Episode 0095: Nylander Signs, Sabres Surge, Nifty's Number, Philly In Flux, The Next Kablooie, Paille's Assailant Charged, No. 32 Coming, Bowen Byram, Love for Krejci and More!!

It’s December 2^ndand the William Nylander Opus is over!  He has signed with the Toronto Maple Leafs for 6 years, 41.77 million dollars. The shock here…only that it took so long to get where they could have been at the beginning of the season. Mike believes that there is or was something else going on behind the scenes (an injury, perhaps) and Chris tends to agree.

Buffalo is the surprise story of the NHL thus far, and there appears no slowing down for the surging Sabres.

The Boston Bruins retired Rick “Nifty” Middleton’s number 16 this past week.  It was a nice ceremony, not at all over the top.  Master of Ceremonies Andy Brickley was eloquent and a delight to listen to for the service.  Rick Middleton was a fan favorite and showed off moves that even now are crowd stunners.

The Twitter Poll last week focused on the rookies and whether anyone could possibly catch Elias Petterson.  The winner, with 56 percent, was no one or someone other than the players listed. At this point in time we tend to agree with the 56.

We discuss the possible career ending hit on Daniel Paille by Thomas Larkin.  The hit took place two years ago and Paille has not played since. The Swedish prosecutor, Joakim Johansson, has charged Larkin with assault for the blindside hit which may have ended Paille’s career.

The Flyers are still in flux after having fired their GM, Ron Hextall.  There has been no replacement hired, and president Paul Holmgren has stated that he will leave the fate of the head coach up to the next GM. The issue here is that the team needs a complete overhaul and we discuss the moves that need to be made.

Are the Forecheckers in the prognostication business?  No, but there are plenty of teams that need extensive work, the worst of the bunch being the St. Louis Blues.  Give a listen and share your opinions as Mike and Chris talk about the possibilities of moving most of the roster to other teams.

Seattle is looking like a lock to be, as Mike puts it, number 32.  They have sold 30,000 season ticket deposits and have passed all the hurdles up to now.  On Tuesday, they face the final hurdle, a vote to approve the city as the next NHL franchise.

Bowen Byram’s dad, Shawn, played 5 games in the NHL.  It is a record that he would be happy to see Bowen break someday.  Bowen is eligible for the 2019 NHL Entry Draft.  We will keep an eye on Bowen and report on his progress at a future time.  Good Luck Bowen!

Finally, Mike may be having a change of heart regarding David Krejci.  He still states that the B’s should have traded him after the Stanley Cup win, but Mike has also stated that this may be his most impressive season to date.  We discuss why as we wrap another episode of the Two Man Forecheck.  As always…give us a listen, share your opinions with us and enjoy the show!