Two Man Forecheck

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!

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!

Episode 0082: Worst Summer Contracts, Theodore Still Unsigned, Etem Is Back, Youth Hockey in Arizona, Rangers Playoffs, Cassidy on Chara and More!

Hello again!  Can you sense it?  The NHL season is fast approaching and soon we will have our beloved sport back for our enjoyment.  In the meantime, we at the Two Man Forecheck will keep you informed of the goings on around the league.

We start off with a frank discussion of the worst NHL contracts handed out this summer, a question posited by Mike on Facebook.  We had some interesting responses, the most intriguing being Brady Tkachuk signing with Ottawa.  Mike believes it may just be Dylan Larkin’s contract while Chris feels it is another Red Wings deal, the one with Mike Green, that may be worse.  Either way, both teams are going to experience trouble this upcoming season and these signings are not going to be the most helpful.

On a sad note, Bill Foley, the owner of the Golden Knights, has lost his son at the age of 31.  Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Foley family.

Vegas also has not signed Shea Theodore as of yet.  With the new season on the horizon, is this going to be an ongoing issue like Athanasiou last season, or will Vegas get the job done.  Mike feels like the Knights will not sign him and need to deal him, with Chris believing that a deal will get done.  Where do you feel this will end?

Emerson Etem, the 2010 first round draft pick of the Anaheim Ducks, is back in the NHL.  He has received a PTO (professional try out) from the L.A. Kings.  The expectations were high when he was drafted, but what can we expect from the 26-year-old at this point in his career?  Top line is probably a reach, but could he still be a 3^rdline player?

Arizona may not be the cream of the crop in the NHL stats wise, but when it comes to the youth hockey in the state, they are without equal.  The development of youth hockey in the state of Arizona has been a boon to the masses.  A story by Craig Morgan lists the impressive stats regarding the growth of youth hockey in the area.  This may not mean a cup in their immediate future, but the Coyotes are doing what they can to help young players work towards their dreams of playing in the NHL.

Speaking of dreams, the New York Rangers appear to be heading into a difficult season, but Nicholas Zararis has written an article that explains the lone scenario in which they could make the playoffs.  We believe this is a stretch at best, but we invite you to tell us why we may be wrong.

We touch on the Vegas odds for total points for the NHL teams this upcoming season, and there are a few predictions that leave us scratching our heads.

Bruce Cassidy believes that Zdeno Chara can play for the next 4 or 5 years.  Wonderful sentiment, but does he want to play?  Can he play at the same level he has played at his whole career?  The Forecheckers discuss.

Finally, we introduce the next Twitter poll question…which Western Conference team will drop 5 points this upcoming season.

And here it is, the latest edition of the Forecheck.  Give us a listen and let us know what you think!  Enjoy the show!

Episode 0081: NHL Network Top 20 Defensemen, Roenick's Top 10 Centers, Tokarski is Back, Kronwall May Be Done, Devils Sign No. 17, Our Twitter Poll and Much More!

With NHL Rookie camps and Training camps on the horizon, hockey is suddenly in our foreseeable future! Hold on everyone…the finish line is almost upon us.

This week’s show is chock full of tidbits, but actual storylines are still hard to come by so here we present the best of what is available.

Niklas Kronwall at age 37 has stated that this season could very well be his last in the NHL.  My concern is that when a player makes a statement like this he or she may already be retired in their own mind.  He has won a Stanley Cup and 12 of his 14 years ended in the playoffs.  He has had a solid NHL career with the same organization.

Dustin Tokarski, the goaltender that made a name for himself in the 2014 Eastern Conference Finals for the Montreal Canadiens has been given another crack at an NHL position with his signing of a one-year contract with the New York Rangers.  He will be competing for the backup job behind the King, so we wish him well.  Experience wise he is the leader in the clubhouse, but Mazanec and Georgiev may have something to say about it when all is said and done.

Jeremy Roenick tweeted out his top ten centers in the league, and overall the list is good, but there are some names that may be out of position.  You’ll have to give us a listen and tell us what you think or if there is someone you would have liked to see on the list.

The Forecheckers had their own poll out there on Twitter, and the results were puzzling at best! Which team would improve by 7 or more points this season over last season.  There were 4 choices, the Leafs, the Islanders, the Panthers and the Blue Jackets.  Fifty-eight percent of you said the Leafs had the best chance, but at 105 points last season, they would need a herculean effort to get to 112.  The lowest percentage was the Islanders, at just 8%. Here the team would only need a few more wins and a few less losses, the obvious choice.  Let us know.

The Devils signed their first-round pick, defenseman Ty Smith to a 3-year entry level deal. Congrats to the youngster as he had a solid season in the WHL last season and showed that he should at least be given a chance.

Finally, we come to the NHL Network’s list of the top 20 defensemen in the league.  To say that this was funny to read may be an understatement as we took umbrage with many choices.  Should Hamilton be in the top 20?  Charlie McAvoy?  He has only been around for one full season.  Give us a listen and tell us who you believe should be on this list.  Perhaps you agree…tell us why!

Thanks for all the listening you do and let us know if there is anything you want to hear or just rant at us for our opinions.  Enjoy the show!

Two Man ForeCheck: Top RFAs, Cap Mismanagement, Hlinka Gretzky, John Gibson's new deal, Twitter Poll, Bottom Six Value and more

This week; What does William Karlsson's deal mean? Which California team has the best chane of winning a up in the next five years? Why were the resignings of Sean Kuraly and Matt Grzelyck important to the Boston Bruins? The new Dead Wings era is here, and Dylan Larkin's contract is the tip of the iceberg. The top RFA's left unsigned, and of course Canada "wins" the Hlinka Gretzky tournement at home, over Lucas Raymond and team Sweden, over the time clock and Team USA.

 

This week with Chris out of reach, I stumble through the show all by my lonely, please forgive.

Want to take part in this week's Twitter poll? Click here or visit @PuckSage

Two Man ForeCheck Episode 0079 Bruins Summer Moves, Jeff Skinner

With Chris on a much earned vacation Boston Herald rising star and WATD cornerstone Brendan Connelly cozies up to the mic to discuss Jeff Skinner, John Tavares, Rick Middleton's number retirement, and the rest of the Boston Bruins off season moves. You can find Brendan on Twitter @BConn63

Episode 0078: Iginla Retires, Trouba Signs, Skjei and Vesey Avoid Arbitration, Wilson Signs with Caps, Crawford Still Out, Linden Leaves Canucks, Hughes Back to Michigan, D-Men Top 12 and More!!

Another fun filled week in the summer of 2018!  The NHL is still moving along, albeit at a snail’s pace at times.  The Forecheckers have another episode ready to go.

We start with some less than exciting news that Jarome Iginla is calling it a career.  1300 points in 1500 games is nothing to snicker at, and he should be in the hall of fame by both our accounts.  What do you think?

On to arbitration…Jacob Trouba has signed his 1 year 5.5-million-dollar settlement, and it would appear that his days in Winnipeg might be numbered.  The contract is ready to trade, and he may be dealt at the deadline.

Other players who have signed include:  Tom Wilson – 6 years, 31 million; Brady Skjei – 6 years, 31.5 million and Jimmy Vesey – 2 years, 4.5 million.

Corey Crawford is a Stanley Cup winning goaltender, but he hasn’t been seen on the ice since February. He is still suffering from a mysterious head injury and there is no timetable on his return.  What does this mean for the Blackhawks?

Trevor Linden has left the Vancouver Canucks.  There wasn’t much fanfare about this move and finding the story was a bit of luck.  Jim Benning will be assuming his duties for now, but what does this mean for a franchise that has been in a bit of disarray for a few years now?

Quinn Hughes, the Vancouver first round pick this past draft, has announced that he will be returning to Michigan for his second year at the University.  The story is that he was not guaranteed a spot on the starting roster, but is this the whole story?

The Two Man Forecheck Twitter Poll results were 50/50 as to whether Duncan Keith is a top 12 defenseman in the NHL.  Based on our lists, he isn’t, which leads to our last discussion…

Both Mike and Chris have identified their top 12 defensemen for the past 3 seasons, and the overlap was not surprising.  11 out of 12 spots were the same, with the difference being two Nashville d-men, one former and one current.

Give the podcast a listen and let us know what your list would look like.  Do you agree with the Forecheckers?  Should we have included someone else?  Let us know and enjoy the show!

Episode 0077: Matt Dumba Contract, Arbitration Hearings Start, Vegas Trademark Resolved, Henrique Extension with Ducks, Panarin to Boston, Wings Prospect Outlook and Much More!

Truly a quiet week in the NHL, this week’s show reflects as much.  The topics range from arbitration to trades to the future location of Lord Stanley’s cup. 

We start this trip in Minnesota with the signing of Matt Dumba.  Avoiding arbitration, he has inked a 5 year 30-million-dollar contract. We agree that this is good for both parties going forward.

We move to Winnipeg, where the first arbitration hearing has been held for defenseman Jacob Trouba. The feeling here is that he will get slightly below what Dumba will pull in, but will Matt’s deal in any way affect what Trouba gets as a result?

Speaking of arbitration, we discuss the hearing schedule and the way it appears to be back loaded with stars.  The feeling here is that the teams hope to avoid hearings for these players by giving them some time to work out details.  Players such as William Karlsson and Ryan Spooner will have to wait to have their respective arguments heard.  Coming up tomorrow the biggest name would probably be Brandon Montour, yet another defenseman that may have his numbers affected by the Dumba deal.

There is one goaltender on the arbitration list, David Rittich, from Calgary.  With not much of an NHL résumé, he will not be commanding huge dollars, but will he in any way affect players such as Malcolm Subban, who is in the last year of his current deal.  We don’t believe this to be the case, but do you?

Speaking of the Golden Knights, if you have been following the Forecheck during the season, you are aware of the ongoing trademark battle with the U.S. Army.  Well, we are here to report that the battle is over.  Vegas can use the trademark and will be available for use in 60 days, just in time for the new season.

The Ducks have displayed on social media their throwback jersey for the upcoming 25^thanniversary season, and it is something to behold.  Bringing back memories from the inaugural season, the duck is back! Give it a look!

While in Anaheim, we talk about Adam Henrique signing his extension, 5 years, 29 million dollars. This again is a team friendly deal that should be good for both parties going forward.

In Boston, one of the foremost hockey writers, Kevin Paul Dupont, writes about Artemi Panarin coming to Boston and how good a fit it would be for the team.  The issue here is what the Bruins would have to give up to get him and how that affects the line he would be on.  What is your opinion?

From Boston we land in Detroit and discuss the prospects that could potentially see ice time in Little Caesars Arena this fall.  The belief here is that the two defensive prospects, Filip Hronek and Dennis Cholowski should be starting at the top level but Zadina and Rasmussen will probably start in Grand Rapids.

There was a trade in the NHL, but no one will fault you for missing it.  The Coyotes have acquired Jacob Graves and a sixth-round pick for Ryan MacInnis.  Nothing too exciting here, but the Coyotes have filled their 50 contract spots.

We mention the twitter poll regarding Artemi Panarin and finish up with our version of where in the world…needless to say, Lord Stanley is in Canada.

Give us a listen and tell us what you think!  Enjoy the show!

Episode 0076: Top 25 Players Of The Last 3 Years, Where Should Karlsson Go, 44 Arbitration Eligible Players, Blackhawks/Coyotes Salary Trade and Bjorkstrand Extends With Columbus!

With only one mention-worthy transaction this past week, we are truly in the dog days of the NHL off-season.  We at the Two Man Forecheck, however, are still attacking each week with playoff vigor. 

We start this week with our Top 25 players of the past 3 seasons.  With no guidelines as to selection, the lists are truly unique. There is only 48% crossover. Players such as Patrice Bergeron, Drew Doughty, Victor Hedman and Alex Ovechkin obviously made both lists, but the differences stand out.  Players such as Oliver Ekman-Larsson, John Gibson and Mark Scheifele appear on Chris’ list, but not Mike’s.  And in reverse, Blake Wheeler, Roberto Luongo, and Steven Stamkos appear on Mike’s list but are not choices for Chris.  Who would you have on your list?  Are there players that you would leave off either of these lists?  Let us know!

After all this discussion of the best players, the Forecheckers change tracks and look at the 44 players who filed for Arbitration this off-season, identifying the 6 or 7 players that top the list.

A little Erik Karlsson talk never hurt anyone, and we discuss where he might land.

We finish the show talking about the salary dump that Chicago took part in, trading Marian Hossa’s contract and two other players to the Coyotes for 3 players and a pick. This trade could end up hurting the Blackhawks, however, as they didn’t get much younger, and didn’t improve the defense.

Oh yeah…Oliver Bjorkstrand signed a 3-year extension with the Blue Jackets…Congrats!

Leave us some feedback on the show, or the lists, or anything that is on your mind (hopefully hockey related) and enjoy the show!

Episode 0075: 13 Troublesome Free Agent Contracts, Nail Yakupov To The KHL, Listener Question, Overused Goaltenders Rinne and Lundqvist, Kucherov Extension and More!

We are now into the dry portion of the year…no hockey until September!  So, we at the Two Man Forecheck are going to forge on and talk about everything available.

We start with a list of 13 contracts that are “iffy”.  This list is published by David Staples on the Edmonton Journal.  Both Mike and Chris have issues with most of the contracts listed with the exception of two.

Moving on, we discuss the move of Nail Yakupov to the KHL and whether he was ruined by the Oilers or was it something of his own doing?  The Forecheckers agree that there is a combination of factors here.

A listener, @holyrooder72 wanted to know how Jack Studnicka did at Bruins Development Camp.

There are two goaltenders in their mid 30’s with teams that are in different places.  Pekka Rinne and Henrik Lundqvist have both put in a lot of work with their respective teams, but which one should we worry more about. On this topic we disagree, give a listen and let us know on which side you fall.

Kucherov has signed an 8-year extension with the Lightning.  Average annual value of 9.5 million dollars.  Is this a good deal?  Again, we disagree, how do you feel?

Finally, Emmanuel Perry released a list on Twitter regarding the adjusted points per game for the top 50 skaters drafted this year.  It’s an interesting list to be sure, but is it just another tool or is it the old adage that you can make stats say anything you want?

We present to you another show for your listening pleasure.  Let us know what you think and where your opinions lie.  Until next week…enjoy!