players who were here when he took over. um There's no more Bergeron. There's no more Crecci. There's no more Marchand.
00:10:46
Two Man Forecheck
um There's, there's no more, um,
00:10:53
Two Man Forecheck
Carlo, there's no more Frederick, there's no more Chara.
00:11:00
Two Man Forecheck
it At this point, whether you like him or dislike him, whether you think he was put into a fair position or not, and quite for me frankly, I think he was as taking over from Chiarelli as general manager.
00:11:18
Two Man Forecheck
He landed on third base, and with the start not only did he have all the budget he needed he had players he should have won a cup by now um he made some poorish decisions in terms of additional adds to the roster and trades and now he's got a bottom tier farm system
00:11:45
Chris
Yeah.
00:11:47
Two Man Forecheck
and it's all his fault it's literally all his fault If he can rebuild and turn this team into a cup contender or a cup winner in the next three, four years, look, I'm a Bruins fan.
00:12:00
Two Man Forecheck
i will be a
Bruins' Future and Management Decisions
00:12:01
Two Man Forecheck
Bruins fan the rest of my life, even if I am incredibly ticked off at the current and general manager.
00:12:11
Two Man Forecheck
I will... Look, if Sweeney puts together a team that wins a cup... I will absolutely congratulate him as part of this show, as part of my Twitter feed, because it is an accomplishment.
00:12:26
Chris
Yes.
00:12:26
Two Man Forecheck
I may or may not add qualifiers like sheer dumb luck along the way, depending on their applicability.
00:12:34
Chris
Well...
00:12:35
Two Man Forecheck
I want a cup. I want another cup in my lifetime.
00:12:39
Chris
That would be nice. I'm trying to understand why this isn't the right... I'm trying to understand why this isn't the right time. Because...
00:12:51
Two Man Forecheck
Because of Sweeney.
00:12:51
Chris
If they are... But if they are success... Because it's Sweeney, okay. Because if they are successful, they're not going to be replacing head coaches. Unfortunately, head coaches only get replaced either when they retire or when they get fired.
00:13:07
Chris
And the latter happens a lot more frequently. So, as a as a an original six franchise... his opportunity coming along to be a head coach in the and NHL of an original six franchise.
00:13:22
Chris
Yes, they're on a downward swing at the moment. And I'm not sure that Sweeney is the guy to get them out of it, but this is now Marco's opportunity.
00:13:35
Chris
i mean, if, if they hadn't fired Jim Montgomery, we wouldn't be talking about Marco Sturm.
00:13:42
Two Man Forecheck
Well, with all of the injuries that the Bruins had this season, i don't think that even ah Monty could have dragged them into the playoffs.
00:13:53
Chris
Right.
00:13:57
Chris
And you would hope that a general manager worth his salt would have recognized that and not fired him November 20th.
00:14:09
Two Man Forecheck
and then had a statistically worse season after that, but details, details.
00:14:14
Chris
Yes, exactly. I just... i I think that this is a good time for Sturm to take over. He gets, because expectations are going to be what? Unfortunately, because it's the Bruins, expectations going to be high no matter who takes over the team.
00:14:30
Two Man Forecheck
I mean, okay, so let's level set. based And yes, it's a little bit early to be doing that.
00:14:40
Two Man Forecheck
Based on the players who are brought in, based on the assumption of better health among among the guys who should be coming back from injury by i don the second week of the season or so, where where do you see this this team right now come next April?
00:14:54
Chris
and Okay.
00:15:06
Chris
Unfortunately battling for wildcard spots.
00:15:11
Two Man Forecheck
that's That's about the top of what you can expect based on who's currently signed.
00:15:15
Chris
I don't... and Yes, as opposed to... ah The way the team is currently... made up. And I'm not talking about the guys who are going to be ah RFAs, UFAs come July 1st.
00:15:28
Chris
The way the team is currently made up, and yeah, you're going to lose a couple of them. I don't think they have enough to be battling for top of their division, top of their conference, top of anything.
00:15:42
Two Man Forecheck
they're not gay if they In order for them to be top three in the division, like one of these teams has to get abducted one of the one or two of the teams ahead of them have to be abducted by aliens.
00:15:55
Two Man Forecheck
Like the entire the entire roster.
00:16:00
Two Man Forecheck
um
00:16:00
Chris
Okay.
00:16:03
Two Man Forecheck
Now, that said, with some of the free agents available, can I see a path to them... Getting into the playoffs, maybe making it to the second round?
00:16:16
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah.
00:16:19
Two Man Forecheck
Do I think it's... well Is this something I'm willing to bet a month's rent on? No. But... With some of the prospects who are expected to push for jobs this fall, like Dan's Lockbellos...
00:16:36
Two Man Forecheck
um who had a good college season, a good introduction to the AHL, a good international year. um I can see with one or two successful, with one or two good acquisitions, and not everyone we're going to talk about in terms of players in motion, I think would be A, or acquirable by Boston, or B, fit the mold.
00:16:59
Chris
Yeah.
00:17:05
Chris
Yeah.
00:17:06
Two Man Forecheck
um or even fit the needs, which is possibly even more important. um
00:17:16
Chris
so So is there is there reason to be excited about hiring Marco Sturm then?
00:17:22
Two Man Forecheck
Yes, I think he's a solid coach. I think he has the potential to be a very solid NHL coach. I think he's someone who's not going to get frazzled by the pressure of being in Boston.
00:17:35
Two Man Forecheck
um And I think that he's someone who, because of his tenure here before, both has probably still has a reasonable level of respect from ah the media and a enough wariness of the media to not go putting his foot in in his mouth on a regular basis.
00:17:57
Chris
Well, that was going to be my next question. is Does he have enough cachet left over? Because he was here for five seasons, but it was prior to them winning the Stanley Cup.
00:18:09
Chris
do enough Do enough of the fan base even remember him?
00:18:09
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah, but he...
00:18:14
Chris
You and I obviously do, but we're not typical fans. We're not fair weather fans. We're not casual fans.
00:18:22
Two Man Forecheck
No, there there is something to be said there. I mean, I obviously think that the... that Winter Classic goal um probably still resonates with people,
Hope for a Well-Built Bruins Team
00:18:33
Two Man Forecheck
um even people...
00:18:33
Chris
Well, as long as it keeps getting played, it will, yeah.
00:18:37
Two Man Forecheck
ah Even people who are less ah less aggressively attached to the team than the two of us.
00:18:45
Chris
I mean, and you know the you know the old adage that you never read the comments. Well, I mean, thumbing through the comments, and most of the and sadly enough, most of the fans who made the comment on this particular article...
00:19:00
Chris
seem to understand that it's not about the head coach. It's about the guys upstairs who are providing the players
00:19:13
Chris
and and and the ability, you know, what he has to work with.
00:19:19
Two Man Forecheck
Yes.
00:19:20
Chris
So how are you going to get... so To me, it's I'm excited about Marco Sturm because I remember Marco Sturm. I'm excited because I remember seeing what he did with the German national team.
00:19:33
Chris
But I have to temper that excitement because I also know that the the clown car that is the upper management team still has the inability to provide what's necessary to make this team back into a contender.
00:19:57
Two Man Forecheck
You're 100% right. i Anyone who has
Sturm and Bruins Market Expectations
00:20:01
Two Man Forecheck
a high level of faith in the Boston Bruins front office at present, and i say that and when I say the front office, I mean Sweeney and Neely and Amateur Scouting.
00:20:14
Chris
Yes.
00:20:16
Two Man Forecheck
um I would like to know why.
00:20:21
Two Man Forecheck
like Can you tell me why you have that level of faith? it' Because it's not just about throwing money at the problem. You have to understand players and their personalities as individuals. You have to understand interactions between players ah as teammates, as rivals for ah for roster spots, as players.
00:20:44
Two Man Forecheck
um And as a as coherent potentially coherent units or incoherent units on the ice, both for practice and games, then you have to understand the sort of feedback loop those players are going to have with and without the coach in the room um or on the bus or on the plane.
00:21:04
Two Man Forecheck
um And then you have to then there's the coaches, plural, head coach, assistant coaches, ah dynamic construction of the special teams play. um There's,
00:21:21
Two Man Forecheck
there's a lot of moving parts.
00:21:24
Chris
so
00:21:24
Two Man Forecheck
You know, some guys will get super frustrated, even if they're playing 19 minutes a night as a forward, if they're not on the first power play unit.
00:21:36
Chris
Yeah.
00:21:37
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah. And if that's what you're going to deal with, Your choices are either put them on the power play, whether they're the right person or not, or deal with a cranky, ah deal with a cranky player or find someone else.
00:21:49
Chris
Move along.
00:21:58
Chris
So what you're telling me is, and I'm stealing this line because i wish I had thought of it, but I hadn't. It doesn't matter who the builder is if the architect is a buffoon.
00:22:08
Two Man Forecheck
Yes.
00:22:12
Two Man Forecheck
Yes, we can go with that. um
00:22:15
Chris
Fair enough.
00:22:17
Two Man Forecheck
You know, and it's not even, in for that matter, you know, you can go one step beyond that and... talk about the ownership because if the owner has decided they want to build their uh mcmansion ah in the middle of a lake or ah where the soil is too wet
Bruins' Development Camp and Prospects
00:22:41
Two Man Forecheck
to actually build anything that'll stand up for two seasons or they picked you know and at the path of an active volcano there's not much you can do
00:22:56
Chris
Yeah, very true.
00:23:01
Chris
Except move out of the path.
00:23:01
Two Man Forecheck
there's There's a lot of different parts.
00:23:03
Chris
Well, move out of the path of the volcano, I suppose, would be the most obvious choice.
00:23:12
Chris
But that being said, yes, I am excited about Marco coming in. Like I said, I didn't want to retread. I didn't get a retread. So I'm going to go with I'm happy for the moment.
00:23:24
Two Man Forecheck
Yay. i won't say that I'm happy. i will say i will call myself content.
00:23:31
Chris
Okay.
00:23:33
Two Man Forecheck
content ah Because i think, obviously, if it had been someone like Mike Babcock, I would have been flipping tables.
00:23:35
Chris
Content? It works.
00:23:43
Chris
I don't know. I don't know if that would have been my reaction because I don't want to damage my own stuff.
00:23:47
Two Man Forecheck
um
00:23:49
Chris
I want to, I would certainly.
00:23:50
Two Man Forecheck
I didn't say it would be my table.
00:23:51
Chris
Oh, okay.
00:23:52
Two Man Forecheck
but a Slight disagreement at the top of your lungs, yes.
00:23:52
Chris
There we go. um I'd be making my way down to Causeway street. We'd be having a slight disagreement. ah What? What?
00:24:01
Two Man Forecheck
and
00:24:02
Chris
whether they'd let me in the building or not remains to be seen, but you know.
00:24:06
Two Man Forecheck
I genuinely think that that might be... That might actually lead to the proverbial lynch mob outside the Bruins' ah
00:24:19
Chris
Yeah.
00:24:20
Two Man Forecheck
offices. um
00:24:25
Two Man Forecheck
And I don't think that even... i think that that's a move so bad that even Jacobs would have to get rid of him whether he wanted to or not.
00:24:38
Chris
So now we can move on to what's currently happening. Oh,
00:24:45
Two Man Forecheck
Oh, yes. And before we before we jump off of this topic, Boston Bruins Development Camp opens June 30th.
00:24:49
Chris
okay.
00:24:53
Two Man Forecheck
um and will get I will dig up the rest of the dates ah in the near future in whatever times are available.
00:24:57
Chris
I'm going to
00:25:02
Two Man Forecheck
I'll look for them on Twitter.
00:25:03
Chris
have to. That's right after the draft.
00:25:06
Two Man Forecheck
That's right after the draft.
00:25:08
Chris
and Okay.
00:25:08
Two Man Forecheck
um So you can
00:25:08
Chris
Okay.
Mitch Marner's Free Agency Speculation
00:25:09
Two Man Forecheck
speculate that any international youngsters will not be there.
00:25:14
Chris
Oh, so our first round, so our first pick and our second pick probably won't show up because they're not, they're going to be international players most likely. Good to know.
00:25:25
Two Man Forecheck
um There is decent chance that, yeah, ah I saw a Swiss player that looked interesting, um ranked second overall by Central Scouting ah among among skaters or among international skaters who I think the Bruins might like. But um let's talk about...
00:25:50
Two Man Forecheck
what's Let's talk about the most obvious ah statement by a hockey player in, I don't know, the last five years that didn't actually occur during an in-game interview.
00:26:04
Chris
Okay.
00:26:07
Two Man Forecheck
Hold on for this one. Maybe put your crash helmet on.
00:26:13
Chris
Sure.
00:26:15
Two Man Forecheck
Mitch Marner...
00:26:19
Two Man Forecheck
is going to test free agency.
00:26:25
Two Man Forecheck
This is according to Chris Johnston.
00:26:29
Chris
You know, i'm I'm just thinking that This is being... This is completely his own choice. He's not being forced to do this by anybody in Toronto.
00:26:42
Chris
He's completely made this decision on his own. Free and clear of any outside influence.
00:26:52
Chris
Okay, I couldn't do it with a straight face. I'm sorry, I
Analyzing Marner's Potential Destinations
00:26:54
Chris
tried. Okay. Toronto.
00:26:56
Two Man Forecheck
See, i don't I think that he's probably just done with the Toronto media.
00:27:01
Chris
Toronto.
00:27:05
Chris
But they're forcing him out anyway. They were forcing him out three years ago. And this year, they literally blamed him for losing that game seven.
00:27:16
Chris
Literally, in the press.
00:27:16
Two Man Forecheck
I think he's got to be just disgusted with his with his teammates.
00:27:21
Chris
I don't blame him.
00:27:22
Two Man Forecheck
Well, some of his teammates.
00:27:22
Chris
he nine
00:27:26
Chris
No, yeah, I don't blame him. i just its he needs it he He needs a new home. whether it's in Boston or anywhere else, he needs a new home. He needs somewhere where he's going to be appreciated for his skill set.
00:27:41
Chris
And I don't think that...
00:27:41
Two Man Forecheck
I don't think he lands in Boston. um I will be fascinated to see where he lands. I think Chicago was an interesting potential destination. Yeah, it probably means a two-year gap between now and the next time he plays in the playoffs. Yeah.
00:27:58
Chris
And how much is he willing to accept that? I mean... do do Do additional dollars equate to patience in postseason play?
00:28:15
Two Man Forecheck
That I don't know.
00:28:15
Chris
No?
00:28:16
Two Man Forecheck
Um, I mean, Mitch Marner is not that old, but he's played a lot. He's played a decent amount of playoff hockey.
00:28:24
Chris
I understand that, but when you go into a place like Chicago where they're not going to sniff the playoffs for another, as you said, two years at the earliest, how much is how much how how many extra dollars is Chicago going to have to pay to get him to be patient enough to wait for postseason play?
00:28:45
Chris
I'm not sold.
00:28:45
Two Man Forecheck
I'm not sure it's going to come down to dollars. I think it's going to come down to him having faith in the system. I mean, Chicago did finish ninth. They were 61. They had 61 points and 372 points percentage, um which was basically they won at random.
00:29:08
Two Man Forecheck
um
00:29:11
Two Man Forecheck
They weren't scoring very much, and they were allowing a lot.
00:29:19
Chris
Unfortunately, when it relates to Chicago, the first question everybody's going to ask is how much of a help is he going to be to Conor Bedard?
00:29:29
Two Man Forecheck
which
Carolina's Defensive Needs and Marner Fit
00:29:30
Two Man Forecheck
is a fair question. um I think that you have to
00:29:37
Two Man Forecheck
Connor Bedard is your cornerstone, even if he's barely ah shaving at this point.
00:29:44
Chris
Yeah.
00:29:44
Two Man Forecheck
Um,
00:29:45
Chris
Hence the question.
00:29:49
Two Man Forecheck
when you look at the When you look at all of the teams who have ridiculous amounts of cap space for next year, though, assuming Mitch Marner decides to stay in Canada, the Winnipeg Jets have 18 players signed for next season, and they still still have $25 million cap space.
00:30:11
Chris
Yeah.
00:30:17
Two Man Forecheck
Actually, over almost 26 million in cap space.
00:30:21
Chris
Right. And Winnipeg is a lot closer to the promised land than they are to the basement.
00:30:30
Two Man Forecheck
Correct. Calgary has 16 players signed and 29, almost almost million.
00:30:32
Chris
So...
00:30:40
Chris
Calgary, not as bad as Chicago, but certainly not at the level of Winnipeg yet.
00:30:46
Two Man Forecheck
A very interesting idea, and I don't necessarily see it as the best fit, is Carolina. 17 players signed, 31 million in cap space.
00:31:00
Chris
I don't think it's the best fit either.
00:31:06
Two Man Forecheck
i And I say that because,
00:31:11
Two Man Forecheck
well, Sebastian Ajo certainly made a lot of efforts to become the man this, this season. And Seth Jarvis really looked good for them.
00:31:26
Chris
I really like Seth Jarvis almost as much as I like Carter Verhage.
00:31:27
Two Man Forecheck
i but Carter Berhagi, Seth Jarvis, there's so much fun to watch.
00:31:33
Chris
I want Carter Verhage so bad you have no idea. I can taste it.
00:31:37
Two Man Forecheck
I,
00:31:39
Two Man Forecheck
but they need more They need to pay more attention to their defense. They only have four pay players signed there. Burns is
00:31:48
Chris
Okay.
Chicago's Rebuilding and Marner's Fit
00:31:49
Two Man Forecheck
40 and is a UFA.
00:31:52
Two Man Forecheck
Orlov is 33 and a UFA.
00:31:55
Chris
I don't think they re-signed Burns.
00:31:55
Two Man Forecheck
Riley Stillman is 27 and a UFA. um They really need to bolster the blue line. So even if you even if you add
00:32:10
Two Man Forecheck
Marner at call it 12 and a half million.
00:32:14
Two Man Forecheck
You have to fill those three.
00:32:15
Chris
Okay.
00:32:17
Two Man Forecheck
And I think that that's less than he'll end up at.
00:32:21
Chris
Okay.
00:32:22
Two Man Forecheck
um You still have to fill out the rest of that defense.
00:32:28
Two Man Forecheck
um And you probably still need, you still need a couple of forwards.
00:32:33
Chris
Well, if you're going to replace Brent Burns, A, the first question is, can you afford a cardboard cutout of somebody else?
00:32:43
Two Man Forecheck
Aaron Ekblad will be a UFA this summer.
00:32:46
Chris
And would be a huge upgrade over Brent Burns.
00:32:51
Two Man Forecheck
Assuming you could get him out of Florida.
00:32:53
Chris
I don't know that, yeah, I don't know that Florida is going to let him walk, though.
00:32:58
Two Man Forecheck
Although they did just pick up Seth Jones, who's been the most, arguably the second most notable play ah player for them this season, this postseason.
00:33:03
Chris
Yes, but he's been he's been huge for them, actually.
00:33:14
Chris
And i I honestly believe that it takes more than just one superstar defenseman to to get you over the hump. I mean...
00:33:26
Chris
Just Ekblad on his own, i don't think gets it done. i love their supporting cast, though. I love Gustav Boisling. He's... a I mean...
00:33:36
Two Man Forecheck
Mikola?
00:33:38
Chris
Mikola has definitely grown into the position.
00:33:42
Two Man Forecheck
Mikola might actually be my second favorite defenseman in the league after Seth Jones.
00:33:52
Chris
Mikola is... he does he still does... dumb things, but he's limited those dumb things. And he seems to learn from when he makes a mistake.
00:34:05
Chris
He doesn't seem to repeat it.
00:34:08
Two Man Forecheck
And at his contract of two and a quarter, or two and a half million, it's really hard to complain about Miko Mikula.
00:34:19
Chris
Oh, yeah. and
Jason Robertson's Playoff Performance and Rumors
00:34:20
Chris
um
00:34:24
Chris
But anybody who...
00:34:24
Two Man Forecheck
Nate Schmidt will also be available.
00:34:27
Chris
Anybody, to take it back to the original topic, anybody who's actually surprised about the fact that Mitch Marner is going to test free agency?
00:34:36
Two Man Forecheck
Clearly has not paid attention to the last, like, three years of Toronto.
00:34:40
Chris
What rock in what garden have you been living under?
00:34:43
Two Man Forecheck
What alternate universe have you been living in where Mitch Marner is actually happy?
00:34:54
Chris
He's going to be a high-priced target.
00:34:58
Chris
It's going to be interesting to see where he lands. as much as as much as they say As much as the talking heads here in Boston seem to think that Boston has a chance, I don't see it.
00:35:10
Chris
i may like I like the idea.
00:35:12
Two Man Forecheck
No, no, no.
00:35:13
Chris
i wouldn't mind seeing him.
00:35:13
Two Man Forecheck
Every time, literally every time i hear someone talk about Mitch Marner landing in Boston, Vince McMahon's entry music plays in my head.
00:35:24
Chris
Oh, wait. You mean no chance? No
00:35:28
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah. No chance in hell.
00:35:30
Chris
No chance in hell. I don't know.
00:35:33
Two Man Forecheck
I would say that our...
00:35:34
Chris
i'd I'd love to see it. Don't get me wrong. I'd love to see it. I'd love to see him in a spoke B. I'd love to see what he can do. I just don't think it's going to happen.
00:35:43
Two Man Forecheck
i think that we I think that the chances of Mitch Marner playing for the Boston Bruins before he's 40 are roughly equal to the to mitch to um
00:35:43
Chris
Excuse me.
00:35:56
Two Man Forecheck
Connor McDavid or Nathan McKinnon playing for the Boston Bruins before they're 40. Yeah.
00:36:03
Chris
Yeah.
00:36:05
Chris
That's a good equivalent. Yeah.
00:36:08
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah.
00:36:09
Chris
I don't see it happening.
00:36:16
Chris
So no Mitch Marner. Sad. But okay, I can deal. There's another name, though, that you have on this list that I wouldn't mind seeing in a Boston uniform either.
00:36:29
Two Man Forecheck
Jason Robertson?
00:36:31
Chris
That would be the kid.
00:36:36
Chris
Now my understanding is...
00:36:36
Two Man Forecheck
You know, I like Jason Robertson.
00:36:39
Chris
oh don't temper it now.
00:36:44
Two Man Forecheck
But...
00:36:46
Chris
Yes, but... No way, let's hear it.
00:36:51
Two Man Forecheck
I look at his playoff performances.
00:36:55
Chris
Uh-huh.
00:36:57
Two Man Forecheck
they are significantly less significant contributions than his regular seasons.
00:37:08
Chris
significantly less significant contributions.
00:37:14
Two Man Forecheck
Yes.
00:37:14
Chris
Okay.
00:37:14
Two Man Forecheck
Okay. Let me, let me say this last year was not good. Six points in 11 games, only 15 under 16 minutes of ice time.
00:37:23
Chris
He was injured.
00:37:27
Chris
He was injured.
00:37:27
Two Man Forecheck
compared to the two previous playoff runs where he played 19 games each and had 18 and 16 points in those runs and was playing almost 19 and then almost 20 minutes.
00:37:40
Two Man Forecheck
My best guess is that Jason Robertson was birth was possibly nursing something thiss obviously this off season, this, this postseason run.
00:37:49
Chris
ah He was actually out injured.
00:37:54
Two Man Forecheck
Um,
00:37:54
Chris
Hence why he only appeared in seven games. He didn't come back until...
00:37:59
Two Man Forecheck
No, he played in 11 games.
00:38:02
Chris
Oh, my apologies. I looked top to bottom instead of bottom to top. Yes, 11 games. he he missed the He missed the first round.
00:38:13
Chris
Six points in 11 games. I don't like the minus five. ah But... Three of the four goals were at even strength. ah Four of the six points... No, I'm sorry. Let me get this straight. Yes, four of the six points were at even strength.
00:38:35
Chris
Shooting percentage was still up there at 18.2, so maybe he needs to shoot a little bit more. 22 shots in 11 games is only two a game, so yeah, he should probably be shooting more as a scorer that he is.
00:38:49
Chris
i just...
00:38:49
Two Man Forecheck
Am I saying i would hate to see Jason Robertson move to the Boston Bruins? No, absolutely not.
00:38:57
Chris
I don't know.
00:38:57
Two Man Forecheck
I'm saying that
00:38:57
Chris
sounds like yeah Sounds like you're hating on Jason Robertson. but
00:39:01
Two Man Forecheck
I definitely disliked his playoff performance this year.
00:39:08
Two Man Forecheck
That said...
00:39:10
Chris
but But you're complaining about his overall playoff performance. And last year he had 16 points in 19 games. The year before that, 18 points in 19 games.
00:39:17
Two Man Forecheck
But you if you compare those numbers to the two regular seasons attached to them, they were still ah PPG ah per 60 or points per 60 down a little bit.
00:39:18
Chris
Yeah.
00:39:22
Chris
yeah
00:39:32
Chris
Okay.
00:39:35
Two Man Forecheck
That said, he's 25. He's not 34-year-old or anything like um
00:39:41
Chris
Mm-hmm.
00:39:43
Two Man Forecheck
And quite frankly, there's guys who just plain sucked on that roster, this playoff run.
00:39:53
Chris
You know what else I'm not complaining about?
00:39:57
Two Man Forecheck
What?
00:39:59
Chris
ah Next season is his last and he's only and he's making less than $8 million dollars a year.
00:40:05
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah,
Dallas Stars' Cap Situation and Player Movements
00:40:06
Two Man Forecheck
that'll change with his next contract.
00:40:08
Chris
I understand that.
00:40:08
Two Man Forecheck
Um, but The rumors are that in order to keep...
00:40:12
Chris
But he's an RFA.
00:40:14
Two Man Forecheck
The rumors that are that in order to keep him... in order to keep other heads ah in their system that he might be moved on from, i don't see it happening.
00:40:27
Two Man Forecheck
um I really don't see him moving out of unless he... adams texas
00:40:35
Chris
um You can move on from...
00:40:37
Two Man Forecheck
and unless Unless he gives their general manager a call and says, look, I never want to see Dallas again.
00:40:49
Two Man Forecheck
i hate everyone and I'm bringing a ah a pipe and some stuff to burn in it ah to to training camp. I don't really see him not being there this year.
00:41:04
Chris
I mean, there are other there are other people they can move on from to save the money to keep him.
00:41:13
Chris
But that being said, there are also other things. I mean, they're going to have to make a lot of... There's going to be some cost cutting going on in Dallas. Don't get me wrong.
00:41:25
Chris
Because you've got... ah Well, let's see. Matt Duchesne, gone, UFA. Jamie Benn, gone, UFA. Dadunov, UFA.
00:41:34
Two Man Forecheck
See, I think Jamie Benn, there's a chance they're going to hold on to for sentimental reasons. um
00:41:39
Chris
Yes, I understand that. I'm just saying that Matt Duchesne's 34. He's a UFA, probably gone unless they get a team-friendly contract. Jamie Benn, yes, they'll hang on to Dadunov, 36 years old, UFA, team-friendly contract, or he's gone.
00:41:59
Chris
you know And then you got Colin Blackwell, who's 32 in a UFA. You got Michael Grandland, who's 33 in a UFA. They acquired him at the trade deadline.
00:42:11
Chris
Possibility of keeping him, probably a little bit better than a couple of the other guys. I just...
00:42:19
Chris
They've got some holes. They've got the money. I don't see them letting Jason Robertson walk. and That's just...
Robertson's Trade Rumors
00:42:27
Chris
it doesn't make any sense from a Dallas point of view. Like you said, unless he walks in there and says, look, I'm going to pull a Matt to Shane on you and I'm not going to play away. He was a teammate.
00:42:38
Chris
I'm, know, I'm not going to play for you. If you decide to try and keep me, I don't want to be here. Move me.
00:42:49
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah, i I think that the rumors, ah from what the rumors say teams have called and asked, and Dallas has basically taken the calls, and that's pretty much it.
00:43:02
Chris
And i understand that they're going I understand that Dallas is going to get a lot of phone calls for them. I mean, the kid's talented.
00:43:09
Two Man Forecheck
There's no reason they shouldn't get phone calls for him. It's like, I'm sure that the Bruins have gotten dozens of calls over the years about David Pasternak. um Possibly some asking him to tone down his wardrobe because it makes people nauseous, but...
00:43:23
Chris
Except for PK Subban.
00:43:27
Two Man Forecheck
but I still firmly believe that Pasternak and...
00:43:34
Chris
PK loves his costumes. I mean, outfits.
00:43:36
Two Man Forecheck
and He does. That David Pasternak and Seth Rollins actually have the same tailor, but...
00:43:43
Chris
i that I would not disagree with that statement at all.
00:43:48
Two Man Forecheck
ah and It literally, i think I've seen at least three of their outfits that look like they were wearing the same thing.
00:43:59
Chris
but Yeah, dallas is Dallas has got some work to do.
00:44:00
Two Man Forecheck
That said...
00:44:02
Chris
It doesn't make sense to get rid of a known talent when you've got so many other things that are more concerning. So I think that whoever these talking heads are talking heads are that are putting this story out there, i think they're doing it for, what's that term they use now in the internet? Oh, clickbait.
00:44:27
Two Man Forecheck
or There's also the fun term of rage farming.
00:44:31
Chris
I've not heard that one. What what is rage farming?
00:44:35
Two Man Forecheck
It's literally posting something it just to annoy the heck out of the target demographic.
00:44:42
Chris
Oh, okay.
00:44:44
Two Man Forecheck
um Or rage bait. Yeah.
00:44:48
Chris
I've not heard that one. Okay. Learn something new every day, I'm told.
00:44:52
Two Man Forecheck
That's what I'm here for.
00:44:54
Chris
Well, you've heard it here first. Jason Robertson's not going anywhere.
00:45:00
Chris
And whether we want to make it a show statement or just a me statement, I don't care.
00:45:05
Two Man Forecheck
it's a Chris statement.
00:45:06
Chris
i He's not going anywhere.
00:45:10
Two Man Forecheck
And someone
00:45:10
Chris
And yet.
Marco Rossi's Contract and Value
00:45:11
Two Man Forecheck
who is probably going someplace, um particularly if, ah particularly if Billy Guerin goes well whale hunting this offseason, as he should, and he finally, finally, finally has the cap space to do so.
00:45:13
Chris
Oh, really?
00:45:30
Chris
Mm-hmm.
00:45:32
Two Man Forecheck
Marco Rossi.
00:45:35
Two Man Forecheck
ah RFA, 23 years old, has put up solid numbers through his first two years, ah first two full years in the NHL. 23-24 was his first full season um twenty one yeah goals nineteen assist forty points um
00:46:01
Two Man Forecheck
And then second season last year, 82 games, 24 goals, for points. um
00:46:09
Chris
But you already said he's an ah RFA. He's not going anywhere. And Bill Guerin, unless his brain has oozed out of his left ear, is not going to let this kid or his right ear pick one.
00:46:18
Two Man Forecheck
not is right here
00:46:21
Chris
I don't care. His brain hasn't oozed out of his head. Bill Guerin is not letting this kid go anywhere. He's going to resign him. He's 23 years old with that kind of talent.
00:46:34
Two Man Forecheck
Well, Jay Pritchard at Nessun seems to believe that there's a potential for a move there. um
00:46:44
Chris
Really?
00:46:45
Two Man Forecheck
i
00:46:46
Chris
And we're giving up what? ah Wait, wait, let me get, we're going to give up um Parker Weatherspoon for him.
00:46:54
Two Man Forecheck
and I probably like Parker Watherspoon more than you do. um ah But I don't A, see that being enough. And yes, the ruins do not have a plethora or a deep, ah a deep well of assets
00:47:09
Chris
Wow, and I thought I didn't know what sarcasm was.
00:47:14
Chris
you're not bringing You're not getting Marco Rossi away. I mean, unless you offer some ridiculous pat. Oh, wait, we got Don Sweeney as GM. Ooh, I almost made that statement. Offering ridiculous package of picks and prospects.
00:47:29
Chris
Not that we have a lot of prospects, but I could see Don Sweeney saying, hey, why don't you take our first, second, third for the next three years and we'll take Marco Rossi.
00:47:40
Chris
Hey, that sounds kind of like the Rick Nash deal. Wait, no.
00:47:46
Chris
I'm sorry. I still have not gotten over the fact that Don Sweeney doesn't know what he's doing.
00:47:49
Two Man Forecheck
Well,
00:47:53
Two Man Forecheck
the rumors state that Rossi has turned down um two contract offers from the from the wild um and is reportedly looking for a seven-year deal at $7 million annually.
00:48:06
Chris
Okay.
00:48:14
Chris
Okay, maybe Marco needs to rethink his position.
00:48:21
Two Man Forecheck
With the cap going
Rossi's Performance and Negotiation Position
00:48:22
Two Man Forecheck
up, that's not a ridiculous ask.
00:48:24
Chris
a
00:48:26
Two Man Forecheck
It's not a ridiculous ask for a center if you're talking about a number two center.
00:48:27
Chris
bit of a
00:48:35
Two Man Forecheck
If you genuinely believe he can be a number two center in the NHL, responsible two-way player, I don't have any complaints about that number at 60 plus points.
00:48:48
Two Man Forecheck
I don't.
00:48:51
Two Man Forecheck
do i Would I genuinely prefer to see more than one season of 60 points before I signed a player to that contract?
00:48:57
Chris
Yes.
00:48:57
Two Man Forecheck
Yes, I would. But
00:49:02
Two Man Forecheck
e the cap's going to be $95 million and change this coming season.
00:49:07
Chris
Do we have confirmation on that?
00:49:09
Two Man Forecheck
When the cap first went into place, it was, what, $30 million 20 years ago?
00:49:16
Chris
and Okay.
00:49:19
Two Man Forecheck
7 million now is not anything comparable to 7 million then.
00:49:26
Chris
I don't know. I think that I was...
00:49:29
Two Man Forecheck
It's really not even comparable to 7 million going into ah the COVID era.
00:49:43
Chris
seven by six
00:49:50
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah, the first, going back to the 05-06 season, the very first cap number was $39 million.
00:49:51
Chris
i'll give him this i'll give him the seven years
00:49:59
Chris
i'll give him some i'll give him I'll give him seven years, but six million.
00:50:08
Two Man Forecheck
I don't know that he takes that.
00:50:11
Chris
Well,
00:50:16
Chris
I'm sorry to say, but ah i know I want to see. It's kind of like the whole Morgan Geeky thing. If he turns around and says to the Bruins that he wants seven years, seven million dollars, I'm not even willing to give Morgan Geeky that money because I've only seen him do 33 goals once.
00:50:39
Chris
I want to see consistency
00:50:47
Chris
before I start doling out six, seven, eight million dollars a year.
00:50:57
Chris
Am I wrong?
00:51:00
Chris
Is it wrong to ask for consistency? Is it is it say is it okay for a... and don't know. To me, it's inmates running the asylum at this point because the teams still have to stay under a cap number in order to
00:51:17
Chris
in order to play.
00:51:20
Chris
I understand that everybody wants to get paid. I've said many times that I get it. you know they They have a limited window in which to earn their keep. But at the same point in time, if y'all want to play for a Stanley Cup, you have to be willing to...
00:51:35
Two Man Forecheck
So Marco Rossi was second on the team in scoring this year. Total points.
00:51:39
Chris
Okay.
00:51:41
Two Man Forecheck
Only Matt Boldy had more points.
00:51:46
Two Man Forecheck
um
00:51:50
Two Man Forecheck
Let me pull up some of the other accompanying numbers.
00:51:55
Two Man Forecheck
um
Minnesota's Strategic Options if Rossi Unsigned
00:51:56
Two Man Forecheck
In the playoffs...
00:52:00
Two Man Forecheck
Two goals, one assist, three points, half point per game. Not actually fantastic.
00:52:06
Chris
Exactly.
00:52:08
Two Man Forecheck
22.2 shooting percentage, one power play goal. um Going back to the regular season.
00:52:13
Chris
so
00:52:16
Chris
So he s scored two goals and one of them was on a power play.
00:52:21
Two Man Forecheck
Yes.
00:52:22
Chris
Hmm. Okay.
00:52:23
Two Man Forecheck
Regular season. 17 his goals were even strength goals. um He had two overtime goals, three game winners, 17.7 shooting percentage.
00:52:38
Two Man Forecheck
um
00:52:41
Two Man Forecheck
let's see
00:52:43
Chris
I'm not saying the kid's not talented. i just I just don't know that he can be going around asking for $7 million. He can ask. I shouldn't say it that way. He can ask for $7 million. I don't think that he should go around expecting to get it unless he's going to get it from somebody like a Chicago or a San Jose where they're still building and somebody as young and as talented as he is, they can build around. Then you certainly give him... i don't see it happening in Minnesota.
00:53:11
Chris
And I don't think Bill Guerin is going to... play along. He doesn't strike me as a type that's going to be like, oh, okay. Yeah, that sounds like good. Here you go.
00:53:20
Two Man Forecheck
He actually had one of the better faceoff win percentages ah and the second highest faceoff win total for the Minnesota Wild in the regular season.
00:53:32
Two Man Forecheck
um It wasn't a great number 46.8%.
00:53:32
Chris
Okay.
00:53:35
Two Man Forecheck
at forty six point eight percent um but he still won 464 face-offs, took 992.
00:53:47
Two Man Forecheck
Only Frederick gru Goudreau took more face-offs than he did. um Joel Eriksson-Ack, who, you know, won a soon-to-be Bergeron award, um,
00:54:03
Two Man Forecheck
He was only at 47.1 this year
00:54:08
Two Man Forecheck
and 130 less face-offs. He did admittedly spend quite a bit of time on the injured reserve, but...
00:54:21
Two Man Forecheck
um Penalty kill...
00:54:21
Chris
so if he goes So if you go with if you go with the other now
00:54:33
Chris
useful term that teams go by, percent of the cap, according to our friends at Cap Wages, million seven years at four 7,389,000. So is digestible for Guerin? Okay.
00:54:55
Chris
seven five percent of the cash
00:55:01
Chris
you put it into those kind of numbers does it make it more digestible for bill garin
00:55:07
Two Man Forecheck
I mean, seven and a half percent of your cap. If this is going to be your number two center. Yeah, I'm okay with that.
00:55:17
Chris
okay
00:55:22
Two Man Forecheck
um It doesn't look like he spent a huge amount of time on the penalty kill. ah but With that, it's kind of hard to know how much of that is coaching and how much of that is just the team or yeah and his ah and how much of it is his ability. he's You've got guys like Marcus Foligno on the team um who kills a lot of penalties. um You've got Frederick Goudreau, who I believe kills a decent number of penalties.
00:55:59
Two Man Forecheck
You've got Joel Eriksson-Ak that's going to eat a big chunk
00:56:06
Chris
Yeah.
00:56:09
Chris
Fair enough.
00:56:16
Chris
i'm not i'm not just I'm not saying that Marco Rossi isn't worth it. I'm just saying that I would like to see...
00:56:25
Chris
Unfortunately, you don't we don't have that luxury because the decision has to be made now
00:56:28
Two Man Forecheck
No. um
00:56:34
Chris
or by July first
00:56:39
Two Man Forecheck
I will not be surprised if he gets $7 million somewhere.
00:56:44
Chris
And it will probably be from Minnesota.
00:56:47
Two Man Forecheck
I don't know. If he's turned down two contracts already,
Stanley Cup Finals Game 1 Review
00:56:51
Two Man Forecheck
um i don't i don't see Guerin as the type of guy who wants to drag out contract negotiations that long or set a precedence for dragging out contract negotiations that long and knowing what sort of big fish are available this summer, i think he'd rather roll the dice.
00:57:09
Two Man Forecheck
um
00:57:09
Chris
Okay.
00:57:11
Two Man Forecheck
Rossi doesn't even have arbitration eligibility. So if he's not signed by July 1st, it doesn't really hamper, um it doesn't really hamper Garen and he can go sign those big fish and if it doesn't and if he still if he finds someone who can replace Rossi he can just trade Rossi at that point
00:57:25
Chris
Okay.
00:57:41
Two Man Forecheck
in fact
00:57:41
Chris
Pavel Zaka and a third or Pavel Zaka and a second.
00:57:49
Two Man Forecheck
um In fact, to a certain mindset, it makes more sense to sign someone and then trade him because then you have the you don't have the pressure of people saying, well, what do you have for replacement? um And you can go after the prospects and or picks that you want or total number of assets that you want on the other side.
00:58:19
Two Man Forecheck
And if no one bites on the trade market, you can say, look, hey, no one wants you. No one wants to deal with the number that you're talking about. Take a bridge deal, $5 million for the next two years. We'll get you traded before it's over.
00:58:38
Chris
Pablo Zaka and a second.
00:58:42
Two Man Forecheck
um You would need to trade me three seconds to take Pavel Zaka, but that's just...
00:58:53
Chris
I don't know that the Bruins, I don't know the Bruins have.
00:58:53
Two Man Forecheck
Okay. Let's jump into the finals. Um, before we let, let's talk about game one as a whole. um
00:59:03
Chris
Uh-huh.
00:59:04
Two Man Forecheck
and we'll talk about the broadcast teams and we'll save your angry topic for after we've done, after we're done.
00:59:12
Chris
Okay. My angry topic. Okay.
00:59:15
Two Man Forecheck
Game one starts off. We're playing in Edmonton. It's a very lively crowd. um, And somewhat to my surprise, somewhat to my surprise, Edmonton jumps out to an early lead.
00:59:25
Chris
Well, should hope so. It's a Stanley Cup final.
00:59:30
Chris
Mm-hmm.
00:59:34
Two Man Forecheck
They get that first goal.
00:59:38
Two Man Forecheck
I don't think that Florida looked sleepy.
00:59:43
Two Man Forecheck
I think that game one, they played a much more reactive game than they probably should have.
00:59:50
Chris
They weren't. My first inclination was that Florida was not playing their game. They were not on the front foot.
01:00:01
Chris
They were not taking the lead, so to speak. They were, as you say, reacting to what Edmonton was doing to them.
01:00:15
Chris
That's the impression i got.
01:00:17
Two Man Forecheck
it It felt like they were trying to let Edmonton punch themselves out.
01:00:26
Two Man Forecheck
And when they came back to tie the game late,
01:00:32
Two Man Forecheck
things sort of fell apart. They just didn't have the momentum in order to hold on and get out with the win.
01:00:43
Chris
Okay.
01:00:46
Two Man Forecheck
I don't think that they played a bad game. i think that the broadcast in both games was... The sort of fan worship you see from people at, like...
01:01:00
Chris
If your name is not Connor McDavid, they weren't talking about you.
01:01:05
Two Man Forecheck
it was It was the sort of ridiculous, over-the-top responses that you see in, like, Big Bang Theory when the gang shows up at Comic-Con or something.
01:01:06
Chris
Okay. Yep. Okay.
01:01:17
Chris
okay yeah
01:01:17
Two Man Forecheck
Like, for the whole broadcast. Like, you could tell when they got really tired towards the end, halfway through the first overtime for Game 2, because they accidentally started saying nice things about the Florida of Panthers.
01:01:20
Chris
up
01:01:32
Chris
Yes, I noticed that. I was shocked.
01:01:38
Two Man Forecheck
I was both shocked and confused and I wasn't even drinking that night. So I was wondering exactly why my, uh, why my electrolytes were making me hallucinate.
01:01:51
Two Man Forecheck
Um,
01:01:51
Chris
i I vaguely remember hearing the phrase, great save by Bogrovsky. And I was just like, excuse me, what? Excuse me, what?
01:02:02
Chris
Did they just compliment the Florida goaltender?
01:02:08
Two Man Forecheck
But it was it was both games. it It's been obnoxious listening to it as a hockey fan who is not a fan of either team. Is McDavid a great player?
01:02:21
Two Man Forecheck
Yes, he is. Is Dreisaitl a great player? Yes, he is. But they're not the only players on that roster who belong in the NHL.
01:02:30
Chris
Nope.
01:02:32
Two Man Forecheck
Darnell Nurse is a legit NHL player.
01:02:36
Chris
Yes, he is.
01:02:38
Two Man Forecheck
um Evander Kane is a legit NHL player.
01:02:46
Two Man Forecheck
there're Those guys are contributing. those Those guys are playing big boy hockey. um yeah i mentioned Nugent Hopkins last week. I'm not going to belabor that one.
01:03:01
Two Man Forecheck
ah But the way that the broadcast makes it sound There's only two players on the Edmonton Oilers and just some cardboard cutouts that skate around out there.
01:03:05
Chris
But see, he doesn't.
01:03:09
Chris
No, there's three.
01:03:13
Chris
No, there's three. There's a third player they love.
01:03:19
Two Man Forecheck
they They have talked about Corey Perry a lot.
01:03:23
Chris
Thank you. I knew you would get there without me saying his name. They love Connor McDavid.
01:03:27
Two Man Forecheck
Look, I love Corey Perry. I love Corey Perry since he was a young Anaheim player. um
01:03:35
Chris
Yes.
01:03:37
Chris
But they brought
01:03:38
Two Man Forecheck
half half of me thinks that they're enjoying his play as much because he's the closest person to their age on the rosters.
01:03:48
Chris
I was trying not to go there, but yeah, I agree. I do agree. they meant If they
Broadcast Team Critique
01:03:53
Chris
mention one more time that he's 39 or 40, because ah couple of times I've heard that he's 40 years old and he's not 40 yet. He's 39.
01:04:03
Two Man Forecheck
No, I think his birthday was this week.
01:04:05
Chris
Oh, was it? Okay.
01:04:07
Two Man Forecheck
May 16th.
01:04:09
Two Man Forecheck
So
01:04:09
Chris
Yeah.
Florida's Game 2 Adaptation and Key Performances
01:04:10
Two Man Forecheck
two weeks ago.
01:04:11
Chris
So he did just turn 40. Okay.
01:04:13
Two Man Forecheck
Just turned 40.
01:04:14
Chris
All right. Fair enough.
01:04:16
Two Man Forecheck
But, you know, Corey Perry is on the team and contributing. Victor Arvidsson. Adam Henrique is a guy who's sort of gotten lost in the shuffle. And... Honestly, as much as i have enjoyed, as much as I greatly enjoyed Trent Frederick's time in Boston, i think Adam Henrique is one of those guys who i would be over the moon for to see him win ah if Edmonton manages to pull the series out.
01:04:41
Chris
Okay.
01:04:42
Two Man Forecheck
He's, I mean, Adam Henrique is 35 years old and he's played on some of the worst teams in the league and throughout his career.
01:04:45
Chris
He spent...
01:04:49
Chris
Yeah. I was just about to say, he spent a lot of time languishing on bad Devils teams.
01:04:57
Two Man Forecheck
And then bad um bad and bad Anaheim teams.
01:05:02
Chris
Mm-hmm.
01:05:04
Two Man Forecheck
I mean, he is and he's ah he's seven games away from his 1,000th regular season game, and that's with ah walkout a a COVID-shortened season, and a couple of injuries ah in his past.
01:05:25
Two Man Forecheck
He's now, with the
Brad Marchand's Game 2 Achievements
01:05:26
Two Man Forecheck
18 he added this year and the 17 he added last year, only 63 games into his ah playoff career in the NHL.
01:05:39
Chris
Spent a lot of time on bad Devils teams.
01:05:42
Two Man Forecheck
He played his first NHL game, ah we just one, back in the 2010-2011 season. spent ah broken in the 2011-2012 season
01:05:58
Two Man Forecheck
where he got his first 24 playoff games and then from that season the 11-12 until he played four games in the 17-18 season for Anaheim and then from the 17-18 season until the twenty three twenty four
01:06:14
Chris
See, bit of see
01:06:19
Two Man Forecheck
after he was traded from Anaheim to Edmonton, playoff games.
01:06:27
Chris
but for me the for me, the stat that I look at with him, because I never knew him as a solid centerman, solid, or not solid centerman, but solid face-off man.
01:06:43
Chris
The last eight years of his career, he's over 50%. 52.8, 55, It 55.4, 55.5. drops little. 51.1, 53.3, 52.9. This year, 55.6. mean, become...
01:06:51
Chris
fifty five point five a little fifty one one fifty three three fifty two nine this year fifty five point six i mean he's become one of the better face-off men in the NHL.
01:07:08
Chris
Whereas earlier in his career, he was always under 50%, 47, 48, 44.
01:07:09
Two Man Forecheck
Yep.
01:07:12
Chris
forty seven forty eight forty four I mean, it he has, he has learned his craft and improved his skillset to where he's now one of the better face-off men in the NHL
01:07:30
Two Man Forecheck
Absolutely. He's 35.
01:07:31
Chris
at, at 30, thirty
01:07:34
Two Man Forecheck
<unk>s thirty five
01:07:35
Chris
35 years old. I mean, damn
01:07:40
Two Man Forecheck
yeah I mean, there's there's a bunch of guys who you want to talk about. I know
Marchand's Career Achievements and Impact
01:07:48
Two Man Forecheck
hawkey hockey is the team sport, the logo on the front, yada, yada, yada.
01:07:53
Two Man Forecheck
But if you, as a hockey fan, if the Edmonton Oilers pull this series out, can't be happy for Adam Henrik and the journey that he has had,
01:08:06
Two Man Forecheck
that's a you issue?
01:08:08
Chris
Yes.
01:08:10
Two Man Forecheck
um evan bouchard he's an rfa with arbitration eligibility this summer 25 years old it'll be 26 when the season's or just after the start of the season he made 3.9 million this year you think he's going to get paid wherever it is he plays next year
01:08:37
Chris
Uh, yeah.
01:08:40
Two Man Forecheck
67 points, which is down from the season before, um
01:08:47
Two Man Forecheck
as a defenseman. Over a point per game in the playoffs, so an actual bump in points percentage, um actually...
01:09:03
Two Man Forecheck
In his last three playoff runs, he's been over a point per game all three runs. 17 points in 12 games, 32 points in 25, and currently sitting at 21 and 18.
01:09:17
Chris
Yeah, and doesn't get consideration for the Offensive Defenseman of the Year award.
01:09:25
Two Man Forecheck
ah You know, people are going to hate hearing this, but Chia Pete did a good job drafting him.
01:09:33
Chris
Yes, they didn't do a du they didn't do a very good job drafting defensemen that actually played defense.
01:09:39
Two Man Forecheck
Well, no, there that that that just doesn't happen up there.
01:09:43
Chris
Right. But drafting him was a smart move, and Unfortunately, because his name is not Cal McCarr, his name is not Quinn Hughes, he doesn't get, like i said, consideration for the Norris, the Offensive Defenseman of the Year Award.
01:10:01
Chris
Even though his numbers bear out that he should be in consideration. I'm not saying he should win it, but based on the way Yes. Yes.
01:10:12
Two Man Forecheck
the voting is actually done and the conversations around it are done.
01:10:13
Chris
yeah
01:10:15
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah.
01:10:18
Chris
He should at least be in the conversation. And if you had a ah postseason offensive defensive man a year, he's got to be up there as well.
01:10:27
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah, it would have to have been his the last three years.
01:10:33
Chris
That being said, when they got to game two, Florida looked more like Florida. They weren't playing. And I thought this when I watched game one.
01:10:45
Chris
it almost seemed like Florida was trying to play Edmonton's game.
01:10:50
Two Man Forecheck
Yeah, there's a little bit of that.
01:10:51
Chris
work florida Florida is the type of team where they're constantly throwing pucks at the net. It doesn't have to be the best shot, but take a shot. In game one, they looked like they were trying to find the best shot.
01:11:07
Chris
In game two, they went back to being, we'll just shoot the damn puck.
01:11:14
Chris
And they were more physical and they were more aggressive in the corners and they were actually
01:11:23
Chris
m they were actually applying the pressure instead of trying to
Controversial Officiating in the Finals
01:11:28
Chris
absorb the pressure.
01:11:33
Two Man Forecheck
You're not wrong. I think that that's the biggest difference between the two games. Obviously, the outcome was ah was different. And the fact that Brad Marchand scored not only his shorthanded goal early in the third period, I believe it was,
01:11:56
Chris
Yeah.
01:11:57
Two Man Forecheck
but then at 30 and a lot goes out and gets the double overtime game winner.
01:12:04
Chris
as As Eddie Olchek would say, the OTGWG
01:12:11
Two Man Forecheck
um that That says a lot about what is going on with Brad Marchand, and it really, whether you're a Boston Bruins fan or a Don Sweeney fan or Brad Marchand fan,
01:12:24
Two Man Forecheck
makes you question the wisdom of trading this guy away.
01:12:28
Chris
here's the Here's the thing, though. If you are a fit if you are a a true fan, not necessarily a casual one, but somebody who really fought, can you really be surprised by the fact that Brad has done in Game 2 what he has done throughout his career?
01:12:48
Chris
I mean, he holds the franchise record for shorthanded goals for the Bruins. Doesn't he also hold or close to the top of the list for game winners or overtime game winners? I mean, he it's what he's known for. He's done it his whole career.
01:13:09
Two Man Forecheck
Um, he is the rat with a fork.
01:13:10
Chris
It's not something that...
01:13:12
Two Man Forecheck
Uh, yeah, he does tend to stick them in and stick them in late. Um,
01:13:18
Chris
apparently there's Apparently there's a little thing they do at the end of the games where people throw rats on the ice and they shoot him at him when he's coming off the ice. I don't understand that one, but okay.
01:13:29
Chris
oh
01:13:35
Chris
They actually showed it when he was finished interviewing with Bissonette. He's like, yeah, got to go get the rat shot. okay I'm like, what is he talking about? The rat shot. Actually, no, he's skating off, and one of the players, I think it was Bennett, was shooting rats at him or something.
01:13:53
Chris
Okay.
01:13:56
Chris
and just i'm I'm not surprised that he scored a shorthanded goal. I'm not surprised at all.
01:14:00
Two Man Forecheck
So he's fifth among all active NHL players in game-winning goals.
01:14:07
Chris
Okay.
01:14:12
Two Man Forecheck
um There's a bunch of other references, a bunch of other ah places where he's in the standings. um
01:14:22
Chris
But as far as i
01:14:23
Two Man Forecheck
I like hockey reference for that stuff, but... um
01:14:26
Chris
as far as I recall, in Bruins franchise history, he's like number one in shorties and up near, if not on top of the list for game winners. and I mean, it's something that he's done.
01:14:41
Chris
Something he's done his whole career. Shouldn't be surprised by it. He...
01:14:45
Two Man Forecheck
um Yes, active shorthanded goal leaders in the NHL. He's first. um
01:14:52
Chris
Yep.
01:14:53
Two Man Forecheck
And in the end, he's got a total of, he's eighth over on the all-time list.
01:15:02
Chris
So a conversation we're going to be having probably in ah another year or two, maybe three.
01:15:11
Two Man Forecheck
Based on the way he's playing right now, four or five. Yeah.
01:15:15
Chris
Yes. However long the kind however long it is the conversation is going to be h of
01:15:22
Two Man Forecheck
i i I think that right, well, just on the short career shorthanded goals list, um he is four away from having sole possession of fifth.
01:15:23
Chris
I say yes, but...
01:15:38
Two Man Forecheck
um And that would jump him past Fedorov, Poulin, Curry, and Goring.
01:15:46
Two Man Forecheck
He's currently tied for eighth place with Sergei Fedorov.
01:15:52
Chris
Something that a lot of people don't know about Fedorov is that he actually killed penalties. People think that he's strictly an offensive player. Fedorov was one of the best penalty killers in the NHL.
01:16:05
Two Man Forecheck
um I don't think that but that Brad is going to play long enough to catch Wayne or, ah well, any of the top four. Mario Lemieux is at which is why I said that hitting 40 is probably, with four more in his career, is probably where we can expect him to top out.
01:16:19
Chris
Okay.
01:16:33
Chris
Yeah, and still HOF, so.
01:16:37
Two Man Forecheck
I mean, he's top he's already top 10, no matter how you count it. ah
01:16:44
Chris
Yep.
01:16:48
Chris
And the Bruins should seriously think about bringing him back.
01:16:52
Two Man Forecheck
a
01:16:53
Chris
unless he doesn't Unless he doesn't want to.
01:16:56
Two Man Forecheck
i
01:16:56
Chris
No, he needs to retire with a spoke be on his chest. I'm sorry.
01:17:01
Two Man Forecheck
I see. i would love to see that, but i also hate the ceremonial comeback.
01:17:08
Chris
I'm not saying come back ceremonially. I'm saying they need to find a way to bring him back. I think that there's still ah there's still a place for him on this team. His leadership, his experience, playoff-wise and otherwise, is still going to be a help in the locker room.
01:17:25
Chris
I'm not saying bring him back ceremonially. I'm saying you need to bring him back. I think trading him was a but and mistake. I understand. No, actually, I don't understand why they did it. I i mean...
01:17:38
Chris
You're not doing this as like a a Ray Bork situation where you were trading him because the you know, you need to bring him back.
01:17:51
Chris
Sorry. It needs to happen.
01:17:55
Two Man Forecheck
I don't disagree with you. um i just don't see Sweeney admitting to something that would be a mistake.
01:18:06
Chris
Unfortunately, I agree with that statement.
01:18:10
Chris
because I don't see him admitting to mistakes either. And he makes many of them. I'm not saying I'm perfect.
01:18:15
Two Man Forecheck
including thed ability and Including the inability to admit to mistakes.
01:18:21
Chris
Yes.
01:18:22
Two Man Forecheck
So we've only got a couple of minutes left. We're going to do, we did a poll asking our readers, listeners, whatever. ah And neither one of us has written a post in a couple of years, but um who will win the Stanley cup this year? 80% of the votes Oilers.
01:18:44
Chris
Really?
01:18:46
Two Man Forecheck
I can't get behind that. i can't I certainly can't get behind that strong a split. um I think that both teams are better than they were last year.
01:19:00
Two Man Forecheck
But I still think that the Panthers added better.
01:19:05
Chris
I'm wondering if a lot of the and NHL officials actually voted in our poll.
01:19:11
Two Man Forecheck
don't know.
01:19:14
Chris
You tried to avoid this, but I'm not letting it get away.
01:19:18
Two Man Forecheck
Okay, you have three minutes. Go.
01:19:22
Chris
I'm sorry. I know that I can come across as biased and I'm not as biased as, as some. Thank you, Jack. ah But I'm watching two teams that I have no dog in the fight and If the NHL isn't trying to actually put the cup on Connor McDavid, they're doing a very good sell job that they are.
01:19:48
Chris
I'm sorry with the penalty calls. They're getting ridiculous. Sam Bennett,
NHL Officiating Concerns
01:19:53
Chris
game two, called for goalie interference. Watch the replay. a no referee raised their arm to call a penalty in the instance that it happened.
01:20:04
Chris
After they replayed it on the big screen, crowd reaction, suddenly there was an announcement that there was a two-minute penalty being given for goalie interference. He was pushed into the Stuart Skinner by Matthias Ekholm.
01:20:19
Chris
He was not in there of his own volition. He was trying to avoid the goaltender.
01:20:25
Chris
And, oh wait, then they scored a power play goal because we know how good on the power play Edmonton is. couple of minutes later, another call, questionable.
01:20:36
Chris
Was his arm up? Yeah. Have I seen worse calls not made in that situation? Yes, I have. But suddenly, i want to say it was either Lundell or Mikola, who's called for roughing when all he did was check the guy with his arm raised to his chest level.
01:20:55
Chris
During that power play, there was another call made on Seth Jones for holding.
01:20:59
Two Man Forecheck
Oh,
01:21:02
Chris
when in the very same instance, and the reason he was holding was that he was cross-checked from behind by Ryan Nugent Hopkins, but somehow they didn't see that.
01:21:13
Chris
They only saw the Seth Jones holding. What were looking at in the split second between the cross-check and the holding?
01:21:15
Two Man Forecheck
i'll keep going.
01:21:21
Chris
what Was there a bird flying around? did do I mean, what was...
01:21:25
Two Man Forecheck
I did see the bird. It was a flamingo. It flew ah from one goal to the other and then disappeared into the crowd.
01:21:32
Chris
I'm sorry. i understand that Connor McDavid is the best player in the world. ah
01:21:38
Two Man Forecheck
Sort of. Yeah.
01:21:39
Chris
Maybe, maybe best player in the NHL.
01:21:42
Two Man Forecheck
Top five.
01:21:43
Chris
Maybe, but you so desperately want him to have a Stanley cup to his name that you're starting to, in my opinion, look like the NFL.
01:21:58
Two Man Forecheck
And when you say look like the NHL, NFL, go ahead.
01:21:58
Chris
And I don't like, look, ah the The whole thing with the referees helping Kansas City get to the stand get to the Super Bowl. And that was proven because the officials came out and said they made a mistake.
01:22:14
Chris
And the NFL came out and said that the officials were wrong and that they made a mistake. After it happened.
01:22:21
Two Man Forecheck
After it happens. Hmm. Do you think you'll see any sort of admission by the and ah ah by the and NHL and the NHL of officials?
01:22:27
Chris
ah i I think Gary Bettman rides in the same boat as Don Sweeney, and neither one of them has the ability to admit when they make mistakes.
01:22:38
Two Man Forecheck
That was your three minutes.
01:22:40
Chris
You really did not time me, but I'm sorry.
01:22:42
Two Man Forecheck
I ah genuinely timed you.
01:22:42
Chris
that
01:22:46
Chris
but Fair enough.
01:22:50
Two Man Forecheck
Because i know from our pre-show discussion that you could easily go 35 minutes just on the officiating.
01:22:59
Chris
I just want consistency. I've said it all along. I don't care that you make 20 penalty calls in a game or zero. I just want consistency. And unfortunately, I'm not seeing that right now.
01:23:15
Two Man Forecheck
I would say that the officiating has definitely been favorable to Edmonton, whether it's it. And it does, it does feel like it is definitely something that they're leaning towards, uh, leaning into is but in putting the, putting the cup into the Edmonton, uh,
01:23:42
Two Man Forecheck
hands this season. It just, and i and I think that you could see some of that in the last two series as well. It wasn't as obvious because Edmonton was very clearly the better team um and playing better in those series.
01:23:57
Chris
yeah and Yeah, I thought I saw it in the Dallas.
01:23:59
Two Man Forecheck
I don't think that Edmonton actually is a better team. And if they are, it's only by hair.
01:24:07
Chris
I thought I saw it in the Dallas series, but the problem is Dallas didn't do anything to help themselves either, which made it a little bit more murky.
01:24:18
Chris
But in this series, it's kind of been blatant, and i hope that it straightens out. Because I don't want to think that the sport that I love is going down that path.
01:24:31
Two Man Forecheck
ah
Final Thoughts on Stanley Cup and Draft
01:24:32
Two Man Forecheck
It would be bad to turn into the NFL. It would be worse to turn into the and NBA.
01:24:38
Chris
Yeah, well, yeah, there's that too.
01:24:40
Two Man Forecheck
Where it just so happens that the current NHL commissioner came from.
01:24:47
Two Man Forecheck
Not that I'm drawing connections of any sort.
01:24:51
Chris
At all, ever.
01:24:51
Two Man Forecheck
I am definitely not trying to influence people to infer anything about the selection of officials.
01:24:59
Chris
No inferences are being made here.
01:25:04
Two Man Forecheck
And that, hockey fans... We'll be right back.
01:25:10
Two Man Forecheck
there is so much coverage of the combine out there ah we did not get a chance to talk about it today um maybe if chris and i are bored midweek ah we'll put up a special ah talking about the combine and some of the ah players but we will absolutely have a show dedicated to the draft ah closer to the draft both a preview and a postmortem um Have a great week.
01:25:37
Chris
It'll be a post-mortem when the Bruins pick. Ooh, I said that out loud.
01:25:41
Two Man Forecheck
oh Depending on the who the Bruins pick, post-mortem could become a slightly more literal than ah than usual um because i
01:25:48
Chris
Yeah.
01:25:51
Two Man Forecheck
I do not love this draft. um I think there's some really interesting players. Michael Mieser, for instance, who's going to go top three, top five. um
01:26:01
Chris
i got a couple I've got a couple of names that might be interesting.
01:26:01
Two Man Forecheck
But...
01:26:04
Chris
Yeah.
01:26:05
Two Man Forecheck
I don't, this is not a 2003 draft. ah This feels more like a 2006 or or so draft.
01:26:13
Chris
There is going to be another 2003 draft.
01:26:18
Two Man Forecheck
Take care folks. We'll be back.