The Wraparound: Could Quinn Hughes Earn As Much As Kirill Kaprizov On His Next Contract?
Emma Lingan, Michael Augello and Adam Kierszenblat discuss Sam Bennett replacing Anthony Cirelli on Team Canada, Quinn Hughes' next contract, Patrik Laine, Zayne Parekh and more
Video Transcript
What's up, hockey fans?
Welcome to The Wrap Around, brought to you by The Hockey News.
I'm your host, Emma Lingan.
I'm joined today by Michael Ajello and Adam Kirzenblatt of The Hockey News.
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All right, well, guys, we gotta start this week talking about Quinn Hughes, three assists against the Montreal Canadiens on Monday.
He became the third-fastest defenseman to reach 400 assists in his career, only Bobby Orr and Paul Coffey doing so in fewer games than Hughes did.
Hughes played, He's played just 25 games for the Wild, and he's already broken Ryan Suter's record for the most three-assist games by a Wild defenseman.
Suter played nearly 700 games in a Wild jersey, for reference there.
Bill Guerin, of course, has not shied away from signing big contracts in the past.
We saw him do that with Kirill Kaprizov, and we all know Hughes is set to become a free agent after next season.
So Mike, I'll ask you first, do you think Hughes could end up earning just as much as Kaprizov if he does decide to sign with the Wild?
And what kind of roster or salary cap gymnastics would have to happen for that to be the case?
Well, hopefully Bill Guerin will learn the lesson of Kyle Dubas in Toronto and not, load his team with too many big contracts, because that can be crippling.
I mean, we know Hughes is gonna reap a big payday, wherever he goes, whether it be, you know, with Minnesota or some- or with somebody else.
I think the one advantage that Minnesota has is that, Cale Makar, whose contract is just as long as Hughes, they both turn unrestricted at the, at the end of the '26, '27 season, he more than likely is going to sign an extension with Colorado on July 1st or soon after.
I would use that, if I'm Hughes' agent, I would use that as a benchmark.
I don't think there's a chance he gets paid as much as Kaprizov, because you- defenseman usually don't get paid as much as forwards.
That should change, I, I would think, because I, I think the, the game nowadays shows that a mobile defenseman is more valuable.
But if you look at somebody like Lane Hutson, he didn't get what we all expected, and it was only after one year.
it's a different, different situation with Hughes, but I don't think Minnesota can afford to pay him $17 million like Kaprizov is making, and I'm still of the opinion that he's going to not sign a contract and maybe go unrestricted after next season.
And then I would think he's gonna head to New Jersey like everybody thought he was gonna do.
Adam, Hughes, of course, a player that you have spent a lot of time covering when he was in Vancouver.
What do you think happens here?
Well, I mean, it like, obviously, Hughes coming in has helped really change that Minnesota Wild, d- like, they had a good team, but adding a player who can, who is in the Norris conversation is obviously gonna change, you know, your dynamic.
But I think I, I'm still on this bandwagon, and I've been on it for a while.
I think that on, July 1st, what would it be?
2027, that, Quinn Hughes will sign a six-year, 15 million per deal with the Detroit Red Wings.
Like, I W- he lives in Michigan during the off-season.
I, like, they, they have the cap to really do it.
they're, they're a young team.
but, like, I don't, I just don't see with how Minnesota's kind of structured their cap, even with the cap going up, like, how they can make this work, overall.
Like, they have a lot of young players in Minnesota.
Like, I just don't see how the cap situation works.
But, like, we also could see, you know, maybe a, like, Matthew Tkachuk or a Mitch Marner situation, where y- Minnesota gets an asset back, and they sign a seven-year deal.
Because remember, at that time, th- there will be no more eight-year contracts left.
So yeah, I, I, but I just think, you know, there's a lot of talk about New Jersey.
I, I, I just think it's gonna be Detroit, just because he played in Detroit in, in the NCAA.
He lives in Detroit.
Like, there's just too many Detroit connections, overall that I, I just think that that's where he would end up going if he doesn't re-sign in Minnesota.
All right, well, we'll see what happens there.
Of course, Quinn Hughes heading to Milan after the break to represent, or during the break, I should say, to represent the USA at the Olympics.
one player who will now no longer be headed to Milan to represent Team Canada is Anthony Cirelli.
Tampa Bay Lightning center exited the Stadium Series game against the Boston Bruins over the weekend after taking a big hit.
there was some hope that maybe the injury might not be as serious as it initially looked, afterwards, but he is now officially out, for the Olympics, and Sam Bennett has been named as his replacement on Team Canada.
So Mike, just wanna get your thoughts.
What do you think of the replacement?
Do you think that was the right call?...
I'm a little surprised because Cirelli was sort of pegged to be one of the big penalty killers for Team Canada, and I'm never f- for choosing specialists for Olympic teams, but, you know, it seems to be the trait of Team Canada and Team USA to do so.
I mean, Be- from my memory, Ben- Bennett's not a heavy penalty killer for the Panthers.
I'm surprised it wasn't Zach Hyman, 'cause Zach Hyman has k- killed penalties effectively in Toronto and Edmonton, and he has really started scoring playing with McDavid.
but he's a winger, and Cirelli's a center.
Now, they have plenty of centers that can fill in if Cirelli was gonna play center on the four- on Team, Team Canada's fourth line.
But if they were gonna go with somebody, you know, other than Hyman, it could've been somebody like Wyatt Johnston.
I didn't think there was a chance that Bedard was gonna replace him, because, Bedard is A- as great as he is an o- as an offensive player, he's not fully formed as a defensive player.
So I'm a little surprised at Bennett, but we know why Bennett's gonna be there.
He's gonna be going up against Matthew and Brady Tkachuk, and, and, you know, along with Tom Wilson, and, you know, the ...
It's, it's gonna be ugly.
It won't be fights, but it'll be ugly.
Yeah, no fighting at the Olympics, but, definitely some physicality it seems like.
Adam, do you agree with the decision to replace Cirelli with Sam Bennett?
Anyone else who maybe you would've looked at as his replacement?
Well, Sam Bennett should've been on the team to start with.
So, I mean, that, that pretty much answers the question.
But, like, if, if you wanna go to Mike's point about, you know, bringing in a specialist, like, I know he's not a center, but Seth Jarvis makes a lot of sense.
Like, I know, if I remember correctly, he was o- he's on that, like, you know, that list of players who s- are still getting tested and can be added to, Olympic rosters.
Like, that, that's probably a guy, if you want a penalty killer, that you can go.
But, like, I'm still of the belief that, s- like, Connor Bedard should be on this team.
I don't really ... You know, I, I know that there's questions about his, Bedard's defensive game, but, like, so what?
He is designed for international hockey, essentially.
Remember, there's also no neutral zone, essentially, at this tournament, because the rink is smaller, and there, the dimensions are gonna be better for a guy like Bedard, who can create offense in small spaces.
So, like, I get why Sam Bennett's there.
I think he should've been there to start with.
but, like, other guys that I would've looked at were, would be Jarvis and, Bedard.
All right.
Well, we will see what happens here.
Of course, Olympics- Olympic break starts for the NHL at the end of this week, so lots of NHL talent headed over to Milan for those games.
shifting focus back to the NHL, wanna talk about Calgary Flames' rookie defenseman, Zane Parekh.
He suited up for his first NHL game in almost three months on Monday against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
He had just gone through a short AHL stint after he had a dominant performance at the World Juniors.
and then in four AHL games, Parekh scored twice, put up five points, and then he was called back up.
Sportsnet, Eric Francis actually said that while he'll be spending the rest of the season in the NHL, he probably won't be drawing into the lineup every night, as they try to put him in the best positions to be successful in Calgary.
Mike, do you think the Flames are handling Parekh's development correctly so far?
Do you think they're handling it well, considering their decision not to send him back to juniors after, after the World Juniors, since he can't play in the AHL full-time yet?
It's yet to be determined, but, I mean, we'll see how they and what they do with him the rest of the season.
I mean, they've already burned the first year of his entry-level contract, 'cause he's played 12 games.
But if they play him off and on, he's not gonna accumulate enough games this season to burn a year in terms of unrestricted free agency, so they'll get him for a full seven years.
And I'm sure that is of the mind of, of Craig Conroy, 'cause you have to think going ahead, what ... You know, if he is a premier offensive defenseman, which everybody thinks he's going to be, that, you know, getting the extra year or the, the seven years that you'd wanna get out of him, that, I think that's a priority.
I mean, I, I ... You know, he played 20 min- over 20 minutes last night.
They're not going anywhere.
They've traded Rasmus Andersson.
They're probably gonna trade a couple more players off that roster.
It would be smart to play your kids, get them experience, let them make mistakes when it doesn't matter.
You know, finish low, draft high, and build your team.
some teams in this league don't seem to grasp that, that, that idea.
right now, I think play Parekh, let him make his mistakes, and he'll get better for it.
Adam, you agree with that or disagree?
Yeah, I mean, what's the harm?
Like, Ca- is Calgary gonna go on a miraculous run to the playoffs?
No.
Like, they're gonna be a top bottom five team probably.
Like, what's the harm in playing Parekh?
Like, you know, if you wanna do something like, oh, let's say they have 25- I'm not 100% sure about the total number of games after the Olympics, but let's just say they have 25 games left.
If you wanna play him in 20 and, like, give him a little bit of a rest every couple games, just so, like, he can watch the game from above, like, every once in a while, that's fine.
But why would you play him, like, five games or 10 games?
Like, you have an golden opportunity here to see what Parekh can do, see if he can handle larger minutes, especially because Calgary's gonna be shipping out some players.
So, y- you know, I know that losing isn't great for ... Like, we hear all about it, like, losing isn't great for mentality of young players, but also being scratched is not good for the mentality of young players.
Like, getting scratched every game is not good.
So, um- I mean, if this guy is your future number one defenseman, which is what the Flames think he is, like, there's really no harm in playing him, you know, 20 or 90% of the games the rest of the way.
I mean, and, this is where the, this is where the disadvantage of not being able to play a 19-year-old in the American Hockey League really sticks out.
I mean, I think he would- definitely had benefited from, or would benefit from playing, with, with, with, with their AHL club.
I mean, if you look at something like happen with- is, is happening with Toronto right now, Easton Cowan, their rookie, has played most of the year in the Amer- in, in the NHL, and, he's been a healthy scratch the last two games, and they haven't played him.
He should be in the American Hockey League.
You don't let young players, you know, even if they need a breather, send them down to the American Hockey League for a week or two.
But, you know, that may happen during the Olympic break and may happen during the rest of the season, but, that, that option is not open to Calgary.
Well, one rookie who has been performing very well as of late is Fraser Mitten in Boston.
He was named the NHL's Rookie of the Month for January.
He led all rookies with eight goals, tying the rookie lead in points through the last month.
He's now got 14 goals and 29 points in 55 games with the Bruins this season.
Mike, what do you make of Mitten's performance this season?
Do you think that he has a chance to become a top-line center for the Bruins at some point in his career, or is it still too early to tell?
Toronto Maple Leaf fans would say, "Of course"- ... when it comes to Fraser Mitten doing what he's doing.
And, you know, I've liked him since he was a second-round pick, by the Leafs in, I think it was 2022. you know, he is, a smart kid.
He was t- he Team Canada's, captain at the World Juniors.
every grade of every expert said he sort of topped out at maybe a third line center.
Now he scored 14 goals.
You know, I think he's a perfect fit with the Bruins.
He's good defensively.
He's really smart.
I just don't think he's gonna be a top-line center.
I mean, best-case scenario, he's between a two and a three, and he probably scores 20 to 25 goals.
But you're getting that out of a guy on his entry-level contract, as well as a top five protected from the Leafs perspective, first-round pick for Brandon Carlo, who has had some issues in Toronto in terms of injury.
that was a deal probably if the Leafs had to do, to do it over again, they probably wouldn't.
But I don't know whether Fraser Mitten would be the Fraser Mitten that he's doing right now if he'd been playing under Craig Berube in Toronto, who probably would have him down with the Marlies.
So, I'm, I'm happy for the kid, and, he's making Maple Leaf fans miserable right now.
Adam, what do you make of this season that Mitten is having so far?
I mean, I, I, I'm not shy about saying how much I like Fraser Mitten as a hockey player, you know.
I even got, in trouble with Bruins fans earlier in the year for suggesting when Bruins were in on Kieffer Sherwood, that if they are gonna get a prospect back, you gotta swing for Fraser Mitten 'cause that's exactly who you need.
But I mean, like, what more Like, he's, he's in the conversation for Rookie of the Year now.
like, that's a, that's I, I s- I heard on the radio here in Vancouver people were saying it was like the, it's like the Tuukka Rask trade, with, Toronto years ago.
But I mean, you know, just looking at Minton, there, there must be something, special in that water up in Kamloops because Fraser Mitten, Logan Stankoven, Emmet Feeney, Harrison Bruncke, like, you know, that's a, those, those are four pretty good, players who all have NHL experience now and have arguably, like, overplayed their draft position.
so, from a WHO perspective, it's awesome to see Fraser Mitten, excel.
Like, I, I've talked to him a couple times when he was in the dub.
He's very thoughtful.
He's, he understands w- what his role is.
He understands his game.
He, he's one of those players that's like, "I'm just gonna keep it simple, like, I'm not gonna try to overthink a lot of stuff."
And that's what you need when you're a rookie.
So, I mean, this is a home run for the Boston Bruins.
And yeah, I, I think he is, he is a middle six center.
Like, he might be a top-line center if the Boston Bruins, like, bought him out.
But, like, he is a player that can probably get you 20 goals, 45 points, and in the future is gonna be a key part of their penalty kill.
Well, great season so far for Fraser Mitten in Boston.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for one Patrick Laine in Montreal.
He hasn't played, actually, in Montreal since October, when he was shut down to have surgery to repair a core muscle.
The return timeline was initially three to four months.
He passed the three-month mark last week.
that being said, he has practiced with the Canadiens, but return to the lineup still not imminent for Laine, and the team would have to make room for him whenever he is ready to return to the lineup.
Mike, when you look at this situation with Laine, does he have any trade value left at this point?
I mean, is this a guy who could be traded?
And if so, what kind of teams would make sense for him?
if he has any trade value, value, it's negligible, because of the injury situation and his limitations as a player when he is healthy.
He's a power, basically, a very good power play specialist.
Five on five, he's a disaster.
He's pretty much always been a disaster in Winnipeg and Columbus, and Montreal, in terms of five on five.
I would think that if they can fit him, and move things around, he would be a, a good keep for the Canadiens because they're looking to You know, they're probably in a playoff spot, and they're looking to maybe And he's not, not a center, but he, you know, he, he can add that offense and add that, uh- that shot on the power play.
But, if y- if you're talking trade here, and he is healthy, then it's probably the teams that strike out on Panarin.
and, and so you're talking Los Angeles, maybe Washington, a couple other teams.
Not Florida, because I think Florida now is out of it.
But I think he's a plan B or plan C for the teams looking to add scoring if they can't get Artemi Panarin on a long-term extension.
Adam, what do you think happens here with Laine?
I don't know if he gets traded.
Like, the only situation I could think of that he gets traded is if it's like, he's traded to a team that's gonna miss the playoffs, and it's kind of like a cap situation.
you know, I was thinking about, like, would they ever do a mutual termination of contract?
But I don't think that would You know, giving up that amount of mo- Like, I don't know if that- I don't, I don't know if that would ha- actually happen because it would have to be done pretty quickly just based off the NHL rules.
But I also don't Like, when you're looking at hi- Patrick Laine, like, it's, it's kind of sad what's happened, at this point because, you know, he wa- it was supposed to be him and Matthews, right?
Like, that was supposed to be the, them going back and forth, all as a one and two, like, for years, but it obviously, because of injuries, hasn't happened.
But yeah, like, I'm, I mean, I'm also interested to see who takes a swing at him in free agency, if somebody does, and what type of contract that is.
But like, I don't see a contender going out and trying to get him just because there's too many injury questions.
and also because, remember, the salary cap applies in the playoffs this year.
so you have to be mindful of that on top of it.
So yeah, I, like, unless it's, something where we saw, like, a, a What?
Didn't Ryan, Ryan Ellis just got traded for, like, a second time.
Like, he's not playing, right?
Like, unless it's a trade where it's, like, a cap situation, cap money going back to bring in somebody from Montreal, like, I don't see it, him getting traded to a contender.
Yeah, Hall of Famer Shay Weber is still under contract with the Chicago Blackhawks, so we do see it happen sometimes.
Players who are injured or no longer playing get, get traded.
But yeah, tough situation there for Laine.
we gotta talk about over the weekend, the crazy game, outdoor game in Tampa, the outdoor game, the Stadium Series.
I was about to call it the Winter Classic.
That was a month ago.
The Stadium Series between the Tampa Bay Lightning and the Boston Bruins.
It was a crazy game, five-goal comeback for Tampa to win it in a shootout.
it was uncharacteristically cold for Tampa.
That may be a good thing for outdoor hockey.
Mike, we've talked about these outdoor games on the show quite a bit before.
do you have any kind of out-of-the-box ideas for outdoor game locations in the future?
Because if you think about it, Tampa was already pretty out of the box, just considering, you know, the climate.
Maybe not this particular weekend, but generally speaking, the climate in Tampa.
you know, if they've kind of gone off the book here, now where else could the NHL pivot to kind of create these, you know, these novel experiences for these outdoor games?
Well, some of my out-of-the-box choices are places that they're gonna go.
I mean, we've heard, you know, possibility of them I th- I don't think they've announced, anything in Texas or, I think I'm said on a previous, wrap-around, Nashville, and I, they, they, you know, they're So some of my ideas have already been stolen.
I should have copyrighted them from the, from the NHL.
I do think that they're gonna end up coming back to Buffalo in 2028 with the new Highmark Stadium, 'cause it'll be the 20th anniversary of the Snow Globe, Pittsburgh-Buffalo game.
And knowing S- the ageless Sidney Crosby, you know, it's probably gonna be Pittsburgh-Buffalo again.
I, I remember talking to one colleague who said, "Well, the I- the, the, the guarantee of, it being madness would be Toronto-Buffalo, but then it would be 50,000 Leaf fans, and they don't want that in Buffalo."
So, I, I like where they're going with some of these choices, but I, I, I think if it's capable to go into sort of southern markets and spread the game out a little more, I think that's the way to go.
So if they, you know, maybe do it in Houston, and maybe there's an expansion situation in Houston, I think, you know, they, they have a, they have a dome stadium.
They could do that, and it gets cold in Texas now, so you can get away with it.
So m- that'll be my out-of-the-box, idea.
Well, I'm with you.
They stole my idea, too.
I thought Utah would be a great place, and that's where they're gonna be doing the Winter Classic next year.
And, Stadium Series next year is going to be in Texas, AT&T Stadium, between Dallas and Vegas, and Nashville has already hosted one.
Dallas and Nashville have played at the Cotton Bowl in the past, so they're kind of running out of options here for maybe out-of-the-box locations.
Adam, anything come to mind for you as where the NHL might look to expand next for these outdoor games?
Well, I think, the best option is go international.
Go outside of North America at this point.
And the one place that I think would be amazing to watch a game, and we know it's, you know, it's, it's not It's a non-traditional hockey market, but Wembley Stadium, m- what, 90,000 people, 90,000 football, fans watching hockey.
Like, we've seen the chants.
We've seen, how they react in when they're watching games at Wembley.
Like, I just think that would be an incredible opportunity, like, to expand the game.
And we know that the UK is kind of on the up and up with hockey.
Like, they've made the world championship a couple years ago.
We have a couple of former NHLers going and playing in Scotland now.
Like, I, I think it would be fun to do international.
Like, the, the, the dream one, but they would never- it would never work just because of climate, would be Azteca Stadium in Mexico, 'cause that's 119,000.... it would never work just because it's probably too hot.
Like, I don't see how they could cool the ice down to that, but, like, why not just go international at this point and st- try to grow the game internationally?
As long as you- Not a bad idea.
As long as you guarantee a goalie fight, I think anywhere they do it- Yeah ... will work.
Yeah, that was, another great moment in this weekend's game between Tampa and Boston.
other team in Florida, though, not fairing so well here as of late, the Florida Panthers, back-to-back two-time Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers have lost four games in a row, and they are now at the bottom of the Atlantic Division standings, eight points out of a playoff spot.
They've got a minus 13 goal differential.
How the mighty have fallen here.
So Mike, how do you think Bill Zito and the Panthers handled the trade deadline?
Now, because in the past we've talked about this is a team that, you know, seeding doesn't matter.
All they need to do is get into the playoffs, and then they can take it from there.
But right now, it looks like that's not even happening.
So do you think that they stand pat, try to grind things out with what they have, or do you think they could try to make a home run trade, someone like Panarin, even though those conversations have cooled off a bit, or do you think maybe they even do a soft sell and try to turn it around next year?
Well, I looked at their roster, and in terms of selling, there's not much to sell unless they're gonna trade players who have one year left on their contracts, like, Evan Rodrigues or Luostarinen, and those players are valuable depth players.
I mean, I think, I think Bill Zito is looking at the fact that we lost our captain, we lost our best winger for half a season.
you know, w- we've lost a couple of defensemen, one who was our best defensive defenseman in Seth Jones.
I mean, this is just not our year, and you've basically played the equivalent of four seasons over the last three years with the deep playoff runs, the three Stanley Cup finals.
You write this, you write this season off.
Maybe you trade off guys like Jeff Petry and, Luke Kunin, and, you know, for mid-round draft picks, but you're not gonna get any significant draft capital, and I don't think with their cap situation c- you can really add.
all I can say is the Chicago Blackhawks are rooting for the p- Florida Panthers to go to the bottom because they have their first-round pick from the Spencer Knight deal.
So, it's paying off for them and, with, with a number one goalie and a high draft pick.
But, I mean, you should be satisfied, Florida.
You got two Stanley Cups, and they're gonna compete for Stanley Cup next year when they're fully healthy.
Adam, what do you think that the Panthers should do with the deadline here?
I mean, just kind of if, you know, you have, like Mike said, if you have those veterans that are on expiring deals, just sell them off.
But yeah, there's nothing wrong with just saying, "You know what?
This wasn't our year.
We still have one of the deepest cores in the NHL when we're healthy."
And also remember, like, you got a bunch of guys go to the- going to the Olympics, right?
Like, they're gonna be exhausted when they come back.
So I don't think there's anything wrong with just saying, "You know what?
We had three runs.
We won two Cups."
Like, if we have to take a, a step back for one year, I think that's fine.
Like, you know, it, it The question is, what happens next year?
Like, are the players able to come back fully healthy?
Like, will the whole off-season give them a rest?
Like, an extra month off, an extra two months off could be massive, and we could definitely see the Florida Panthers, regain their form, next season if they have enough time off in the summer.
Well, I'm sure that there are probably a lot of fans in South Florida who might disagree with that take about just sitting back and saying, "Hey, it's not our year," but might be the best path forward here for the Panthers.
Adam, since we have you on the show today, do you wanna wrap up talking about your Vancouver Canucks?
They are continuing to usher in young talent.
They've got a few drafted prospects who've stood out as of late, guys like Tom Vilander and Jonathan Lekhirimaki, if I said that correctly.
both of them, lottery picks for the Canucks in 2022, 2023.
Vilander played just five AHL games before he got called up and put up s- has put up 16 points in 44 NHL games.
Lekhirimaki had 28 points in 36 games in a championship season in the AHL last year with Abbotsford.
He was a point-per-game player this season before being called up to Vancouver.
So, just looking at where the Canucks are headed, you know, as a franchise, as an organization, do you think it would behoove them to start giving more opportunities to these young players, sort of like we talked about with Zane Parekh in Calgary earlier?
Do you think it makes more sense for them to start giving these young players more runway here, rather than relying so much on their veterans who they still have on the roster?
Well, I mean, it, it- at this point, why not, really?
Like, you don't need your veteran players playing 25 minutes a game on the blue line or nine- 18, 19 minutes up front.
Like, you know, you look at, like, Lekhirimaki, he's, you know, under 13 minutes a game.
He was benched for the final nine minutes and overtime against the Toronto Maple Leafs.
Wila- Vilander, he's, you know, in that 14-minute range most nights.
S- sometimes he's at 16, sometimes he's at 13, like And then you look at other guys like Liam Ogrin, he's getting more ice time.
He's getting penalty kill time.
That's great, but Aatu Rattu is in the, in the press box still.
Victor Mancini, in the press box still.
Zeev Buym was getting opportunities, and then he had the healthy scratch.
Like, Nikita Tolopilo is still c- behind Kevin Lankinen.
So, like, I, at this point, I- it really is like a why aren't you just playing the young guys a lot more?
And I get what Adam Foote is saying about you don't wanna put them into, you know, you don't wanna give them too much.
You don't wanna put them into bad situations, but- you're the worst team in the league, and you're probably gonna have the best odds at first overall, so why not stress test these kids a little bit?
Like, you're not gonna get another opportunity like this, where you have, you know, this 25-ish game stretch, where you can say, "Listen, we're gonna give Petter- Elias Pettersson and V- and Vilander 18 minutes tonight.
We're gonna play him on the penalty kill and see what happens.
We're also gonna give Lekkerimaki 15 minutes tonight.
We're gonna give Ogrin 18 minutes tonight.
We're gonna give Ratu 15 minutes, Sassen, Carlson, all of these guys."
Like, th- there's no harm in it at this point.
Like, I get the argument that, you know, they're showcasing certain players, but, I mean, let's, let's be honest here.
Like, if, if NHL teams don't know what a Vander Kane or David Kampf or Teddy Blueger can bring to their lineup, then that's not That's, that's more concerning on the opposing team than, the evaluation.
So, like, just play the young kids, give them that opportunity, and you know what?
If they, if, if it works out, it works out.
Like, then you know what you have for the future going forward.
Mike, what do you think about all this?
Well, I think you play the kids, especially in their position, where you're seven p- you have a seven-point lead on the, on the highest percentage for Gavin McKenna.
I mean, you're in a position that you can't screw this up.
Stay where you are, and by staying where you are, I mean, trade the players that you can trade, and let your young players play, and if they make mistakes, they make mistakes.
This is how they learn.
I mean, you're not putting them out on an island.
If they're, if they're overwhelmed, then you send them to the American Hockey League, or you give them a game or two in the press box.
But this is the, this is the benefit of being at the bottom of the league, is to play your kids and find out what you have internally.
I mean, the only thing I would say with Vancouver is you've got players on that roster, like, like Pettersson, who the no-move clause kicked in on July 1st, and then all of a sudden, you start to hear rumors again of possibly him being traded.
It's like, okay, that makes no sense.
Either you're gonna keep that guy, and he's gonna be part of your team for the next five or six years, or it was incumbent upon you, if you're Patrick Allvin and Jim Rutherford, to trade him while you could trade him.
And if that's- if, if now after the fact, they're saying, "Ooh, maybe we should have," well, then maybe they shouldn't be GM and team president.
All right, well, the Vancouver Canucks, it's always something with this team, isn't it?
I feel like we always have something to talk about with Vancouver.
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That is going to do it for today's episode of the Wrap Around.
Thank you so much to everyone who tuned in and listened to us talking some hockey.
We really do appreciate it.
We will be back with an all-new episode on Thursday.
For Michael Angello and Adam Kierszenblat, I'm Emma Lingan.
This is the Wrap Around, and we will see you next time.
