Episode 0084: Wheeler Extension, Schmidt Suspended, Twitter Poll Results, Quick/Varlamov, Jones/Talbot, Chara/Letang,Tyler Seguin, Ellis/Krug and More!

Rookie camps have started! The rookie games have begun in Buffalo! There are hockey highlights on your favorite networks!  Hockey is back!  Three weeks from now it will be official.  With all this in mind, the Forecheckers bring you another fun-filled episode to bridge the quickly closing gap to puck drop.

Blake Wheeler has signed a 5-year extension with Winnipeg.  The 41.25-million-dollar contract has an AAV of 8.25 million per year. It’s about time that he has been brought to the level of other top players in the league.  His importance and leadership are without question for the Jets and they will certainly benefit from having him around for another half century.

Nate Schmidt has been suspended for 20 games for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy. Present and former teammates have come out saying that this is not like Nate to behave like this. Representatives for Nate have said the amount found is like a pinch of salt in an Olympic-sized swimming pool. The team is even fighting on Nate’s side.  So why is this happening.  We believe that the league needs to start using science in a positive way and not just taking a zero-tolerance approach to every situation.  How do you feel about this?

Shea Theodore is still not signed, will the Nate Schmidt issue force Vegas’ hand?

Erik Karlsson is still a Senator.  The Two Man Forecheck Twitter poll asked when he will be traded.  Forty-nine percent believe it will be before the season.  Fourteen percent by U.S. Thanksgiving, 18% by the trade deadline, and 19% at some other time or not at all.  Does the Nate Schmidt issue have some effect on this deal happening with Vegas?  We feel he will be traded by the deadline, but it could be sooner.  What are your thoughts?

There are some players who are going to be hitting milestones this season.  We thought it would be fun to compare/contrast and figure out who would get there first.  We encourage everyone to let us know what you think!

Jonathan Quick (293) and Semyon Varlamov (193) are 7 wins away from their respective milestones. Who gets there first.  Chris says Quick, but Mike is not so ‘quick’ to agree.

Martin Jones and Cam Talbot both have 19 shutouts.  Who gets to 20 and 25 first.  Here we both seem to agree that Jones will get there.  Not due to goaltender talent, but due to the team around them.

Zdeno Chara (195) and Kris Letang (96) are close to the next hundred in goals scored.  Who get there first.  We seem to agree that it may just be Chara.  Letang has health issues and Chara is surprisingly more offensively gifted than people give him credit for being.

Tyler Seguin is 10 games away from 600.  He is offensively gifted.  He is in the last year of his contract.  Will he stay in Dallas or move on?  Some believe he will return to Boston.  Where will Tyler spend the next years of his NHL career?  It won’t be Boston.  Could it be New York or San Jose?

We touch on Bobby Lou. In researching all these numbers, we feel that he may just be a candidate for induction.  Is Bobby Lou Hall of Fame worthy?  Let us know.

Finally, we spend some time comparing Torey Krug and Ryan Ellis.  Both of these players are a few games away from 400.  The numbers and their importance to their respective teams make this a very intriguing comparison.  What happens if they were to swap teams? 

An action filled episode to be sure, let us know how you feel?  There are a lot of comparisons to delve into, so give us a listen and enjoy the show!