The Hockey News Big Show: Breaking Down The Islanders' Surprising Coaching Change
Devan Dubnyk, Ryan Kennedy and Michael Traikos discuss the Islanders' coaching change, what comes next for Patrick Roy, Dubnyk's experience facing Alex Ovechkin and much more
Video Transcript
It's a little terrifying because you absolutely cannot miss.
Goalies now are completely at a premium.
Not, right?
Like Canada doesn't have a ton of great options.
Welcome to the Hockey News Big Show.
I am Ryan Kennedy, joined by Michael Traikos and Devin Dubnyk.
And oh, we have some news.
If you thought the Vegas Golden Knights had fired their coach late in the season, the New York Islanders are here to say, "Hold my root beer."
GM Matthew Garasch fires Patrick Roy with four games remaining in the season, replaces him immediately with Pete DeBoer, the, veteran coach who, let's face it, was probably the top free agent coach on the market for the summer.
and the Islanders, who have been in a swoon, winning only three of their past 10, desperately need to basically win those last four games if they wanna punch their ticket to the playoffs, which looked like it was gonna be a foregone conclusion just a couple of weeks ago.
right now they're fourth in the Metro, and they are not in the wild cards spot.
last time DeBoer coached, was with Dallas, of course, and, it did not end well with the infamous Jake Oettinger press conference after they were bounced in the playoffs, by Edmonton.
But he did have a 149, 68 and 29 record, and went to the Western Conference Final in each of his three seasons in Dallas.
So Michael Traikos, let's go to you first on this one.
Thoughts on this, incredible move by the Islanders.
what are your initial thoughts on the, the firing and hiring?
for me, it just speaks to how much the goalposts have changed, with the Islanders, Ryan.
Like this was a team at the beginning of the season that no one was really picking as a, a playoff contender.
And basically because of Matthew Shafer, because of their goaltender, you know, they've willed themselves into the playoff hunt.
And I think ever since they acquired Brayden Schenn, and spent a lot to get him on, on the roster, you know, it, it really They, they, they really do have to make the playoffs.
And this is not a team that's playing with house money anymore.
I think that, you know, the, the, it's a desperate move for a team that I think is desperate to get into the playoffs.
So you know, you don't see moves like this typically, but now here we are.
I'm just waiting for the next shoe to drop.
Like is Edmonton now all of a sudden gonna be changing their coach?
Like what's next, Ryan?
Yeah, really.
Patrick Roy to Edmonton.
I don't know if that's the, best idea right now.
the interesting thing about the timing of the move, as late as it is, the Islanders don't play again until Thursday, and they play Toronto, at that.
A team that obviously we know is, is not in playoff contention, to put it mildly.
So Pete DeBoer will actually have some practice time with New York before their first game.
Devin, y- you know, this is a coach who's been around a long time, has a, has had a lot of success, although he's never won a Stanley Cup as a head coach.
what do you think he'll be able to bring to this Islanders team in Let's start with the short-term, which is the rest of this season.
Well, yeah, the short-term is gonna be, what they're hoping for is, is a coach's bump which has happened a couple times this year with, with Bonus and, and Tortorella now in Vegas.
I think Vegas is 3 and 0 now, with Tortorella behind the bench, and that's really in the very, very short-term is exactly what the Islanders need.
They need a short boost right now to get into the playoffs.
And so I think that that probably, you know, as, as shortsighted as it seems, might have gone into the, the thought process of doing it this late in the season.
Like, "Hey, we, we need this boost, and if we get it, we can get over the hump and get to the playoffs."
you know, Pete, he's, he's an all-around game, obviously defensive.
You know, all good coaches are, are kind of on that defensive side.
But he coached a very good Dallas team very close to the Stanley Cup Final.
he's, he's coached many different rosters.
He knows, again, he's a veteran guy, that knows what he's gonna have to deal with.
I think that, the fact that they don't play till Thursday is big.
he can have a actual chance to implement some stuff.
You look at Tortorella jumping in there.
I mean, he even said he was just kinda relying on the assistant coaches in that first game, trying to figure out who's who and who plays where and what.
so Pete DeBoer's gonna have a little more time here.
But I think that, that the timing-wise of it, they, they probably already were leaning heavily against making this decision in the off-season, barring some sort of magnificent playoff run.
So it's kinda one of those things, why wait?
You have that combination of needing the boost.
You have Pete DeBoer being available and obviously interested.
And so things can change quickly.
They can change any time.
So if you have Pete DeBoer, who's the guy that you want, who's ready to put pen to paper, why wait and ha- maybe after the season another team come along and say, "Hey, Pete, look at this.
Maybe this looks a little nicer, a little, little nicer weather, a little nicer tax," whatever it is, right?
Just don't even let that happen.
And so I think a lot of those things played into this, kind of snap decision.
Yeah, and you know, it's interesting too, 'cause it's not like Pete DeBoer has been completely sidelined all season since getting ousted from Dallas.
He was at the Olympics for Team Canada as an assistant coach, so he's been in the mix.
And it is sort of interesting, because, you know, sort of the rumors I had heard all year long was DeBoer wasn't going to entertain taking another job until after the Olympics.
He was sort of gonna use this year to decompress a little bit from, you know, the, the Dallas situation, and then obviously concentrate on the Olympics for Team Canada.
And then once that was settled, he would think about, you know, what his next moves are.
Now, did he expect it to happen in season?
Who knows?
But the opportunity, as you pointed out, arose, and, and the Islanders struck before anybody else could.
Mike, I'll go to you on this one.
Um-Do you think this was influenced at all by the Vegas move?
not necessarily the fact that the Islanders saw that it could be done, but just in terms of that expediency of getting their guy.
'Cause there could be a couple of other teams, looking for a head coach this summer.
As, as Devon pointed out, you know, the Islanders wanted to get their guy.
Yeah.
Well, let's face it, like, the Toronto Maple Leafs are You know, they're currently looking for a general manager, but once they get one in place, they're, they're gonna be, you know, trying to get who's ever left.
And, you know, a- at one point we had a list that included Bruce Cassidy, Peter DeBoer, and Peter Laviolette.
Well, one of those high-profile names has now been taken off, and I imagine now there's probably gonna be sort of a, a race to get the next best guy.
So, you know, to Devon's point, if they thought they were gonna make this move in the summer, the Islanders, then, you know, maybe now you c- you do have to strike before a DeBoer is no longer available, and now you're left going, "Okay, well we wanna make a change, but there's no names out there that we like, so we're gonna have to stick with Patrick Roy," who let's remember he's got two more years left on his contract.
So, you know, the, the fact that he was, you know, removed this, you know, you know, with little time, into his tenure, like, what is this, his third year behind the bench?
Made the playoffs, missed the playoffs, and then was en route to at least, you know, being close to a playoff team.
It is a bit shocking.
So I, I think that's where, you know, Ryan, that I think that's where the, the impetus was in terms of making that change.
Not so much about what Vegas did, but, you know, looking around going, "All right, we like this coach," but to Devon's point, is he gonna be available a month from now?
Mm-hmm.
Let's move on to Patrick Roy himself now, because, he's obviously one of the greatest goaltenders to ever play, in the NHL.
His coaching resume is very interesting, because he's never won a round in the NHL playoffs.
and I, I always sort of look back at, you know, when he coached Colorado the first time, they had a incredible regular season.
I think they had 55 wins.
But this was basically when analytics came into the mainstream for hockey, and, all the analytics folks said, "That's not sustainable."
Them winning that division, that was all goaltending.
and, you know, if you look at their possession numbers, they're terrible.
And sure enough, Colorado face planted in the playoffs and, and actually had to sort of build up from there, and now they are o- obviously, you know, both Stanley Cup winners and contenders once again, this season.
But Patrick Roy's also a tremendous junior coach who has won championships in the Quebec League, heading up the Remparts, who are one of the most high-profile organizations in the CW- in the CHL.
So Michael, go to you first on this one.
What does Patrick Roy do next?
Is there another NHL job for him, or do you see him doing something else entirely?
Yeah, I don't know what kind of coach Patrick Roy is.
Because, like you mentioned, like, three years in Colorado and he's out, three years now with the Islanders and he's out.
You know, that kinda reeks of a short shelf life.
And you gotta ask yourself, okay, why is that?
Is it because what you just said, that the style of play is just not sustainable from a, you know, underlying stats perspective, or is he doing something in the room where it works for maybe year one and year two, but then by year three, four, you know, th- this guy is just, you know, you know, he's lost the room, so to speak.
So I don't know.
I, I think, like the Hunters in London, Patrick Roy's always gonna have that sort of safety net where he can go back to, you know, the Quebec Major Junior League, and, you know, obviously have success there.
if he wants another head coaching job, you gotta think, like, okay, who's Who, who would be in the market for a Patrick Roy?
Is, is it a sort of r- a rebuilding, retooling team- that maybe just needs to kind of get back on it?
Because for Colorado, I think they made the playoffs sort of unexpectedly.
For the Islanders, I would argue the same, that he took teams and overachieved with them.
So, you know, maybe there's a team like a Toronto if you think that, you know, they're not in a position to compete for a cup next year, and that maybe this is a, you know, a one to two-year retool.
Maybe Patrick Roy would be perfect in that kind of scenario.
Can you imagine the press conferences every time Toronto - Oh, love it visited the Montreal Canadiens - Love it if Patrick Roy was coaching the Leafs?
Like, I don't kn- I don't know if the press could handle it, in Quebec.
That might be a bridge too far.
Devon, curious your thoughts on, on Patrick Roy as a coach.
From the outside at least, it seems like a guy who's obviously very fiery and emotional, a guy who probably still wants to fight Mikko Rantanen, even though he's no longer employed by the New York Islanders.
I've Seems like a guy that players would probably love to play for in that respect, but I don't You know, what have you heard?
What are, what are your s- What is your sense of what Patrick Roy, brings to the table wherever his next stop may be?
It's, it's interesting, and, and I mean, this would be purely speculation.
I think Michael, commented on, on a bunch of it, like, what, what is it?
Why is it, why is that short shelf life?
We know he's an intense guy, so does that I mean, we, we know with, with the generation now and just how, how coaching is, is that work for a little bit and then, and then guys get tired of it?
And, and that's pure speculation.
Maybe, maybe that's the case.
Does he You know, you look at the analytics side of things, he's a little bit old school.
Does he not really like to, to listen to that stuff?
And some guys don't.
They, they, they'll hear it, but they, you know, heads can start to butt when you have, Patrick Roy, one of the best goaltenders of all time, all he does is win, he's competitive, he's intense, and you've got a numbers cruncher who has never played the game trying to tell him what to do.Some people can swallow that pill and some people can't.
And so if that's something, and, and this is purely speculation, but if that's something that, that is happening, you know, especially if, if teams start to slide and somebody says, "Hey, this isn't working.
Here's why," and he kinda looks at them like, "You don't know what you're talking about," you know, that, that can obviously start to, to create some rifts.
I think for, for Patrick Roy, really he's got time to decide what it, whatever it is that he wants to do.
Maybe he decides to go in management side, and starts- Mm-hmm to look that way, because he's a smart hockey mind.
in the Quebec League I believe he was GM, coach, kind of running the whole thing.
Mm-hmm.
So he knows, what it takes on, on the managing side of it, and that's potentially something Again, this is really gonna be up to him.
He's got two more years paid, so it's never- Mm-hmm that you, you wanna sit out and, and get away from the game that way, but he certainly has a little bit of time to figure that out and kinda decide what is it that he wants to do.
Does he wanna pursue another coaching job or potentially go into that management side, or go back to junior?
I would think that he probably wants to stay on the NHL side of it.
I would imagine, anyway.
I, I believe his kids are all grown up and he's probably doesn't n- need to be, back in Quebec for any specific reason.
And, and obviously coaching or, or managing- Mm-hmm at the NHL level is the best place to be.
You wanna be at the top.
so I, I'd be curious to see, but I, I don't know.
I, I wouldn't be surprised if there's, if he maybe looks at some sort of, managing position somewhere.
Yeah.
But- Well, managing, that is interesting because, you know, it seems like nobody knows how to find a consistent elite goaltender anymore, other than one or two guys.
So maybe having somebody who was an elite goaltender and a Hall of Famer, maybe that could help head up a goaltending department at the NHL level, or something to that effect.
the, one of the reasons that the Islanders are not in a playoff spot right now is the surging Philadelphia Flyers, who are still on a remarkable tear.
and they've won seven of their past 10 games.
Porter Martone, who just joined the team from Michigan State, had the OT winner against the Bruins the other night.
Their schedule has the Devils, Red Wings, Jets, Hurricanes, and Canadiens left on it.
When I'm looking at that schedule, I see games where they could actually win all of them, 'cause you figure Carolina and Montreal, by the time they play them, those teams are locked in.
They have nothing to play for.
Devon, I'll go to you first on this one.
Do the Flyers have what it takes to hold onto third place in the Metro?
the way they're playing right now, absolutely.
And, and that schedule as well.
you know, up until those last two games, those are w- very winnable hockey games.
I mean, every game's winnable the way they're playing right now.
But like you mentioned, those last two, especially that last one against Montreal, if that doesn't matter, that's one of those games where if it doesn't matter to Montreal, you can still, you can still lose 'em for sure.
Mm-hmm.
But if Montreal doesn't ice a full line-up, if they're tiptoeing a little bit going up against a team who, who potentially needs that game- they should be able to take that one.
But, you know, as far as Porter Martone, looks awesome.
what a, what a moment for him to get that overtime winner at home too.
Huge goal.
Exciting time for him.
a- and just, it- it's nice to see.
He's, he's a piece that can be added there.
He's a big kid.
you know, he can go out there and, and, and contribute even if it's not just on the scoreboard.
So I think that's a huge piece.
But when I look at the Philadelphia Flyers, they are playing very disciplined hockey right now.
They are, they are tight, they are locked down.
They played the, the huge game against the Islanders, I don't know when that was, d- a few days ago.
A little longer than that.
But, I watched a little bit of that game and, I mean, they, they just gave nothing.
They were, they were tight, locked down, and, and they've got some big guys scoring in big moments, so.
And the goalies are playing great.
and that's, that's really what it That, that what it was at the start of the season.
They had their dip, and now it's kind of back to that, that same type of stuff.
So, fun times in Philly.
You could see the excitement of that crowd and that overtime winner.
And, I think, I think with their schedule, they're, they're gonna hold on to a playoff spot for sure.
Right on.
Um- Do we owe, Rick Tocchet an apology, guys?
Because it seemed like all this season everyone was criticizing him for how he handled Matvei Michkov, and it was pretty, like, some harsh words to the media about- you know, this kid coming in out of shape.
But, you know, Tocchet's been able to do sort of both this year in Philadelphia, which is develop the young guys for the next step and compete for a playoff spot.
And then getting in a Porter Martone, who I didn't even know if we were even gonna see him in game action when they signed him.
I thought, "All right.
Maybe we'll see him for a garbage time game at the end."
But- Right for this kid to make an impact, you know, a- again, credit to the players, but also to the coaching staff for really making this season sort of, you know It's hard to achieve both, you know, develop players and compete.
And for me, the Flyers have done both to a T. Yeah.
We- And I mean, what a wonderful scenario for some of those young players, where they are still playing important games right up to the end of the season, and it's looking like it could result in playoff games, which would be fantastic.
And Porter Martone, you think about it, he had an incredible season at Michigan State, and I know the Flyers, Danny Briere, were very, you know, they had a lot of praise for, the Spartan program.
just the, you know, the, the weight training that Martone got to do and, and obviously the high level of hockey he played.
I'm gonna throw out a hot take, before we move on to the next topic here.
I'm gonna say within the next year or two-Martone jerseys in Philly will outsell Mischkoff jerseys.
I think they are gonna love Martone, especially the first time he drops the gloves.
He might not do it now, 'cause Devin, as you pointed out, they're locking it down, they're being smart, but this is a guy that has no problem fighting, and he is a big kid.
So that'll be interesting.
Just, just real quick to touch on the coaching side of it, because it is important- Mm-hmm if you think about, putting, putting kids in, in positions to succeed too, which- they got a five on three in overtime, and he put them right down the pipe- Yeah as a shooter.
And so you can bring kids in, but if you don't, you know, if you, if you stick them in, in limited minutes, in, in protected situations, they might go out there and be okay.
But to, to have the trust and, and the will to go out to put, this kid in situations to succeed where he can have those big moments, it, it's gotta be hard to do as a coach.
but it's important as well.
And you see if, if Rick Tocchet doesn't go and stick him as a shooter on a five on three in a must-win hockey game in overtime, then those moments don't happen.
That's a great point.
Great point.
let's stick in the East.
Divisional winners.
we still have a couple of, divisions where we do not know what's going to happen in the end, starting with the Atlantic.
Tampa Bay has got 102 points.
Montreal and Buffalo both have 100, but they have both played one more game than the Lightning at this point.
so Mike, I will go to you first on this one.
Who ends up winning the Atlantic?
Ooh, I'm gonna go Tampa, Ryan.
And they've got a game in hand on Buffalo and Montreal, and I almost feel like Buffalo's happy to finish second and play Montreal in the first round.
'Cause if you don't, if you win the division, it's not like you're playing like an easy team.
Like, as we're talking about it now, every team that's in, on the bubble right now has to win to get in.
Yeah.
And if you're gonna be playing an Ottawa Senators team that right now has a second wildcard spot, or potentially the New York Islanders that has, you know, is getting a coaching bump, and then has Sorokin in net.
Yeah, I'll take the Montreal Canadiens right now, as good as Montreal is.
Yeah.
So I think Tampa wins it, and then Buffalo is happy to take the number two seed.
Devin, quick sidebar on that.
I, when you're heading into the playoffs and you're like a higher seed, you know, a team that might have clinched like a week or two before, do you fear an underdog that had to like play all the way to game 82 and, and scrap their way and, you know, win like five of their last six games?
Like, is that something that teams are aware of?
well, in the East there's not really underdogs.
That's the thing, right- is like, if you look at the points- it's, it's not, I think the fear comes from if you're, you know, 115-point team versus an 80-point team, then you're, you know- Yeah I wouldn't say it's a fear, but it's more of like, "Hey, we should win this."
But if you're talking about Tampa, or Montreal, I think, I, I, I do think Tampa's gonna take it.
I think if anything, Montreal sneaks in and grabs it, because they've been hot as anything right now.
Buffalo's cooled off a little bit, compared to what they were before.
But I think Montreal's got a sneaky chance, other than they might run out of runway- Mm-hmm here, the way they're playing.
But, you look at those teams, and then, and then what you got, that, that group probably has the Boston Bruins, in the first round, assuming Carolina ends up, 'cause I Carolina's first in the East right now.
They'd be getting the second wildcard spot- Yeah match up.
But there's not really, like especially in the East, there's just no You know, if you look at the West, Colorado's gonna grab whoever scrapes their way into that second wildcard spot.
I mean, that should be one of those Darryl Sutter moments, like, "We just extended our season for two weeks."
Right.
"This is all we did."
But not in the East.
And so I don't think any team is gonna be fearful or, or really approaching it like, "Hey, we should win this and we can't, we can't throw this away."
This is, th- this is gonna be absolute battle zone, in every single playoff match up from puck drop.
I- it's not, I wouldn't say 50/50, but you know, when you I, I bet you look at the odds, it's not, they're not that far dipped in the, in the, in the home advantage team.
Mm-hmm.
All right.
Well, the other division that's still in question, Devin, you mentioned Colorado.
We know they're gonna be first, in the Central, but the Pacific, the pillow fight division- it's had a lot of, churn in the past week.
And, part of that, Vegas is, you know, as we mentioned earlier, they have Tortorella now.
They're playing a lot better than they were before that.
Edmonton right now, has 87 points in, in the first spot.
Then you got Anaheim at 87 and Vegas at 86.
They've all played the same amount of games.
Devin, I'll go to you first on this one.
Who do you think wins the Pacific?
I haven't looked at schedules.
but I'm gonna go with, I, I'm gonna go with the Oilers on this one.
I think, you know, they, I think they're five and one.
I think they just, just, they were five and all, and just dropped one to, to Vegas.
but a- and if I'm Edmonton, I'm looking at this saying like, "We gotta, we gotta hammer the gas here and get this first spot."
Because having that opportunity to play, that second wildcard spot, you know, Utah is, is probably a much scarier opponent, than whoever seems There, there were some teams that seemed hot, and then they've cooled off.
Like Nashville was crazy.
But none of, none of those teams are really buzzing that are trying to get into that- that last wildcard spot.
So if I'm Edmonton, or really Vegas, same thing, a- any of those teams, I'm foot on the gas trying to grab that top spot right now.
because I think it's a, it's a pretty big advantage over, fr- a first round match up as a, as a two, three seed.
And, Anaheim's kinda cooled off.
They've start- they've dropped a few that, that- they probably didn't want to.
so we'll see how Edmonton bounces back from that Vegas game, but they've been playing well.
And, you gotta think the motivation is there.Indeed.
Mike, what do you think?
In the, the least Pacific division Yeah.
Devon is- when's Dreisel come back?
Probably game one, would be my guess.
They don't, they don't really say, but- See, that's, that's the, that, that thing that hurts, Edmonton right now.
And, and they're, they're, you know, both Edmonton I think, and Vegas are, you know, playing probably their best hockey, at the moment.
Like, Vegas is onto what, a, a three-game heater, and, you know, Edmonton has gone seven and three in the last 10.
So I will say, I'll, I'll agree with Devon.
I think Edmonton takes the division.
I think they're motivated not to potentially play Vegas in the first round, or even an Anaheim team.
Let's face it, that, that might be the, the scarier first round opponent when you think about just how good that Anaheim team is.
And you know, when that's a healthy team and their goal tending is going well, like, you know, they play playoff hockey.
So- I like, you know, I like Edmonton winning it just so that they can face a Utah team and not have to go up against, you know, either the Ducks or the Golden Knights.
For the record, Utah I believe, has 86 points.
So they could, you know, if they weren't in the Central, they might win.
They might have won the Pacific- I know this year.
But I do see what you're saying.
Um- They don't scare me, though.
Like, they don't seem like a team that's gonna have big success in the playoffs.
Maybe I'm wrong- No, it's kind of one of those, yeah.
It's kind of a group that I think could, they, they could get hot.
Like they could, you, you know, have the, the excitement of, of being, you know, the first, first playoffs in Utah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
The fans could rally, they could get something special going, or not.
Right.
I think there's like, I don't know if there's an in between there or not.
you know, there's potential there, but as far as, yeah, I mean, I'm taking that match up all day over, over a Vegas team who- Yeah who's, or Anaheim, like you mentioned.
Coach Q's been unreal with them this year and- and what he's done there.
again, no, no easy match-ups.
But if you gotta pick, I'm probably taking Utah and, and having that, trying to get that first spot.
Fair enough.
let's talk about a couple of, teams with Es next to their names because they have been eliminated already.
the Chicago Blackhawks and the Florida Panthers.
very different teams.
Florida obviously back-to-back Stanley Cup champions.
Their season marred by injuries before the puck even dropped in game one, and that has continued throughout the campaign.
Chicago still building.
Connor Bedard got off to a red hot start.
We were thinking he might even make the Olympic team.
That didn't happen, and they kinda stalled out, I would say, in the second half.
Mike, I'll go to you first.
what's the most pressing issue for, Chicago and Florida this summer in your mind?
Well, Florida has some, doesn't have to do a darn thing there, Ryan.
All, all they have to do is- Right you know- Deal decide on which player they're gonna add in the draft which is just, it's not fair that they could end up with a- a top 10 pick or even a top five pick, which is, you know, can you imagine if they actually win the thing, and they end up with like a Gavin McKenna to this group or something like that?
That would be hilarious.
Right.
It would be hilarious.
I, I agree.
in regards to Chicago, I think they have to have a summer similar to what we saw in Anaheim or even San Jose.
Like, I think this is the summer to go big on established players, veterans, guys that you can really insulate Connor Bedard.
Not a veteran for the sake of having a veteran.
Like, I like Nick Foligno a lot, but, you know, n- not like a Nick Foligno type.
You don't need to replace just the guy who's been around the block.
Yeah.
I think you need to get some people who can play, like a Chris Kreider type, like how, Anaheim got 'em.
And you know, those kind of players to fill out the roster.
Like, you know you got Bedard, you got Anton Frondel.
but what you don't have are some guys that year after year you can pencil them in for 30 goals.
Feels like, they could really use a veteran defenseman, especially since they- Oh, yeah dealt Connor Murphy, away already.
Devon, I, I think with Florida we know.
The, the answer is just time and heal.
but what do you think Chicago needs to do in the off season?
Yeah, sunshine, saunas, and cold tubs for the Panthers and they'll be just fine.
Yep.
yeah, I think Mike- Michael hit it on the head.
It's, it's really, they're, they're at that spot now and that's gonna be their selling point, right?
Whether, I mean, if they go trade, it's, obviously they don't have to sell much, but, if they're trying to sign guys or whatever it is, is that they've now showed that they're getting close to turning that corner.
They've, they showed promise.
Bedard took a big step this year.
And so it is now that time where you, you, you do have to bring in players that are gonna have a major impact on this group and not just, just like you said, Foligno's great, but he's a, you know, veteran guy to be around to show these young guys what it's like and what, what it takes to be in the league.
you wanna start filling it out, and that's gotta be, the guys this year I think showed enough that they're ready to start to compete for a playoff spot.
And so you do need to fill out this roster with players, spend some money, spend some assets, and fill out this team.
Start to look at this team as a group that's ready to compete for a playoff spot and take that next step.
you know, San Jose did that a little bit this year, or a lot I should say.
From, from what they have.
you know, I'm, I'm, I wouldn't say, C- Macklin Celebrini got 100, has 105 points or whatever.
Yeah.
We didn't see that coming, so.
No.
The, the discrepancy between him and the, and the next best scorer makes me a little nervous for San Jose, but they did, they did have a, a great year that way.
but I just think Chicago, when you're, when you're selling to free agents or if you're trading guys and trying to get them to commit there is like, "Hey, we know it's a great place to play when they're winning, and, and we are, now our focus now, we're not, we're, we're not rebuilding anymore.
Our focus now is to compete and, and get into the playoffs.
And so this is a place that we want you to come play and contribute.
"Right on.
Is it, is it also possible for Chicago to lobby the league and get out of the Central?
Because, you know- I was gonna say, like, they might not have They might not be a playoff team next year just because you can only have five teams in one division go to the playoffs.
Yeah.
But, you know, I guess there's still- There's still- there's still a window.
There still hasn't been any crazy thing where, where, you know, a team missed the playoffs and had a bunch more points than the, than the eighth.
I think- Right if that w- if that were to happen, you know, and I guess that happens because if you're, if you're outside looking in in the Central, you've played all those teams a bunch, so you've lost to them.
So there's- Yeah that separation there.
But, you know, if that were to happen, where a team missed, and the team ahead of them had a, you know, I think any amount less points at all would be enough to start to some conversation on, on changing the playoff format.
Indeed.
Indeed.
All right.
real quick before we go to rapid fire, happy anniversary to Alex Ovechkin.
It's been a year since he became the goals king of NHL hockey.
Devin, what do you remember about facing Ovechkin, when you were playing in the NHL, and what was the scouting report on him?
Scouting report.
I- It was a nightmare.
I, I've talked about this plenty of times.
They give me a hard time on NHL Network.
They Whenever we were talking about Ovi last year, it was some nice boards.
I think I've got I think he's got most goals per 60 minutes against me.
I don't know.
I w- I'm somehow, I'm somehow, like, way up on that list of- goalies that he's scored on, and I've only played against him, like, not that many times.
Like, Fleury's up there- Yeah 'cause he played against him 40-some times, and then there's like- Yeah Lundqvist and then, like, me, and they've all played, like, 40-plus games, and I've played, like, eight.
Right.
Something like that.
So he- Well said he, he lit me up.
He lit me up.
one of those players, obviously just, just a presence.
you get on the ice with him, and you just, you can feel him on the other side of the red line.
And, and I would only play him I was in the West all the time, so I'd only play him once or twice a year.
And, yeah, he f- he found his way to the back of the net.
His shot, so hard to read, especially when you haven't You know, I guess if you see it more, you probably get a better feel for it.
But just this, this, like, slingshot wrist shot that, that really depended on I, I don't know if you've seen his curve, but it's like a- Yeah this hook that it depends on where it comes off the blade, depends on where it's going.
But definitely a different release, than, than almost anybody else.
you know, and then, and then he kinda got in my head too, where it was like- just couldn't, couldn't get anything going with him.
He'd find his way to the back of the net.
But, just a presence out there.
A- and, and you could just feel it when he's on the ice.
You always know he's out there.
And, I fortunately, about the last game I, I played against him, he didn't score on me, which was, which was nice.
He, he tipped one on me in the third period, and he was like, "Oh, Doobie, you gotta let me have one."
And I was like, "Let you have one?
Excuse me?"
He's had enough.
yeah.
so yeah, I got him to, I got him to sign a stick for me as well- Nice which was pretty funny 'cause he wrote on it, "To Doobie.
Great Loved to play against you."
and the, my, my boys love looking at that.
So, it was, it was a, a b It was hard for me, as like everybody else, but I, I definitely had some problems with Ovi.
Fair enough.
I once, I once saw a Toronto Maple Leaf player get his shin pad, signed by Ovi after a game.
And it I should mention it was a shin pad that was cracked in half because- Ah he blocked the shot, and literally the pad broke, and he couldn't believe it.
So he went over to the, outside the Capitals' room and got their, equipment manager to bring it to Ovi and get it to sign.
Which again, you know, that, that I wonder if that story went around the league and a, a guy like you, Devin, would've been like, "What do you mean he broke a shin pad?"
Right.
Yeah.
Oh, I tried to get him to sign my ego 'cause it was broken, but I couldn't figure out a way.
Right on.
Thank you.
All right.
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Speaking of action, let's do some rapid fire, boys.
Sidney Crosby has done it once again.
He has clinched his 21st straight point-per-game season.
maybe This will be rapid fire, 'cause I think it's a pretty quick answer.
Mike, is Crosby the most consistent player ever?
Let me think about that one, Ryan.
Yes.
Yeah.
we, we talked about this last week on this show.
Like, you know, it's one thing for Ovi to get 30 goals year after year after year, but to be a point-per-game guy in the NHL, I would argue is just as impressive, if not more.
you gotta remember, like, not all those seasons he played 82 games.
But even if he played, say, 52, he ended up with more than 52 points.
So yeah, it, it's remarkable.
And I think, you know, for fans of the NHL, like we're seeing Macklin Celebrin on one end of the spectrum, and then you see the old guys like Ovi and Crosby still being able to produce at this level.
You know, and it really is a golden age for hockey.
Indeed.
Indeed.
Devin, do any other names come to mind?
I was trying to think about, like, maybe like a Ron Francis or a Brendan Shanahan, but I mean, is anybody even close to Crosby in terms of consistency?
No, I, I mean, I'm sure if we wanted to go look, you could find some guys.
But I, I think no, because, you know, with Sid And, and to be honest, there's no reason to think it's not gonna be 22 or 23 in a row- Yeah the, the way he's going and the way he's playing.
But he's I mean, his preparation, his competitiveness, all these things, why what makes him as great as he is.
He Even if he's in, you know, any sort of scoring slump or whatever, he's gonna bring he's gonna be one of your best players, if not your best player, every game.
Regardless of Even if there's not points on, he still is leading your team.
He goes out there.
He's gonna give you the same thing, the same great, consistent performance every night.
And so it's not just-Uh, the points thing, which is obviously extremely impressive.
But if you talk about just consistency on a guy who shows up every game and is, and is out there working and doing everything right every single game, points or not, Sidney Crosby's been doing it for 21 years now, and, and fortunately, and fingers crossed, it's, it's 22 and 23 and 24 until, until he doesn't wanna do it anymore.
Indeed.
Indeed.
All right, let's look at, look ahead to the playoffs with this one, and I guess we're looking back historically.
What was the biggest first round upset of the past 20 years?
And we've had some recently, that were very interesting.
Devin, I'll go to you first on this one.
biggest first round upset in your mind.
This was a tough one because you obviously have, the ones in, in recent history with, with Well, I won't say them 'cause I don't wanna jump on, on Michael's, But I'm gonna go back to, 'cause this is a little more closer to the heart, I'm gonna go back to 2006, Edmonton over Detroit- in the first round that kicked off their, Stanley Cup run.
Because that was a one, that was a 1-8 seed.
certainly nobody expected it.
Detroit was a wagon.
They had all their guys that, that we've all come to know and love and, I was, I had been drafted to Edmonton.
I ended up being a Blackace after I signed mid playoffs, in that one.
So obviously was, not, not a part of the actual winning, but, but close to, close to everything that, that was going on, was in the rink and, and practicing with the Aces and stuff.
And, and I remember watching that.
Ales Hemsky, I believe, made it, maybe it was the go-ahead or the 4-2 in game six.
I think it was to go up 3-2 with like three minutes left in game six, backdoor on Manny Legace.
And, and, so that one was just a little more, more important to me and, and fun to watch.
Nice.
You were win adjacent, as it would be.
Yes.
Yes.
Mike, what do you think?
Biggest first round upset.
I wanna say Tampa getting swept by Columbus after Tampa like put together like an historic regular season.
But- Mm-hmm Devin, I gotta go with the Toronto Maple Leafs, and I'm gonna say the COVID era season where we had those wonky divisions.
Toronto was in the all Canadian division.
Easiest path to the final that they could ever dream of.
They had the Montreal Canadians in the first round.
They had the Canadians on the ropes.
Carey Price wasn't Carey Price at that moment, and then all of a sudden, things change.
He was.
You know, John Tavares was out with an injury.
Carey Price all of a sudden just woke up and realized, hey, I can be the greatest goaltender on Earth.
You know, long story short, Montreal didn't just, you know, bypass the Leafs, but they, you know, went past Winnipeg and then beat Vegas and then were in the Stanley Cup Final against the Tampa Bay Lightning, which wasn't a great final 'cause Tampa Bay was just at another level.
But that was the best chance I think Toronto had to really make some noise.
Very true.
Very true.
All right, last question.
We do this every week.
Hot and cold players.
Michael, I'll go to you first on this one.
Give me a hot or a cold.
Okay.
Rickard Rakell with Pittsburgh, he's just been on fire.
Five straight games where he's scored at least a goal.
I believe he's got seven goals in those five games.
Ooh.
You know, on pace, if he had've been healthy, for another 35 goal season.
And real quick with the cold, Ondrej Palat.
Th- this guy since going to the Islanders, Ryan, this is why Peter DeBoer is needed with the Islanders.
He's been just, atrocious.
I think 14 games without a point.
Oof.
Minus seven during that span.
You know, the offense needs to get going, the defense needs to go, get going, but DeBoer needs to find a way to get Palat, you know, producing.
Fair enough.
Devin, how about you?
Hot or cold?
Yeah.
There was a, there was a tough play by Palat there the other night that, uh- Yeah.
that you, when you said that I was like, "Oh, yeah.
Oof."
I'm gonna go with, Kirill the Thrill.
He's, I think he's got seven in his last four.
Hat trick, last night.
I think he's five, five goals, two assists.
up to 42 goals, I think, on the year now.
Maybe 43. but he's, he's looking good for the Wild going to the playoffs.
There you go.
That's what they need.
All right.
Well, for what you need, go to thn.com.
This has been The Big Show.
I'm Ryan Kennedy with Michael Traikos and Devin Dubnyk.
We'll see y'all later.
