The Athletic Hockey Show: Which NHL Offseason Moves Have Aged the Best and Worst?

Date: November 24, 2025
Hosts: Max Bultman & Mark Lazerus
Special Guests: Murat Atesh (Winnipeg Jets), Jesse Granger

Episode Overview

In this episode, Max Bultman and Mark Lazerus, joined by Murat Atesh and Jesse Granger, dive into the NHL’s most notable offseason moves and analyze which ones have aged best—and which have not—roughly two months into the 2025-26 season. The episode is split into deep dives on Jay major injuries (notably to Connor Hellebuyck), reflections on team building and aging transactions, and candid debates around goaltending, player fit, and trade regrets.

1. Winnipeg Jets’ Turmoil: Hellebuyck’s Injury and Team Outlook

Guest: Murat Atesh
Timestamps: 02:44–15:39

Key Points

• Connor Hellebuyck’s Injury (03:02)
  • The Jets MVP goaltender out 4–6 weeks after knee surgery.
  • "Most valuable player like this is not a guy the Jets can really afford to be without for long stretches." — Max (02:58)
• Impact on Team Play
  • Team lost first two games post-injury, scoring struggles.
  • Debated whether the Jets’ system makes them “easy” to play behind for backup goalies.
    • “Their goaltending coach, Wade Flaherty, is a bit of a... bit of a wizard.” — Murat (04:50)
  • Uncertainty if Hellebuyck’s heavy workload contributed to his injury.
    • “When he bombed in the playoffs... One of the things we wonder about is, is this guy playing too much?” — Murat (06:37)
• Eric Comrie Steps In (07:56)
  • Character praised; likened to a “sweet one” in NHL circles.

Slow Pace, Line Challenges, and Playoff Viability

• Jets’ Lack of Speed (09:10)
  • “They've been able to pull that off despite being the slowest team in the NHL...” — Murat (09:34)
  • Execution and puck management must be nearly flawless due to lack of team speed.
• Jonathan Toews' Comeback (12:19)
  • Toews settling in post-absence, initially overtasked as 2C.
  • “His internal computer of what the next play is going to be might be the best I've ever seen.” — Murat (13:28)
  • Ongoing adjustment of center roles as team gets healthier.

2. Team Canada Bubble Watch and Olympic Roster Dilemmas

Timestamps: 15:39–22:42

Key Points

• Mark Scheifele’s Hot Streak but Defensive Concerns
  • Close call for Team Canada inclusion; “one of the league’s points leaders.”
  • “Big question is, can that player make Team Canada when there are so many other brilliant offensive players who are known for better two-way play?” — Murat (16:20)
• Depth and Style Debates for Olympic Roster
  • “Do they just want to load up with the very best players in the league?... That's going to come at the expense of guys who are established, who have won... and who play perhaps more well-rounded games.” — Laz (17:38)
• Risky Picks and Pace Issues
  • Tom Wilson, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett—will lack of footspeed or discipline be deal breakers?
  • “Penalty minutes are going to be one of those things that cost teams in a small tournament like that.” — Murat (19:21)
  • Chemistry and familiarity often win tie-breakers for Canadian brass.

3. Miko Rantanen’s Suspensions: Discipline and NHL Enforcement

With Jesse Granger
Timestamps: 24:57–29:59

Key Points

• Back-to-Back Suspension-Worthy Hits
  • Rantanen suspended after two boarding incidents.
  • “These were two dirty hits. Like they were bad. The Coronado one in particular...” — Laz (25:38)
  • Discussion on NHL discipline inconsistency and the obscure “consecutive misconducts” rule.
  • “If this happens again, you know, then you gotta throw the book at the guy.” — Laz (29:41)
• Fun Fact
  • Occurrence of automatic suspensions after back-to-back misconducts has only happened to Dallas Stars players (30:30).

4. Aging the Worst: Offseason Moves Under Scrutiny

Timestamps: 31:34–42:41

Key Points

• John Gibson in Detroit (31:34)

  • Disappointing .870 save percentage; not all soft goals, but not enough saves.
  • “He hasn't really had a great year since 2018-19... Is it possible Detroit saw what he did early and just assumed he could get back to that?” — Laz (33:45)
  • Jesse: Playing behind poor defense can erode a goalie’s habits and effectiveness.

• Ongoing Red Wings Goalie Shuffle (34:25)

  • Calls to give Sebastian Cossa or Trey Augustine more starts if Gibson doesn’t improve.
  • “You’re not going to go away from John Gibson after six weeks here. Right? Like, he was your big offseason acquisition.” — Max (36:09)

• Oilers’ Goalie Neglect (37:00)

  • Stuart Skinner and Calvin Pickard struggling; team’s fatal flaw exposed.
  • “This is a number of years now. Is it possible Detroit saw what he did early in his career and just assumed he could get back to that and that all of his struggles were just a Ducks problem when really Gibson's been part of the problem?” — Laz (33:45)
  • Jesse’s dream fit: “If he [Edmonton] had Juuse Saros, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, they’re going to the Stanley Cup Final again.’” (39:03)

• Other Misfires

  • Toronto—losing Marner, not sufficiently replacing talent.
  • St. Louis trades Zach Bolduc for Logan Mailloux (“If you could get an undo, you’re hitting that button.”—Max, 42:20).

5. Aging the Best: Offseason Moves Paying Off

Timestamps: 44:45–55:55

Notable Moves

• Chris Kreider to Anaheim (45:57)

  • Written off after so-so Rangers season, now producing top-line numbers.
  • “He's still just producing so much...one of those guys that's just going to score on a quarter of his shots or a fifth...” — Laz (45:51)

• Buffalo’s JJ Peterka for Josh Doan & Michael Kesselring (46:36)

  • Nearly identical production between Peterka and Doan; Kesselring adds legit defensive depth.

• Victor Olofsson in Colorado (48:16)

  • “They have some scoring depth to go with it. That’s how you go this far into the season with one regulation loss.” — Laz (48:50)
  • Colorado now viewed as true Cup favorite due to scoring depth and goaltending.

• Trevor Zegras’ Revival in Philadelphia (49:45)

  • “He’s returned to being something like the Trevor Zegras that we knew from his rookie year.” — Max (50:30)
  • Has provided much-needed high-end talent, even if he’s now a winger, not center.

• Surprise Standout: Corey Perry to the Kings (52:33)

  • “This has been a match made in heaven...Corey Perry's been quietly huge for the Kings.” — Max (52:33)
  • Second in team goals, still thriving at 41 with “zero speed bursts” but immense around the net presence.
  • “I don't know why you would let him go. He's a guy that just seems to succeed and you need him in the playoffs.” — Laz (54:00)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Hellebuyck’s Injury:
  “As a general rule, knees make me squeamish. Knees are an important part of a goaltending repertoire. Right. That needs to work.” — Murat (06:18)
• On Olympic Roster Politics:
  “You can probably make the wrong decision, the quote unquote wrong decision, and still come away with a gold medal contender.” — Murat (20:38)
• On the Oilers’ Goalie Woes:
  “If the Oilers just had a good goalie...they instantly become a Stanley Cup favorite again, right?” — Laz (39:03)
• Corey Perry Praise:
  “He’s just so smart. He knows how to play around that...nobody screens quite like this guy does. This is just what he does.” — Laz (54:00)

Takeaways & Conclusions

• Teams that bet on aging skaters who still produce (Kreider, Perry) look wise, as do those acquiring youth that fits their needs (Doan to Sabres, Zegras to Flyers).
• Goaltending—both aging veterans (Gibson, Detroit) and neglect in the offseason (Oilers, Leafs)—is once again the “make or break” factor for aspiring contenders.
• Classic “hockey trades” where both teams fill needs and maintain value are rare but lauded by the panel.
• For Team Canada and Olympic management, trust, chemistry, and pace remain as critical as ever, with “bubble” players and aging stars facing hard decisions.

Segment Guide

| Segment | Speakers/Guests | Key Topics | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------|-----------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------| | Winnipeg Jets Check-In | Max, Mark, Murat | Hellebuyck's injury, backup situation, team speed, Jonathan Toews | 02:44–15:39 | | Team Canada Selection Debate | Max, Mark, Murat | Scheifele, defensive play, Olympic roster bubbles (Stone, Marchand, Wilson, Bedard etc.) | 15:39–22:42 | | Rantanen Suspension Discussion | Max, Mark, Jesse | Two dirty hits, NHL’s handling, Dallas’s odd rule history | 24:57–29:59 | | Offseason Moves Aging Worst | Max, Mark, Jesse | Gibson/Detroit, Oilers lack of goalie, Leafs regression, Bolduc trade | 31:34–42:41 | | Offseason Moves Aging Best | Max, Mark | Kreider/Anaheim, Doan/Buffalo, Olofsson/Colorado, Zegras/Philly, Perry/Kings | 44:45–55:55 |

This episode delivers a sharp, detailed, and entertaining analysis of roster decisions and their ripple effects—illustrating how both analytics and chemistry, stars and role players, make or break an NHL season.