Episode 0083: Karlsson Trade, Last Week's Poll, Hanifin Signs, Krug Trolls Marchand, Increase Fines?, Buffalo Improved?, EA Rankings, Subban Comes Home, And Much More!

Hello all, It’s September! What’s that mean?  Hockey is on the horizon.  With only two weeks or less until rookie camps and captain’s practices getting ready to begin, our beloved sport is back.  So, with that in mind, the Two Man Forecheck is getting ready with another week of excitement.

Starting out, we tease this week’s poll question, when will Erik Karlsson be traded.  Be sure to let us know what you think.

We briefly break down last week’s question, where the results were to be expected but somewhat lopsided.  A full 91% of respondents believe that Vegas will finish 5 points or more below last season. The surprise comes from the fact that only two of the four teams even received votes, as the Predators received the other 9 percent.  Anaheim and Winnipeg received none.

Another strong defenseman has inked his deal.  Noah Hanifin signed a 6 year, almost 30-million-dollar contract with Calgary.  We aren’t sure what the issue was, but it would seem that Hanifin could have added a few more dollars to the deal and still been affordable to the Flames.  While too long to be a bridge deal, the contract could have been 35 or 36 million and still been a good one for the team and the player.

Torey Krug has trolled Brad Marchand on twitter while on a recent fishing trip where he compared a fish that he caught to the size of his teammate.  While Brad has still not responded, the fact that this team shares this kind of relationship outside of the locker room is very telling about the success of the Boston Bruins.  While here we also touched on the defensive corps of the Bruins, and the fact that they have 8 players signed to play defense for Boston this upcoming season. Are they preparing for the next expansion draft or are they expecting to be trading someone during this season?

There is an intriguing (for lack of a better word) article out there on Puck Prose bringing up the subject of increasing fines for repeat offenders.  The one thing this article seems to leave out is the fact that the CBA gets in the way of teams or the NHL doing this.  The last paragraph states that it should be discussed at the next session, however it has about as much chance of passing as salary rollbacks, maybe less.

We segway into Buffalo and the possibility of their being an improved team over last year and by just how much.  They certainly have more offensive punch, and the defense should see improvement with the addition of Dahlin, but the goaltending appears to be the biggest question mark here.  Hutton has never been the number one, and Ullmark is not ready to take the reins in net if last season is to be believed.  So, what are your feelings on this?  How much improved is Buffalo at this point?

The EA Sports rankings have come out…3 Bruins are in the mix.  The surprise is Marchand at number 35.  He is certainly higher than the 35^thbest player in the league, so why the low ranking?  And Hedman not being in the top 5?  So many questions…

Voynov still not cleared to return to the NHL, but do they want him back?  We discuss.

Jordan Subban has come home on a one-year deal with the Leafs.  This is his third opportunity, but is it his last?

Finally, the Islanders have teamed up with the Guide Dog Foundation to form the Puppy With A Purpose Foundation.  What a better way to close out the show. 

See everyone next week…enjoy the show!