Two Man Forecheck

Episode 0236: Bergy's Next Deal; Lundqvist Retires; Coyotes Homeless; Dineen New Comets Coach; Tarasenko; Eichel; Ads on Sweaters; 3 Youngsters Perish; Roslovic, Draper and More!t

Less than 60 days until the start of the new season, but we aren't waiting.  Another episode starts with Patrice Bergeron's next deal.  Still one more year on his current, what should he expect for his next deal.  The King has retired.  Henrik Lundqvist has accomplished much in his career, but we discuss whether he is a hall of fame candidate.  The Coyotes home, the Gila Arena, will no longer be such after this upcoming season.  How did this come to pass?  We break it down.  Kevin Dineen has been named the third head coach of the Utica Comets, but why has he taken this job?  Tarasenko still has not been moved.  The latest has him on his way to Carolina.  We present another option.  Ads will be allowed on sweaters starting in the 22-23 season.  Get our opinion on this (hint:  it isn't a happy one).  Eichel has been busy...tweeting...and the hockey world is alight.  What does he mean by these tweets.  We chew on this as well.  Three young players were killed in a car crash in British Columbia this weekend.  Two were 16, one was 17.  This type of story puts everything in perspective.  Our deepest condolences go to the families, friends and teammates of these young men.  Jack Roslovic is giving back to the Columbus community with a charity golf tourney with proceeds going to his own foundation which will provide equipment for youth in the area to play hockey.  Finally, Kris Draper was traded to the Red Wings from the Jets for future considerations which ended up being one dollar.  Best trade ever?  Pretty close.  Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0235: Giroux Great?; Draisaitl Underestimated?; Jagr Still Playing; Chara Still Playing?; B's Coaching Changes & Goalie Situation; Wings 5 Best Transactions; NWHL Best D-man and More!

As we continue through the summer, we take a look at some players that are unrecognized or still going strong.  Claude Giroux, is he great?  Leon Draisaitl, is he underestimated?  Jaromir Jagr, he is still playing at 49.  Zdeno Chara, will he play another year and will he break the games played mark?  Ryan Fitzgerald and Cooper Zech have signed 2 way, 1 year deals with the Flyers.  Joe Thornton has signed with the Panthers and Anders Nilsson has called it a career.  The Bruins have made some coaching changes over the last week at the Big Club and in Providence.  The Bruins goaltending situation may be more muddy than first thought, and we believe that Swayman may not be the backup to Linus Ullmark. We break down the 5 best transactions for the Red Wings since 2016.  A recent tweet shows the best defenseman in the NWHL as voted by the players in that league to be Kaleigh Fratkin of the Boston Pride.  All this and more to discuss over the virtual watercooler where you work.  Give us your feedback and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0234: Dvorak a Perfect Fit; Kessel to the Devils?; B's Development Camp; Krejci Replacements; Dominc Franco of West Point Signs AHL Deal and More!

With the specter of no live hockey for another 4 to 6 weeks looming ahead, we talk about Boston Bruins Development Camp which took place from the 2nd to the 6th of August.  It takes the bulk of the time and is the third segment.  We start with Christian Dvorak being a perfect fit...again, only this time for the New York Rangers.  He is apparently the darling of this off-season, so why hasn't he been moved?  The New Jersey Devils could potentially get their perfect fit, Phil Kessel, so why are they accumulating players that were great 5 years ago?  Here we break down B's dev camp and discuss some of the potential bright spots and shining players.  We stay in Boston and delve into possible replacements for David Krejci in house or potential acquisitions.  We then introduce you to Dominic Franco, a right wing from West Point, the first player from the Army to sign a professional contract.  He will be with the Rochester Americans.  Really in depth stuff here, so listen and give us your opinions.  If you were at Bruins development camp, share with us your thoughts as well and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0233: Toronto Signings; Evander Kane; The Eichel Saga; Ovi and His Contract; Krejci Going Home; Goodrow/Wilson Opening Night; Toews Back; Willie O'Ree and More!

We trudge on into the off-season with not much hockey to watch but lots to talk about so here we begin...

Toronto has signed a couple of former Bruins...Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!  The added a goalie and a couple other pieces...and still don't appear to be any better off.  Evander Kane is going through arguably the roughest patch of his career, but it is off the ice.  The Jack Eichel Saga has grown larger as his agents have spoken out about their unhappiness with their client's treatment for a herniated disk in his neck.  Ovi has signed a 5 year contract for about the same AAV as the previous deal.  All so he can catch the Great One.  But is he already the most prolific goal scorer in NHL history? David Krejci has chosen to leave the NHL and return to his native homeland to play in front of his parents.  We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors!  He will be missed.  Barclay Goodrow has signed with the Rangers...and cast the first stone in what is sure to be a rivalry with Tom Wilson!  Jonathan Toews is back and talking about his ailment that kept him out for a full season and finally, Willie O'Ree is one step closer to the highest honor that Congress can bestow upon a civilian, the Congressional Gold Medal!  Let's get this done.  It's well deserved and the process is taking too long.  Tell us what you think and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0232: NHL Draft Recap; U of M Reaping Benefits; Bruins Picks Evaluated; Logan Mailloux & Brad Aldrich; Weber Done & Habs Issues; Flat Cap Winner; Brothers Together; Virtanen Available & More

Our third show in 7 days, we wax poetic about the NHL Draft.  We briefly touch on some undrafteds as well.  The University of Michigan is certainly reaping the benefits of this year's draft (or vice versa) as 4 out of the first 5 picks are attending the school as well as another first rounder in  Sameskevitch.  We discuss the Bruins draft picks this year and aren't as upset as previous years.  What did upset us was the pick of Logan Mailloux, and the fact that the NHL Network never mentions Brad Aldrich, but we do and we have to break off the conversation in order to keep it family friendly.  Shea Weber will not play next season, and may be done completely.  This and other issues are tossed around by Mike and Chris as to what the Habs will do going forward. What organization is winning the flat cap...ah but that would be telling...you have to listen.  There are many siblings now playing together after this year's draft and trades.  Which will likely play together?  We give our opinions. Jake Virtanen is available as he has been bought out by the Canucks...who should give him an opportunity and what should that look like.  A lot of info and it will continue next week with free agency!  Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0231DS: Seattle Kraken Expansion Draft Breakdown; NHL Entry Draft Prospects and Projects

This is a busy week for the NHL.  First, the Seattle Kraken held their Expansion Draft on Wednesday the 21st of July and the 2021 NHL Entry Draft begins on Friday the 23rd.  Here we are smack dab in the middle of the action.

First, we break down the picks made by Ron Francis and the front office, giving our 3 best picks and one pick each that left us baffled.  Amazingly, there was no crossover here.

We then moved onto the Entry Draft and we each gave 5 picks that could appear as early as the first round, or as late as the 7th.  There are some true prospects here but a couple could be projects for their new teams to work with and mould.  That being said, there aren't any generational talent prospects in this draft so it will be interesting to see what direction your team goes in.  

Give us a listen, give us your opinions and give yourself the night off to watch the draft.  Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0231: Keith to Oilers; Suter/Parise Bought Out; Landeskog Exposed; Edler a UFA; Quick v Price; Tkachuk Rumors Quashed; Carlo Re-signed, Miller Retired; Divver Tweets; Ladd to Arizona and More!

We are fast approaching the NHL Expansion Draft for the Seattle Kraken which leaves us with many questions, some of which will be answered this week.  We have other topics to discuss as well since there were more than a few moves before the freeze on saturday the 17th.  Duncan Keith was sent to the Oilers for Caleb Jones.  Ryan Suter and Zach Parise were bought out by the Minnesota Wild as Bill Guerin continues to mold the team in his image.  One of the more surprising issues is Colorado leaving Landeskog exposed.  Alexander Edler will test the UFA market this off season.  Is Colorado a good fit for him?  We break down Quick vs Price in the expansion draft.  Will either of these goaltenders be on the Kraken shopping list?  Brad Treliving has quashed the Tkachuk rumors that have been floating around, but Gaudreau could be on the move as Treliving has stated that one of the impact players may need to dealt.  Brandon Carlo has been re-signed by the Bruins and Kevan Miller has announced his retirement.  Marc Divver tweets out primarily about the Providence Bruins and he has stated that Jack Studnicka has been working out at Foxboro and has added 10 pounds.  Also talks about the Bruins D prospects.  Finally we talk about Andrew Ladd being sent to Arizona with picks for the veteran player Future Considerations.  An obvious salary move along with Nick Leddy to Detroit.  Are they saving money to sign Adam Pelech?  A lot of topics on the agenda and good water cooler discussion this week so get talking and fill us in on what you think.  Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0230: SCF Recap; Tarasenko Wants Out; Etem, Stewart Now Owners; Shanny Snubbed; Johns Skates Across America; Next Boudreau Up; Vasy's Pads and More!

We have reached the end of another NHL season and Tampa Bay have repeated as champions.  Congrats to the franchise!  We start with a recap of the Stanley Cup Final and venture into what the champions will look like next year as well as the runners up.  Is Perry back?  Will Point be traded?  Tarasenko wants out of Saint Louis and he could use a change of venue, but will the return be enough for the Blues?  Will Vladimir be the same player he was prior to three shoulder surgeries?  Tkachuk wants out of Calgary.  Is there a deal to be made there?  Also, it has been written that the Maple Leafs should get in on Tkachuk, but do they really need him?  Emerson Etem and Chris Stewart are now owners of hockey franchises, Stewart in the NA3HL and Etem in the USPHL.  This is a great sign of the diversity needed in the game of hockey and hopefully a trend that will continue to rise in the coming years.  Brendan Shanahan was snubbed by Rick Vaive when he was 14 years old and 4 years later exacted a measure of revenge by fighting him in an NHL game.  Stephen Johns is skating across America to raise awareness for people who suffer from concussions and the seriousness of post concussion symptoms.  He has retired at 29 for the same reason and still has symptoms to this day.  Ben Boudreau, son of Bruce Boudreau has won the Kelly Cup in the ECHL.  Is he ready to make the jump to the NHL?  Mattias Kivlenieks has passed away at the age of 24.  We extend our deepest condolences, thoughts and prayers to his family, friends and teammates at this difficult time.  We also touch on rumors brought up on Twitter about the size of the pads on Andrei Vasilevskiy during the playoffs.  So much to discuss and comment on so let us know what you think and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0229: Playoff Roundup; Playoff Questions; UFA Impact From The Final; Pastrnak Condolences; Aldrich & the 'Hawks; Carey Price HOF?; Ryan O'Reilly 3rd Annie.; Twitter Poll Results and More!

The Fourth of July is upon us in the USA so Happy Fourth to all!  Also, Happy belated Canada Day to our friends to the north!  The playoffs are still ongoing so we are as well.  We start the show with a playoff roundup and summation of what has happened in the Final.  We ask a couple questions that may have obvious answers but we present alternate opinions.  There are 8 players who will be UFAs after the final and we talk about which ones will have the biggest impact going forward.  David Pastrnak and his girlfriend Rebecca lost their son, Viggo after 6 days.  Its a terrible loss for them and we offer our sincerest condolences, thoughts and prayers to both and their families.  We delve into the Brad Aldrich affair and its impact on the Blackhawks and the game of hockey.  Is Carey Price a Hall of Famer?  We attempt to answer that question.  On the third anniversary of the Ryan O'Reilly trade to the Blues we dig into the other players involved and there is still one pick to be made by the Sabres.  Finally, we offer the Twitter Poll results from the question "Is the current SCF lopsided result a bad look or even an embarrassment for the NHL?  We also have a new Twitter Poll up for your discussion.  Lots of material here to digest so let us know what you think, have a great weekend and Enjoy the Show!

Episode 0228: Post Mortem: Isles and Knights; Kerry Fraser Tweet; Lehner Motivation; J.T. Brown joins Kraken TV Crew; Hakstol New Kraken Coach; Tom Kurvers Passes; GM of the Year Award and More!

The Stanley Cup Final is upon us!  We at the Two Man Forecheck are ready for this and we have many stories regarding the teams which will take part in the festivities.  Starting with a post mortem for the Isles and the Golden Knights, we break down a tweet from Kerry Fraser regarding the officiating in this year's playoffs and a tweet from Robin Lehner explaining his motivation prior to game 4 against the Canadiens.  We talk about awards...even ones not given out by the NHL.  The Sports Representative of the Year was Octagon...they rep many players across all the sports including Jaro Halak and Marc-Andre Fleury.  Also, the GM of the Year goes to Lou Lamoriello and the Messier Award goes to Patrice Bergeron.  The Kraken make some noise hiring Dave Hakstol as their first head coach and J.T. Brown officially retires and joins the Kraken TV crew.  Tom Kurvers, 11 year NHL vet and assistant GM of the Wild and Lightning has passed away at 58.  We extend our deepest condolences to his family and extended NHL Family.  We mention a couple other tweets from Andrew Taverna (a poll regarding Bergeron as a top 5 two way forward) and Joey Vendetta (regarding Matt Martin).  We break down the All USHL teams 1-3 and finally give our picks for the Stanley Cup.  A packed show to be sure, and plenty to comment on so give us your feedback and Enjoy the Show!